️ How To Spend $6,914.70 And Generate $69,691.00 In Revenue With Pinterest Ads!

[Sanj Modha]

Hey folks!

Some quick stats on this campaign before I jump right in (scroll down for the screenshot):



CPM = $1.23

CPA = $11.86
ROAS = 10.0
Impressions = 5.7m
Customer average order value (AOV) = $107.36

If you’re running an e-commerce business selling to female buyers - you NEED Pinterest in your advertising arsenal.

Why?

I'm someone who’s spent millions & millions running Facebook, Instagram and Google ads and I dismissed Pinterest as nothing more than a ‘fad’.

But then I looked into it more closely when I heard that Etsy.com (for the most part) was built off Pinterest traffic.

That's when I was blown away by its potential because...

Pinterest is now the third biggest social media platform in the US. It recently overtook Snapchat and 71% of the users are women.

There’s incredibly low CPM on offer: we're running campaigns for $1.98 in the US!

Facebook missed the boat with Pinterest and they released a similar app called Hobbi to compete for market share. That tells you they’re deadly serious - remember when Facebook bought Instagram to compete with Snapchat?

Pinterest users are high-income households. This means they have more disposable incomes to spend on your products and services.

You can read more here: 28 Pinterest Statistics Marketers Should Know in 2020

That’s all good but how do you run Pinterest ads?

Let me show you…

Pinterest ads are very similar to Facebook/Instagram.

You can build custom audiences to run ‘warm’ campaigns and you can upload a buyer’s/newsletter list to run what they call ‘Actalike Audiences’.

This is the same as Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences (Innovation is dead. Ad platforms just copy each other now).

And, you can target keywords which is similar to Facebook’s interest targeting.

When it comes to Pinterest keywords - use the Google approach and find ‘buyer intent’ keywords.

For example, instead of targeting ‘dog beds’, use ‘cheap dog bed ideas’ or ‘dog beds for large dogs’.

We look for keywords that have AT LEAST 250K estimated reach since this is getting the best results for our campaigns.

Pro tip: video creatives convert like FIRE.

Unboxing/customer testimonial videos work amazingly well. Keep the video short (about 30 seconds) and straight to the point.

Pinterest is incredible but as with any ads platform, there are some downsides…

It doesn’t have nearly as many users as Facebook or Instagram.

Its not even close so you *might* hit a ceiling when it comes to scaling depending on the country you target.

You can see from my screenshot that some campaigns haven’t spent a dime even though the budgets are high.

And, 71% of Pinterest users are women so it might not work effectively for every business (We sell to 35+, married women which is the 'sweet spot').

But that’s totally fine. Pinterest is just one sales channels and we run Facebook, Instagram, and Google campaigns too.

Don't rely on it for all revenue as you shouldn’t with any ads platform either. Diversify your traffic when you can.

So, that’s it…

Give Pinterest ads a try because now is the time to do it. There's very little competition.

We’re spending $1 to make $10 in revenue. Do you think I’m going to continue running Pinterest ads?

HELL. THE. F*ck. YEAH.

 

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[datagod]

Golden post, I need to try this when I launch new business idea. Do you have any experience with Tik Tok advertising, Snapchat? So far they are accepting only "big" publishers to test everything out, as far as I heard you need to be invited and have at least 10.000$ monthly spend.

... and maybe one day we will see that Vine new app Byte will be popular too, well... great opportunity, maybe? The biggest con is that the age of users.

 

[MitchC]

Golden post, I need to try this when I launch new business idea. Do you have any experience with Tik Tok advertising, Snapchat? So far they are accepting only "big" publishers to test everything out, as far as I heard you need to be invited and have at least 10.000$ monthly spend.

... and maybe one day we will see that Vine new app Byte will be popular too, well... great opportunity, maybe? The biggest con is that the age of users.

I have no experience or use for tiktok because as you mentioned the ages are so low, however I heard they have added a link in bio option and the organic reach is crazy (millions of views is not unusual) so if its something you want to test you can try reach out to tik Tok "Influencers?", they should be cheap too considering their ages.

