Pinterest is one of the most underserved platforms in performance marketing. While everyone fights for attention on Meta and TikTok, Pinterest users are in a high-intent discovery mindset — actively searching for products, inspiration, and ideas they plan to act on.

That mindset gap is your opportunity. But only if your creative meets the platform's technical requirements.

This guide covers every Pinterest ad format, size, and spec for 2026, with creative guidance for each.

Why Pinterest Ad Specs Matter More Than Other Platforms

Pinterest is a visual search engine. The creative is the ad — there's no algorithmic distribution to lean on if your image underperforms. Wrong dimensions mean cropped creative in the feed, and cropped creative on Pinterest is creative that doesn't convert.

Pinterest users also spend more time researching purchases before buying. A well-executed Pinterest ad reaches buyers earlier in the consideration cycle than Facebook retargeting — and at lower CPMs.

Pinterest Ad Formats Overview

| Format | Best for | Aspect ratio | |--------|----------|--------------| | Standard Image Pin | Awareness, traffic, brand discovery | 2:3 (1000×1500px) | | Standard Video Pin | Demos, tutorials, brand story | 1:1 or 2:3 | | Max Width Video | High-impact awareness | 16:9 or 1:1 | | Shopping Ad | Product catalog, dynamic retargeting | 1:1 or 2:3 | | Carousel Ad | Multiple products, feature showcase | 1:1 (each card) | | Collections Ad | Lifestyle + product showcase | Hero: 1:1 or 16:9, Secondary: 1:1 |

Standard Image Pin Ads

The foundational Pinterest ad format. Appears in the home feed and search results alongside organic pins.

Recommended dimensions: 1000 × 1500px (2:3 ratio) Minimum dimensions: 600px wide Maximum file size: 20MB File types: PNG, JPEG Title: Up to 100 characters (only ~30 shown before truncation in feed) Description: Up to 500 characters

Why 2:3 is the default

Pinterest's grid layout rewards vertical images. A 2:3 pin takes up more visual real estate than a 1:1 square — without triggering Pinterest's cap on oversized pins, which the platform applies to anything taller than 1:2 ratio.

Taller pins perform better because they interrupt the scroll more effectively. Wider (landscape) pins are penalized in the algorithm and get less distribution.

Creative best practices for Standard Pins

Lead with the product or outcome — Pinterest users are shopping, not browsing. Show them what they're getting.
Add text overlay — Over 85% of high-performing Pinterest ads include text overlay. Describe the offer, the product name, or the outcome.
Use your brand colors — Pinterest audiences respond to visual cohesion. Consistent use of your brand palette increases recognition over time.
Avoid white backgrounds — White gets lost in Pinterest's predominantly white UI. Solid brand colors or lifestyle photography background performs better.
Include a logo — Place it in a corner, not the center. Pinterest users often save pins without clicking; your logo ensures brand attribution when the pin gets re-saved.

Standard Video Pin Ads

Video on Pinterest performs differently than on TikTok or Reels. Pinterest users often browse without sound — so your video must communicate without audio.

Aspect ratios: 1:1 (square) or 2:3 (vertical — recommended) Recommended dimensions: 1000 × 1500px (2:3) or 1000 × 1000px (1:1) Minimum dimensions: 240px width Maximum file size: 2GB Video length: 4 seconds to 15 minutes (sweet spot: 6–15 seconds for ads) File types: MP4, MOV, M4V Title: Up to 100 characters

Creative best practices for Video Pins

Design for silent viewing — Add captions or text overlays. Most Pinterest users don't turn on sound.
Hook in the first 2 seconds — Pinterest autoplays video in feed; you have 2 seconds before someone scrolls past.
Show the product in use — Tutorials, before/afters, and demonstrations outperform brand story video on Pinterest. Users want to know what the product does.
Loop seamlessly — Looped videos (where end connects to beginning) get longer dwell times.
Shorter wins — 15-second videos outperform 30-second on Pinterest. The platform rewards content that respects user attention.

Max Width Video Ads

A premium placement that spans the full width of the Pinterest mobile feed — taking up the entire screen on mobile. Higher impact, higher CPMs.

