Pinterest Promoted Pins (which is the Pinterest PPC product) are live on select Pinterest accounts who signed up for and were accepted into the beta program. I received my acceptance today and put together this walk-through for you. Pinterest Promoted pins are massive news because Pinterest order value is 3x higher than other social networks and 70% of users report they go there to find inspiration on things to buy. 70% of Pinterest users say they go there to find inspiration on things to buy.Click To Tweet Pinterest can also drive enormous traffic – so these people who use the site to “find inspiration on things to buy” are clicking through to ecommerce sites in droves. Here’s some recent results from my team: So if you’re selling something, it’s THE place to be. Let’s get started promoting pins: The first step is to pick a pin. Pinterest will show you your most recent pins, and you can scroll down to find the right one. I chose a pin that has already “gone viral” with over 8000 repins (this is how we maintain Pinterest accounts that deliver traffic and sales), because I know the Pinterest audience responded well to that particular image: Then you choose they keywords you’d like to target. People searching for these keywords will be shown your Pinterest promoted pin: You should already be familiar with the keywords people are using to search for your topic, but Pinterest does give helpful suggestions. If you run out of ideas, give the Google Keyword Planner a try. Like any kind of keyword based targeting, you’ll need to strike the balance between targeting your ads narrowly enough that the people who see them are actually prospects for what you have to sell and casting a wide enough net that you expose your offer to enough people. Next, choose the demographics of the audience you want to target: Local businesses can target by US state of region. This is the first truly meaningful targeting for local business Pinterest offers, and I think it will make Pinterest an actual contender for local business’ marketing spend. The pin I’m promoting is not regional in nature, so I’ve left the Location targeting blank. The language tab is pretty self explanatory – just select the language of the audience you want to reach. The Device tab allows you to only show you promoted pin to web users, for example, instead of people on mobile devices. It differentiates between ipad, iPhone, Android etc. users as well, so if you are an app seller, you can show your ads to only people using the kind of device your app is made for. On the “Gender” tab, you can choose Male / Female / Unknown. Next, set your CPC bid: It’s interesting that you are bidding on a CPC basis. You’re not paying for views, repins or likes. Just clicks to your website. I’m curious to see how/if that changes, as we’ve seen Facebook and Twitter move towards “engagements” and not just click-throughs on their platforms. I’m totally spitballing on the bid amounts, daily budget, etc. as we’ve not run ads with them before. It’s not only subject to change, but it absolutely will change. Next you’ll agree to their Pinterest promoted pins terms and conditions, and set up your billing credit card. Then, the Promoted Pins dashboard: You’ll notice my pin is waiting for approval. Their help files indicate it can take up to 7 (yes, SEVEN) days for approval. I’m hoping this is a case of under promising and over delivering and that we’ll have approval much sooner! In the meantime, you can add additional pins you’d like to promote into the system, so they’re queued for approval too. Once the promoted pin is approved, I’ll write a second post with info on the analytics they offer, as well as what success we have with the platform, and link to it here. A well maintained Pinterest account can drive an enormous amount of traffic, day in and day out. If you have an ecommerce store, Pinterest is your next honey pot. Our team manages an