Understanding Pinterest Campaign Objectives: The Foundation of Successful Campaigns
In our previous post, we explored Pinterest ad formats, targeting options, and bidding strategies. Now, let’s dive deeper into something even more fundamental: campaign objectives. Understanding these objectives is crucial to creating effective, results-driven Pinterest campaigns.
Why Campaign Objectives Matter
Before launching any Pinterest campaign, you need to answer one critical question: “What do I want to achieve?” Your answer forms the foundation of your campaign objective – the primary goal guiding all your decisions from targeting to creative assets.
Choosing the right objective isn’t just a formality; it fundamentally impacts:
How your ads are optimized
Which metrics are prioritized
Who sees your content
How your budget is allocated
What results you can expect
Pinterest’s Campaign Objective Framework
Pinterest organizes campaign objectives into three main categories that mirror the traditional marketing funnel:
Upper Funnel: Build Awareness
Brand Awareness
Goal: Increase visibility and reach new audiences
Primary Metrics: Impressions, frequency control
Who It’s For: Brands looking to introduce themselves to new audiences or launch new products
Ad Formats: Standard ads, Standard video, Max width video, Premiere spotlight, Idea ads, Carousel ads, Collections ads
Video Views/Completion
Goal: Drive video watch time and completion
Primary Metrics: Cost per view (CPV)
Who It’s For: Brands with compelling video content looking to tell their story
Ad Formats: Standard video, Max width video
Upper funnel objectives are perfect for when you’re looking to cast a wide net and get your brand in front of as many relevant users as possible. Remember that people on Pinterest who are exposed to multi-objective campaigns convert up to 2x higher when exposed to ads across different parts of the funnel (Pinterest Internal Data, Global, June 2023).
Pro Tip: Planning a product launch? Start with awareness campaigns 4-6 weeks before launch to build anticipation and familiarity. Pinterest users begin planning earlier than users on other platforms!
Middle Funnel: Drive Consideration
Traffic/Consideration
Goal: Increase interest and encourage website visits
Primary Metrics: Total clicks, Click-through rate (CTR), Cost per click (CPC)
Who It’s For: Brands looking to drive qualified traffic to their website
Ad Formats: Standard ads, Standard video ads, Idea ads, Quiz ads, Showcase ads, Carousel ads, Collections ads
The consideration objective creates direct links to your site, driving users who are actively exploring and refining their interests. This objective works best when you have valuable content on your landing page that extends the inspiration journey started on Pinterest.
Pro Tip: Using Pinterest’s consideration objective can help bridge the gap between awareness and conversion, nurturing potential customers who aren’t quite ready to purchase.
Lower Funnel: Get Conversions
Conversions
Goal: Drive specific actions like sign-ups, checkouts, or add-to-carts
Primary Metrics: Return on ad spend (ROAS), Cost per action (CPA), Conversion rate
Who It’s For: Brands focused on direct response and measurable results
Ad Formats: Standard ad, Standard video, Video shopping ad, Idea ad, Showcase ads, Lead ad, Carousel ad, Collections ad
Catalog Sales
Goal: Promote products from your catalog to streamline the path to purchase
Primary Metrics: ROAS, CPC, CPA
Who It’s For: Ecommerce brands with product feeds looking to drive product sales
Ad Formats: Collections ad, Carousel ad, Travel catalog ad, Shopping ad, Video shopping ad
Lower funnel objectives require the Pinterest Tag and/or Conversions API to be set up on your website, as these tools track the specific actions users take after engaging with your ads.
Pro Tip: Advertisers who use both Conversions API and the Pinterest Tag together saw a 9% improvement in cost-per-action (CPA) and a 23.7% increase in attributed conversion volume (Pinterest Internal Data, Global CAPI advertisers (n=5638), 2024-05-26 to 2024-06-01).
The Power of Multi-Objective Campaigns
While single-objective campaigns have their place, Pinterest data shows that multi-objective campaigns often deliver superior results. Why? Because they reflect the non-linear nature of the customer journey.
A multi-objective approach allows you to:
Connect with audiences across multiple touchpoints
Create compounding effects across the funnel
Drive greater engagement and improved conversion rates
Foster repeat purchasers and brand loyalty
Brands that implemented a multi-objective strategy during holiday campaigns saw a 56% higher conversion rate growth year over year compared to advertisers who ran a single-objective strategy (Pinterest internal analysis of 307 advertisers who ran holiday advertising in Q4’22 and Q4’21 in the US).
How to Choose the Right Objective for Your Campaign
Consider these factors when selecting your campaign objective:
Your business goals: What does success look like for your brand right now?
Your audience’s stage: Where are they in their journey with your brand?
Your content type: Do you have video assets? A product catalog? Beautiful lifestyle imagery?
Your measurement capabilities: Do you have the Pinterest Tag and/or Conversions API set up?
Your budget: Different objectives require different levels of investment.
Strategic Recommendations by Brand Type
For New Brands on Pinterest:
Start with an awareness objective to introduce yourself to the Pinterest community. Once you’ve built some visibility, layer in consideration and conversion campaigns to capitalize on that awareness.
For Established Brands Looking to Boost Sales:
Consider a robust multi-objective approach with 60% of budget on conversions or catalog sales, 30% on consideration, and 10% on awareness to continually fill your funnel.
For Seasonal Businesses:
Begin campaigns earlier than you would on other platforms (4-6 weeks minimum) with awareness objectives, then transition to consideration and conversion as your peak season approaches.
Setting Up Your Objective in Ads Manager
Navigate to Ads Manager and click “Create campaign”
Select your campaign objective under “Choose a campaign objective”
Name your campaign and select a campaign status
Set your campaign budget type and schedule
Continue to ad group setup, where you’ll define targeting, creative, and bidding strategies
Remember that your objective selection will determine which metrics are highlighted in your reporting dashboard, keeping your goals front and center.
Measuring Success Across Different Objectives
Each objective comes with its own set of key performance indicators:
Awareness: CPM, Reach, Lift in brand metrics
Video Completion: Video completion rate, CPV
Consideration: Click-through rate, CPC
Conversions/Catalog Sales: Conversion rate, CPA, ROAS
Don’t compare metrics across different objectives – a 2% CTR might be excellent for an awareness campaign but underwhelming for a consideration campaign.
Advanced Strategy: The MECE Approach
Leading Pinterest marketers often employ the Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive (MECE) approach to campaign structure:
Create separate campaigns for different placements (home feed vs. search)
Segment by audience intent (prospecting vs. remarketing)
Use distinct campaigns for different product categories
This structured approach creates a clear testing environment that makes optimization straightforward and performance analysis crystal clear.
Conclusion: Objectives as Your Strategic North Star
Your campaign objective is more than just a setting in Ads Manager – it’s the strategic foundation of your entire Pinterest marketing effort. By thoughtfully selecting objectives that align with your business goals and audience needs, you create a framework for success that guides every other decision in your campaign.
Whether you’re focused on building awareness, driving consideration, or generating conversions, Pinterest’s objective-based framework gives you the tools to achieve your goals and measure your success.
Ready to develop a strategic, objective-driven Pinterest marketing plan for your aesthetic lifestyle brand? Click below to schedule a free discovery call with C15 Labs today, and let’s map out a Pinterest strategy that drives real business results.
Want to learn more? Check out our next blog where we explore Mastering Pinterest Analytics: Measuring Success and Optimizing Performance!