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Visual Search Ads turn Pin closeups into performance inventory, bidding for placement where half of all searches carry commercial intent. Pinterest published no conversion benchmarks.
Pinterest announced Visual Search Ads on 17 September at Pinterest Presents, its annual advertiser summit, placing advertisers in Pinterest Search Results and Pin closeups as people search, compare and move closer to a decision.
Pinterest users conduct more than 80 billion searches per month, the vast majority of which are visual, and more than half of which are commercial. More than 96% of those searches are unbranded, according to remarks from CEO Bill Ready at the summit.
The format matters because it moves advertisers from the feed into the moment when a shopper is actively comparing products. Visual Search Ads place advertisers prominently within Pinterest Search Results and Pin closeups, connecting brands with users as they visually search, compare options and move closer to a decision. Advertisers can bid for a top response and drive users directly to their websites, creating a new performance opportunity at a critical point in the decision journey.
Pinterest announced Visual Search Ads on 17 September 2026 at Pinterest Presents, alongside same-day announcements of Performance+ Priority Products, self-serve A/B testing, a dedicated App Promotion objective and a consumer feature called Restyle.
Pinterest already sells ads inside search results. It introduced Top of Search ads a year earlier, on 25 September 2025, with testing finding an average click-through rate 29% higher for Top of Search ads compared to standard campaigns.
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