Pinterest Advertising: A Beginner’s Guide to Promoted Pins

Last Updated on May 11, 2023

Pinterest has become a powerful platform for businesses to reach their target audience through advertising. Promoted Pins are a key feature of Pinterest advertising that allows businesses to promote their products and services to millions of users. In this article, we’ll be focusing on Promoted Pins and how they work.

Promoted Pins are essentially just regular pins but with the added benefit of being promoted to a larger audience. They appear in users’ home feeds, search results, and related pins sections, just like regular pins. However, they have a special “promoted” label that distinguishes them from organic pins.

One of the benefits of Promoted Pins is that they are highly targeted. Businesses can choose their target audience based on factors like location, interests, and search keywords. This means that they can reach the people who are most likely to be interested in their products or services.

Another benefit of Promoted Pins is that they can be highly effective. Pinterest users are actively searching for inspiration and ideas, which makes them more likely to engage with and take action on Promoted Pins. This can lead to increased website traffic, sales, and brand awareness for businesses.

In fact, Promoted Pins are a valuable tool for businesses looking to expand their reach and connect with their target audience on Pinterest. In the following sections, we’ll explore how to get started with Promoted Pins, how to create engaging pins, how to track performance, and more.

Read: Pinterest for Business: The Ultimate Guide

Getting Started with Promoted Pins

Getting started with Promoted Pins can seem daunting, but with a bit of preparation and know-how, it can be a straightforward process. Here’s how to get started:

1. Set up a Pinterest Advertising
   To begin with Promoted Pins, businesses must create a Pinterest advertising account, which can be accomplished by visiting the Pinterest Ads Manager and following the prompts. This account is distinct from a regular Pinterest account.
   
   
2. Set Your Campaign Objective
   Once you’ve created your account, you’ll need to select your campaign objective. This will depend on your goals for the campaign, such as increasing website traffic or boosting brand awareness.
   
   
3. Choose Your Target Audience
   One of the benefits of Promoted Pins is the ability to target specific audiences. Choose the demographics, interests, and keywords that match your target audience to ensure your Promoted Pins are seen by the right people.
   
   
4. Set Your Budget and Bid
   Before launching your Promoted Pin campaign, you’ll need to set your budget and bid. Determine how much you’re willing to spend and set a daily or lifetime budget. You’ll also need to bid on keywords to compete for ad space.
   
   
5. Create Your Promoted Pins
   Now that your campaign is set up, it’s time to create your Promoted Pins. Use high-quality images and attention-grabbing text to make your pins stand out. Keep in mind the dimensions and recommended image sizes for Pinterest.
   
   
6. Monitor and Optimize
   Once your Promoted Pins are live, monitor their performance regularly to see how they’re performing. Use the data to optimize your campaigns, adjust bids, and refine your target audience.

Tips for Creating Effective Promoted Pins:

• Use high-quality, visually appealing images to grab attention
  
  
• Make sure your text is easy to read and matches your brand’s voice
  
  
• Use keywords in your pins’ descriptions to improve visibility
  
  
• Consider using Pinterest’s built-in tools, such as the Pinterest Tag and conversion tracking, to track results and improve performance.

Overall, getting started with Promoted Pins is all about setting up your campaign with clear objectives and targeting the right audience. By following these steps and creating compelling Promoted Pins, you’ll be well on your way to reaching your business goals on Pinterest.

Read: Building a Community on Pinterest: Engaging with Your Audience

Creating Engaging Promoted Pins

Creating engaging Promoted Pins is crucial to the success of your Pinterest advertising campaign. Here are some tips to help you create Promoted Pins that stand out and capture attention:

1. Use High-Quality Images and Graphics
   The first step to creating engaging Promoted Pins is to use high-quality images and graphics. Make sure your images are clear, crisp, and visually appealing. Consider using professional photos or graphics to make your pins look more polished.
   
   
2. Match Your Pins to Your Brand
   Your Promoted Pins should reflect your brand’s voice and aesthetic. Use your brand colors, fonts, and imagery to make your pins instantly recognizable. This helps to build brand awareness and trust with your audience.
   
   
3. Keep Your Pins Simple
   While it’s important to make your pins visually appealing, it’s also important to keep them simple. Avoid cluttering your pins with too much text or too many images. Keep your pins focused on one main message or idea.
   
   
4. Add Text Overlay to Your Images
   Adding text overlay to your images is a great way to provide context and entice users to click through to your website. Use eye-catching headlines, calls to action, or product information to make your pins more informative and compelling.
   
   
5. Experiment with Different Pin Formats
   Pinterest offers a variety of pin formats, including standard, carousel, and video pins. Experiment with different formats to see which ones perform best for your business.

Examples of Successful Promoted Pins:

1. Patagonia’s Promoted Pin featuring a high-quality image of a scenic mountain landscape, with a caption encouraging users to “explore more.”
   
   
2. Sephora’s Promoted Pin featuring a bright, eye-catching image of a lipstick, with a caption encouraging users to “add a pop of color.”
   
   
3. Lowe’s Promoted Pin featuring a carousel of images showcasing different outdoor furniture options, with a caption encouraging users to “transform your outdoor space.”

In summary, creating engaging Promoted Pins is all about using high-quality images and graphics, matching your pins to your brand, keeping them simple, adding text overlay, and experimenting with different pin formats. By following these best practices and taking inspiration from successful Promoted Pins, you can create pins that stand out and capture the attention of your target audience.

