Pinterest has introduced Visual Search Ads, an ad format inside visual search. Ads appear in search results and in Pin closeups, when a user opens a specific Pin and looks for similar products. The format is launching in beta for eligible advertisers in all Pinterest ad markets. For media buyers in e-commerce and physical products, it is a new placement with strong purchase intent.
What Visual Search Ads are
Pinterest announced the format on September 17, 2026 and shared more detail at its Pinterest Presents event. According to the official press release, Visual Search Ads are a performance solution that helps brands reach people through visual search. Advertisers bid for a prominent position and send users straight to their websites.
- Placements: Pinterest search results and Pin closeups, the screen where someone opens a Pin and browses similar ideas and products.
- Objectives: lower funnel, meaning clicks and purchases on the advertiser's site.
- Performance+: the format is compatible with Pinterest Performance+, the platform's automated campaign suite.
- Creatives: according to Pinterest VP Chloe Wix, no new creative is required.
- Access: beta in the coming weeks, in all Pinterest ad markets, but only for eligible advertisers. Pinterest has not published eligibility criteria.
Pinterest CEO Bill Ready described the format as a way to reach shoppers "at the exact moment they're seeing a product, saving it, and deciding whether to buy."
What else Pinterest launched
- Priority Products: in Performance+ you can choose which products to push first, for example for a sale or a season.
- Self-serve A/B tests: test creatives, targeting and campaign strategies directly in the ads manager.
- App Promotion: a dedicated app install objective in global beta. Pinterest cites one test with up to an 85% improvement in cost per install, but that is the platform's own data from a single advertiser.
- Restyle: an AI feature for users that reimagines a room from a photo in different styles and shows matching products. It is launching in beta in the US and Canada.
Why it matters: Pinterest's numbers
According to the company, Pinterest handles more than 80 billion searches a month, over half of them commercial, and 96% of queries are unbranded. The platform has 640 million monthly users, more than half of them Gen Z. Paid clicks to advertisers' sites have grown fivefold over three years. Unbranded searches are the key advantage for small stores and media buyers: users look for "a bag like this" rather than a specific label, so a new brand has a real chance to win the sale.
What official data doesn't cover yet
Some industry outlets describe detailed mechanics, such as scanning objects through the Lens camera, product "fingerprints" and tROAS bidding by catalog group. None of these details appear in Pinterest's official materials. The company has not disclosed whether a product catalog is required, how exactly ads are matched, what clicks cost or what the beta eligibility criteria are. Analysts at eMarketer recommend testing the format alongside existing Performance+ campaigns and comparing placements with A/B tests.
What this means for media buyers
Pinterest is a source for white verticals: physical products, e-commerce, fashion, home decor and beauty. If you run these offers, here is what to do:
- Get your account ready for the beta. Install the Pinterest tag and the Conversions API so the algorithm can see purchases; performance formats cannot learn without conversion data.
- Clean up your product photos. Visual search relies on images, and clean product shots without cluttered collages and text are easier to match with what users are looking for.
- Run an A/B test. Compare campaigns with and without Visual Search Ads on the same budget to see the real effect rather than press-release numbers.
- Watch the economics. Beta click prices are unknown, so focus on ROI and EPC rather than CTR; see our breakdown of affiliate marketing math.
- Test your creatives. The format needs no new creatives, but visual quality decides results. See our guide to finding and testing creatives.
Find affiliate programs for physical products and e-commerce in our E-commerce section.
FAQ
What are Pinterest Visual Search Ads?
A Pinterest ad format that shows ads in search results and Pin closeups when users look for visually similar products.
When do Visual Search Ads launch?
Pinterest announced the format on September 17, 2026. The beta opens in the coming weeks for eligible advertisers in all of the platform's ad markets.
Do I need new creatives?
According to Pinterest, no; the format works with existing assets.
Is a product catalog required?
Pinterest has not officially said. Wait for the beta rules or ask your Pinterest account manager.
Is Pinterest good for affiliate marketing?
Yes, for white verticals: physical products, e-commerce, fashion, home decor and beauty. Pinterest's ad policies are stricter than many sources, so gray offers don't work there.
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Sources: Pinterest press release, Social Media Today, Digiday, eMarketer.