Advertising guidelines

Your ads should stick to our brand guidelines and shouldn't suggest that Pinterest is sponsoring your promotion or is formally affiliated with it. Basically, your design should look like it came from your business, not from Pinterest. You can use the word "Pinterest", but not our wordmark.

If you charge users on a recurring basis, be transparent with them and disclose the terms of payment.

We want people on Pinterest to understand who's promoting content. You can't manage more than one advertiser through a single account or change the advertiser on an account. You also can't create boards for someone else (for example, if you're an agency) and promote stuff from those boards. Instead, you can help someone else promote ads from their own account.

Your ads can't infringe upon or violate the rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark or privacy rights.

Ads should be simple, clean and easily understood.

We never allow:

• Fuzzy or grainy images (try at least 600x900 pixels

• Incorrectly orientated images that are upside down or sideways

• Overly busy images that are packed with text overlay or have too many font styles and colours (try no more than 4 frames and 2 font styles or colours)

• improper grammar, incorrect spelling or excessive capitalisation and symbols.

Ads should adhere to the highest levels of editorial quality.

We never allow:

• Poorly edited images that are distracting or exaggerated

• Poorly cropped images that feel careless or recycled

• Amateur or user-generated content such as selfies and screenshots

Ads should set the right expectations and shouldn’t pressure people to click them.

We never allow:

• Images with artificial functionality such as play or download buttons, notification icons, search bars, or elements that mimic Pinterest features (such as our Save or Buy buttons.) Calls-to-action that resemble buttons are OK if they accurately describe where the Pinner will be taken when clicking through. For example, an image with a "Shop now" button that leads to a shopping site is OK.

Your ads should be relevant and appear to the right people. Please don't pick irrelevant criteria when deciding how to target your ad.

Examples

• An ad about shoes that targets "high heels", "trainers" and "spring fashion" is OK.
• An ad about shoes that targets "recipe", "Christmas decorations" or "wedding dresses" isn't OK.

Targeting certain audiences can be inappropriate and even offensive. You can't target any audience based on:

• sensitive health or medical condition;
• Racial or ethnic origin
• Negative financial status or condition
• Religious or philosophical affiliation or beliefs
• Sexual behaviour or orientation
• Alleged or actual commission of a crime

When targeting ads outside the US, you also can't target any audience based on:

• trade union membership or affiliation; and
• political affiliation.

If you use Pinterest technology that stores and accesses cookies or other information on a user's device, you must clearly disclose and get consent for that activity where required by law.

Don’t give us information that relates to sensitive categories – such as medical condition or ethnic origin – or that’s collected from a child-directed site or app, or from anyone who’s under 13.

On any site or app where you collect data used with a Pinterest service, you must get legally required consent from each user for that data collection, sharing and use, and give the notice described below:

Conversion tracking
If you use a Pinterest tag or other technology to provide us with data for conversion tracking, you must give clear and prominent notice to your users that their information will be shared with third parties to measure ad effectiveness.

Audience targeting

If you give us data that you’ll use on Pinterest for audience targeting – for example, by uploading a customer list – you must give clear and prominent notice to everyone you collect data from, letting them know that their information will be shared with third parties for targeted advertising.

If your use of that data qualifies as online behavioural advertising – for example, if you’re using data from a Pinterest tag for visitor retargeting or from an audience onboarder – please also:

• give people instructions on how to opt out of the use of their information for targeted advertising. For Pinterest visitor retargeting, you must tell people that they can opt out through their browser's Do Not Track feature or their Pinterest personalisation settings; 
• don’t send us information about people who’ve opted out; and
• update data regularly to remove people who’ve opted out.
   

You can't:

• use data you get from a third party to buy ads;
• use data from a Pinterest service for any purpose other than to understand your Pinterest campaigns;
• share data from a Pinterest service with a third party, including another advertising service; and
• join data from a Pinterest service with personally identifiable information (such as an email address) or browser- or device-level information (such as a cookie or device identifier).

Your ads must reflect who you are and what you're promoting, so make sure your ad image, description and landing page are consistent. If your ad features a hero product or specific theme, that product or theme must be readily available or apparent on the landing page.

If you require people to take an action (such as signing up) before they can see certain content, your ad should make that clear. Also, your ads can't suggest or imply that a product is available on your landing page if you don't actually offer that product.

Your landing pages should build trust in the quality and substance of your ads. Your landing page can't:

• trick people into visiting another page; and
• start automatic downloads on someone's device. If your landing page has a download link, that's OK – the download just can't start automatically.

We also use landing-page quality to determine auction competitiveness, find out more in our Help Centre.

Make sure that the URL that people land on is consistent with the destination URL you chose for your ad. You can't cloak your URLs or change them during click-through.

You can't promote sex toys, videos, publications, live shows, sexual enhancement products or services that provide casual sex, international matchmaking or escorts.

We don't allow anything that links to software that results in a misleading user experience. We also don't allow products that promote instructions for or equipment to illegally access or tamper with software, servers, mobile phones or websites.

We want ads to be beautiful, useful and inspiring. We don’t want them to pressure or trick users with baiting content. We don’t allow sensational clickbait tactics that exploit user curiosity by:

• Playing on fear

• Critiquing deficiencies

• Damaging self-esteem

• Using alarmist or gawk-worthy language or images

• Purposefully withholding critical information

You can't promote anything that facilitates or promotes illegal activity.

We don’t allow:

• Imagery, sale or use of illegal or recreational drugs

• Informational material about the use or legalisation of illegal or recreational drugs

• Related paraphernalia for using, storing or consuming illegal or recreational drugs

We never allow ads for:

• knock-off products;
• brand-name replicas;
• goods wrongfully advertised as authentic brand-name; and
• fake IDs, passports or other official documents.

