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Set up targets for your ads

Show ads to the people who will be interested in your products by setting up targets. You can target Pinners based on their interests, their search keywords, or various demographic groupings. You also can create different kinds of audiences to target.
The following targeting options are available in the Pinterest API and Ads Manager:
Targeting options table
Targeting optionHow it worksUse case
Audience
Create audiences from your customer lists, people who've visited your site or people who have already interacted with your content on Pinterest.
If your company sells athletic sneakers and you want to reach people who previously saved a Pin featuring a pair of sneakers from your new line, you can use an engagement audience.
Actalike audience
Reach new people who behave similarly to one of your existing audiences.
If your company sells cookware and you want to find more people who will love your products, you can create a new audience list modeled after behaviors from an existing list of top customers.
Interests
Select topics related to your ad to reach people with similar tastes.
If your company sells budget-friendly organic food, you might set your interests as
health food
organic
and
budget
.
Keywords
Include or exclude keywords or phrases to target people as they search on Pinterest.
If your company sells men's apparel, you might add keywords such as
men's fashion
and
menswear
.
Demographics
Choose gender age location language or device to refine your audience.
If your company sells textbooks to nearby college students, you might target your ad to people ages 18-24 within your postal code.
Placement
Choose where you'd like your ads to appear on Pinterest: In the home feed, search results or related Pins.
If your company sells modern furniture and you only want your ad to appear after people search for
mid-century modern furniture
, you can use the Search placement.
Note: To increase the possibility of someone seeing your ad, we recommend targeting all placements.
Pinterest Performance+ also known as "Expanded"
Select Perfomance+ targeting to reach even more people on Pinterest by automatically targeting your ad to people searching for similar keywords or interests as the ones you selected.
If your company sells snacks you might target topics like
recipes
and
snacks
but not think of targeting
road trips
. Without selecting
road trips
, Pinterest Performance+ targeting will put your ads in front of people interested in or searching for related ideas.

Set your ad group's targeting

Targeting is set at the ad group level in the
POST
Create ad groups
or
PATCH
Update ad groups
.
in the
targeting_spec
object
Ads will be served to the audiences that fit the criteria of all the filters you apply. In other words, each specified targeting type is chained in an AND statement to create the final filter.
See table below for an explanation of each targeting spec parameter. For all possible values, check the API spec in the
POST
Create ad groups
or
PATCH
Update ad groups
.
At least one of LOCATION or GEO must be specified.
At least one of LOCATION or GEO must be specified.
Targeting spec parameterDescription
AGE_BUCKET
Age ranges to target. Targets all by default.
Do not use if you are using
MINIMUM_AGE
and
MAXIMUM_AGE
.
We will deprecate this parameter sometime in 2026. See recommendation for using
MINIMUM_AGE
and
MAXIMUM_AGE
age parameters instead.
APPTYPE
Device and app type targeting. Targets all by default.
AUDIENCE_EXCLUDE
Provide the audience ID(s) of the audiences(s) you've created but want to exclude from this ad group's targeting. No users are excluded by default.
AUDIENCE_INCLUDE
Provide the audience ID(s) of the audience(s) you've created and want to specifically target. All users are included by default.
GENDER
Genders to target. Targets all by default.
INTEREST
Target users based on specific interests they have shown on Pinterest. Targets all interests by default.
LOCALE
Target specific languages using ISO 639-1 two letter language codes. Targets all available locales by default.
GEO
Note: At least one of GEO or LOCATION must be specified. Target specific geos with ISO Alpha 2 two letter country codes. Use either region codes or postal codes but not both. See list of accepted codes.
LOCATION
Note: At least one of GEO or LOCATION must be specified. Target specific locations. Use ISO Alpha 2 two letter country codes or metro codes (location region codes) (e.g.,
["US", "807"]
). See list of accepted codes.
MAXIMUM_AGE
Required if you use
MINIMUM_AGE
Set the high end of the targeted user age range.
Pass a maximum user age between
18
and
65
.
You can also pass
65+
as a maximum value.
Make sure to use with
MINIMUM_AGE
; otherwise all ages are targeted.
Set a value that is greater than the
MINIMUM_AGE
value.
Do not use
MINIMUM_AGE
and
MAXIMUM_AGE
if you are using
AGE_BUCKET
.
See examples for how to target certain age ranges.
MINIMUM_AGE
Required if you use
MAXIMUM_AGE
Set the low end of the targeted user age range.
Pass a minimum user age between
18
and
65
.
Make sure to use with
MAXIMUM_AGE
; otherwise all ages are targeted.
Set a value that is lesser than the
MAXIMUM_AGE
value.
Do not use
MINIMUM_AGE
and
MAXIMUM_AGE
if you are using
AGE_BUCKET
.
See examples for how to target certain age ranges.
SHOPPING_RETARGETING
Target users who have seen or take action on your ads recently. Set a desired lookback window, event type, and exclusion window. By default, all users are included.
TARGETING_STRATEGY
For each ad group you create on Pinterest, you can target your ads to reach people who are interested in your products and ideas. Choose the targeting strategy that best aligns with your campaign goal. This field determines the default UI experience in the targeting section of the main create flow on Ads Manager and can be changed later.
  • RECONNECT_WITH_USERS
    : Choose this option to target people who have interacted with your brand (customer lists, engagement, site visitors, or dynamic retargeting).
  • FIND_NEW_CUSTOMERS
    : Choose this option to prospect people who haven't interacted with your brand.
  • CHOOSE_YOUR_OWN
    : Choose this option to make targeting selections for your ad group without guidance. Recommended for experienced advertisers only.

