Advertising guidelines

Your ads must reflect who you are and what you're promoting. Bait and switch ads (misleading ads that promise one thing but lead to another) are poor experiences for people on Pinterest, so make sure your images, descriptions and landing pages are consistent.

Please don't make false promises about your products and services in your ads.

If you charge users on a recurring basis, be transparent and use your ad's description to 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 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.

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 oriented images that are upside down or sideways

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

• Improper grammar or excessive capitalization 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 like selfies and screenshots

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

We never allow:

• Images with trick-to-click elements like fake video play icons, download buttons, search bars or buy buttons

• Images that create a sense of urgency with phrases like “Click here,” “Try now,” “Hurry,” or “Limited time only”

Ads should be optimistic and inspire creativity, joy  and confidence.  

We never allow:

• Sensational clickbait tactics that exploit user curiosity by playing on people’s fears, damaging self-esteem, using alarmist language or images, or purposefully withholding information

• Demeaning images or language for health and skincare products that suggests user deficiencies or capitalizes on anxiety, like the use of before-and-after shots

Your ads should be relevant and show up for 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," "sneakers" and "spring fashion" is okay
• An ad about shoes that targets "recipe," "Christmas decorations" or "wedding dresses" isn't okay

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 behavior or orientation
• Alleged or actual commission of a crime
• Trade union membership

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—like 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 behavioral 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 targeting advertising. For Pinterest visitor retargeting, you must tell people they can opt out through their browser's Do Not Track feature or their Pinterest personalization settings. 
• Don’t send us information about people who’ve opted out.
• Regularly update data 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
• Join data from a Pinterest service with personally identifiable information (like an email address) or browser- or device-level information (like a cookie or device identifier)

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

If you require people to take an action (like 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, have 3 or more ads in the first frame of the page, and/or start automatic downloads on someone's device. If your landing page has a download link, that's okay—the download just can't start automatically.

You can't promote sex toys, videos, publications, live shows, sexual enhancement products, or services that provide casual sex, international match-making 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, cell phones or websites.

You can't promote fake IDs, passports or other official documents.

We don't allow any ads for medical devices or prescription healthcare items.

We do allow ads for non-prescription family planning and contraception as long as the focus isn't improving sexual performance or pleasure.

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

Your ads can't promote the sale or use of illegal or recreational drugs. This includes any drug paraphernalia, images of or informational material about illegal or recreational substances, and products to cheat drug tests.

You can't promote knockoffs, brand-name replicas or goods wrongfully advertised as authentic brand-name.

You can't promote products made from tortoise shell, ivory, coral, crocodile skin, tiger, polar bear or sea otter fur, and other endangered wildlife. You also can't promote 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 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 okay.

Promoted content shows up in places that it normally wouldn't so we have to be a bit more conservative with 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 butt and female breasts.)

You can advertise modeled clothing such as bathing suits and lingerie, as long as the pose and product aren't adult-themed or overtly sexual.

We don't allow anything that promotes online pharmacies, the sale of prescription drugs, clinical trial recruitment, or the sale of supplements we consider unsafe or questionable, like anabolic steroids, chitosan, comfrey, dehydroepiandrosterone, ephedra, human growth hormones and prescription medications for pets.

Over-the-counter drugs and medicines that don't require a prescription are okay. Online contact lens and eyeglass providers are okay.

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

Your ads shouldn't include anything that's sensational, aggressive, offensive, disrespectful, threatening, alarmist or excessively violent, regardless of the message attached to the image.

Don't include profanity (censored or not), or cautionary language like "warning" and "attention".

You can't promote tobacco products like cigarettes, e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco, or paraphernalia like 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 like penny or bidding fee auctions, payday loans and plaintiff recruitment services. We also don't allow business models that don't clearly explain their billing policy or value proposition, or use deceptive tactics to charge customers.

You can't promote firearms, ammunition, firearm accessories (like high-capacity loaders and scopes) or other weapons, like knives or bows intended for violent use. We also don't allow fireworks, explosives, instructions on how to make weapons or fireworks, or any other instructions on how to harm or kill people.

You can't promote weight loss pills, supplements or fat burners. For now, we also reject ads that focus on weight loss or fat loss. We're okay with ads that promote healthy eating and fitness if they don't focus on weight or fat loss, or make unrealistic claims encouraging unhealthy weight loss goals.

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 to 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, operating heavy machinery), antisocial or illegal
• Can't emphasize high alcoholic content as a positive quality

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

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

If you promote a contest or sweepstakes, please encourage authentic behavior, 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 at our community guidelines.

You can only promote political campaigning ads if you're a US federal or state political candidate running for public office, a political party, or a political committee that's advocating for the election or defeat of a US federal or state candidate for public office.

We don't allow negative campaigning ads that attack a political opponent, including their personality, record or opinion. We also don't allow political campaigning ads that promote hate speech.

All political candidates and political committees must comply with the Federal Election Commission's rules.