 

[Tom.V]

Reporting in Pinterest Ads dashboard is one thing. Actual attribution via Google Analytics is something entirely different. All experiences I have with Pinterest have been complete dumpster fires with the data reported being so far off it was charge back and fraud report worthy.

 

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[datagod]

Reporting in Pinterest Ads dashboard is one thing. Actual attribution via Google Analytics is something entirely different. All experiences I have with Pinterest have been complete dumpster fires with the data reported being so far off it was charge back and fraud report worthy.

Thanks for this. I'm also waiting for reply from Sanj.

I thought that Pinterest would be good once I launch new business. Seems like you saved me some money + time for sure Meanwhile I need to do some research about this.

** Conclusion based on what I've read is that they Pinterest does not convert well.

 

[Entre Eyes]

Thanks for the share Sanj,

Also more ways to capitalize with Pinterest...Number 10 Sanj please take note

How to Make Money on Pinterest (10 Methods)

Can you believe there are actually 10 ways to make money on Pinterest? It's true. I list them out and explain each method in detail.

fatstacksblog.com

 

[Sanj Modha]

Golden post, I need to try this when I launch new business idea. Do you have any experience with Tik Tok advertising, Snapchat? So far they are accepting only "big" publishers to test everything out, as far as I heard you need to be invited and have at least 10.000$ monthly spend.

... and maybe one day we will see that Vine new app Byte will be popular too, well... great opportunity, maybe? The biggest con is that the age of users.

I don't use Snapchat because Instagram Stories are amazing! I haven't looked at TikTok yet but its very interesting so definitely one for the future.

I never did get into Vine which I thought has tremendous potential. I'm not even sure why Twitter shut it down.

 

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[Sanj Modha]

Reporting in Pinterest Ads dashboard is one thing. Actual attribution via Google Analytics is something entirely different. All experiences I have with Pinterest have been complete dumpster fires with the data reported being so far off it was charge back and fraud report worthy.

All pixels have some margin of error but we use UTM and external tracking plus I can see the Pinterest orders inside Shopify so I'm not concerned about it.

I wouldn't be spending almost $7000 in ads if there's no ROI and this is one of the smaller accounts that I run.

 

[Sanj Modha]

Thanks for the share Sanj,

Also more ways to capitalize with Pinterest...Number 10 Sanj please take note

How to Make Money on Pinterest (10 Methods)

Can you believe there are actually 10 ways to make money on Pinterest? It's true. I list them out and explain each method in detail.

fatstacksblog.com

Haha...one day when I have time!

Running Facebook, Instagram, Google and Pinterest ads takes up all my time.

 

[Tom.V]

All pixels have some margin of error but we use UTM and external tracking plus I can see the Pinterest orders inside Shopify so I'm not concerned about it.

I wouldn't be spending almost $7000 in ads if there's no ROI and this is one of the smaller accounts that I run.

I've seen crazier things like accounts spending $50k+/mo with zero conversion tracking and 4-5x their CPA target. And crazier screenshots touting traffic sources.

Funny story, I've also seen reporting numbers that looked like that on the Pinterest Ads interface that were about 1/10th (or worse) of the revenue in GA.

Haven't touched it in 6 months with good reason, but these threads echo my experience as well:

https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/cbyeqn View: https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/cbyeqn/how_are_pinterest_ads_doing_in_2019/


https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/d97yzn View: https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/d97yzn/pinterest_ads_anyone_getting_positive_roi/

 

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[Sanj Modha]

I've seen crazier things like accounts spending $50k+/mo with zero conversion tracking and 4-5x their CPA target. And crazier screenshots touting traffic sources.

Funny story, I've also seen reporting numbers that looked like that on the Pinterest Ads interface that were about 1/10th (or worse) of the revenue in GA.

Haven't touched it in 6 months with good reason, but these threads echo my experience as well:

https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/cbyeqn View: https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/cbyeqn/how_are_pinterest_ads_doing_in_2019/


https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/d97yzn View: https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/d97yzn/pinterest_ads_anyone_getting_positive_roi/

I'm not going to lie - Pinterest is flakey from time to time but so was Facebook when I started running ads in 2012.