Use minimum and maximum age parameters for age targeting

We recommend using
MINIMUM_AGE
and
MAXIMUM_AGE
parameters for age range targeting if you have not started already. These industry-standard parameters provide more granular control than the
AGE_BUCKET
parameter, which we plan to deprecate sometime in 2026.
We recommend using
MINIMUM_AGE
and
MAXIMUM_AGE
parameters for age range targeting if you have not started already. These industry-standard parameters provide more granular control than the
AGE_BUCKET
parameter, which we plan to deprecate sometime in 2026.
See the following table for examples of how to target certain ranges with the minimum/maximum age parameters, compared with age buckets. You can use these code examples when setting up the
targeting_spec
object in the
POST
Create ad groups
or
PATCH
Update ad groups
endpoints.
MIN/MAX compared to age buckets
Desired rangeTarget with minimum/maximum age parametersTarget with age buckets
All ages
{
   "targeting_spec": {
   // No age fields included
   }
}

{
   "targeting_spec": {
   // No age fields included
   }
}
18 and older
{
  "targeting_spec": {
    "MINIMUM_AGE": "18",
    "MAXIMUM_AGE": "65+"
 }
}

{
    "targeting_spec": {
      "AGE_BUCKET": ["18-24", "25-34", "35-44", "45-54", "55-64", "65+"]
    }
}
19 and older
{
  "targeting_spec": {
    "MINIMUM_AGE": "19",
    "MAXIMUM_AGE": "65+"
 }
}

{
    "targeting_spec": {
      "AGE_BUCKET": ["19+","18-24", "25-34", "35-44", "45-54", "55-64", "65+"]
    }
}
20 and older
{
  "targeting_spec": {
    "MINIMUM_AGE": "20",
    "MAXIMUM_AGE": "65+"
 }
}

{
    "targeting_spec": {
      "AGE_BUCKET": ["20+","18-24", "25-34", "35-44", "45-54", "55-64", "65+"]
    }
}
21 and older
{
  "targeting_spec": {
    "MINIMUM_AGE": "21",
    "MAXIMUM_AGE": "65+"
 }
}

{
    "targeting_spec": {
      "AGE_BUCKET": ["21+","18-24", "25-34", "35-44", "45-54", "55-64", "65+"]
    }
}

Performance+ targeting

Enable
auto_targeting_enabled
if you'd like Pinterest to determine who to show your ad to based on its content. This is known as Performance+ targeting.
The final target audience will depend on the combined attributes and values in the
targeting_spec
.
Keyword targeting
Keyword targeting allows you to (1) include people who search for specific keywords and topics in your campaign's target audience or (2) exclude people who search for specific keywords from your campaign's target audience. To use keyword targeting, select keywords related to your ad. For example, if you're promoting living room furniture, you may want to target keywords like
living room decor
or
home decor ideas
. You can set keywords to target and their associated match type.
Match TypeSummaryAPI Parameter
Broad match (default)
Ads show for your own keyword as well as for misspellings, synonyms, and other related search terms. Word order does not matter.
BROAD
Phrase match
Ads show on search terms that include the entire phrase contained in the specified keyword as well as misspellings and close variations of that phrase. The search term phrase must use the same word order as the keyword.
PHRASE
Exact match
Ads show on your exact keyword or on a close variation of that keyword. Word order matters.
EXACT
Negative phrase match
Ads will not show on any search that contains the entire keyword phrase within the search term. Word order matters.
PHRASE_NEGATIVE
Negative exact match
Ads will not show on a search that matches your keyword exactly. Order matters.
EXACT_NEGATIVE
Use broad, phrase, and exact match types to include people in your target audience
Use broad, phrase, and exact match types to include people in your target audience
You can only use these keyword match types at the ad group level.
You can only use these keyword match types at the ad group level.
Pass the ad group ID as the
parent_id
in the create keywords or update keyword endpoints. Passing an ID for anything other than an ad group as the
parent_id
will result in an error. Use
EXACT_NEGATIVE
and
PHRASE_NEGATIVE
match types to exclude people from your target audience. These match types can be used at the campaign and ad account levels, as well as the ad group level. Pass either the ad group ID, campaign ID or ad account ID as the
parent_id
in the create keywords or update keyword endpoints.
  • If you create or update these keywords at the campaign level, all of the ads in your campaign across all ad groups will be ineligible to show up when someone in your target audience searches for the excluded keywords.
  • If you create or update keywords at the advertiser level, all of the ads in your ad account across all campaigns and ad groups will be ineligible to show up when someone in your target audience searches for the excluded keywords.
See more on keyword targeting.

