Programmatic Pinterest: what changes for Italian media buyers

A pre-launch test generated 15% additional reach with just 1% audience overlap: Pinterest is becoming a real programmatic channel, and Italian media buyers need to decide if and when to include it in their plans.

Should you add Pinterest to your company's programmatic media plan?

It depends on your industry and audience: Pinterest users have high purchase intent, but programmatic isn't available in Europe yet. It's worth preparing now.

Programmatic advertising is the system that buys and sells ad space automatically, in real time, through technology platforms. Until October 2026, Pinterest could only be bought directly, by negotiating with the platform's sales team. Now everything changes: Pinterest joins the automated ecosystem where Meta, Google and Amazon already operate.

For an ads manager or marketing manager, this means one thing: Pinterest becomes comparable with other channels when you plan your budget. It's no longer a niche option that requires a separate negotiation.

What exactly did Pinterest do, and who are the partners involved?

Pinterest launched Programmatic Deals on October 26, 2026: advertisers can now buy Pinterest ad space through Amazon Ads, Google Display & Video 360 and Yahoo DSP, with Magnite as the supply-side partner.

The launch is called Pinterest Programmatic Deals. Here's how it works: Magnite manages the inventory supply (the ad spaces available on Pinterest), while three major automated buying platforms — Amazon Ads with its DVA+ system, Google Display & Video 360 and Yahoo DSP — let advertisers buy those spaces from their usual dashboards. In Latin America and Asia Pacific, supply is also managed by Google Ad Manager.

For an ads manager, this matters because you don't need a separate Pinterest Ads account: you can plan Pinterest directly inside Google DV360 or Amazon DSP, the same tools you already use for other channels.

One important detail: at launch, Pinterest programmatic is available in North America, South America and Asia Pacific. Europe, and therefore Italy, is not included in general availability, as reported by ppc.land. But the direction is set, and those who prepare now will have a head start when the European rollout arrives.

What do the test numbers say: does it really work?

The Moroccanoil test showed concrete results: 15% additional reach and a click-through rate 20% higher than the brand's average display and video campaigns.

Before the official launch, Pinterest ran a test in June 2026 with the brand Moroccanoil (hair care products). The results, reported by Marketing Dive, show two interesting data points.

The most significant figure is the 1% audience overlap: it means Pinterest reaches people other channels don't touch. For a brand that has already saturated Meta and Google, that's a strong argument. The 20% higher click-through rate suggests that Pinterest users, when they see a relevant ad, are more likely to act than the traditional display average.

Keep in mind: this is a single test on one specific brand (beauty/haircare), a sector particularly well suited to Pinterest. The results can't be generalized to all verticals.

How big is the programmatic market in Italy, and where does Pinterest fit?

Italian programmatic exceeded €988 million in 2025 and is aiming for one billion in 2026. Pinterest is entering a mature market that's still growing.

The programmatic advertising market in Italy keeps growing steadily. According to the Osservatorio Internet Media at Politecnico di Milano, it reached €988 million in 2025, up 8% from 2024. Estimates for 2026 point to a total between €1.07 and €1.08 billion.

In this context, Pinterest in Italy has about 12.5 million monthly users (Audicom data, September 2025, via Osservatorio Social Media by Vincenzo Cosenza). It's a platform with a significant user base, but an average usage time of just 23 minutes per month: less than the main social competitors. That's not necessarily a problem: Pinterest users are in search and planning mode, not passively scrolling.

At the European level, according to IAB Italia, European programmatic grew 18.4% in 2024. Italy is the sixth-largest European market for digital advertising spend.

What changes in practice for anyone running paid campaigns in Italy?

For now, nothing changes operationally: Pinterest programmatic is not yet available in Europe. But the right time to get up to speed is now, not when the rollout arrives.

Anyone running paid campaigns in Italy is already familiar with Google DV360 or Amazon DSP. When Pinterest arrives in Europe through these tools, the integration will be technical and relatively quick. The real work is strategic: figuring out whether Pinterest makes sense in your channel mix, for which audience and with which format.

One thing to keep in mind: in 2025 Pinterest increased the number of ads served by 49%, while the average price fell by 22% (source: Pinterest Inc., Form ARS FY2025). More available inventory at lower prices is good news for buyers: it means the channel is competitive and not yet as saturated as Meta or Google Search.

What concrete scenarios open up for Italian companies?

The channel is best suited to visual and consumer sectors: e-commerce, retail and lifestyle brands have the clearest opportunities. Generalist B2B has little to gain.

Illustrative examples: the numbers show the logic of the reasoning and are not real client data.

Anyone running campaigns across multiple channels already knows the challenge isn't finding new channels, but knowing when to add them without spreading the budget too thin. On this topic, the article on Google Ads and budget allocation by channel offers a useful framework for prioritizing investments.

What risks should you consider before including Pinterest in your media plan?