I'm very confident it will get better but don't let that put you off. Keep testing, learning and use external tracking which is what I'm doing.

 

[Rabby]

So if you spend 500 on pinterest do you make 5000? Or do you have to spend a few thousand to find out?

Do all of your pinterest campaigns work, or do some fail? Is there a success ratio you've measured so far? Any insights on what's different between the successes and failures?

 

[Sanj Modha]

So if you spend 500 on pinterest do you make 5000? Or do you have to spend a few thousand to find out?

Do all of your pinterest campaigns work, or do some fail? Is there a success ratio you've measured so far? Any insights on what's different between the successes and failures?

Every business is different so its hard to say. We have a women's apparel store and I knew from doing my homework that women's apparel will crush Pinterest (read the Hootsuite blog in the OP).

Pinterest didn't convert from Day 1: we had to launch and optimize Traffic campaigns before they let us switch to Conversion campaigns. It took a few weeks to get it off the ground and we did it by testing/tweaking ads, audiences and keywords.

Not all campaigns converted either (they never do on any platform) but our advertising principles are the same irrespective of the platform we're using.

We only use two 'success' metrics: cost per acquisition (CPA) or return on ad spend (ROAS). I really don't care about CTR, CPC etc unless its Google ads then I'll monitor CPC since its a PPC platform.

My Success Formula = conversions using only two metrics: high ROAS, low CPA or CPA that's within my profitable range.

We use ROAS most of the time because we know that if $1 in spend generates $10 in revenue - the campaigns are profitable. I don't need complicated Excel sheets with cost of goods, labour etc to work this out.

That's it...don't over-complicate this.

 

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[Sanj Modha]

A friend messaged to say this post was featured in the last FLF newsletter!

Mom, I made it!

 

[Champion]

Hey Sanj, just found this thread. Thanks a lot for sharing your experience, this has got me drooling PM'ed you and lets keep in touch!

 

[amp0193]

Hey folks!

Some quick stats on this campaign before I jump right in (scroll down for the screenshot):



CPM = $1.23

CPA = $11.86
ROAS = 10.0
Impressions = 5.7m
Customer average order value (AOV) = $107.36

If you’re running an e-commerce business selling to female buyers - you NEED Pinterest in your advertising arsenal.

Why?

I'm someone who’s spent millions & millions running Facebook, Instagram and Google ads and I dismissed Pinterest as nothing more than a ‘fad’.

But then I looked into it more closely when I heard that Etsy.com (for the most part) was built off Pinterest traffic.

That's when I was blown away by its potential because...

Pinterest is now the third biggest social media platform in the US. It recently overtook Snapchat and 71% of the users are women.

There’s incredibly low CPM on offer: we're running campaigns for $1.98 in the US!

Facebook missed the boat with Pinterest and they released a similar app called Hobbi to compete for market share. That tells you they’re deadly serious - remember when Facebook bought Instagram to compete with Snapchat?

Pinterest users are high-income households. This means they have more disposable incomes to spend on your products and services.

You can read more here: 28 Pinterest Statistics Marketers Should Know in 2020

That’s all good but how do you run Pinterest ads?

Let me show you…

Pinterest ads are very similar to Facebook/Instagram.

You can build custom audiences to run ‘warm’ campaigns and you can upload a buyer’s/newsletter list to run what they call ‘Actalike Audiences’.

This is the same as Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences (Innovation is dead. Ad platforms just copy each other now).

And, you can target keywords which is similar to Facebook’s interest targeting.

When it comes to Pinterest keywords - use the Google approach and find ‘buyer intent’ keywords.

For example, instead of targeting ‘dog beds’, use ‘cheap dog bed ideas’ or ‘dog beds for large dogs’.

We look for keywords that have AT LEAST 250K estimated reach since this is getting the best results for our campaigns.

Pro tip: video creatives convert like FIRE.