Create, update, and get keywords

To set keywords to target, use
POST
Create keywords
and pass the parent group id in the
parent_id
parameter. You can:
  • Create keywords: create keywords and associate them with a parent
  • Update keywords: archive a keyword or update the associated bid
  • Get keywords: get a list of keywords based on filter
  • Get country's keyword metrics: get general keyword metrics by country, aggregated across all of Pinterest
Keyword targeting functions as an AND statement to the rest of your target audience. For example if your ad group is targeting women ages 21+ in the US and you create a keyword for
women’s blazer
, then your ad will be eligible to appear when women 21+ in the US search for women's blazer. When you add keywords to your ad group, it functions as an AND with the rest of the ad group's targeting criteria, which are specified in the
targeting_spec
parameter when creating or updating ad groups. For example, if you have set the targeting criteria for an ad group to focus on women in the US, age 18-64, and you create a keyword
women's dresses
with that ad group as its parent, you will target:
  • Women
  • who are located in the US,
  • whose age is between 18 and 64, and
  • who are searching for
    women's dresses
If someone does not meet all of those criteria, they will not be targeted for this ad group.

Creating keywords

This request must include:
  • your
    advertiser_id
  • the
    parent_id
    – the id for the entity - advertiser, campaign, ad group, or ad you want that keyword to be associated with.
  • a keywords object (a JSON array describing the keyword(s) you want to create). Each object contains
  • value
    : the keyword or keyword phrase you want to include. This is a string.
  • match_type
    : the match type controls how the keyword is applied to determine search results. This is an enumerated type, with possible values including
    BROAD
    EXACT
    PHRASE
    EXACT_NEGATIVE
    and
    PHRASE_NEGATIVE
    . See definitions in the table above.
  • bid
    : Note: the bid field on keywords has been deprecated and is ignored. For more on Ad Group level bids, see Set and edit your bid.
The object structure looks like this:
{
  "keywords": [
    {
      "value": "your keyword phrase",
      "match_type": "EXACT_NEGATIVE"
    }
  ]
}
The
match_type
parameter allows you to have more precise control over which searches your ad appears or doesn't appear in. See keyword match types.
Below are some example payloads for different keyword match types:
Broad match example (this is the default)
{
  "advertiser_id": "549755885175",
  "keywords": [
    {
      "match_type": "BROAD",
      "value": "kitchen design"
    }
  ],
  "parent_id": "string",
  "validate_only": false
}
Phrase match example
{
  "advertiser_id": "549755885175",
  "keywords": [
    {
      "match_type": "PHRASE",
      "value": "kitchen design"
    }
  ],
  "parent_id": "string",
  "validate_only": false
}
Exact match example
{
  "advertiser_id": "549755885175",
  "keywords": [
    {
      "match_type": "EXACT",
      "value": "kitchen design"
    }
  ],
  "parent_id": "string",
  "validate_only": false
}
Negative phrase match example
{
  "advertiser_id": "549755885175",
  "keywords": [
    {
      "match_type": "PHRASE_NEGATIVE",
      "value": "kitchen design"
    }
  ],
  "parent_id": "string",
  "validate_only": false
}
Negative exact match example
{
  "advertiser_id": "549755885175",
  "keywords": [
    {
      "match_type": "EXACT_NEGATIVE",
      "value": "kitchen design"
    }
  ],
  "parent_id": "string",
  "validate_only": false
}

Finding related keywords for targeting

When targeting with keywords, you can expand on the keywords you already have by generating a list of related keywords and thereby increasing or refining your target audience.
  • GET
    List suggested terms
    will return a list of popular keywords that begin with the single seed keyword you provided in the request. You can only submit a single seed keyword.
  • GET
    List related terms
    will return a list of logically-related keywords that contain the keyword(s) you provided in the request. You can submit one seed keyword or a list of seed keywords.
For more on targeting, see Review and select targeting options.

Targeting Templates

Advertisers can create targeting templates if they want to save their targeting settings to use for future ads.

Step 1: Create a new targeting template

Make a request to
POST
Create targeting templates
with the desired
targeting_attributes
and keywords.

Step 2: List targeting templates

To see a list of an ad account's targeting template, make a request to
GET
List targeting templates
. Make note of the desired targeting template
id
you want to use for an ad group.

Step 3: Use a targeting template

Make a request to
POST
Create ad groups
and for
targeting_template_ids
provide the
id
of the template you want to use, which was obtained from the
GET
List targeting templates
endpoint.
We currently only support 1 targeting template per ad group. To use targeting templates, do not set any other targeting fields:
targeting_spec
,
tracking_urls
,
auto_targeting_enabled
,
placement_group
.
We currently only support 1 targeting template per ad group. To use targeting templates, do not set any other targeting fields:
targeting_spec
,
tracking_urls
,
auto_targeting_enabled
,
placement_group
.

Delete a targeting template

Use the
PATCH
Update targeting templates
endpoint to remove a saved targeting template from an ad account.

Additional resources

  • Help Center: Audience targeting
  • Help Center: Expanded targeting (Pinterest Performance+ targeting)
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