Pin It to Win It: Maximizing Your Blog’s Potential with a Pinterest Campaign

Pinterest has become a prominent digital media platform for content promotion. While many marketers focus on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads, advertising on Pinterest can offer unique benefits for your blog. With a highly active and targeted user base, Pinterest ads can lead directly to purchases and increase visibility for your content. In this article, we will explore Pinterest’s advertising options and how running a Pinterest campaign can benefit your blog’s digital marketing strategy.

What are Promoted Pins?

Promoted pins are paid Pinterest ads that target specific demographics, locations, keywords, devices, and more. They appear alongside other types of pins on Pinterest, such as pins from people you know and suggested pins. By utilizing promoted pins, brands can increase visibility and drive sales on the platform.

Other Advertising Options on Pinterest

In addition to promoted pins, Pinterest offers several other advertising options that can benefit your blog’s marketing strategy:

1. Idea Pins

Idea pins are short videos or a series of up to 20 graphics designed to demonstrate something. Similar to Instagram Stories, idea pins provide more ways to convert viewers into potential customers. They offer features like user tagging, interactive stickers, topic hashtags, and detail pages. To create an idea ad with a paid sponsorship, a creator must tag an advertiser as a “business partner,” allowing the brand to promote the idea pin.

2. Try-on-Product Pins

Try-on-product pins use augmented reality to allow users to try on cosmetics and accessories via their smartphone’s camera. To utilize this pin type, you’ll need an uploaded product catalog, a Pinterest business account, and a Pinterest account manager.

3. Collection Ads

Collection ads are ideal for e-commerce brands in the fashion, home decor, and beauty industries. They consist of a large featured video or image and three supporting images. If a user clicks on the ad, it can display up to 24 images on the ad detail page, exposing potential customers to your product line. Pinterest can create this ad by choosing related products from your uploaded product catalog.

4. Carousel Ads

Carousel ads on Pinterest look like regular pins, but users can swipe through up to five images per ad. If a user pins your ad, all images are saved to their board. Carousel ads can show related items or demonstrate one item being used or worn differently.

5. Shopping Ads

Shopping ads pull from your product catalog and display a single image to the audience that Pinterest deems most interested in that particular product. Many e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, integrate directly with this feature.

6. Product-Rich Pins

Product-rich pins pull and display detailed information from your website, including price, stock availability, name, and description. These pins update in real time as your website updates and appear in the Shop tab of Pinterest search results, giving your products more exposure. You will need to add some additional code to your website for this feature to work.

Benefits of Advertising on Pinterest

Running a Pinterest campaign can offer several benefits for your blog’s marketing strategy:

1. Discovery-Oriented Platform

Pinterest is a platform designed for users to discover new products, ideas, and content. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, where users primarily connect with others or make short comments, Pinterest focuses on visual search and acts as a digital bulletin board. Due to its discovery-oriented nature, users are more receptive to advertising on Pinterest compared to other social media platforms.

2. Open-Minded Users

Pinterest searches are primarily unbranded, meaning users are open to exploring new brands and products. This creates an opportunity for smaller or lesser-known brands to generate attention and interest on a relatively even competitive playing field. Unlike Google, where users often search for specific brands, Pinterest users come with an open mind and are receptive to discovering new content.

3. Cost-Effectiveness

Pinterest ads have been found to generate a higher return on investment (ROI) compared to other digital platforms. According to WebFX, the average cost per click on Pinterest is $1.50, compared to $5.26 on LinkedIn, $3.56 on Instagram, and $3.21 on YouTube. While Facebook’s cost per click is lower at 97 cents, Pinterest makes up for it in effectiveness. Half of Pinterest users claim to have purchased an item after seeing a promoted pin, highlighting the platform’s ability to drive sales.

4. Large and Engaged Audience

Pinterest boasts over 478 million monthly users, with approximately half of them located in the United States. If your target audience consists of women, Pinterest is an ideal platform, as over 77% of Pinterest users are female. The largest demographic on Pinterest is women aged 25 to 34, making it a valuable platform for reaching this specific audience. Additionally, Pinterest users have a higher household income, with 45% of people in the U.S. with an annual household income over $100,000 being on Pinterest.

Best Practices for Advertising on Pinterest

To maximize the effectiveness of your Pinterest advertising campaigns, consider the following best practices:

1. Continually adjust your campaigns: Pinterest is a visually driven site, and different images may resonate differently with your audience. Test out different variations, including varied imagery, photos with or without text, new keywords, higher or lower bids, and new audiences. Continuously adjusting and testing your campaigns will help you find the sweet spot where you’re getting the desired return on investment.

2. Use CTAs in the description: Pinterest allows you to use direct calls to action (CTAs) in a pin’s description. However, avoid being too “salesy” or aggressive with your CTAs. Users come to Pinterest for appealing imagery and creative ideas, so strike a balance between promoting your content and providing value to users.

3. Use relevant keywords: Pinterest allows you to associate up to 150 keywords per promoted pin, but it’s crucial to use relevant keywords that are related to your pin and the landing page. Targeting irrelevant keywords will result in wasted ad spend and lower click-through and conversion rates. Aim for at least 30 relevant keywords per promoted pin.

4. Use targeted audiences: Pinterest’s targeting options may not be as advanced as other social platforms, but they still offer opportunities to show your pins to specific users based on their location, device, gender, and language. Take advantage of these targeting options and pair them with relevant keywords to reach the right audience at the right time.

5. Bid aggressively: Since you only pay for clicks on Pinterest ads, consider bidding slightly higher when you first start to see your return on investment. This approach allows you to gather data and optimize your campaigns. Experiment with different bidding options to maximize your clicks and conversions.

What to Avoid When Advertising on Pinterest

Along with best practices, it’s essential to be aware of what not to do when advertising on Pinterest:

1. Don’t use CTAs in the image: While you can include direct CTAs in the pin’s description, avoid using them in the image itself. Pinterest does not allow direct CTAs in the image, but you can include a “soft” CTA as an overlay on the photo. Be mindful of Pinterest’s guidelines and strike a balance between promoting your content and maintaining a visually appealing pin.

2. Don’t use a ‘hard wall’ landing page: Pinterest values user experience and prefers pins that lead users to find information without requiring personal information upfront. Instead of sending users to a landing page that requires personal information, consider directing them to a blog post where the landing page is easily accessible.

3. Don’t use horizontal images: Pinterest’s design favors long, vertical images, and horizontal or landscape images may not be seen by users. Optimize your pins by using long, vertical images that communicate the message effectively without requiring users to scroll down.

4. Don’t use redirect links: Pinterest prefers a smooth and uninterrupted user experience, so avoid using redirect links that interrupt the flow when a user clicks on a pin. Make sure to check the URL before ordering your ad and ensure a direct path to your desired destination.

5. Don’t use hashtags: While hashtags are allowed on Pinterest, the platform discourages using them in ads. Hashtags can make your ad appear spammy and unnecessary since you can already add relevant keywords to your campaigns. If necessary, limit the use of hashtags to your company’s specific hashtag or a promotional campaign.

In conclusion, running a Pinterest campaign can significantly benefit your blog’s digital marketing strategy. With its discovery-oriented platform, open-minded users, cost-effectiveness, and large audience, Pinterest offers unique opportunities for brand exposure and sales. By following best practices and avoiding common pitfalls, you can maximize the effectiveness of your Pinterest advertising campaigns and drive traffic to your blog.