You can't promote the sale of live animals. You also can't advertise products made from tortoise shell, ivory, coral, crocodile skin, tiger, polar bear or sea otter fur, and other endangered wildlife. This includes medicinal products made from rhinos, tigers or Asiatic black bears. For a full list of prohibited wildlife products, please visit our partner, the World Wildlife Fund.

You can't promote any kind of lotteries, gambling game applications or gambling websites. We also don't accept ads for fantasy sports or other online prize-based games that require payment for entry.

Ads for brick and mortar casinos that don't lead to online gambling, lotteries or games of skill are OK.

Promoted content shows up in places that it normally wouldn't, so we have to be a bit more conservative about nudity. We'll reject anything with nudity –artistic or not – as well as some images that aren't actual nudity. For example, we don't allow implied nudity (such as blurred out images and illustrations), implied sexual activity (clothed or unclothed) or any focus on certain body parts (genitals, pubic hair, male or female buttocks and female breasts).

You can advertise modelled clothing such as swimming costumes and lingerie, as long as the pose and product aren't adult themed or overtly sexual.

Pinterest doesn’t currently engage with the pharmaceutical industry. We don’t allow:

• Branded or unbranded ads from pharmaceutical manufacturers

• Prescription drugs for humans or pets

• Online pharmacies

OTC medicines that don’t require a prescription are OK. Prescription healthcare products such as glasses and contact lenses are OK.

We don't allow anything that directs people to click on Pinterest buttons to get money, prizes or deals.

We don’t allow campaigns for:

• The election or defeat of political candidates running for public office

• Political parties or action committees

• Political issues with the intent to influence an election

• Legislation, including referendums or ballot initiatives

Pinterest only allows some conventional healthcare products. We don’t allow:

• Class III medical devices

• Clinical trial recruitment

Class I and II medical devices are OK. Contraceptive products that don’t focus on sexual pleasure or performance are OK. Addiction services focused on recovery and support are OK as long as the imagery and language don’t violate our policies around clickbait or sensitive content.

We want to keep Pinterest a safe place for discovering possibilities, so we don’t allow divisive or disturbing ads that could trigger users. We don’t allow language or imagery that is:

• offensive or profane (censored or not);

• excessively violent or gory;

• sickening or gross;

• sexually suggestive; or

• politically, culturally or racially insensitive.

Unless paired with educational or charitable information, we also don’t allow:

• content that capitalises on recent controversial or tragic events; and

• references to sensitive health and medical conditions.

Promising unexpected or unlikely results can break trust, so we take a close look at product and service claims. We don’t allow claims regarding:

• The treatment, diagnosis, prevention or cure of disease.
• Unlikely or dangerous weight loss.
• This includes implied claims through before-and-after imagery.
• Unrealistic cosmetic results within specific time frames.
• Large financial return for minimal effort or investment

We want to keep users safe from potentially harmful products. We don’t allow:

• Weight loss or appetite suppressant pills and supplements

• Products we suspect could be unsafe, unreliable, easily abused or psychoactive

You can't promote tobacco products such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco, or paraphernalia such as pipes, pipe cleaners or rolling papers.

We don't allow anything that promotes products, services or business models that we consider unacceptable. This includes models such as penny or bidding fee auctions, payday loans, plaintiff recruitment services and financial services that facilitate the purchase or trade of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. We also don't allow business models that don't clearly explain their value proposition or use deceptive tactics with customers.

We don’t allow weapons, fireworks or explosives that can cause damage, harm or injury. We also don’t allow instructions for how to use or make any of these products. Ads can’t promote:

• guns, firearms, ammunition or any imagery of these items. This includes functioning antique devices, BB guns, airsoft guns, paintball guns and lifelike fake firearms.

• gun accessories of any kind;

• knives intended for violent use (such as switchblades or hunting knives);

• products intended for damage or injury (such as crossbows, tasers or pepper spray);  

• fireworks;

• explosives; and

• instructions on how to make weapons or fireworks, or information on how to harm or kill people.

You can promote ads for alcohol, including beer, wine, spirits, liqueurs and alcohol memberships.

In all cases, you're responsible for complying with applicable federal and local laws and regulatory guidelines, including age gating where necessary.

Alcohol ads on Pinterest:

• can't be buyable Pins or shopping ads;
• can't target minors, or depict minors consuming alcoholic beverages;
• can't associate the consumption of alcohol with enhanced physical performance, improved social standing or better sexual success;
• can't imply that drinking excessively is beneficial, or that alcohol has therapeutic qualities either as a stimulant or relaxant;
• can't depict people under the influence of alcohol, or associate drinking with activities that are risky (such as driving and operating heavy machinery), anti-social or illegal; and
• can't emphasise high alcoholic content as a positive quality.

Promoting ads about the following products or services are always OK, and won't be considered alcohol advertising:

• Accessories such as wine glasses, beer steins and flasks
• Home brewing kits
• Recipes for drinks or food containing alcohol
• Recipes that suggest paired alcoholic beverages
• Events that may involve alcohol consumption, such as happy hours, winery tours and home brewing classes
• Events sponsored by alcohol brands
• News and information about alcohol products

If you run a contest or other type of promotion, please encourage authentic behaviour, keep Pinterest spam-free and be sure to comply with all relevant laws and regulations. In addition, please:

• don't require participants to save a specific image;
• don't allow more than one entry per participant;
• Don't suggest that Pinterest sponsors or endorses you or the promotions
• Make sure participants use the word "contest" or "sweepstakes" in their descriptions or images when they save Pins for the event

Learn more in our Community Guidelines.