Pinterest introduced Visual Search Ads and a wave of performance marketing tools at its Pinterest Presents advertiser event in New York this week, positioning the platform as a serious contender for advertisers' measurable-results dollars.

The new Visual Search Ads let advertisers appear in search results on the platform and when a user expands a Pin, marking a deliberate pivot from Pinterest's traditional brand-awareness reputation.

"For much of our history, Pinterest was a great place to build awareness, but not to drive results," Bill Ready, Pinterest CEO, said onstage. "I'm proud to say that Pinterest is now a performance platform."

What did Pinterest launch beyond Visual Search Ads?

The platform expanded its campaign automation suite, Pinterest Performance+, with Priority Products, a feature that lets advertisers elevate specific products during promotions or seasonal launches. Pinterest also integrated self-serve A/B testing across the platform, including Performance+. Advertisers focused on app installs gained App Promotion, a feature now in global beta for select advertisers.

"Automation is, of course, still the default, but now there are a host of new features to steer it towards the outcomes that matter most to all of you," said Chloe Wix, VP of GTM and innovation at Pinterest.

How is AI reshaping Pinterest's algorithm?

Pinterest bundled its personalization stack under a new name, Pinterest Intelligence. The system combines first-party data, visual understanding technology, recommendation systems, and "fit-for-purpose" AI models, Matt Madrigal, Pinterest's chief product and technology officer, said onstage. The platform now aims to predict what users might want before they search for it. Madrigal said the system identifies interests, groups them into "highly specific taste clusters," and updates as users browse.

"The internet has gotten very good at answering the question you asked," Madrigal said. "Pinterest is built for the moment right before that, when you're still trying to figure out what you want."

How is Pinterest positioning against social-feed competitors?

CMO Claudine Cheever used the stage to distinguish Pinterest from short-form video rivals. "We tried the classic social playbook, organizing our feed like everyone else's [and] including viral challenges and clickbait-y content," she told advertisers. "People on Pinterest are deciding what to try, buy, or do next. They're looking to discover brands, not scroll past them on their way to the next Pesto the penguin video."

Where does Pinterest sit in the competitive performance-ad market?

Pinterest is one of several platforms pushing performance ad tools in 2026. Peacock rolled out Outcomes+, a CTV-oriented targeting and attribution product, at NewFronts in March. Amazon enhanced Brand+ in July with audience signals aimed at boosting performance. Meta continues to invest in advertising-focused AI models.

With Visual Search Ads, Priority Products, and Pinterest Intelligence arriving together, the platform is making a coordinated bet that AI-driven personalization and direct-response mechanics can win budget from advertisers facing pressure to justify spend against a softer consumer backdrop.