Pinterest just proved what happens when AI automation actually works: the numbers show up.

Cleveland Research’s latest agency survey put real data behind what we’ve been seeing in the field.

Performance+ is delivering for DTC brands:

✅ 20–30% better ROI on direct response (sometimes more)
✅ 75% of partners beating goals (up from 55% last quarter)
✅ DR is now 40% of Pinterest’s ad revenue
✅ Adoption jumped from ~10% in Q1 to ~50% in Q3
✅ Net-new advertiser momentum is accelerating into Q4

This isn’t fluff. When 3 out of 4 partners are beating targets, something’s actually working.

Mid-size eComm brands are finally getting profitable scale on Pinterest, a platform many wrote off as “just upper funnel.”

And the bigger picture? Pinterest’s AI-driven bidding and creative optimization are outperforming manual setup. The shift from “test and hope” to “test and scale” is what growth-stage brands need right now.

If you’re not testing Pinterest in Q4, ask yourself: what happens when this 50% adoption rate becomes 80%? The cost gap closes. Early mover advantage disappears.

We’re helping brands set up clean tests now, smart targeting, creative direction, and real benchmarks.

DM me if you want in before the window tightens.