With 175 million users and counting, Pinterest is an excellent place to promote your Shopify store. Not just that, but Pinterest is where people go for visual imagery—and often to get ideas before making a purchase or doing a DIY project at home. Even to find a fabulous new recipe. Below are a few things you need to know about Pinterest ad targeting.
Promoted Pins Work Differently Than Most Social Media Ads
While businesses can promote their Pins, unlike Facebook and Twitter you have a few unique guidelines you must follow to promote your Pins:
No Landing Pages: A common strategy with social media marketing is to link your paid ads back to a landing page with the hopes of getting a lead to opt-in. However, Pinterest does not allow you to link to a landing page. You can instead link to a blog post, product page, or your website home page.
No Image CTAs: Pinterest wants their Promoted Pins to feel like an organic addition to a user’s feed, which is one of the reasons why a call to action is not allowed in the image title. Instead, add relevant keywords to your title, and a combination of keywords and a CTA in your 150-word description.
No Hashtags: Hashtags aren’t allowed on Pinterest. Also, avoid the temptation to stuff your image description with a series of words that are illogical, or otherwise hashtags without the “#”. Instead, be organic in your description.
Select Your Promoted Pins Carefully
As a Shopify store owner, you are sure to have a selection of quality photos, but you must select your Promoted Pin images carefully. They must be of an image that you can target to a specific demographic; the photo must not be vertical—or if vertical you must crop it so that it displays in a flattering manner on Pinterest’s vertical layout. While you can create a totally new Pin to promote, consider promoting a Pin that is already generating some buzz.
Get Really Detailed In Your Targeting
Pinterest allows you to target your Promoted Pins by topic, keywords, location, gender, online or mobile, and more. This ability to hyper-target is quite powerful, but it is also where many Shopify owners go wrong. You must really consider the unique demographic for each Pin. For example, if you sell bath salts your main demographic are women ages 20 and up. However, you might target your lavender bath salts for relaxation, your eucalyptus for allergies, and your plain bath salts for pain and inflammation.
Apply For Buyable Pins
As a Shopify store owner, Pinterest ad targeting isn’t your only option. Pinterest Buyable Pins were initially only available to large brands and retailers. However, Shopify store owners are also allowed to apply! You will have to read the fine print and guidelines carefully to ensure you meet all requirements—but if approved you will be able to sell your products without users having to leave Pinterest.
Last but not least, keep imagination and specific home, health, fitness, and beauty goals in mind when setting up your Pinterest ad targeting.