Pinterest Idea ads have just been released. Let’s take a deep dive into what they are, who should use them, and what results we got when we tested them here at Simple Pin.
This podcast episode is hosted by Erin Harding, the director of Pinterest Advertising Management at Simple Pin. She’s been on the podcast a number of times to talk about Pinterest ads and she’s also the director of our monthly ads membership, the Simple Pin Ads Society.
So she knows a thing or two about paid advertising on Pinterest.
Let’s dive in!
what are idea ads?
They are a new ad format option in campaign building. They are a multi-page format designed to showcase ideas in action.
For the past few years, Idea Pins have been available on the platform. Not only are they encouraged by Pinterest, but they’re prioritized in the feed.
The biggest thing that we had to get used to (not only as a creator but as Pinterest users) was that Idea Pins didn’t link outside of the platform like all other formats. Idea Pins keep you on the platform. No wonder they’re prioritized, right?
We did trainings, we did podcasts, we laid it all out there for you… do not click on Idea Pins!
So now that everyone is conditioned NOT TO CLICK ON IDEA PINS… They introduce Idea ads. And the BIGGEST DIFFERENCE between the two?! Now you can link to your products or content using Idea Ads.
how are they created?
Let’s talk ad creation. If you’re familiar with advertising on Pinterest, you will set your campaigns up the same way, but instead of selecting a static or video ad, you can select to use an Idea ad.
They can be created ahead of time and then picked at the time of ad creation, or they can be uploaded right there in the ads dashboard. We prefer uploading ahead of time and saving them to a board, so we can make sure everything looks okay before we select them to advertise.
Current ad specs are:
- 1080 x 1920 pixel size (9:16 ratio)
- 2-10 frames drawing attention to the CTA (call to action)
Currently at the time of this recording, Pinterest auto-populates a call-to-action button to “visit site”. We assume that pretty soon you should be able to either select different CTA options OR create your own.
how are they different?
Idea ads are still new, but we’ve done some testing!
Here’s what we’ve gathered so far:
- We see more engagement with Idea ads vs. static ads to the same offer.
- The CTR (click through rate) is much lower than a static ad.
- Converting (even in a conversion campaign), is much slower and comes with a higher CPA (cost per action). For example a static ad to the same offer was $3 CPA, and the Idea ad was $10.
- Impressions were half the amount for Idea ads as compared to static ads (this was surprising!).
how to use idea ads
If you run ads now, test them out! They could work really well for you, just be aware that you may spend a bit more money.
In addition to linking to your content, include product links if possible. And since you CAN’T link regular Idea Pins, make sure you’re calling attention to the fact that these ads do link out.
Lastly, be sure to stick with Pinterest’s best practices. This is where you’ll find the most up to date information and details on this new ad format.
We’ll keep you updated as we learn and test more.
Thank you for putting your trust in Simple Pin Media, especially as we test out and discover all these new features.
For further reading/listening:
- Idea Pin Content Planning (podcast/show notes)
- 3 mistakes you’re making with your Pinterest Ads (podcast/show notes)
- How to prep for Pinterest Ads (podcast/show notes)
