Pinterest turns visual search into a new ad opportunity

Pinterest is launching Visual Search Ads, a new performance format that lets advertisers bid for prominent placements as users visually search, compare products and move closer to making a purchase.

Search advertising has traditionally revolved around keywords. Pinterest is betting that AI-powered visual search can unlock a different kind of intent — letting advertisers reach consumers based on what they’re looking at, not just what they type.

What’s new. Visual Search Ads can appear prominently within Pinterest Search Results and Pin closeups, combining keyword relevance with Pinterest’s visual understanding of images, products and user intent.

How it works . Advertisers can bid for a top response and send users directly to their websites, giving brands a performance placement while shoppers are still researching and deciding what they want.

By the numbers . Pinterest says users conduct more than 80 billion searches on the platform each month. The vast majority are visual, according to the company, and more than half have commercial intent.

The AI angle . The ads are powered by Pinterest Intelligence, the company’s AI technology for understanding images, products, tastes and intent. Pinterest says the system turns those signals into targeting opportunities for advertisers.

What Pinterest is saying . CEO Bill Ready argues that consumers are increasingly expressing what they want through richer signals than keywords alone, giving marketers an opportunity to participate in AI-powered visual discovery at moments when people “see, save and decide.”

For performance marketers . Visual Search Ads are designed to support lower-funnel objectives and work with Pinterest Performance+, the company’s AI-powered performance advertising suite.

Where it stands . Visual Search Ads will enter beta for eligible advertisers across all Pinterest advertising markets in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile. Pinterest is giving advertisers more control over Performance+ with a new feature called Priority Products. Brands can specify products they want the system to prioritize around moments such as seasonal launches, promotions or category pushes while retaining automated campaign optimization.

Also new. Pinterest is introducing self-serve A/B testing across creative and targeting, including within Performance+. The feature is designed to let advertisers compare campaign strategies and measure whether changes actually improve results.

For app marketers: Pinterest’s new App Promotion objective is entering global beta with qualified advertisers, giving brands a campaign objective specifically designed to drive app installs.

By the numbers . Pinterest says one advertiser saw as much as an 85% improvement in cost per install compared with previous approaches. That’s a company-provided result, so individual advertiser performance could differ.

On the consumer side: Pinterest is also bringing more of its AI technology directly into the product. A new feature called Restyle lets users upload a photo of a space, use AI to reimagine it and compare different ideas in their own home.

Where it stands . Restyle is launching in beta in the U.S. and Canada.

The bottom line . As search becomes more visual and AI-driven, Pinterest wants advertisers to think beyond keywords. For brands, the opportunity is to show up not only when someone searches for a product by name, but while they’re visually exploring, comparing and deciding what to buy.

Dig deeper. Pinterest unveils Visual Search Ads, bringing new performance advertising to visual discovery