Pinterest is a strong channel for fashion, home, gifts and lifestyle brands, and it is often the last one to get proper tracking. Many stores install the Pinterest Tag once, never check it again, and wonder why Pinterest reports so few sales. Like Meta, Pinterest now works best with both a browser tag and a server connection. This guide explains how to set up both the way I do on client projects.
What are the Pinterest Tag and the Conversions API?
The Pinterest Tag is a browser script that records page visits and conversions on your site. The Pinterest Conversions API (CAPI) sends the same conversions from your server directly to Pinterest. The tag can be blocked by ad blockers and browser privacy limits; the server connection is not, so using both gives Pinterest a more complete picture.
Which events should you send to Pinterest?
Send the standard events that match your funnel. Pinterest's names differ from GA4's:
| Your action | GA4 event | Pinterest event |
|---|---|---|
| Any page load | page_view | page_visit |
| Category or collection page | view_item_list | view_category |
| Add to cart | add_to_cart | add_to_cart |
| Completed purchase | purchase | checkout |
| Lead form submitted | generate_lead | lead |
| Account created | sign_up | signup |
For checkout, always include the order value, currency, number of items and the order ID.
How do you install the Pinterest Tag?
Use Google Tag Manager so the tag is managed with the rest of your tracking.
- In Pinterest Ads Manager, go to Conversions and create or find your tag. Copy the Tag ID.
- In GTM, add the Pinterest Tag (from the template gallery) with your Tag ID, firing on all pages.
- Add event tags for
add_to_cart,checkoutandleadon your existing data layer events, mapping value, currency and order ID. - Add an event_id to each event. The simplest choice for checkout is your order ID.
- Turn on enhanced match so a hashed email is sent when it is available.
How do you set up the Pinterest Conversions API?
The most flexible way is server-side GTM, the same server container you may already use for GA4, Google Ads and Meta.
- In Pinterest Ads Manager, generate a Conversions API access token for your ad account.
- In your server-side GTM container, add a Pinterest Conversions API tag (available as a community template, or built in on Stape).
- Enter the ad account ID and token, and map events from the incoming GA4 data:
purchase→checkout,add_to_cart→add_to_cart,generate_lead→lead. - Send the same event_id as the browser tag, so Pinterest deduplicates the pair.
- Pass the user data Pinterest uses for matching: hashed email and phone, IP address, user agent and the epik click ID.
If you are new to server containers, start with what Stape and server-side GTM are.
What is the epik click ID?
epik is Pinterest's click identifier. When someone clicks a Pinterest ad, Pinterest adds epik to the landing page URL, and the Pinterest Tag stores it in a first-party cookie called _epik. Sending it with server events lets Pinterest connect a conversion to the ad click even when other matching data is missing.
Make sure your site does not strip unknown URL parameters, and read the _epik cookie in your server container if the URL parameter is no longer present at checkout.
How do you hash email and phone for Pinterest?
Pinterest, like Meta and Google, only accepts hashed personal data.
- Normalise first: lowercase and trim the email; put phone numbers in international format with digits only.
- Hash with SHA-256.
- Send only hashed values, never raw email or phone.
Most server-side GTM templates hash for you when you pass plain values, but check the template's settings, so you do not hash twice. The same matching principles apply to Meta, which I cover in improving Meta Event Match Quality.
How do you test Pinterest tracking?
- The Pinterest Tag Helper extension shows the tag and events on your pages
- Test conversions appear in Ads Manager → Conversions → Event history
- Browser and server
checkoutevents for the same order carry the sameevent_id - Value, currency and order ID are correct on checkout
- Only one source sends Pinterest events (not the Shopify app and GTM)
You can confirm the Pinterest Tag loads with the free Tracking Checker.
Final thoughts
Pinterest can only optimise for the sales it can see. A browser tag plus the Conversions API, joined by one event ID, gives it the clearest signal with little extra work if you already run server-side GTM. If you want Pinterest added to your existing tracking, see my conversion tracking service.