Pinterest is a powerful social media platform with approximately 478 million active users each month. Because of this, it’s an excellent avenue for companies hoping to expand their paid social media campaigns.
Thanks to a rising number of people using Pinterest for product discovery, the platform has greatly improved its advertising capabilities. To unlock the potential benefits of Pinterest ads, your ads need to have the right Pinterest ad specs. If your ads aren’t following Pinterest’s guidelines, you’re wasting spend.
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Why Pinterest Ad Specs are Important
Your ads need to use the right file size and format so they can be seen by your target audience. If these images are pixelated or oddly cropped because they’re the wrong size for the platform, the message won’t land. That’s the power of compelling imagery.
Visual elements are an important part of communicating any message, as 80% of people remember what they see, compared to the mere 10% that remember what they hear and 20% that remember what they read.
This slip-up can also result in loss of ad dollars, time, and consumer trust.
It’s essential to have the correct ad specs to ensure you’re not missing some key real estate that could be used to showcase your brand or offerings. This will help you take up as much ad or screen space as possible to showcase your products.
Here’s how to make sure your Pinterest ads are up to code.
Static Pinterest Ad Specs
A static ad is a featured image resembling a Static Pin.
For the Static Pin ad format, here are the recommended specs:
- File type: .PNG or .JPEG
- Ideal aspect ratio: 2:3
- File size: Max 10 MB
Here’s what this means and why it’s important.
Your image can be a .JPEG or .PNG file of up to 20 MB in size. Pinterest recommends a 2:3 aspect ratio or 1000×1500 pixels. A greater aspect ratio could result in the image being cut off in feeds.
Static Pins are one of the most common types of ads on Pinterest — and for a good reason. More than 83% of weekly Pinners across the US make purchases based on Pins they view from brands.
Promoting your Pins using this format will boost your visibility and help you reach more users.
Pinterest Carousel Ad Specs
Carousel ads are similar to standard static Pins, except that they allow users to swipe through several images or videos (referred to as “cards”) in one Pin. Carousels are available for both desktop and mobile devices and allow you to add 2 to 5 cards.
Each card features a title, description, link, and up to 5 different website pages on a single carousel.
As a result, carousels are great for driving more conversions from a single ad!
For carousels, the recommended image specs are:
- Image count: 2-5 images per Pinterest Carousel
- File type: .PNG or .JPEG
- Max file size: 32 MB per image
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 or 2:3
And here are the character count requirements:
- Title: Up to 100 characters. The first 30-35 characters will show in people’s feeds.
- Description: Up to 500 characters. The first 50-60 characters are considered the most crucial.
Pinterest Collections Ad Specs
Pinterest Collections ads typically appear as one large image on top of three secondary images in mobile devices and feed. The following specifications apply to both collection ads and organic collection Pins.
Static hero creative:
- File type: .PNG or .JPEG.
- Max file size: 10MB.
- Creative quantity: Must have one hero image and a minimum of three secondary creatives, but with a maximum of 24 of these secondary images.
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square) or 2:3 (vertical).
Video hero creative:
- File type: .mp4, .mov or .m4v.
- Encoding: H.264 or H.265.
- Max file size: Up to 2GB.
- Video length: At least 4 seconds and 15 minutes max.
- Aspect ratio: Shorter than 1:2 (width:height) and taller than 1.91:1.
Character count:
- Title: At most 100 characters but with only the first 40 characters appearing in people’s feeds.
- Description: Up to 500 characters.
Pinterest Shopping Ad Specs
Shopping ads show one image at a time and allow users to purchase products they’ve seen on Pinterest. Pinterest shopping ads typically follow the same specs as standard static Pins and ads.
- File type: .PNG or .JPEG
- Ideal aspect ratio: 2:3
- File size: Max 10 MB
Pinterest Video Ad Specs
Video ads on Pinterest let you tell a story to your audience. According to data from Pinterest, visitors are 53% more likely to make a purchase after watching a video.
For Video Pin ads, the following specs are recommended:
- File type: .mp4, .mov or .m4v
- Encoding: H.264 or H.265
- Max file size: Up to 2GB
- Video length: A minimum of 4 seconds and a maximum of 15 minutes
- Aspect ratio: Shorter than 1:2 (width:height) and taller than 1.91:1
Character count:
- Title: Up to 100 characters with the first 30-35 characters showing in people’s feeds.
- Description: Up to 500 characters. The first 50-60 characters are what is most likely to appear in people’s feeds.
Pinterest is a viable advertising channel. Follow these specs and you’ll be able to take advantage of the platform.
Pinterest Ad Best Practices
To go even further with your budget, here are some of my favorite creative tips to keep in mind.
1. Create beautiful images
Your ads need to be beautiful and scroll-stopping. Always use vertical images that are high-res to make your pins stand out. Ensure you stay within Pinterest’s recommended ad specs, so you don’t end up with a truncated or distorted Pin.
2. Make your ads interactive
Successful Pinterest ads often include some element of personalization or interactivity.
3. Include clear branding
At its core, Pinterest is a visual platform. Adding your brand name or logo to your Pinterest ads is a perfect way to increase brand awareness. For Video Pin ads, consider showing your brand name or logo within the first few seconds of the clip.
4. Lead with a hook
Always lead with an attention-grabber when promoting your brand or product with static visuals. As with a meta description, in ad creation, it is important to emphasize the first 30-60 characters in the copy as the rest of the content may be cut off. With video ads, make use of the first few seconds.
5. Provide detailed descriptions
Typically, Pinterest users are aesthetically in tune and notice finer details. Make sure your copy gives essential calls to action that users can engage with. It is also important to take advantage of hashtags and keywords when possible.
6. Use lifestyle imagery
Oftentimes, users (also called Pinners) can be inspired by seeing the product or company being promoted in action. So, use lifestyle imagery.
This method works. Pinterest ads that show people interacting with a brand’s product are 67% more likely to convert online sales.
The key takeaway is to make your product the focal point while showcasing the lifestyle it enables.
7. Add a text overlay
Text overlay is helpful. It gives extra information and emphasizes specific features of a product.
Just don’t overdo it – you still want to keep your visuals impactful.
For even more help, get in touch with our graphic design experts today.