Unboxing/customer testimonial videos work amazingly well. Keep the video short (about 30 seconds) and straight to the point.

Pinterest is incredible but as with any ads platform, there are some downsides…

It doesn’t have nearly as many users as Facebook or Instagram.

Its not even close so you *might* hit a ceiling when it comes to scaling depending on the country you target.

You can see from my screenshot that some campaigns haven’t spent a dime even though the budgets are high.

And, 71% of Pinterest users are women so it might not work effectively for every business (We sell to 35+, married women which is the 'sweet spot').

But that’s totally fine. Pinterest is just one sales channels and we run Facebook, Instagram, and Google campaigns too.

Don't rely on it for all revenue as you shouldn’t with any ads platform either. Diversify your traffic when you can.

So, that’s it…

Give Pinterest ads a try because now is the time to do it. There's very little competition.

We’re spending $1 to make $10 in revenue. Do you think I’m going to continue running Pinterest ads?

HELL. THE. F*ck. YEAH.

Love it @Sanj Modha.

I dabbled with Pinterest Ads in my last business for 1-2 months. I didn't get any immediate ROI, and it wasn't looking good, so I canned it. What was interesting though, is that one of my promoted pins started to get traction 6 months later. It grew and grew from there getting shared more and more. Actually became a significant source of site traffic.

Have you noticed this too? Results improving organically over time?

Or is most of the benefit for you in immediate ROI?


Thanks for the reminder this exists. I think my audience is a perfect match and I should give this platform another try with my new business.

 

Don't like ads? Remove them while supporting the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Alexesther]

Thanks for this. I'm also waiting for reply from Sanj.

I thought that Pinterest would be good once I launch new business. Seems like you saved me some money + time for sure Meanwhile I need to do some research about this.

** Conclusion based on what I've read is that they Pinterest does not convert well.

I did not know how to run FB and Insta Ads so went to Pinterest as I've been an early adopter of the platform. I sell jewelry, sunglasses and watches and ads convert super well. As someone mentioned it, test and don't overcomplicate the process. Fast forward, I now teach people on how to advertise on pinterest. It is not rocket science but there many tips and tricks to know.

 

[Sanj Modha]

I did not know how to run FB and Insta Ads so went to Pinterest as I've been an early adopter of the platform. I sell jewelry, sunglasses and watches and ads convert super well. As someone mentioned it, test and don't overcomplicate the process. Fast forward, I now teach people on how to advertise on pinterest. It is not rocket science but there many tips and tricks to know.

You gotta test this stuff and don't assume anything. Let your audience tell you what works and what doesn't.

I've had so many campaigns crush it when I thought they would fail. You just never know.

 

[Sanj Modha]

Love it @Sanj Modha.

I dabbled with Pinterest Ads in my last business for 1-2 months. I didn't get any immediate ROI, and it wasn't looking good, so I canned it. What was interesting though, is that one of my promoted pins started to get traction 6 months later. It grew and grew from there getting shared more and more. Actually became a significant source of site traffic.

Have you noticed this too? Results improving organically over time?

Or is most of the benefit for you in immediate ROI?


Thanks for the reminder this exists. I think my audience is a perfect match and I should give this platform another try with my new business.

It took us about 5/6 weeks to get our first sale and that's because Pinterest works a bit differently. New campaigns take about 7-10 days to optimize and we had to run add to cart optimization before we could switch to Checkout (purchase) optimization.

My main tips are:

1 - Use video creatives. They get way more engagement.
2 - Make sure the Target CPA is high enough. We set bids using the average CPA x 3. Be aggressive.
3 - Overlap interests with categories. Use both.
4 - Optimize for add to carts until you see the Checkout event then switch to Checkout optimization.
5 - Switch to the 1/1/1 conversion window because this is 'last click' attribution.

Btw, they have just launched auto-bidding and we have beta access. I'll let you know how that goes.

 

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[Determined2012]

Btw, they have just launched auto-bidding and we have beta access. I'll let you know how that goes.

Any update on this?

 

[eTox]

@Sanj Modha any updates?