Prepare To See Even More Ads On Pinterest
The startup has been testing its paid Promoted Pins program since the beginning of May with big brands like Old Navy, Kraft, and Target.
This new option, however, will allow smaller companies to start testing out advertising, because these do-it-yourself promoted pins will be cheaper. Businesses will only be paying for clicks, instead of a lump sum at the get-go. Ad Age reported earlier this year that the startup is asking for commitments of between $1 million and $2 million from marketers interested in buying ads on the platform, and charging between $30 and $40 per 1,000 views (CPM) of its promoted pins. Pinterest hasn't said how much it plans to charge per click for do-it-yourself pins, but it's currently testing the program with a few companies, but interested businesses can sign-up to be put on a waiting list.
The company also announced that it's improving its analytics system. Business users will be able to see how pins from their profile are performing and which pins and boards are driving the most traffic.
Advertising on Pinterest is unique because the site is already such a product-and-image driven environment. Pinterest users embraced brands on the site long before any sort of official advertising was ever introduced. The site controls a whopping 23% of referral traffic to e-commerce sites, and the potential value of its advertising programs is partly why the company is valued at $5 billion after its latest fundraise. Yes, more ads will start flooding your Pinterest feed, but there's a good chance you'll hardly even notice.