Who Are Pinterest Ads For? (Hint: Not Just E-Commerce Brands!)
When you think about advertising on Pinterest, you probably picture e-commerce brands promoting products like home decor, clothing, or beauty products. And while Pinterest Ads can certainly be effective for businesses selling physical products, they're not the only businesses that can benefit.
For example, one of the biggest misconceptions about Pinterest advertising is that you need an online store to make it worthwhile.
The truth is, Pinterest Ads can support a variety of business types, from service providers, email marketers and bloggers to course creators and digital product sellers.
When it comes to using Pinterest for business, advertising isn't just about selling products. It can also help you grow your audience, drive traffic to your website, generate leads, and build your email list.
It all comes down to understanding your business goals and creating a Pinterest marketing strategy that supports them.
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Service Providers: Getting in Front of Potential Clients
Here's where Pinterest Ads become interesting for businesses that don't sell physical products.
Pinterest Ads for small businesses and service providers can be a way to reach people who may be looking for their expertise, even if those people aren't quite ready to book a service.
Think about an interior designer promoting a helpful blog post about decorating a small living room. Or a business coach sharing an educational resource about growing a business. A photographer might promote a guide to planning the perfect engagement photo session.
In each case, the goal might simply be to introduce the business to a new audience and encourage people to learn more.
Pinterest Ads can help service providers drive traffic to their websites, share valuable content, and generate leads for their businesses.
You don't always need to ask for the sale (or booking) right away. Sometimes getting someone to discover your business is a valuable first step.
Digital Product Sellers and Course Creators: Building an Audience
If you sell digital products, online courses, templates, or other educational resources, Pinterest Ads can be a great way to introduce people to what you offer.
And one of my favorite ideas here is email list growth.
Rather than sending someone directly to a sales page, you might offer a free guide, checklist, or training that introduces them to your expertise.
Someone discovers your ad, signs up for your free resource, and joins your email list. From there, you have an opportunity to continue building that relationship and eventually introduce your paid offers.
This is a great example of how Pinterest advertising can support lead generation as part of a larger marketing strategy.
Of course, you can also use Pinterest Ads to promote digital products and paid offers directly. The approach you choose depends on your goals, your audience, and where they are in the buying process.
Bloggers and Content Creators: Driving Traffic and Growing Your Audience
Pinterest has long been a valuable platform for bloggers and content creators, and advertising can offer another way to get helpful content in front of the right people.
If your goal is to increase blog traffic, Pinterest Ads can help introduce your content to new readers who are interested in the topics you share.
Maybe you've written a blog post that introduces readers to your expertise. Or perhaps you have a free resource that would be valuable to someone interested in your topic.
Pinterest Ads can help you reach more people with that content.
For bloggers, potential goals might include:
✔️ Driving traffic to valuable blog content.
✔️ Growing an email list.
✔️ Introducing readers to affiliate resources or other offers.
One thing I always encourage business owners to consider, though, is what happens after someone clicks.
Driving traffic is great, but it's important to understand how that traffic supports your business. If you're paying to drive traffic to your blog, you want to have a reason for bringing those visitors to your website.
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E-commerce Brands: Driving Product Discovery and Sales
And of course, the obvious one…Pinterest is a visual search and discovery platform, making it a great fit for e-commerce businesses. People come to Pinterest looking for inspiration, researching ideas, and planning future purchases.
For businesses selling physical products, Pinterest Ads can help get those products in front of potential customers throughout that discovery process.
You might use Pinterest Ads to:
✔️ Introduce your products to new audiences.
✔️ Drive traffic to product pages or collections.
✔️ Retarget people who have already shown interest in your products.
And while sales may be the ultimate goal, not every campaign needs to focus on immediate purchases. Introducing your brand and building awareness can be an important part of the process, too.
Wondering If Pinterest Ads Are Right for You?
If Pinterest advertising is on your radar, my free video is a great place to start. Get a better understanding of what to consider as you explore Pinterest Ads for your business.
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It Starts With Your Goal, Not Your Business Type
This is an important point I want to emphasize.
In addition to asking, "Are Pinterest Ads right for my type of business?" I encourage you to start with another question:
"What do I want Pinterest Ads to accomplish for my business?"
Because there are several ways advertising on Pinterest can support your marketing efforts.
Pinterest offers different advertising objectives designed to support these goals. Understanding which objective makes sense for your business is one of the first steps in building an effective Pinterest Ads strategy. You can find more information about ad objectives and goals in THIS BLOG and THIS BLOG.
And remember, you don't have to accomplish everything with one campaign. Different campaigns can serve different purposes as part of your overall strategy.
So, Are Pinterest Ads Right for Your Business?
Possibly! And you certainly don't need to be an e-commerce brand to benefit.
What matters is whether your ideal audience is spending time on Pinterest, whether you have a clear goal for your advertising, and whether the strategy makes sense for your business and budget.
Pinterest Ads aren't a one-size-fits-all solution, but they can offer opportunities for many different types of businesses.
The key is understanding how to use them strategically rather than simply running ads and hoping for results.
More Pinterest Ads Resources:
📌 Ready to Learn More About Pinterest Advertising?
In my Pinterest Ads Intensive, I walk you through developing a Pinterest advertising strategy for your business, from choosing campaign objectives and targeting audiences to creating ads and understanding your results.
Whether your goal is growing an email list, driving traffic, or generating sales, the Intensive is designed to help you make informed decisions about your Pinterest advertising.
Join the Pinterest Ads Intensive Waitlist to be the first to know when enrollment opens.
📌 Are You Ready for Pinterest Ads? Free Training
In this free training video, you will learn how to know when it’s time to start running Pinterest Ads, and when you may be better off waiting. Watch Here.
