Pinterest Ads For Course Creators: The Ultimate Guide for 2024

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In the ever-evolving landscape of online marketing, establishing a compelling online presence is essential for course creators looking to connect with their target audience and expand their reach. Pinterest, a dynamic visual discovery platform, offers a unique and powerful opportunity for course creators to showcase their expertise, share valuable insights, and engage with a highly receptive audience.

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With its vibrant community and visual-first approach, Pinterest provides an ideal platform to promote your course and reach potential clients in a visually captivating manner. In this guide, we'll delve into the world of Pinterest Ads, unveiling the strategies and techniques that can empower course creators to maximize their online visibility and drive meaningful engagement with their course offerings. 

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Whether you're a seasoned course creator or just starting out, harnessing the potential of Pinterest Ads is the catalyst for leveling up your business. 

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Pinterest ads marketing is a growing game-changer for driving leads and online sales. With its vibrant user base and emphasis on inspiring visuals, Pinterest offers a unique opportunity for course creators to showcase their expertise, share valuable content, and ultimately, attract potential clients.

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 The Pinterest Advantage for Course Creators‍

Understanding the Pinterest Landscape 

Pinterest is not just another social media platform; it's a visual discovery search engine that nearly 500 million people visit each and every month to find real solutions to everyday problems. The Pinterest audience isn’t just searching for recipes. They’re searching for solutions to problems and taking decisive action. 

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Understanding the Pinterest landscape is crucial for driving consistent leads and sales for your business. 

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Pinterest ads are the crucial step your business needs to uplevel this year. From its highly engaged audience (83% of Pinners are shoppers), to driving brand awareness, credibility, and lead generation, Pinterest is not only the space for inspiration, it’s where people come to take action. 

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Below we dive into why Pinterest ads are easily your next marketing move toward explosive leads and sales in your business.

Audience that’s Ready for You: Targeted Audience Reach

Pinterest is a platform known for attracting users seeking inspiration, ideas, and solutions. Course Creators can use Pinterest ads to reach a specific demographic interested in personal development, self-improvement, business growth, and other related topics.

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Visual Content Emphasis

Pinterest is a visual platform, making it ideal for course creators to showcase their expertise through visually appealing content. This can include infographics, motivational quotes, tips, and more.

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Diverse Content Types

Pinterest supports a variety of content formats, including images, videos, and carousels. Course Creators can leverage these options to present their courses in creative and engaging ways.

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Brand Awareness and Credibility 

Consistent and quality content on Pinterest can help course creators establish their brand identity and credibility. Well-crafted ads can highlight success stories, testimonials, and expertise, building trust with potential clients. Sunlight Digital is the leading expert in crafting Pinterest ad content that consistently drives leads and sales. 

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Content Repurposing

Course creators often produce a range of content, such as blog posts, podcasts, or videos. Pinterest provides an opportunity to repurpose this content in a visually appealing manner, reaching a wider audience. With videos boasting close to 1 billion views PER DAY on Pinterest, repurposing reels and relevant live content from other platforms to Pinterest is a no-brainer.

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Traffic Generation = Immense Growth 

Pinterest can be an effective source of referral traffic to your website, blog or course catalog. By using ads to promote valuable content, course creators can attract potential clients to their online platforms.

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Lead Generation

Course creators can use Pinterest ads to direct users to landing pages or sign-up forms for webinars, workshops, or programs. Pinterest is leading the way with lead generation-focused ads so course creators don’t have to worry about lost leads and bounced customers, after all, closing a sale is one thing, capitalizing if the sale doesn’t convert, is a whole other level of growth. That’s where Pinterest ads and Sunlight Digital excel. 

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Keyword Targeting

Pinterest allows for keyword targeting, which means course creators can ensure their content appears in searches related to their niche. This increases the chances of reaching users actively seeking programs like yours within your individualized niche. 

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Simple, Effective Data Tracking

If you’re tired of guessing what’s working and what’s not working while throwing time and money away on other platforms, Pinterest is the cure for that.  Pinterest provides simple analytics tools that allow course creators to set attainable key performance indicators while monitoring the overall performance of their ads. Of course, this can be time-consuming which is where the team at Sunlight Digital simplifies and perfects ad strategy and tracking performance so you don’t have to. 

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Competitive Advantage: 

While many course creators use platforms like Facebook or Instagram for advertising, not all may have tapped into the potential of Pinterest. This presents an opportunity for course creators to stand out in a less crowded space.
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In January 2022, Pinterest’s advertising reach was 271 million users. The platform's comparatively smaller user base makes it perfect for course creators to reach their target audiences.
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Pinterest ads are the next level of marketing all course creators need. Below is your step-by-step guide to ensure your Pinterest Business Account is ready to level up your Pinterest Marketing.

