Social Rocket
Pinterest has more users than ever: 661 million people used the platform at least once a month in the third quarter of 2026. That is an increase of 10 percent year over year. At the same time, the earnings report published on the 29 October shows an interesting shift: the community is growing in Europe, but the advertising business is barely moving forward.
161 million users in Europe – and 193 million dollars in revenue
The official Pinterest quarterly figures show the gap between reach and monetisation particularly clearly. In Europe, monthly active users rose year over year from 150 to 161 million, an increase of 7 percent. Regional revenue, however, remained at the prior-year level at 193 million US dollars. Average quarterly revenue per user (ARPU) fell from 1,31 to 1,21 dollars.
The picture is different in the USA and Canada: there Pinterest generated 894 million dollars in revenue with 107 million users, 14 percent more than a year earlier. Worldwide, revenue climbed 12 percent to 1,174 billion dollars. The largest user group is long since located outside the core markets: in the rest of the world, Pinterest reached 394 million monthly active people, 13 percent more than the year before.
For German advertisers, these numbers contain an important observation. Pinterest's European audience continues to grow, but the platform still has work ahead if more inspiration is to translate into more advertising business.
Why Pinterest is now focusing more on shopping and performance
Pinterest is especially interesting where people collect products and ideas for later purchases: interiors, fashion, beauty, travel or gifts. The platform accordingly positions itself between social network, visual search and shopping search. On the earnings call, management named performance campaigns with click targets, as well as retail, as key drivers of the advertising business. The statements in the quarterly call complement the published financial data.
Back in September, Pinterest introduced new Visual Search Ads, which bring product recommendations closer to visual discovery. How the formats and Performance+ work together is explained in our overview of Pinterest Visual Search Ads. Following the acquisition of the CTV specialist tvScientific, Pinterest is also pursuing a cross-channel performance strategy. Programmatic partnerships with Magnite and other adtech providers expand the booking options; availability differs by market.
What matters for German brands ahead of the Christmas season
The user record makes Pinterest interesting for industries with image-driven products. More users are especially valuable when products are visible and purchasable at the decisive moment of search. It therefore pays to review catalogue quality, product images, availability and conversion tracking together.
Right before Black Friday this matters more than a blanket reach target. Our Pinterest Black Friday checklist and the guide to Pinterest Shopping Ads show the practical implementation for retailers. If you have so far treated Pinterest in your media mix as a pure inspiration channel, you should reassess your shopping campaigns based on actual product demand.
The core of the new figures: Pinterest is globally adding 61 million monthly active users. In Europe, this increases the chance of reaching buyers early in their research. The platform's key task now is to turn this into a stronger advertising business.
Sources: Pinterest, Q3 release of 29 October 2026; Pinterest, earnings call of 29 October; Pinterest, tvScientific strategy; Social Media Today, reporting.
Stock image: yue su / Unsplash.