Aspect ratios: 16:9 (widescreen) or 1:1 (square) Recommended dimensions: 1920 × 1080px (16:9) or 1000 × 1000px (1:1) Maximum file size: 2GB Video length: 4 seconds to 15 minutes File types: MP4, MOV, M4V

Max Width is best for product launches, brand awareness campaigns, and seasonal moments where you want maximum visual impact. The higher CPM is justified when the creative is strong enough to convert the attention it commands.

Shopping Ads

Pinterest Shopping Ads pull directly from your product catalog and can run statically or as dynamic retargeting. They show a single product with price and availability data overlaid automatically by Pinterest.

Image dimensions: 1000 × 1500px (2:3) recommended, 600 × 900px minimum File types: PNG, JPEG Title: Pulled from catalog (up to 100 characters shown) Description: Pulled from catalog

Setting up Shopping Ads

Shopping Ads require connecting your product catalog to Pinterest via the Pinterest Catalog API or a feed file. Once connected, Pinterest automatically pulls product imagery, pricing, and availability — making it one of the lower-maintenance ad formats once configured.

For dynamic retargeting: Pinterest tracks visitors to your site (via the Pinterest Tag) and automatically retargets them with products they viewed. Creative quality matters less here — the relevance of the product does the work.

Shopping Ad creative guidance

Even though Pinterest pulls images from your catalog, image quality is still your job:

Use clean product photography on white or lifestyle backgrounds
Ensure the product fills at least 70% of the frame
Avoid watermarks, promotional overlays, or text you're not comfortable with Pinterest cropping

Carousel Ads

Pinterest Carousel Ads allow 2–5 cards, each with its own image, title, description, and destination URL. Each card can point to a different product or landing page.

Cards: 2–5 per carousel Image dimensions per card: 1000 × 1500px (2:3) or 1000 × 1000px (1:1) File types: PNG, JPEG Title per card: Up to 100 characters Description per card: Up to 500 characters

Carousel use cases

Product range — Show multiple products in a collection, each card linking to its individual product page
Step-by-step process — Tutorial or how-to that flows across cards
Feature showcase — Software or service highlighting different capabilities per card
Before → during → after — Sequential narrative across 3 cards

Carousel creative tips

Keep the visual style consistent across all cards. Jarring transitions between cards (different color schemes, photography styles) break the flow and reduce swipe-through rate. If you're showing multiple products, use the same photography style and background across all cards.

Collections Ads

Collections is Pinterest's most visually distinctive format: a large hero image or video at the top, with three secondary product images below. Tapping the ad expands to a full-screen browsing experience.

Hero asset (top): 1:1 or 16:9 Hero image dimensions: 1000 × 1000px (1:1) or 1920 × 1080px (16:9) Secondary images: 1:1, minimum 236px wide Maximum file size: 10MB per image

Collections performs best for brands with rich product catalogs — fashion, home décor, beauty, outdoor equipment — where the ability to browse multiple items in one ad experience increases conversion probability.

Pinterest Ad Text Specifications

| Element | Limit | |---------|-------| | Title | 100 characters (30 shown in feed) | | Description | 500 characters | | Text overlay (recommended) | Keep under 30% of image area |

Pinterest's algorithm penalizes images where text overlay covers more than 30% of the image. Keep text overlays tight — focus on one headline, not a paragraph.

Browse Ad Examples

Seeing what's actually working on Pinterest can shortcut weeks of creative testing. Browse Pinterest ad creative examples → from brands across ecommerce, beauty, home, food, and lifestyle to build your creative brief.

Quick-Start Pinterest Ad Checklist

Before launching any Pinterest ad campaign:

[ ] Images at 1000 × 1500px (2:3) — not square, not landscape
[ ] File size under 20MB for images, 2GB for video
[ ] Text overlay present (but under 30% of image area)
[ ] Brand logo in corner — not center
[ ] Title under 30 characters (what users will see in feed)
[ ] Pinterest Tag installed on your website (required for retargeting and conversion tracking)
[ ] Video designed for silent viewing (captions or text overlay)
[ ] Link tested — destination URL loads correctly on mobile

Generate Pinterest Ads in the Right Dimensions

Getting specs right is necessary but not sufficient. The creative still has to stop the scroll.

AdsCreator generates Pinterest-ready ad creative at the correct dimensions for every format. Paste your product URL or website — the AI extracts your brand identity and generates on-brand pins for Standard, Video, Shopping, and Carousel placements.

No resizing. No template hunting. Production-ready at the right size, in your brand's colors and fonts.

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