Pinterest Says Start Holiday Campaigns in September — Buy Yourself Learning Time

Pinterest shared tips for the end-of-year shopping push, advising brands to start early. The platform's argument on holiday campaign timing rests on when its users actually plan.

"The number one reason people come to Pinterest is to shop," the company said. "That makes our audience unique: a growing group of high-intent shoppers that you can't find anywhere else, actively planning everything from gifting lists and festive menus to party details and seasonal traditions."

Based on previous years, Pinterest says "festive activity spikes as early as September," so seasonal campaigns should surface as soon as possible. "The earlier you arrive, the more of those decisions you shape. That's why a full-funnel strategy with Pinterest is crucial. An always-on, full-funnel approach keeps you present throughout the entire customer journey, and it's where Pinterest unlocks incremental results."

Five recommendations

1. Set a foundation

Get the product catalog and feed uploaded and ready, and establish KPIs for the holiday push.

2. Use Performance+

Pinterest's AI-powered Performance+ campaign options combine its automation and AI features to simplify campaign creation and scale what works with less manual effort. Recent ad delivery model updates drove an overall 28% improvement in ROAS during testing for SMB advertisers using Performance+ with ROAS bidding.

3. Test and learn

Launching early creates room to test approaches before the Q4 rush, and moments like back-to-school and Halloween can teach you what resonates with your audience.

4. Launch end-of-year campaigns earlier

Aim to go live as early as possible between September and November so budget and creative can scale into Q4.

5. Extend past Christmas

55% of Pinterest's weekly users keep buying in the week between Christmas and New Year's Day — another window to capture sales before year-end.

Read it with the incentive in mind

The logic is that an earlier start buys optimization time and therefore maximizes seasonal sales. It also means spending more on Pinterest for longer, so the platform has a stake in the advice. That said, extending the learning period to refine creative and targeting is genuinely sound.

Practically, rather than pulling the whole budget forward, treat September and October as a test budget window and concentrate November and December spend on the creative and audiences that proved out. For complementary timing data, see Meta's 2026 Holiday Data; for Pinterest's user and revenue structure, see Pinterest Hits 640M Users.