No tricks. Just tighter measurement, smarter scaling, and a clear plan for BFCM.
October is when the stakes show up.
Budgets shift, auction pressure rises, and “we’ll ramp later” turns into “we need results this week.” This month’s Guide is focused on what performance marketers actually need right now: scale you can control, proof you can explain, and fewer wasted impressions.
What's New
Product Highlights
Lookalike Segments Open Beta (in-app, powered by our data)
Scale prospecting with more control than broad targeting.
What it does: Build Lookalike Segments directly in-app without filing a support ticket, using data from tvScientific by Pinterest.
Why customers care: October is a high-pressure time to expand efficiently. Lookalikes give you a cleaner way to find new households that behave like your best converters, without guessing.
TV Influence Report
Show what TV influenced before the last click.
What it is: Tracks how a TV ad impression influences a user before they take a last-click action on another platform (like paid social or search).
Why customers care: BFCM reporting gets messy fast. This helps you explain the real cross-channel journey, especially when other platforms get the conversion credit.
Next step: Use it to align stakeholders on the same measurement story before budgets spike
Halo v2: Always-on incrementality (true baseline)
Measure what TV actually changed.
What it is: Halo v2 compares the behavior of people who did not see a TV ad vs. those who did, so you can quantify TV’s incremental impact instead of only looking at last touch or frequency effects.
Why customers care: In October, “it worked” is not enough. You need a baseline so you can defend spend and scale with confidence.
Next step: Ask your Account Manager for a Halo v2 readout plan that fits your conversion cycle.
Customer Spotlight
Attain: Scaling with Lookalike Segments (in-app)
Attain (a consumer finance app) improved their CPA by ~16.7% versus benchmark and reached net-new households with Lookalike Segments.
Attain used in-app Lookalike Segments (powered by Pinterest audiences) to expand efficiently and reach net-new households while keeping performance on track. Following their lookalike launch on 08/03/2026, Attain saw ~16.7% better CPA vs their internal goal and ~12% better CPA vs campaign average.
Check out the full case study →
Community Events & Resources
Campaign Starters
“BFCM Warm-Up vs. Peak Week” split test
Goal: Stop judging performance only during the most expensive week of the year.
-
Run the same offer/creative concept in two phases:
- Warm-up window: late October to early November (lower auction pressure)
- Peak window: Black Friday Cyber Monday week
- Keep targeting consistent.
- Compare not just CPA, but conversion rate stability and incremental lift (if using Halo v2).
Why it works: You learn whether performance is driven by demand and timing, or by creative and audience fit.
“Lookalike Ladder” expansion plan (3 rungs)
Goal: Scale without jumping straight to broad.
- Rung 1: Lookalike off highest-quality converters (best downstream value, not just volume)
- Rung 2: Lookalike off high-intent site behavior (add-to-cart, checkout start, lead)
- Rung 3: Broader prospecting only after winners are clear
Run them in separate ad groups with clean budgets so you can see what is truly scaling.
Why it works: You expand systematically, keep learnings readable, and avoid blending performance signals.
If you want a clean October plan that carries through BFCM without blowing efficiency, reach out to your Account Manager. We will help you choose:
- the best audience expansion approach
- the right measurement view to defend spend
- a testing timeline that matches your conversion cycle
Until next month,
Kaitlin Leimbach
Product Marketing
1tvScientific by Pinterest, 2026 Consumer Trends Report, US, February 2026, n=600 people that watch tv
2tvScientific by Pinterest, 2026 Holiday & Seasonal Shopping Trends Report (N=487), US, July 2026
3 tvScientific by Pinterest Internal Data, December US, 2025
