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How Much Pinterest Ads Cost: The Complete Pricing Overview
With over 400+ million monthly active users, Pinterest has become an increasingly valuable platform for brands looking to advertise. However, as a paid advertising platform, marketers need to understand the costs associated with Pinterest ads in order to plan and optimize effective campaigns. Determining how much Pinterest ads cost depends on several factors. This includes the type of ad format, campaign objective, bidding strategy, targeting parameters, time of year, and more. By learning how Pinterest ads are priced and the strategies available for maximizing value and affordability, brands can take full advantage of Pinterest advertising and connect with highly motivated users without overspending their budgets. This article will provide an in-depth look at how much Pinterest ads cost and key tips for keeping your advertising affordable and optimized.
Understanding Pinterest Ads
Before calculating the costs of Pinterest ads, it’s important to understand the different types of ads and campaigns available on Pinterest.
Types of Pinterest Ads
There are several main ad formats on Pinterest:
- Promoted Pins – Sponsored image, video or carousel pins that appear in search results and feeds. Similar to organic pins.
- Video Ads – Video ads that autoplay when viewed. Available in standard or full-width sizes.
- Shopping Ads – Promote products with special buyable pins. Require a Pinterest product catalog.
- Local Ads – Target ads to users within a certain geographic radius. Useful for location-based businesses.
- Idea Pins – Multi-page storytelling in a pin format. Include images, videos, GIFs and text.
In addition to the ad formats, there are different campaign objective types you can optimize for:
- Awareness – Get the most impressions for your ads
- Consideration – Increase site traffic
- Video Views – Get the most views on video ads
- Conversions – Optimize for specific conversions like checkouts
- Catalog Sales – Promote products from your Pinterest product catalog
Pinterest Ad Sizes
The size of your ad will impact its visibility and cost. The main ad sizes are:
- Standard Pins – 1000 x 1500 pixels
- Vertical Pins – 1000 x 1500 pixels
- Horizontal Pins – 2000 x 1000 pixels
- Video Pins – 600 x 1067 pixels (standard), 600 x 1500 pixels (full width)
Follow Pinterest’s ad policies for dimensions, aspect ratios and file sizes.
Starting Pinterest Ad Campaigns
To run ads on Pinterest, you need a Business Account. The steps to set up a campaign are:
- Choose ad objective
- Set your budget and duration
- Select targeting options
- Design ad creative
- Place bids
- Set up payment method
- Launch campaign
Make sure to closely monitor performance and optimize as needed.
Calculating Pinterest Ad Costs
Pinterest ads work on an auction-style bidding system for ad placement. As a result, costs can vary significantly based on factors like competition, targeting, and time of year.
Cost per Click vs. Cost per Conversion
There are two main pricing models – CPC (cost per click) and CPA (cost per action/conversion).
For CPC, you are charged each time someone clicks your ad. Average CPC is $0.10 – $0.50.
For CPA, you pay only when someone completes a conversion like a purchase or signup. Average CPA is $1 – $5.
CPA campaigns tend to be more affordable, but require conversion tracking. CPC is simpler for beginners.
Bidding Strategies on Pinterest
You have two options for setting your bids on Pinterest ads:
- Manual Bidding – You set a max bid for clicks/conversions
- Automatic Bidding – Pinterest sets bids for you to optimize results
Automatic bidding makes optimization easier, but manual bidding gives you more control. Many advertisers start with automatic bidding while testing.
When setting bids, aim just above the estimated average to be competitive but affordable. Analyze competitor bids for insight.
Optimizing Pinterest Advertising
Proper optimization is key to keeping Pinterest advertising costs down without sacrificing performance.
Best Practices for Pinterest Ads
Follow these best practices:
- Set detailed targeting parameters like interests and behaviours
- A/B test multiple ads and keywords
- Design visually appealing pins
- Write compelling ad copy
- Use video ads when relevant
- Check auction insights to estimate costs
- Monitor ROI closely and pause low performers
Utilizing Analytics for Pinterest Campaigns
Make use of Pinterest’s analytics to optimize performance. Look at:
- Impression Rate – How often your ads are being shown
- CTR – Click-through rate measures how many clicks you get
- CPC – Track cost per click
- CPA – For conversion campaigns, monitor cost per action
- ROAS – Return on ad spend calculates overall profitability
Continuously refine targeting and bids based on performance data.
Comparing Pinterest Ads to Other Social Media Platforms
It can be useful to test advertising on multiple platforms to see what provides the best results at the most affordable cost for your business.
On average, Pinterest ads tend to be more affordable than platforms like Facebook and Instagram when calculated on a cost per conversion basis. The highly commercial intent of Pinterest users makes it easier to drive desired actions.
However, be sure to test different platforms yourself to determine the best channel for your goals and audience.
Maximizing Affordability on Pinterest
By following the right strategies, you can keep your Pinterest advertising costs down and achieve great results.
Setting a Realistic Daily Budget
It’s important to set a daily budget that provides enough data for optimization while staying affordable. When first starting out, $10 – $20 per day is a reasonable budget.
As you scale up, carefully increase budgets based on performance data. Don’t raise budgets by too much at once.
Strategies to Reduce Pinterest Ad Costs
Some key tips for reducing Pinterest ad spend:
- Bid just above the estimated average rate
- Pause poor performing ads quickly
- Create hyper-targeted ad groups
- Use negative keywords to avoid irrelevant traffic
- Promote products with high margins
- Test ads extensively before scaling up spend
- Analyze reports to identify optimization areas
- Take advantage of Pinterest’s free analytics tools
- Only advertise during peak sales periods if needed
By following best practices and constantly monitoring and optimizing performance, you can achieve great results from Pinterest ads without overspending your budget. Test different strategies to find what works for your business goals and audience.
Conclusion
Pinterest ads offer a unique opportunity to get your brand seen by Pinterest’s highly engaged shopping-focused audience. While costs can add up if not optimized properly, there are many strategies for maximizing value and affordability from your advertising. Taking the time to learn the platform, utilize available data, set realistic budgets, and follow best practices can help keep your Pinterest ad spend cost-effective. Test different approaches and find what delivers the best results for your business.