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Is Pinterest Organic Marketing Necessary for Ad Success?

Looking to boost your ad’s potential reach prior to launching your campaign? If you’re newer to the world of Pinterest marketing, a strategic organic approach is a great way to boost your brand’s presence on Pinterest while providing a solid foundation for your products and services ahead of launching ads. 

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Benefits of organic marketing include: 

• ‍Increases Visibility: Organic marketing helps to establish a brand presence on Pinterest. When users see consistent, high-quality content from a brand, they're more likely to engage with and trust that brand. This increased visibility can lead to better performance for paid ads.

• ‍Builds Credibility and Trust: When users see a mix of organic and paid content from a brand, it can create a sense of legitimacy. A well-curated profile with useful, relevant pins demonstrates expertise and builds trust.

• ‍Refines Target Audience: Through organic marketing efforts, brands can gain insights into what content resonates best with their audience. This knowledge can be applied to create more effective and engaging paid ad campaigns.

• ‍Drives Organic Traffic: Organic pins can lead users directly to a website, product page, or blog post. This can increase the likelihood of conversions, as users are already interested in the content they're clicking through to.

• ‍Boosts Engagement: Engaging organic content can generate comments, likes, shares, and saves. These interactions contribute to increased visibility and can help boost the performance of paid ads.

• ‍Provides Valuable Data: By analyzing the performance of organic pins, brands can gain insights into what types of content are most effective. This knowledge can inform the creation and targeting of paid ad campaigns.

• ‍Establishes Authority: Consistent, high-quality content in a specific niche can position a brand as an authority in that space. This authority can lead to higher trust levels among users, which can positively impact ad performance.

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While having an organic presence isn’t necessary to launching ads, it can prove to boost your overall performance on the platform. 

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Pinterest vs. Facebook and Instagram Ads: What’s Better?

Is Pinterest a better ad platform than Facebook or Instagram? This is a question many business owners ask when looking to start running ads on a new platform such as Pinterest.  The answer is multilayered.
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As a platform, Pinterest is different from traditional social media spaces like Facebook and Instagram so, it offers a different type of benefit for course creators and many other businesses.
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While course creators might find that lead generation on Pinterest can be more expensive, the ability to garnish far more qualified leads surpasses that of Facebook and Instagram.
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Because Pinterest is a search engine, Pinners are already coming to the platform with a “search, find, discover, do” mentality.
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Pinners aren’t mindlessly scrolling. They go to Pinterest with intent. They’re ready to plan and purchase or discover their solution and buy.
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Because of this, Pinterest ads offer unique advantages compared to Facebook or Instagram ads.
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Here are some reasons why Pinterest ads might be considered better for certain businesses or campaigns:

• ‍Visual Search Intent: Pinterest is a platform primarily used for visual discovery and search. Users come to Pinterest actively seeking inspiration, ideas, and products. This means they're often in a mindset conducive to making purchase decisions.
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• ‍Longer Lifespan of Pins: Pins on Pinterest have a longer lifespan compared to posts on Facebook or Instagram. In general, some Pins on Pinterest have been known to garnish traffic months and even years after they’ve been posted while Facebook and Instagram posts generally last only minutes. Pins can continue to be discovered and engaged with for months or even years after they are originally posted versus the average lifespan of an Instagram or Facebook post. 
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• ‍Evergreen Content: Pinterest content doesn't have the same immediate time sensitivity as some content on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. This makes it well-suited for businesses with evergreen products or services.
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• ‍Diverse User Base: Pinterest has a broad user base spanning various demographics, including a significant female demographic. If your target audience aligns with these demographics, Pinterest could be a more effective platform for your ad campaigns.
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• ‍Less Competition for Attention: Compared to Facebook and Instagram, there may be less competition for user attention on Pinterest. This can make it easier for your content to stand out and be noticed.
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• ‍Rich Pins and Shopping Features: Pinterest offers features like Rich Pins and Shopping Pins that allow businesses to provide additional information about products directly within the pin. This can lead to higher click-through and conversion rates.
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• ‍Intent-Driven Targeting: Pinterest's advertising platform allows for targeting based on user interests, behaviors, and search queries. This enables businesses to reach users who are actively looking for products or services related to their offerings.

