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Ask HN: Pinterest/Reddit ad stat shows clicks but GA doesn't

4 points by judlaw ↗ HN
Hello, Anybody have experience with Pinterest/Reddit ad conversions? I'm trying certain subreddits and Pinterest with a pin for a proptech idea I'm testing [1]. The PI/Reddit ad boards show clicks coming in, but my Google Analytics don't show them/shows the duration of visit as 0 secs. I wonder if these are bots or actual users? Anybody faced a similar issue? Thanks in advance!

[1]https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/834854849673042838/

4 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 17.9 ms ] thread
moksly
This is a bit of a side track, but does anyone actually use Pinterest? That is the site that taught me -site:Pinterest.* for google searches. :p
judlaw
I'm testing with a demographic that is predominantly women aged between 25-44 years, and a lot of them do :)
akg_67
What does Pinterest and Reddit consider a click? Is it different from what GA considers a click.

When I was using Reddit App, I usually swipe through posts, including the ones marked promoted. So, I did see the promoted threads and comments, if any. Only by accident I would click through these promoted threads to go to link outside Reddit. I usually will quickly close or go back.

In my experience placing ads with Google/FB/Reddit ads, they tend to overcount clicks than real. They make more money that way.

judlaw
Great question. PI seems to count the 'number of clicks on your pin' and Reddit does the same. I have the same feeling that they overcount the number to make more money. On more occasions than one I've written to cust support asking for clarifications, the only one that comes through is that 'maybe they bounce as soon as they land on your page'. I find this strange, since the interaction time is 0 secs in almost every case. I've now been warned by several marketing wall of famers that Reddit ads is a scam :)