Pinterest Launches Top of Search Ads

Pinterest continues to strengthen its position as a key platform for e-commerce and brand discovery. Its latest initiative — Top of Search Ads — is a new ad format designed to attract users with strong purchase intent.
This format provides brands with premium placement at the top of search results and within the Related Pins section, which, according to Pinterest, generates nearly half of all user clicks on the platform.

Pinterest as a Search Ecosystem

Today, Pinterest is far more than just a visual social network — it’s a massive search engine for ideas, where people look for inspiration for shopping, projects, and lifestyle.
According to Pinterest’s own data, 96% of all searches are unbranded.

This means users aren’t typing in specific brand names — instead, they search for concepts like “cozy bedroom,” “fall outfit,” or “gift for girlfriend.”
And it’s precisely in these moments that users are most open to discovering new brands and products.

For businesses, this presents a golden opportunity to appear in front of an audience that has already shown interest in a product category — but hasn’t yet made a purchase decision.

What Is Top of Search Ads and How It Works

The new Top of Search Ads format ensures that a brand’s products appear among the first ten results when a user performs a search.
In addition to standard placement, Pinterest offers a brand-exclusive ad unit — essentially a “showcase” highlighting the advertiser’s product catalog.

This unit stands out visually from other Pins and occupies a high-attention zone, as most users rarely scroll past the first few rows of search results.

Pinterest emphasizes that the format was built with the platform’s unique user behavior in mind:

• shopping begins with inspiration,
• search queries are visual,
• and purchase decisions are often impulsive, triggered by visually appealing content.

In this way, Top of Search Ads allow brands to be present at the very start of the shopper’s journey — right when interest is forming.

Early Results: CTRs Soar by Hundreds of Percent

Pinterest has already tested the new format with several major brands — and the results are impressive:

• 29% higher average CTR compared to standard campaigns;
• 32% more likely to attract new users who haven’t interacted with the brand before;
• Wayfair, a leading online retailer of furniture and décor, reported a 237% CTR increase after just two weeks of testing.

These metrics show that Top of Search Ads not only boost visibility but also enhance overall advertising performance, turning Pinterest’s search function into a powerful performance marketing channel.

Why It Matters for Brands

In today’s digital landscape, high-intent audiences — those actively searching for specific product categories — play a critical role.
Pinterest is one of the few platforms where such users interact with content organically, rather than simply scrolling past ads.

Top of Search Ads enable brands to:

• intercept users before they make a decision,
• promote products within relevant search contexts,
• increase conversions without intrusive banners or video ads,
• and expand their customer base by reaching new, previously untapped audiences.

Essentially, Pinterest gives businesses the chance to act not as a reminder of an existing brand but as a discovery engine — to be the first thing users see when they search.

Visual Content as a Sales Driver

Pinterest has always been a platform where aesthetics and creativity directly drive sales.
With the launch of Top of Search Ads, this principle is reinforced by a new placement logic: the better your visuals, the higher the chance they’ll be seen.

Brands can craft entire visual stories, where ads don’t look like ads but feel like part of the user’s inspiration journey.
This approach is particularly effective for categories such as:

• fashion and accessories,
• interior design and home décor,
• gifts,
• beauty and skincare,
• DIY and handmade products.

Pinterest Evolves into a Performance Platform

Pinterest was once seen mainly as a source of inspiration — not direct sales.
However, recent updates such as Shop the Look, Catalogs, and Product Pins signal a clear strategic shift toward commercializing search.

Top of Search Ads mark another step in that direction.
Pinterest aims to prove that it can serve not only as a “showcase of ideas” but also as a fully functional sales channel, where users can move seamlessly from inspiration to purchase — all within one platform.

For advertisers, this means a new level of efficiency:

• increased traffic from search,
• lower customer acquisition costs,
• and stronger ROI from campaigns in a visual-first environment.

Conclusion

The launch of Top of Search Ads represents a strategic move by Pinterest to strengthen its position in commercial search.
The platform is evolving into a space where a brand can not only inspire but also sell.

For businesses, it’s a chance to:

• boost brand awareness among users actively seeking inspiration,
• capture potential customers before competitors do,
• and improve campaign performance without relying on aggressive targeting.

Pinterest now positions itself as a hybrid performance channel, merging aesthetics, search, and measurable results.
And if early test results continue to hold true, Top of Search Ads could become one of the most effective advertising formats of 2025.

This article available in Ukrainian.