September 15, 2023

5 Crucial Mistakes Entrepreneurs Must Avoid In Their Pinterest Ads

Pinterest Ads bring in money and sales over and over again for businesses when they know how to avoid these key mistakes

Pinterest Ads Mistakes to Avoid

Looking to drive explosive traffic and sales with Pinterest ads marketing? Pinterest has emerged as a powerful advertising platform for entrepreneurs to drive traffic and boost sales but it's easy to sabotage your Pinterest ads if you don't know how to avoid some critical mistakes.

From targeting the wrong audience to neglecting creative elements, we will cover it all. Don't miss out on the opportunity to leverage the potential of Pinterest ads for your business! 

Below, we’ll explore the five crucial mistakes entrepreneurs must avoid when running ads on Pinterest, ensuring they achieve maximum ROI from their campaigns. 

By avoiding these crucial mistakes, entrepreneurs can maximize their Pinterest ad campaigns' effectiveness and unlock the platform's potential for driving true growth and profitability.

Why Pinterest Ads Must be An Integral Part of Your Marketing 

Pinterest has quickly become a go-to platform for entrepreneurs looking to promote their products or services. With over 465 million monthly active users, Pinterest offers a vast audience to tap into.

The platform's unique visual nature makes it ideal for showcasing products and inspiring users to take action. Whether you sell clothing, home decor, or digital products, Pinterest provides a valuable platform to connect with potential customers.

One of the key benefits of Pinterest ads is the ability to drive traffic to your website. Unlike other social media platforms, Pinterest allows users to click on pins and be directed to external websites. 

This makes it an excellent tool for entrepreneurs who want to increase brand visibility and generate sales. By utilizing Pinterest ads effectively, you can significantly boost your website traffic and conversions.

However, to make the most out of Pinterest ads, entrepreneurs must avoid some common mistakes. Let's delve into the crucial mistakes you should steer clear of when running Pinterest ad campaigns.

Mistake 1: Lack of clear targeting

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when running Pinterest ads is failing to define their target audience clearly. Without a well-defined target audience, your ads may end up reaching the wrong people, resulting in poor engagement and wasted ad spend. To avoid this mistake, it's essential to conduct thorough market research and develop buyer personas.

Start by identifying the demographics, interests, and preferences of your ideal customers. 

Use Pinterest's targeting options to narrow down your audience based on factors like age, location, gender, and interests. By refining your targeting, you can ensure that your ads are shown to the right people who are more likely to engage with and convert through your ads.

Additionally, consider using Pinterest's Actalike Audience feature. This allows you to reach users who are similar to your existing customers, increasing the chances of attracting potential buyers. Take the time to analyze your target audience and tailor your Pinterest ads to resonate with their needs and interests.

Mistake 2: Poor Ad Creatives

Pinterest is a highly visual platform, and the quality of your ad creatives can make or break your campaign's success. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of neglecting the visual aspect of their ads, resulting in low engagement and click-through rates. To avoid this mistake, invest time and effort into creating visually appealing and compelling ads.

Start by understanding the visual aesthetic of Pinterest and aligning your ad design with the platform's overall style. Use high-quality images that are relevant to your products or services.

Avoid using generic stock photos and instead opt for custom visuals that showcase your brand's personality. Add text overlays or captions to highlight key features or promotions.

Furthermore, consider the composition and layout of your ads. Pinterest users are drawn to clean and visually pleasing images. Ensure that your ad creative is well-organized and easy to understand at a glance. Experiment with different formats, such as carousel ads or video pins, to add variety and capture users' attention.

Remember, your ad design represents your brand, so make sure it reflects your company's values and identity. Invest in professional design tools or hire a graphic designer if needed.

 By creating visually appealing ads, you can capture users' attention and entice them to engage with your content.


Mistake 3: Ignoring Keyword Optimization

Just like search engines, Pinterest relies on keywords to understand and categorize content. Ignoring keyword optimization is a common mistake that can hinder the visibility and reach of your Pinterest ads.

 By optimizing your ad copy and descriptions with relevant keywords, you can increase the chances of your ads being shown to the right audience.

Start by conducting keyword research to identify the terms and phrases that are relevant to your products or services. Use keyword research tools or explore Pinterest's own search suggestions to uncover popular search terms. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your ad copy, titles, and descriptions.

When optimizing your Pinterest ads for keywords, ensure that your language is compelling and engaging. Avoid keyword stuffing, as it can make your ads appear spammy and unappealing. Instead, focus on creating informative and persuasive ad copy that resonates with your target audience.


Mistake 4: Unrealistic Time and Budget Expectations 

PInterest ads work extremely well for those brands who understand how to set realistic time expectations. Pull your ads out too quickly and you’ll not reap the benefits of what strategic Pinterest ad marketing can really accomplish for your brand. 

Throw out an explosive budget only to pull back? You’ll end up with less reach and unimpressive ad results. 

Here’s a few tips to keep in mind when considering budget and timing expectations: 

Thinking about timing on your Pinterest ads you should keep in mind that  2- 4 months is a great baseline to start when looking at timing and results of individual ads.

Anything less and you won’t have even time on the platform for the altogrithm to accurately distribute your ad content to your audience. Nor will you have given your audience enough time to engage with the ads and take action. 


Be prepared to invest both time and budget wisely, allowing your campaigns to gather momentum and refine their targeting.

When it comes to budgeting for Pinterest ads, think of it as finding the right balance between a frugal traveler and a savvy explorer. 

Your expectations should be grounded in the understanding that Pinterest ads can be a cost-effective way to reach your audience, but success often comes with a bit of financial nurturing. 

