Pinterest Ads

In this guide, we’ll show you, step by step, how to set up tracking in your Google Tag Manager server container to send events to the Pinterest API.

This article covers a server-side only setup. You can also run Pinterest Ads client-side and server-side at the same time, with event deduplication based on a shared event ID. We describe that setup in Setting up client-side TikTok Ads tracking with deduplication.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

• A working GTM server container that receives events (through your Google Tag & GA4 client).

• Your Pinterest Advertiser ID and API Access Token. See How to find your Pinterest Advertiser ID and Access Token.

Step 1: Setting up the Pinterest parameter in the web container

Let's ensure that the needed epik-cookie for Pinterest attribution will be sent towards the server container with every GA4 event request.

If you don't load a Pinterest Tag on your website (no Pinterest Pixel/Tag), Pinterest won't automatically set the _epik cookie. If you'd rather not load this tag in the GTM web container, you can also create a Custom JavaScript variable that reads the epik value from the URL query.

1. Open your GTM web container and open your Google Tag.

2. Add a new parameter.

3. Name this parameter epik_click_id.

4. For the value, create a new variable using the lego block icon behind the input field.

5. As the variable configuration, choose 1st Party Cookie and enter _epik as the Cookie Name.

6. Save the variable.

1. Save the Google Tag.

Step 2: Setting up the Pinterest tag in the server container

Now that the Pinterest Click ID is being sent from the client-side container to the server container, we can configure the Pinterest Conversions API tag to forward the right GA4 events including the Click ID.

1. Make sure your Pinterest Advertiser ID and API Token are stored in two constant variables inside your GTM server container. Follow these steps to find your Advertiser ID and Token.

2. Open your GTM server container and go to Templates.

3. Under Tag Templates, search the gallery for the Pinterest API for Conversions tag template and add it to your workspace.

1. In your GTM server container, go to Tags and create a new tag.

2. As the tag configuration, select the Pinterest tag template.

3. In the Advertiser ID field, enter your Advertiser ID variable. In the API Access Token field, enter your API Token variable.

1. As Event Name, choose Inherit from client. Use Override from client if you want to use different names than the standard GA4 event names.

2. Tick the Override client data option and expand User Data.

3. Add a new parameter here. Select Click Id as the parameter name. For the parameter value, add a new variable using the lego block button.

4. Create a new variable using the blue plus icon in the top right. As the variable configuration, choose Event Data. As the Key Path, enter epik_click_id.

5. Save this variable.

1. If you want, you can override more User Data or Event Data here. For example, your visitor's email address via User Data, or the event_id of each event via Event Data.

2. Click Triggering below the tag configuration. Add a trigger that fires on every incoming GA4 event you want to send towards the Pinterest Conversion API.

3. Save the tag.

4. Use the server container preview mode to test whether the Pinterest Conversions API tag fires on incoming events.