How to Make Money with Pinterest 📌💰

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Today we are talking about the many ways you can use Pinterest as an income source.

It is no secret that I am obsessed with the platform. Pinterest is a powerful too that is not only great for sourcing inspiration, but for expanding the reach and success of your business.

I myself, have used it to grow my blog and career as a microinfluencer.

A question I get asked a lot is…

Can Pinterest, the place where people share recipes and home decor inspo, really make you money?

Absolutely.

And generating a steady revenue income isn’t limited to those niches.

Using Pinterest for Profit

Now let’s get into the many ways you can leverage the platform to make money!

If you want the video-version of this post, I’ve summed it up below.

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Affiliate marketing 

The first way that you can leverage Pinterest to make money is through affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is when you promote a product using a specific link or unique code and get a commission for sales driven through them.

These commissions aren’t usually much on their own, but they add up overtime and can work for you for the long run.

The first step successful affiliate marketing is to sign up for affiliate programs that align with you and your content.

Not sure where to start? Look at what products, tools, and services you naturally recommend to your audience, and search them plus the word “affiliate program” in Google.

Once you have a unique promotion link, you can use Pinterest to promote them in three ways:

1. Driving traffic to your website

The first method is to use standard or video pins to drive traffic to blog posts where you have included affiliate links naturally.

This works especially well with blog posts that are product round-ups or shopping guides.

On my lifestyle blog, I have a post that lists cute camera bag purses for women and another that lists Black-owned candles. Both share products my audience is interested in, and link through some of my favourite affiliate programs.

I then use Pinterest to create attractive pins that will send people back to my blog posts when they click them.

Related Post: How to Write Product Reviews for Passive Income

2. Directly linking to affiliate programs

You can also create standard pins that drive traffic to affiliate links directly.

Pinterest allows direct linking which is fantastic, but double check the agreements of your affiliate program, as some do not allow it.

If you are trying to decide between linking back to your blog or an affiliate link, I always recommend choosing the blog.

Blog posts with Rich Pins enabled will usually perform better, as Pinterest can pull metadata from your site to accurately contextualize your content.

3. Making Shoppable Idea Pins  

*At this time, this feature is not available in Canada*

The third way to use affiliate marketing on Pinterest is by making your Idea Pins shoppable. This feature allows you to tag the products shared in your Idea pins with a specific URL, and that URL can be an affiliate link.

If you have access to this feature, I definitely recommend you leverage it. Idea Pins are getting so much reach right now, so it’s missed opportunity if you are not making money from them.

Ad Revenue 

In addition to driving traffic to blog posts that contain affiliate links, you can also profit from the traffic itself.

By creating visually appealing pins that link back to your website or YouTube channel, you can attract a larger audience and generate revenue through ad views and clicks.

This income can come from a variety of sources such as the YouTube partner program, Google AdSense, or other publishers.

Promoting Your Own Products and Services

Another great way to monetize on Pinterest is by promoting your own products or services.

This method is similar to affiliate marketing, but instead of advertising someone else’s products, you’re advertising your own.

This can be done through Standard Pins that direct people back to your website or blog where you sell your products.

And you can product tag them in your idea pins or link directly to the product pages.

This allows you to have full control over your sales and revenue, and it can be especially effective if you have a unique or niche product that people are actively searching for on Pinterest.

Brand Deals

The fifth way that you can make money on Pinterest is through brand deals. 

Brand deals on Pinterest honestly work the same way that they do on any other platform. You create unique content around a product, or a service and you share it with your audience. 

Pinterest even has a paid partnership tool where you can tag the brand that you worked–just like on Instagram.

I find brands aren’t very familiar with the value of Pinterest, so I’m often the one educating them and pitching them in negotiation.

They often get really excited when I share that the reach of the campaign is a bit more predictable on Pinterest, because it’s a search engine–and it’s evergreen!

If you were using SEO and the right keywords your content is more likely to reach its intended audience.

Pinterest Creator Program (Ended November 2022)

Unfortunately the Pinterest Creator Program ended in November 2022, but I’m keeping it here for those who are wondering what it was!

As a Canadian, I never got the chance to try it, but people were cashing in HARD for awhile.

“There is a new Pinterest program that will pay creators for inspiring actionable content. We’ll publish new editorial prompts on a regular basis, every prompt will outline specific engagement goals like getting a certain number of clicks, reactions or takes on your idea. When you meet the engagement goals, you’ll see rewards in your bank account the following month.”

Help.Pinterest.com

Bonus: Partner with Pinterest Themselves

My last way to make money with Pinterest isn’t something you can necessarily plan for.

From my experience Pinterest cares a lot about creators, they recognize our value, and are putting money into us as shown with the development of the Creator Rewards Program and the Creator Fund.

 I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Pinterest directly on multiple occasions whether that’s been speaking engagements, projects, or being part of Canada’s 2021 creator program.

If you’re consistently and organically creating quality content on Pinterest you’re bound to get on their radar and who knows what sort of opportunities will arise. There is just so much potential for making money on Pinterest. 

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Pinterest is a powerful tool that can be leveraged to generate income for your business or brand.

From affiliate marketing to promoting your own products and services, the platform offers a variety of monetization opportunities.

As with all monetization efforts, it’s important to remember that making money from Pinterest takes time, but with the right strategies, it’s definitely possible.

If you’re still unsure of how to approach the platform, read up on the common mistakes creators make on Pinterest!

I hope this post has inspired you to explore different revenue streams through Pinterest, and as always, if you enjoyed this post, share it with a friend!