Pinterest launches new skills badge to boost marketing performance

Pinterest has unveiled its newest educational credential for marketers, launching the Performance Essentials skills badge on April 17, 2025—just four days ago. The new certification program adds to Pinterest's growing suite of professional development offerings aimed at helping advertisers maximize campaign effectiveness on the visual discovery platform.

The Performance Essentials skills badge specifically targets lower-funnel marketing activities, representing Pinterest's strategic push to strengthen its position as a conversion-driving platform rather than merely an awareness and inspiration channel. This development arrives amid increasing pressure on digital marketers to demonstrate tangible return on investment and attribution clarity.

"There's a new badge on the block. Starting today, you can be one of the first to earn the Pinterest Performance Essentials skills badge on Pinterest Academy, our free learning platform," according to the official announcement from Pinterest Business.

The certificate program consists of ten dedicated courses covering the technical aspects of performance marketing specifically within the Pinterest ecosystem. To earn the credential, participants must complete all required coursework and pass a 20-question assessment, after which they receive a shareable digital badge for professional profiles and networking platforms.

Comprehensive curriculum addresses conversion tactics

The Performance Essentials program curriculum centers entirely around driving measurable results through Pinterest's advertising tools. According to the course overview, the educational journey begins with foundational concepts in "Driving Performance on Pinterest," a 20-minute introductory course that explores how the platform "combines inspiration and intent, the essential tools needed for success, and a structured approach to driving measurable results."

From there, participants progress through nine additional specialized modules covering technical implementation aspects and strategic approaches. The program structure reveals Pinterest's emphasis on conversion optimization, catalog management, and measurement—three areas traditionally dominated by competitors like Meta and Google in the performance marketing space.

The full curriculum includes:

1. Driving Performance on Pinterest (20 minutes)
2. Create and Edit Campaigns with Pinterest Performance+ (20 minutes)
3. Optimizing Campaigns on Pinterest (15 minutes)
4. Upload Your Catalog (20 minutes)
5. Manage and Optimize Your Catalog (15 minutes)
6. Building Effective Creative on Pinterest (10 minutes)
7. Measurement System of Truth (20 minutes)
8. Marketing Mix Modeling (10 minutes)
9. Conversions API (15 minutes)
10. The Pinterest Tag (20 minutes)

The program structure reveals a deliberate sequence progressing from strategic concepts to tactical implementation, culminating in measurement techniques. Most notable is the inclusion of Pinterest Performance+, the platform's automated campaign optimization tool, signaling Pinterest's growing investment in algorithm-driven advertising solutions.

Technical focus highlights measurement capabilities

Pinterest's certification program places significant emphasis on conversion tracking and measurement—dedicating three full courses to these topics. The inclusion of Conversions API training is particularly noteworthy as it addresses growing challenges with traditional cookie-based tracking amid increasing privacy regulations and browser restrictions.

"Learn how Pinterest's Conversion API can support your overall conversion visibility and how to implement it," states the course description, highlighting the platform's response to industry-wide shifts in measurement methodology.

The curriculum also covers Marketing Mix Modeling, a statistical approach to attribution that allows advertisers to analyze the effectiveness of marketing channels and determine optimal budget allocation. This inclusion signals Pinterest's recognition of the increasingly complex cross-channel measurement landscape facing marketers today.

Another technical focus area is catalog integration and management, with two dedicated courses covering the implementation and optimization of product feeds. Pinterest's investment in catalog-driven advertising formats represents a strategic shift toward more transaction-oriented user experiences on the platform.

The catalog courses teach marketers how to "set up your shop on Pinterest by adding products via the Catalogs tool or third-party integrations, and then organizing your products effectively," according to the program materials.

Strategic positioning for competitive differentiation

The introduction of Performance Essentials follows Pinterest's earlier Advertising Essentials certification, creating a tiered educational framework that allows marketers to progress from foundational to advanced skills. This structured approach mirrors professional development models established by larger advertising platforms.

"Already earned the Pinterest Advertising Essentials skills badge? In that case, it's even easier to advance from novice to next-level and get your next badge. You'll build on your Pinterest expertise with new courses that enhance what you've already learned about performance on Pinterest," according to the announcement.

The sequential structure suggests Pinterest is systematically building a comprehensive learning ecosystem to increase advertiser proficiency and platform adoption. By increasing advertiser expertise in its specialized tools, Pinterest likely aims to drive both ad spend and advertiser retention.

Global rollout planned in phases

While the Performance Essentials skills badge is currently available only in English, Pinterest has confirmed plans for expanded language support. "The Performance Essentials skills badge is available now to anyone using Pinterest Academy in English, and we'll launch the badge in more languages soon," the company stated.

This phased rollout approach aligns with Pinterest's broader international expansion strategy, reflecting the platform's growing advertiser base outside North American markets.

Pinterest has designed the certification program to accommodate various learning schedules, noting that participants can "work towards it over time or earn it in less than a day." This flexibility acknowledges the time constraints facing marketing professionals while encouraging prompt completion.

Market context and strategic implications

Pinterest's enhanced focus on performance marketing capabilities comes amid intensifying competition in the digital advertising landscape. While the platform has traditionally been known for upper-funnel inspiration and discovery, this certification program underscores Pinterest's ambition to capture a greater share of conversion-focused advertising budgets.

The timing of this launch is particularly significant given current market conditions, where marketing departments face heightened scrutiny over spending efficiency and measurable outcomes. By strengthening its performance credentials, Pinterest positions itself as a more complete advertising solution rather than a specialized channel limited to awareness objectives.

For the marketing community, this development signals several important trends. First, it demonstrates the continued convergence of inspiration and transaction in digital platforms. Second, it highlights the growing importance of specialized platform expertise in fragmented media environments. Finally, it reinforces the shift toward more sophisticated measurement methodologies beyond simple last-click attribution.

The focus on technical implementation details across the curriculum—from tag deployment to API integration—also reflects the increasingly technical nature of digital marketing roles, where success depends not just on creative execution but on proper infrastructure configuration.

Pinterest's launch of Performance Essentials represents a strategic move to reposition the platform in advertisers' channel consideration sets, potentially capturing budget allocations typically reserved for more conversion-oriented platforms. By educating marketers on its full-funnel capabilities, Pinterest aims to challenge perceptions that limit its role to early-stage inspiration.

Timeline of Pinterest's educational initiatives

• April 17, 2025: Pinterest launches Performance Essentials skills badge focusing on conversion marketing
• Prior to April 2025: Pinterest offers Advertising Essentials skills badge covering broader advertising fundamentals
• March 24, 2025: Pinterest releases educational content about Pinterest Performance+ automated campaign tool
• March 27, 2025: Pinterest publishes insights on platform positivity impact on advertising performance
• 2022-2023: Pinterest Academy established as the platform's central learning hub for marketers

The Performance Essentials certification program represents Pinterest's latest step in building a comprehensive educational ecosystem for advertisers, reinforcing the platform's commitment to developing both its advertising technology infrastructure and the marketer expertise needed to leverage it effectively.