Tracking Performance and Optimizing Campaigns

Tracking the performance of your Promoted Pins is essential to ensuring the success of your Pinterest advertising campaign. Here’s how to track performance and optimize your campaigns:

1. Use Pinterest Analytics to Track Performance
   Pinterest Analytics is a powerful tool that allows you to track the performance of your Promoted Pins. It provides insights into how many people are seeing and engaging with your pins, as well as demographic and interest data about your audience.
   
   
2. Monitor Key Metrics
   There are several key metrics to monitor when tracking the performance of your Promoted Pins, including:

• Impressions: the number of times your pin was seen
  
  
• Clicks: the number of times your pin was clicked
  
  
• Saves: the number of times your pin was saved by users
  
  
• Engagement Rate: the percentage of people who engaged with your pin (clicked, saved, or commented)

3. Optimize Your Campaigns Based on Performance Data
   Once you’ve identified the key metrics to monitor, use the data to optimize your campaigns. For example, if you’re not seeing enough clicks, consider adjusting your bidding strategy or refining your target audience.
   
   
4. Test and Refine Your Promoted Pins
   Testing and refining your Promoted Pins is an important part of optimizing your campaigns. Try different images, text overlays, and calls to action to see what resonates best with your audience. Use A/B testing to compare the performance of different pins and refine your strategy accordingly.

Tips for Optimizing Promoted Pins:

• Use high-quality images and graphics to capture attention
  
  
• Refine your target audience to reach the right people
  
  
• Experiment with different bidding strategies to optimize costs
  
  
• Test different pin formats to see what works best
  
  
• Keep your pins fresh by regularly updating and refreshing content

In a nutshell, tracking the performance of your Promoted Pins is crucial to optimizing your Pinterest advertising campaigns. Use Pinterest Analytics to monitor key metrics, optimize your campaigns based on performance data, and test and refine your Promoted Pins to achieve optimal results. With these best practices in mind, you can create effective Promoted Pins that reach your target audience and drive business results.

Read: What You Need to Know About User-Generated Content (UGC)

Budgeting and Pricing

Setting a budget and managing costs are important considerations when running Promoted Pin campaigns on Pinterest. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Pricing and Bidding
   Promoted Pins are priced on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis, meaning you only pay when someone clicks on your pin. Bidding works by setting a maximum bid for each click, and Pinterest’s algorithm will then determine the final cost based on how much competition there is for ad space.
   
   
2. Factors Affecting Cost
   Several factors can affect the cost of Promoted Pins, including:

• Your bid: the higher your bid, the more likely your pin will be shown
  
  
• Competition: if there are many businesses targeting the same audience, the cost per click may increase
  
  
• Ad quality: if your pin has a high engagement rate, Pinterest may offer a lower CPC

3. Setting a Budget
   To set a budget for your Promoted Pin campaign, consider your overall advertising budget and what you hope to achieve. Set a daily or lifetime budget that is realistic and manageable for your business. You can adjust your budget as needed based on performance data.
   
   
4. Managing Costs
   To manage costs effectively, monitor the performance of your Promoted Pins regularly and adjust your bids and targeting as needed. Consider using Pinterest’s automatic bidding feature to help optimize costs. Also, consider pausing underperforming campaigns or pins to reallocate budget to those with better results.
   
   
5. Calculating ROI
   To calculate the return on investment (ROI) of your Promoted Pins, consider the cost of the campaign against the business results it achieved, such as increased website traffic, leads, or sales. Use Pinterest Analytics to track these metrics and determine the overall ROI of your Promoted Pin campaigns.

Tips for Budgeting and Pricing:

• Determine your advertising budget and set a realistic Promoted Pin budget
  
  
• Monitor performance regularly to adjust your bids and targeting
  
  
• Use automatic bidding to optimize costs
  
  
• Consider pausing underperforming campaigns or pins to reallocate budget
  
  
• Track business results to calculate ROI

Ultimately, budgeting and pricing are important considerations when running Promoted Pin campaigns on Pinterest. Set a realistic budget, monitor performance regularly, adjust your bids and targeting as needed, and track business results to calculate ROI. By following these best practices, you can optimize your Pinterest advertising campaigns for success.

Conclusion

On a final note, Pinterest advertising and Promoted Pins offer a powerful way for businesses to reach their target audience and achieve their marketing objectives. Here are the key takeaways from this article:

• Promoted Pins are a valuable tool for businesses to reach their target audience on Pinterest.
  
  
• Creating visually appealing and engaging Promoted Pins is crucial to their success.
  
  
• Monitoring performance data and optimizing campaigns regularly is important to achieve optimal results.
  
  
• Budgeting and pricing are important considerations when running Promoted Pin campaigns.
  
  
• Calculating ROI can help businesses determine the effectiveness of their campaigns.

We encourage readers to experiment with Promoted Pins and track their performance regularly to see what works best for their business. With the right strategy and execution, Promoted Pins can help businesses achieve their marketing goals on Pinterest.

If you’re interested in learning more about Pinterest advertising and Promoted Pins, there are plenty of resources available. Check out the Pinterest Ads Help Center for in-depth guides and tutorials, and consider attending a Pinterest marketing workshop or webinar to learn more about best practices and strategies.

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