There are three main risks: uncertain European availability, attribution measurement, and the temptation to shift budget away from channels that already perform.

The first risk is structural: Pinterest programmatic is not yet available in Europe. There is no confirmed date for the European rollout. Anyone planning campaigns for 2026-2027 needs to account for this uncertainty.

The second risk concerns measurement. Pinterest typically has a long funnel: users see a pin, save the idea, and convert weeks later on another channel. Standard attribution models (last-click) tend to undervalue Pinterest's contribution. On this point, the article on measurement and attribution in Amazon Ads shows how to tackle the same problem on another programmatic channel.

The third risk is the most common: moving budget from Meta or Google to Pinterest to "try something new." Pinterest works as an additional channel, not a replacement. The test budget must be incremental.

Why is everyone talking about it now: is Pinterest really growing, or is it a niche channel?

Pinterest has 619 million global monthly users and revenue growth of 16% in 2025: it's no longer a niche, but a channel with enough scale to earn a place in structured media plans.

Pinterest's 2025 numbers tell a story of solid growth. Revenue reached $4.22 billion (+16% on 2024), according to the Pinterest Inc. annual report (Form ARS FY2025). The European figure is even more interesting: $775 million in revenue from Europe, up 31%.

In the third quarter of 2025, European revenue grew 41% year over year, the fastest pace of any region, according to Pinterest's Q3 2025 results. This explains why programmatic is the logical next step: the platform has the scale to attract large media buyers.

The Italian context fits this trajectory. Pinterest has 12.5 million monthly users in Italy, in a programmatic market worth almost a billion euros and growing every year. Pinterest's entry into the programmatic ecosystem isn't an isolated move: it's part of an ecosystem where Amazon is also expanding its presence (as covered in the article on multi-format AI Amazon Ads) and where automated media buying is becoming the norm, as analyzed in the article on agentic buying and automated media buying in 2026.

How do you get started: the steps to evaluate and test Pinterest programmatic

The path has five steps: audience analysis, checking the DSPs you use, defining the test budget, preparing creatives and setting up measurement.

Before waiting for the European rollout, there's preparatory work to do. Those who arrive ready at launch can start with a structured test instead of improvising.

What mistakes are most common when adding a new programmatic channel?

The most common mistake is treating the new channel as a copy of the others: same creatives, same budget, same measurement logic. Pinterest has its own dynamics, and they call for a dedicated approach.

If you've seen a new channel enter the media plan before, whether TikTok, Amazon DSP or Connected TV, you know the pattern: initial excitement, disappointing results, premature abandonment. Almost always, the problem isn't the channel but how it's tested.

On Pinterest, we see five mistakes most often at the planning stage.

A useful parallel: the same measurement and attribution mistakes show up on Amazon DSP, as we analyzed in the article on Amazon DSP and opportunities for Italian B2B. The principle is the same: every channel has its own logic, and applying one channel's parameters to another produces misleading results.

How do I know if Pinterest is really delivering results for my media plan?

The metrics to track differ from those of traditional display: incremental reach, view-through rate and cost per additional reach matter more than pure click-through rate.

So, is Pinterest programmatic worth it for your company?

Worth it if you operate in a visual, consumer-facing industry (fashion, home, beauty, food, lifestyle), you've already saturated Meta and Google, and you're looking for incremental reach among an audience with strong purchase intent. Prepare now: when Pinterest programmatic arrives in Europe, those who are ready start with a real advantage.

Somewhere in between if your industry has a visual component but your target is mixed (consumer and B2B). Test Pinterest with a limited budget and measure audience overlap before scaling. It's not the time for big investments, but for structured exploration.

Not yet if you operate in technical B2B, consulting or industries without a strong visual component. The Pinterest audience doesn't match your decision makers, and the budget would be wasted. Focus on channels like Google Search, LinkedIn or Amazon DSP, where your target is already present.

How we see it at SHM

For us, Pinterest entering programmatic is a sign of market maturity, not a revolution. We believe every new channel should be assessed with the same question: does it add something real to the client's media plan, or is it just a novelty to chase? In Pinterest's case, the answer depends on the industry and the audience, and we say so plainly, even when the answer is "not yet."

What matters to us is helping those who run paid campaigns make decisions based on data, not enthusiasm. Pinterest programmatic isn't available in Europe today, but the right time to figure out whether it's right for you is now, not when the rollout arrives. Those who wait to understand "when it's needed" always start late.

If you're reviewing your media plan or want to understand how to integrate new programmatic channels into your strategy, explore our Google Ads campaigns, Meta campaigns and data processing and business intelligence services to build measurement that really works on long funnels. You can also follow updates in the Marketing and performance ADV cluster to stay current on how the paid landscape is changing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pinterest programmatic isn't a novelty to chase: it's a sign that the market is consolidating, and the time to figure out whether it's right for you is before it arrives in Europe, not after.