# Pinterest Promoted Pins

**Category:** platform  
**Short Description:** Pinterest's native ad format that looks like regular pins.  
**Last Updated:** 2026-05-30T00:00:00Z

## Definition

Promoted Pins are Pinterest's primary advertising format that allows businesses to pay to increase the reach of their pins. These ads maintain the native look and feel of organic pins while reaching targeted audiences.

## Examples

- Product pins that link directly to e-commerce pages
- Idea pins showcasing step-by-step tutorials
- Collection pins featuring multiple products in a single ad

## FAQs

### What are Pinterest Promoted Pins?

Promoted Pins (now generally called Pinterest ads) are paid pins that appear in users' home feeds, search results, and related pins, looking like organic pins but with a 'Promoted' label. They let brands reach Pinterest's audience as they browse and search for ideas, blending into the visual discovery experience. They're the core Pinterest ad format for driving awareness, traffic, and sales.

### Why is Pinterest's user intent unique?

Because Pinterest users are often in a planning and discovery mindset — actively seeking ideas and inspiration for future purchases, projects, and decisions (home, fashion, recipes, weddings, gifts). This forward-looking, high-intent browsing means ads can reach people early in their consideration of a purchase, when they're open to discovering products and brands. It bridges discovery and intent in a way few platforms match.

### What performs well as Pinterest ads?

High-quality, visually appealing vertical images and video that fit Pinterest's aesthetic and inspire action, with clear value and keyword-relevant descriptions (Pinterest is search-driven, so text matters for discovery). Idea-driven, aspirational, and how-to content suits the planning mindset. Because users seek ideas, ads that genuinely help them envision or plan something tend to outperform hard-sell creative.

### Who should advertise on Pinterest?

Brands in categories people plan and discover around — home, fashion, beauty, food, weddings, DIY, gifts, travel — and especially those reaching the platform's audience. It's strong for visual products, inspiration-led purchases, and capturing early-stage planning intent. It's less central for categories with little discovery/planning behavior or audiences not on Pinterest. Visual appeal and category fit drive success.

### How does Pinterest advertising combine search and discovery?

Pinterest is both a visual search engine and a discovery feed — users search for ideas with keywords and browse recommended pins. Ads can target both: appearing in keyword search results (capturing intent) and in home/related feeds (discovery). This dual nature lets advertisers reach planning users actively searching and inspire those browsing, making keyword relevance and visual appeal both important.

## Related Terms

### Component Terms

- **[Rich Pins](/resources/glossary/platform/pinterest-rich-pins)**: Enhanced pins that automatically sync information from your website for up-to-date product details
- **[Pinterest Shopping](/resources/glossary/platform/pinterest-shopping)**: Comprehensive e-commerce solution that includes product pins, catalogs, and shopping features
- **[Pinterest Visual Search](/resources/glossary/platform/pinterest-visual-search)**: Core Pinterest technology that powers product discovery within Promoted Pins through visual similarity matching

### Child Terms

- **[Native Advertising](/resources/glossary/creative/native-advertising)**: The broader category of ads that match platform context - Promoted Pins exemplify this by preserving Pinterest's visual discovery experience