Pinterest Ads: the most underestimated channel for e-commerce

When I talk to D2C brands about their media channels, I notice how little thought goes into Pinterest. Meta is the standard, TikTok is the hype, Google Shopping is also there, and then the list usually stops. That's a shame, because for certain categories, Pinterest is the best-performing channel we know.

Why Pinterest is different

Pinterest is not a social media platform. It's a visual search engine. People come to Pinterest with intent: they're looking for inspiration for a purchase, a project, or a decision they're about to make. 97% of searches on Pinterest are unbranded. That means users are open to new brands and products.

Compare that to Instagram, where people scroll to be entertained, or Google, where they search for something specific. Pinterest sits right in between: high purchase intent, but open to discovery. That's the sweet spot for D2C brands.

The categories that perform best

Pinterest doesn't work for every product. The categories that consistently perform best are: fashion and accessories, interior and home décor, beauty and personal care, food and recipes, and lifestyle products. If your product is visually appealing and fits within a lifestyle that people explore on Pinterest, the channel is very promising.

With our client Vedder & Vedder (jewelry), we see Pinterest as one of the best-performing channels, with a CPA that is 35-45% lower than on Meta. With Feather Women (beauty), we see similar results.

How Pinterest Ads work

Pinterest offers various ad formats: standard pins, video pins, shopping pins, and idea pins. For e-commerce, shopping pins are the most interesting: you connect your product catalog to Pinterest and the platform automatically generates ads based on your products.

The targeting options are comparable to Meta: interest targeting, keyword targeting (unique to Pinterest), actalike audiences (their version of lookalikes), and retargeting. The combination of keyword targeting and interest targeting makes it possible to reach exactly the right audience.

The learning phase and patience

An important difference from Meta: Pinterest has a longer learning phase. Where a Meta campaign often has enough data to optimize within a week, Pinterest needs two to four weeks. That means you need to be patient and not draw conclusions too quickly.

We recommend a test budget of at least 30 euros per day, for four to six weeks. That gives the algorithm sufficient data to learn. After that period, you can scale up or adjust.

Pinterest and your organic strategy

A unique advantage of Pinterest: your ads have an organic tail. A pin that you promote can also be discovered organically, saved, and shared. That means your investment in Pinterest advertising continues to generate returns even after the campaign stops. On Meta, reach stops the moment you stop paying. On Pinterest, it doesn't.

For our clients, we always combine paid and organic Pinterest. We create pins that run as both ads and are organically discoverable via keywords. This reinforces each other and creates a compounding effect.

Measurement and attribution

Pinterest offers its own conversion tag and an API for Conversions (comparable to Meta's CAPI). We always implement both for maximum data quality. Pinterest's attribution windows are by default wider than Meta's (30-day click, 30-day view), which can sometimes lead to overestimation. That's why we always use a cross-channel attribution tool alongside the platform data.

Conclusion

Pinterest is not a replacement for Meta or TikTok. It's a complement that can be highly profitable for the right categories. The combination of high purchase intent, low competition, and an organic tail makes it a channel that every serious D2C marketer should test.

Want to know if Pinterest fits your brand? Get in touch for a no-obligation conversation.