Why Snapchat and Pinterest Are Underrated
While everyone obsesses over Meta's platforms, two visual discovery networks quietly deliver some of the best ROI in digital advertising: Snapchat and Pinterest. Here's why they're worth your attention: cost per thousand impressions (CPM) is 30–50% lower than Facebook and Instagram, the audiences are younger and more engaged, and, especially on Pinterest, the user intent is remarkably high.
Snapchat has 406 million monthly active users globally, with 90%+ of US, UK, and Australian users aged 13–24 using the platform daily. Pinterest has 500 million monthly users actively planning purchases for their next home, wedding, vacation, or DIY project. Both platforms have historically been overlooked by performance marketers chasing Meta's scale. That neglect is your competitive advantage.
Snapchat Advertising: Capturing the Youngest Audiences
The Snapchat Audience and Intent
Snapchat skews heavily toward Gen Z and younger millennials. If your product targets anyone under 30, Snapchat is not optional, it's where your audience lives.
The critical difference from Meta: Snapchat users aren't scrolling a feed. They're viewing Stories, short-form video content that disappears after 24 hours. The platform feels more intimate and real, less polished than Instagram. This changes how you should approach creative.
Ad Formats on Snapchat
Snap Ads are full-screen vertical video ads (9:16 aspect ratio, 3–15 seconds long) that interrupt the Story feed. Users either watch or swipe, there's no middle ground. The swipe rate (how many users skip your ad) is your primary metric.
Story Ads are native Snap Stories created by advertisers that appear in the Discover section. They're less interruptive and often perform better for brand awareness.
Collection Ads combine a primary image or video with a carousel of products below. When users tap, they see a mobile-optimized product catalog without leaving Snapchat.
AR Lenses and Filters let users interact with branded augmented reality experiences. A beauty brand's AR try-on lens, for example, drives engagement that no static ad can match. High production cost, but exceptional engagement and brand recall.
Creative Principles for Snapchat
Snapchat creative has one rule: feel native to the platform, not like a TV commercial. Users expect polished production on YouTube; they expect authentic, raw content on Snapchat. A vertical video shot on a phone camera outperforms a professionally shot, high-production piece.
Audio is crucial. Snap Ads play with sound on by default, use this. A punchy voiceover, trending audio, or text overlays work better than expecting users to hear dialogue. Keep the hook in the first second. You have three seconds before the swipe.
Vertical 9:16 is non-negotiable. Horizontal or square creative gets cropped awkwardly and looks like you don't understand the platform. Every frame must work vertically.
Snapchat Targeting and Optimization
Snapchat's targeting options include age, location, interests, behaviors, and lookalike audiences based on your pixel data. You can also upload a customer list for matching.
Pixel retargeting is where Snapchat excels. Pixel users who visited your product page but didn't buy? Snapchat can reach them with a Collection Ad. Users who spent 30+ seconds on your landing page? Create a lookalike audience from them.
Snapchat's native attribution model has improved, but it's still behind Meta for clear ROAS reporting. Use Snapchat for branding and top-funnel awareness among young audiences, with retargeting as your main performance lever.
Pinterest Advertising: The Shopping Intent Platform
Why Pinterest Is Different From Snapchat (and Everything Else)
Pinterest users are not scrolling social media for entertainment, they're actively shopping and planning. Someone saving home decor pins is 75% more likely to make a furniture purchase in the next three months. Someone pinning wedding dresses is 90% more likely to be planning a wedding.
This makes Pinterest closer to search than social media. Users come to Pinterest with intent. Advertise wisely, and you're placing your product in front of someone actively looking for exactly what you sell.
Pinterest Ad Formats
Standard Pins are the baseline. A vertical image with a description, link, and (optional) price. When clicked, they drive to your website. Effective for direct traffic and conversions.
Video Pins are vertical videos (up to 15 minutes, but 6–15 seconds optimal for ads). Video Pins auto-play with sound off. Use captions and clear visual storytelling.
Shopping Ads display a product image, price, and availability directly in the pin. If you have a Shopify store, WooCommerce site, or other ecommerce platform connected to Pinterest, Shopping Ads simplify the buying decision.
Collections let you group multiple pins under a theme. A wedding dress brand might create a "Summer Wedding Dresses" collection with 10 pins. Users tap the collection to explore options.
Idea Ads are a newer format, they're Pinterest's version of Stories but permanent, carousel-style. Less common for performance campaigns.
Pinterest Targeting: Keywords Like Search
This is Pinterest's secret weapon. Unlike other social platforms, Pinterest targeting includes keywords. You're not just targeting interests or demographics, you're targeting search intent.
Target keywords like "sustainable wedding dress," "coastal interior design," "gluten-free dessert recipes," or "DIY raised garden bed." Users searching or pinning these terms are primed to convert.
You can also layer in interests (e.g., "engaged women"), audiences, and lookalike audiences. Combine keyword targeting with a custom audience of past website visitors, and you've built a high-intent segment that converts at 2–3x the rate of cold traffic.
Creative for Pinterest: Lifestyle Over Product
The most common mistake: posting a product photo and hoping it converts. Pinterest users ignore standard product shots.
Instead, show the lifestyle benefit. A coffee maker brand doesn't pin a photo of the machine, they pin a cozy morning scene with the coffee, a book, and sunlight. A home organization tool doesn't pin a before/after of junk drawers, they pin a beautifully organized closet with the tool in use.
Text overlays with a clear value prop work. "Sleep 10% Better" or "Save 3 Hours Weekly" over lifestyle imagery drives clicks and saves. Keep text minimal, 5–10 words maximum.
Vertical aspect ratios perform best: 1000 x 1500px (or anything 2:3) converts higher than square. Pinterest's algorithm and user behavior favor tall pins.
Which Platform for Which Brand?
Snapchat is ideal for:
- CPG brands (beverages, snacks, energy drinks) targeting under-30s
- Gaming and entertainment (movies, streaming services, esports)
- Fast fashion and apparel chasing Gen Z
- Any brand where your audience is primarily under 25
CPMs are low, and you're fighting for attention in a younger, less ad-saturated space than Meta.
Pinterest is ideal for:
- Home decor, furniture, and interior design
- Wedding-related products and services
- Recipe content, meal kits, and food brands
- DIY, gardening, and home improvement
- Fashion, especially wedding dresses, activewear, and luxury brands
- Travel and experiences
The common thread: audiences with 3–6 month purchase planning cycles who actively research before buying.
Testing Both Platforms Without Overspending
Start small. Allocate $20/day to test: $10 to Snapchat, $10 to Pinterest. Run for two weeks (14 days) with single-objective campaigns (conversions only, not awareness).
On Snapchat, focus on one vertical video creative. Measure swipe rate and cost per click. If you're above 80% swipe rate, the creative isn't resonating. Below 20% swipe rate, it's working.
On Pinterest, test 3 different lifestyle images with keyword targeting toward your top 5 intent keywords. Track clicks and add-to-cart rate. Identify the top performer after one week, then increase budget to that winner.
After two weeks, analyze: Which platform gave you lower cost per click? Which drove higher-intent traffic to your site? Allocate 70% of future budget to the winner, 30% to optimization on the other.
If both performed well, scale one at a time. Double the winner's budget for another week before adding budget to the second platform. Scaling too fast leads to audience saturation and cost bloat.
