12 Pinterest Ad Tips and Examples

 

If you’re going to start investing in your Pinterest marketing strategy, you need to make sure your content is ready to shine. These tips and examples are a good starting place, or can help you refine current content.

Of course, before promoting any content, make sure you’re up to speed on Pinterest’s advertising guidelines.

1. Create beautiful content

Easier said than done right? Actually, it’s not. Keep imagery simple so that it will have high impact. Since 80 percent of Pinners use Pinterest on mobile, use high-resolution, vertical images to give your pins pride of place. Adhere to Pinterest’s specifications so you don’t end up with a distorted or truncated Pin.

Absolut and ad agency 360i used closeups and strong visuals to make a splash with Pinterest video.

Febreeze has another great example:

2. Lead with a hook

Whether you’re using static images or videos, you always want to lead with your hook. That goes for copy, too.

Pinterest recommends you prioritize the first30-60 characters in descriptions, since the rest may not show in the feed. For video, the first few seconds are the most crucial.

Make sure to include your brand name in the hook. Pinterest research shows that Pins with a brand name in the first line of description earn two-times higher awareness.

3. Provide detailed descriptions

Pinterest users appreciate the finer details. Your descriptions should provide Pinners with information that they can act on. Take advantage of keywords and hashtags, too.

4. Stick with lifestyle themes

Pinners are more inspired when they see your brand in action, especially when it comes to video

Pins that show someone interacting with your product or service are 67 percent more likely to drive online sales lift. But make sure to keep it as the focal point – don’t let it get lost in the mix.

Starbucks embedded its coffee right into morning routines with this Pin:

5. Add tasteful branding

Pinners don’t mind branded content, so make sure your brand name or logo are there to enforce awareness and consideration. For video ads, Pinterest suggests showing branding within the first few seconds, or for the whole duration. For images, avoid the lower right corner since that area can sometimes be covered or cut off.

6. Add a text overlay

Text overlay can enhance your brand message. But don’t overdo it, you still want your visuals to have impact, too.

The best text overlays call out unique features or are actionable. For instance, adding the word “new” can result in nine times higher aided awareness. Overlays with actionable copy see a 6 percent lift in online sales.

La La Land used text overlay to great effect, as a way to promote its Golden Globe wins.

7. Tell a story

After running a study on 29 Promoted Video campaigns, Pinterest found that focusing storytelling was one of the best approaches. People watched videos 29 percent longer when there was a storyline included. Storytelling is a great way to tell a brand story, share company news or showcase your product in action.

For Pinterest’s own Right the Ratio campaign, Pinterest used storytelling to demonstrate how to close the gender gap in creative fields.

8. Or share a how-to

The same Pinterest Promoted Video study found how-to instructional videos also worked best. Lowe’s created a campaign that demonstrated how to build a laundry room from start to finish. As a result, completion rates were double the Pinterest benchmark for videos longer than 25 seconds.

10. Pin for special or seasonal moments

Pinners are especially active when it comes to holiday or life event planning. But since they’re also planners, they’re often Pinning about these topics three to four months ahead of the event.

Pinterest’s research finds that Pins that feature holiday or life moment content have a 22 percent lift in online sales.

Pinterest’s Possibilities Planner showcases some of the largest events on the platform and provides good keyword tips.

Think outside of traditional holidays. What events matter to your audience? IKEA back-to-school season dorm-room décor campaign increased CTR by 73 percent.

11. Plan for Pin continuity

When a Pinner clicks on your Pin they’re looking for more information. Make sure they land on a page that can provide it – and if possible, use the same image for continuity. Pins that go to pages with similar imagery have a 13 percent higher lift in online sales.

Undergarment retailer Third Love found success this way with its one-tap campaign, earning a 26 percent increase in traffic, and decreasing cost-par-acquisition by 14 percent.

12. Use Rich Pins

There are four types of RichPins that can be used to provide contextual information for your Pins: app, product, recipe, and article. Including pricing details can make a difference: Pinterest finds that Pins with prices see 28 percent higher online sales.

Made.com used Rich Pins to share product name, price, and availability information on their home décor Pins. The added detail made a big difference, leading to a 51 percent increase in conversions and a 106 percent increase in transactions.

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