The Ultimate Guide To Pinterest Ad Types

Pinterest has evolved far beyond a digital mood board for DIY crafts and recipes. In 2025, it’s a serious discovery engine—a place where users don’t just scroll for fun, they plan their next purchase. If you’re running a business, ignoring Pinterest ads is like walking away from ready-to-buy customers.

This guide breaks down every Pinterest ad type, when to use them, how they perform, and where they fit into your strategy. Whether you’re new to Pinterest or ready to scale, this is everything you need to know.

At PinMySEO.com, we help brands combine SEO with Pinterest marketing to maximize visibility—and understanding ad types is a big part of the equation.

Why Pinterest Ads Matter

Before diving into ad formats, let’s get clear on what makes Pinterest ads so unique.

• High intent audience: Users come to Pinterest to discover and plan. It’s a platform where people are actively seeking inspiration to take action—whether that’s buying a product, renovating a home, or starting a business.
• Search-driven: Unlike Instagram or Facebook, Pinterest is part search engine. Users type keywords into the search bar, which means your ad can appear at just the right time.
• Visual-first discovery: Your ad isn’t just a sales tool—it’s part of a visual journey. The right design can make you feel native, not intrusive.

Now, let’s break down each Pinterest ad type so you know what tools you’re working with.

Guide To Pinterest Ad Types

1. Standard Pin Ads

What it is: These are your basic image ads. They look like regular pins but are promoted to appear in search results, home feeds, and category feeds.

Best for:

• Driving traffic to your blog or e-commerce product
• Simple promotions
• Seasonal or trend-focused content

Why it works: Standard pins are subtle. They blend naturally into the Pinterest feed and allow you to test creative ideas without being salesy. They’re great for cold audiences who are just discovering your brand.

Pro tip from PinMySEO.com: Pair your Standard Pin Ad with optimized Pinterest SEO. That means keyword-rich titles, helpful descriptions, and linking back to a highly relevant blog post or product page. This combination gives both paid and organic lift.

2. Video Pin Ads

What it is: A promoted pin, but with motion. These can autoplay in feeds and last anywhere from 4 seconds to 15 minutes.

Best for:

• Demonstrating how a product works
• Telling a story
• Grabbing attention in a crowded feed

Why it works: Video naturally stands out. Pinterest users often pause scrolling to watch step-by-step tutorials, before-and-afters, or mood-driven clips.

Tips:

• Keep your videos short and punchy. 6 to 15 seconds is the sweet spot.
• Make sure it works without sound—most users watch silently.
• Add overlay text to convey your core message instantly.

At PinMySEO.com, we’ve used short, keyword-targeted video pins for clients to drive over 3x the engagement of static images, especially in niches like beauty, food, and home improvement.

3. Carousel Ads

What it is: A single ad with 2 to 5 swipeable images. Each “card” can have its own title, description, and link.

Best for:

• Showcasing product features
• Telling a step-by-step story
• Displaying a collection or set
  

Why it works: Carousel ads invite interaction. They feel more dynamic and allow you to guide users through multiple selling points. You’re not limited to one image—you get a mini-catalog right in the feed.

Example: If you’re selling furniture, the first card could show a styled living room, the second a close-up of the material, the third a diagram showing dimensions, and so on.

PinMySEO Pro Tip: Use consistent branding across cards and vary your calls-to-action. One card might say “See more styles,” another “Shop now,” and another “Get design ideas.” Test what works.

4. Collections Ads

What it is: These ads combine a large hero image (or video) with a group of smaller, clickable product images below.

Best for:

• E-commerce brands with multiple SKUs
• Showcasing related products
• Creating mood boards for seasonal trends

Why it works: It mimics the browsing experience of a product catalog or store window. Collections ads shine during holidays or when launching themed bundles.

Note: These only appear on mobile, which is where the majority of Pinterest traffic comes from—so don’t ignore them.

PinMySEO Insight: Our clients in fashion and home decor see up to 60% higher click-through rates with collections ads versus single image formats. The more visual context you give, the better.

5. Shopping Ads

What it is: Shopping Ads are pulled directly from your product catalog or feed. They auto-generate pins for your products and promote them across Pinterest.

Best for:

• E-commerce brands with a product catalog
• Scaling promotions quickly
• Targeting warm audiences (retargeting)

Why it works: They allow for mass promotion of many SKUs without designing a separate pin for each. These ads are shown to users who have expressed interest in similar products, making conversions more likely.

Set it up: You’ll need to upload a product feed through Pinterest Catalogs. Once your catalog is live, Pinterest auto-generates pins for your products.

Pro Tip: Make sure your product titles and descriptions are SEO-optimized. At PinMySEO, we help brands structure their product feeds in a way that maximizes discoverability.

6. Idea Ads (Idea Pins for Ads)

What it is: Formerly known as Story Pins, these are multi-page pins designed to tell a story. Now, they can also be promoted as ads.

Best for:

• Tutorials
• Brand storytelling
• Influencer collaborations

Why it works: Idea Ads feel more like content than advertising. They’re immersive, encourage saves, and often rank high in Pinterest search. It’s your chance to build brand affinity while also educating.

Important: Unlike most other ad formats, Idea Pins don’t link directly to websites (yet). But they build trust and brand familiarity, which is critical to long-term growth.

Strategy by PinMySEO: Use Idea Pins as top-of-funnel ads to grow visibility, then retarget users with Shopping or Standard Pin Ads. It’s part of a full-funnel approach we use for lifestyle brands.

7. Try On Ads (AR Ads)

What it is: Augmented reality ads that let users “try on” products like makeup or accessories using their mobile camera.

Best for:

• Beauty brands
• Jewelry
• Fashion accessories

Why it works: It removes guesswork and increases buyer confidence. Pinterest users can see how a lipstick looks on them before clicking “buy.”

Advanced but effective: If you’re in a niche where visual fitting matters, this ad type is gold. The barrier to entry is a little higher (requires 3D product models), but the engagement is top-tier.

PinMySEO is currently helping select clients explore this format as part of early adoption strategies. AR is a growing trend—being early gives you a competitive edge.

Which Pinterest Ad Type Should You Use?

Final Thoughts

Pinterest Ads aren’t just another “ad platform”—they’re an intent-driven discovery engine that blends search, social, and shopping in one space. But to win, you need more than good visuals. You need the right strategy.

Understanding each ad type—and when to use it—is the first step.

The next step? Implementation. If you need expert support in setting up your Pinterest ads, aligning them with your SEO, and building a consistent traffic funnel…

Visit PinMySEO.com

We’ve helped brands grow organically on Pinterest—and now, we’re helping them scale with paid. Let’s do the same for you.