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Setting the Foundation: Ensuring Your Pinterest Account Optimized for Advertising

Ensuring your Pinterest Business Account is optimized and staged for ads is the first step in moving forward. Here’s a quick checklist to ensure you have all the necessary components of an optimized account: 
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1. Create an engaging profile image and a crafted, engaging keyworded profile with a call to action in place 

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2. Ensure your website is claimed under the settings feature. Claiming your website is another necessary step for Pinterest ads. By claiming your website, you’ll gain access to insights that are key for setting advertising goals. Plus, you can potentially apply to the Verified Merchant Program, which allows your business to be vetted by Pinterest 

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3. Install the Pinterest Tag and conversion events for optimal tracking 

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4. Optimize Your Pinterest Boards: if you haven’t been Pinning or haven’t done so in a while, you’ll want to ensure you take a peek at your boards under the Saved Tab. To optimize your boards, you’ll want to do the following things:

• Perform keyword research to ensure your boards are using search terms your audience is using 
• Ensure board titles and descriptions are keyworded properly 
• Have at least 20 Pins or more saved inside those boards 

Looking to fast forward through these steps? Simply jump on a call with Sunlight Digital. We’ll perform a quick audit and get your Pinterest account fully optimized for ads. 

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Now that your business account is staged for success, here’s a run down on some of the key pieces to successfully staging a Pinterest ads campaign for your business.

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Crafting Compelling Content for Your Ads:  Pins and Boards

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Crafting Compelling Ad Creative:  Designing Click-Worthy Pins

Designing engaging Pins specifically for ads on Pinterest is the core of a successful Pinterest campaign. Crafting compelling ad creatives on Pinterest involves a combination of visual appeal, clear messaging, and strategic elements.

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Whether your goal is lead generation or selling your next greatest course, you’ll want to nail down the design before hitting launch. 

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Pins on Pinterest have a recommended aspect ratio of 2:3 (1000 x 1500 pixels). Design your pin to fit this ratio for optimal visibility.

• ‍Eye-Catching Visuals: Use high-quality, attention-grabbing images or graphics that are relevant to your content. Ensure they are clear, well-composed, and visually appealing.

• ‍Add Text Overlay: Include concise and engaging text that complements your visuals. Use clear, easy-to-read fonts, and ensure the text contrasts well with the background.

• ‍Add Captions To Your Videos: Pinners scroll Pinterest with sound off, so videos need captions so you can attract and keep the attention of your target audience.

• ‍Use Descriptive Titles and Descriptions: Provide a clear title that describes what the pin is about and one that uses keywords. The description should give users more context and encourage them to take action.

• ‍Incorporate Keywords: Use relevant keywords in both the title and description to improve the discoverability of your pin in Pinterest's search results.

• ‍Call-to-Action (CTA): Include a compelling CTA that tells users what action you want them to take. Whether it's "Download now," "Shop Now," or "Learn How," make it clear, enticing, and directed at the action you want Pinners to take. 

• ‍Brand Consistency: Use your brand colors, fonts, and logo to maintain a consistent visual identity. This helps in building brand recognition.
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• ‍Test Different Designs: Experiment with different layouts, color schemes, and styles to see what resonates best with your audience. A/B testing can be a valuable tool in this process.
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• ‍Optimize for Mobile: For most accounts, 85%+ of Pinning audiences are on mobile. Ensure your pin looks good and is easily readable on mobile devices. Many Pinterest users access the platform via mobile, so mobile-friendly pins are crucial.
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• ‍Add a Destination Link: Include a direct link to the relevant page, whether it's a blog post, product page, or landing page. This is essential for driving traffic to your website.
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• ‍Pin to Relevant Boards: When you publish your pin, make sure to select and categorize it appropriately on Pinterest boards that are relevant to the content.
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Wrap Up On Crafting Scroll Stopping, Click Worthy Pins:

Designing eye-catching Pins that stop the scroll and resonate with your target audience is the key to success in ad marketing on Pinterest. Choosing compelling images or videos, engaging copy, and clear branding will make or break your campaign.

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Boards that Convert: Building a Strategic Collection

Boards on Pinterest are the houses for your Pins. They play just as much of a role as the Pins themselves and without understanding how to specifically create and optimize them, your ads could be left without the engagement and movement you want on Pinterest. Here are a few key tips: 

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‍Perform keyword research for board titles and descriptions to ensure the algorithm indexes your boards, and the Pins housed in there, properly.

• Ensure your boards are specific enough to your offers and content but broad enough to have at least 20-30 Pins that are highly relevant to the board itself.
• Aim to have at least 10 boards staged for organic Pinterest marketing to build context to your profile prior to launching your ad campaigns.