Here are a few quick tips on selecting the right budget for your marketing goals: 

  • Start with a budget that aligns with your goals, keeping in mind that like a well-tended garden, it may take some time to see the full bloom of your efforts 
  • Be prepared to monitor and adjust your budget as needed, optimizing your campaigns as you go. 
  • Don’t start big and pull back. Throwing a large amount of money into your Pinterest marketing budget is great but only if it meets your goals and can be maintained. 

In the world of Pinterest advertising, patience and strategic spending are your trusted companions on the path to achieving your marketing objectives while keeping your financial ship afloat. 

Mistake 5: Failing to Analyze and Optimize Ad Performance

Lastly, entrepreneurs must avoid the mistake of neglecting to analyze and optimize the performance of their Pinterest ads. Without regular analysis and optimization, you may miss out on opportunities to improve your ad campaigns and achieve better results.

Regularly review your ad performance metrics to identify any areas of underperformance. 

Analyze the click-through rates, engagement rates, and conversion rates of your ads. Identify patterns or trends that can help you understand what's working and what needs improvement.

Use Pinterest Analtyics and other third party analytic monitoring tools to ensure you’re reaching your ad marketing goals ont the platform. 

Based on your analysis, make data-backed decisions to optimize your ad campaigns. Consider adjusting your targeting options, refining your ad creatives, or experimenting with different bidding strategies. 

A/B testing can also be a valuable tool to determine which variations of your ads perform best.

Furthermore, don't forget to consider user feedback and comments on your ads. Take note of any suggestions or criticisms and use them to refine your future campaigns. 

By continuously analyzing and optimizing your Pinterest ads, you can ensure that your campaigns are effective and generate the desired results.

Image Credit: (www.pinterest.com

Indispensable Tips for Successful Pinterest Ads

Now that we've covered the crucial mistakes to avoid, let's explore some tips to help you run successful Pinterest ad campaigns:

1. Be consistent with your branding: Ensure that your Pinterest ads align with your brand's visual identity and messaging. Consistency across all your marketing channels will help build brand recognition and trust.

2. Utilize rich pins: Rich pins provide additional information and context about your products or services. Take advantage of rich pins to make your ads more informative and enticing.

3. Leverage video pins: Video pins can be a powerful way to capture users' attention and deliver your message effectively. Experiment with video ads to engage users and increase conversions.

4. Test different ad formats: Pinterest offers various ad formats, including carousel ads, shopping ads, and promoted video pins. Test different formats to determine what works best for your business.

5. Optimize landing pages: Ensure that the landing pages you're directing users to are optimized for conversions. Make sure they align with the messaging and visuals of your Pinterest ads.

By implementing these tips and avoiding the crucial mistakes mentioned earlier, you can optimize your Pinterest ad campaigns and achieve better results.

Business of All Sizes Succeed with Pinterest Ad Marketing 

From the travel to fashion, beauty to parenting niches,  Pinterest marketing provides a solid leg up over and over again when it comes to huge performance gains for businesses in the world of paid advertising. 

Don’t take our word for it. Here are some outstanding stats from companies who’ve see tremendous growth and ROI from their Pinterest ads campaigns. 

Success Story # 1: CeraVe:

CeraVe’ learned that 97% of beauty searches on Pinterest were unbranded…giving this beauty brand huge leverage for targeting new customers. 

As outlined in their research, CeraVe found that people on Pinterest are actively searching for skincare education and product ideas, without a specific solution in mind. That gave CeraVe a huge opportunity to reach potential customers at the earliest phases of product research and discovery.: 

After the campaign, more than 50% of incremental sales on Pinterest came from new customers.2 Most of those conversions came from video ads, which drove the highest ROAS in the campaign compared to the other ad formats used.2

CeraVe also saw that targeting non-branded keywords helped them reach a broader audience, who later searched specifically for the brand’s products. For example, by the end of the campaign, there was a 2x increase in organic searches for “CeraVe hydrating cleanser.”

Image Credit: Pinterest 

Success Story # 2: Scotch & Soda

Scotch and Soda, a fashion brand, exponentially increased their ROAS on Pinterest using shopping ads. 

Shopping ads were the main component of Scotch & Soda’s Pinterest campaign, as they enabled them to leverage the “sales moment” more effectively. 

Additionally, shopping ads helped Scotch & Soda’s Pins appear on “related search,” which led to an increased volume of conversions.

This led to an astounding 7x higher return on ad spend then in previous  campaigns also boasting 800K new users. 

Check out the full stories of these brands and countless other brands explosively growing their ROI, sales, traffic and more with strategic Pinterest ads marketing right here.

Looking to make your brand a Pinterest ads success? Schedule your call in with Sunlight Digital right here. 


Successful Pinterest Marketing Begins With These Tips

Pinterest ads offer immense potential for entrepreneurs looking to promote their products and drive traffic to their websites. 

However, to make the most out of Pinterest ads, it's crucial to avoid some common mistakes that can hinder your campaign's success. 

By defining your target audience clearly, investing in compelling ad creatives, optimizing your ads with relevant keywords, maintaining consistency in posting and monitoring, and regularly analyzing and optimizing ad performance, you can maximize the effectiveness of your Pinterest ad campaigns.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to leverage the power of Pinterest ads for your business. 

By implementing the tips and strategies outlined by Sunlight Digital, you can create successful Pinterest ad campaigns that attract and convert your target audience. 

It’s time to move your brand on Pinterest, that’s why there’s Sunlight Digital. 


Want more on budgeting for Pinterest ads? Check out this quick goto article on how to create a financially successful Pinterest ad campaign. 


Design the perfect Pinterest Ads Strategy: boost conversions, ROI, and your brand with Sunlight Digital. Schedule your quick strategy call right here.