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Organizing your boards to showcase your expertise, build trust, and establish your brand. Crafting a sound board strategy is a key component of successful marketing on Pinterest and just another area where Sunlight Digital excels in bringing you peace of mind when launching your next Pinterest ads campaign. 

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Navigating Pinterest Ads: Your Guide to Success:

Below we cover the steps you’ll need to take in order to create a successful Pinterest marketing plan.

Decide on Ad Goals and Budget: 

Before you move into ads, you’ll need to decide on your overarching goals for your campaign. 

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Pinterest campaigns take longer to optimize other platforms because Pinner's behavior on Pinterest is very different than other platforms.  Because of this, plan on at least a 60-90 day run time, (nothing in marketing is instantaneous) before you decide if Pinterest works for your business or not. This will give the algorithm the time it needs to gather data and optimize your pins as well as give Pinners the time they need time to make their decisions. (Remember, Pinners are planners).  Plan your budget accordingly for that 60-90 day run time.

Pinterest provides a full-funnel solution for course creators that allows businesses to meet their customers at every aspect of their purchasing journey. Using your budget in a full-funnel approach is a great way to maximize your reach, leads, and sales on Pinterest. 

Set Up Advertiser Information:

In your Pinterest Ads Manager, go to "Settings" and fill out your advertiser information. This includes details like business name, billing information, and contact details.

Create a Campaign:

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Click on the "Create Ad" button in your Ads Manager to start setting up a new campaign.

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Choose Your Campaign Objective: 

Pinterest offers various objectives, such as traffic, conversions, awareness, etc. 

Choose the one that aligns with your advertising goals.

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Here’s a quick overview of each: 
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1. Upper Funnel: Get new customers and garnish awareness 

• Brand Awareness Campaign
• Consideration 

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2. Mid Funnel: Qualify leads by layering audience types

• Consideration 
• Video Views 

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3. Lower Funnel: Drive Conversions

• Conversion optimization
• Shopping/Catalog 

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We recommend focusing on Consideration AND Conversion objectives for lead generation with cold traffic, and Conversion Objectives for warm traffic. 

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Choose & Define Your Targeting: 

You can choose to target specific audiences or keywords and interests in your Pinterest campaign. Master the art of audience segmentation and targeting options to ensure your ads reach the right people at the right time. 
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Think about site visitors, Pinners who have already interacted with your brand or an act-a-like audience. Depending on the type of campaign you choose, you’ll want to target your audience strategically.

Define Your Target Audience:

Specify who you want to reach with your ad. You can narrow it down by factors like location, language, interests, demographics, etc.

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Create Ad Groups:

Ad groups allow you to organize your ads and target different segments of your audience. You can create multiple ad groups within a campaign. We recommend segmenting your ad groups by who you are targeting.

Design Your Pins:

Ensure they follow Pinterest's best practices for design, such as high-quality images, text overlay, and appropriate aspect ratios as we discussed above. 

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Add URLs and Descriptions:

Provide the destination URL for each pin, as well as a clear and compelling description. You can further track your Pinterest ad campaigns by creating and adding UTMs.

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Choose Keywords:

Pinterest ads can show up based on user searches. Choose relevant keywords that relate to your pins and target audience.

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Review and Submit:

Double-check all your settings, targeting options, and creative elements before finalizing and launching your campaign.

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Monitoring Performance: Optimizing Your Campaigns

Learning how to leverage Pinterest's robust analytics suite to monitor key metrics and gain insights into campaign performance is an integral part of campaign success.
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Once your campaign is live, keep an eye on its performance. Use the Pinterest Ads Manager to track metrics like clicks, impressions, click-through rate (CTR), and conversions.
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Based on the performance data, you’ll want to make adjustments to your campaign.
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This could involve tweaking targeting, changing ad creative, or adjusting bids.
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Remember, successful advertising often requires some experimentation and refinement. Continuously monitor and optimize your campaigns to get the best results.
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Please note that the specific steps or features may change over time, so it's always a good idea to refer to Pinterest's official documentation or support for the most up-to-date information.

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Diving into Pinterest Ads Marketing

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‍Pinterest Ads have emerged as a powerful tool for course creators to not only showcase their expertise but also connect with a highly engaged audience. By understanding the nuances of the platform, creating compelling content, and implementing effective advertising strategies, course creators can unlock the full potential of Pinterest to fully level up their coaching businesses.
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Using a full-funnel approach, course creators have the opportunity to meet their clients at every stage of the purchasing journey, and no one understands this approach better than Sunlight Digital.
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‍Schedule a call and discover exactly how Sunlight Digital can boost your leads and drive consistent sales for your business with Pinterest ads right here today!

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