With 85% of weekly users making purchases from their pinned content, Pinterest is more than just a place for inspiration – it’s a top spot for monetization.
How to make money on Pinterest? The first step is signing up and creating engaging, visually appealing content. But that’s just one piece of the puzzle.
In this blog, we’ll explore nine highly effective strategies to turn the visual discovery engine into a powerful revenue stream.
Yes! With half a billion monthly active users, Pinterest’s strength lies in its highly marketable demographic and growing user base, with shoppers spending twice as much compared to other platforms. Reach millions of users by creating Pins, engaging content, and trying other well-tested strategies.
While it doesn’t offer direct payments to creators like other social media platforms, there are still many highly effective strategies on how to monetize Pinterest for regular and passive income.
Here are nine key strategies.
According to Pinterest, 80% of its weekly users have discovered a new brand or product on the platform and 40% of US Pinners have a household income exceeding $150,000.
That’s why affiliate marketing on Pinterest is a highly effective strategy on this massive platform – make money on Pinterest by including affiliate links in your Pins. You’ll receive a commission from your affiliate partners when someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase.
To start making money on Pinterest this way, it’s essential to join affiliate programs that align with your niche. Targeting the right audience increases the likelihood of engagement and conversions.
Remember to follow the guidelines for affiliate marketing, as the platform may restrict Pinterest accounts if suspicious behavior is detected.
Note that to do affiliate marketing on Pinterest, it’s necessary to set up a business account. If you haven’t done so yet, easily convert your current Pinterest profile for free.
Quick Tip
If properly optimized, Pinterest pins have a long shelf life and can attract traffic for months. Create eye-catching, relevant Pins with SEO-friendly pin titles and descriptions so they continue to appear in search results.
Consider Printify’s affiliate program. As a Printify Affiliate, you earn a 5% commission on each sale made via your unique referral link, with no limits on the number of orders.
Printify provides various quality products at competitive prices, along with 24/7 support for merchants.
These are just some of the benefits that make Printify a great option for anyone interested in building a successful affiliate marketing business as a Pinterest creator.
Another way to make money on Pinterest is by creating Pins with sponsored content. Creators who have a strong following often land partnerships with brands to promote their products through sponsored posts on the platform.
Custom content is more effective in engaging consumers than traditional ads. That’s why sponsorship opportunities for creators and influencers are growing.
To stay transparent and trustworthy to your audience, use Pinterest’s paid partnership tool to tag the brand directly in the sponsored post.
Why do brands pay content creators for promotion on Pinterest?
Quick Tip
Keep your content aligned with your personal brand identity and avoid being overly promotional, as it can turn off your target audience.
Using Pinterest ads is an effective way to increase visibility and send traffic to your eCommerce site or products.
Doing ads on the platform or on the Pinterest app lets you target a specific audience based on their interests, demographics, or keywords, helping you attract potential buyers more effectively. Through the Pinterest Ads Manager, easily promote Pins that feature products, services, or even blog content.
These ads resemble regular Pins but are positioned strategically for greater exposure on the feed and search results.
To access this feature, you’ll need a Pinterest business account.
Here’s what you need to know about running ads on Pinterest:
Create Pins that link directly to your sales page, blog, or online store and attract visitors interested in what you offer. If you add high-ranking keywords and clear descriptions, more people will find your content.
Here are some tips to drive more traffic to your website and start making money on Pinterest:
Listing your products on the Pinterest catalog lets you upload your product inventory and sell merchandise directly to the platform. This makes it easy to turn products into shoppable Pins that users can browse and buy.
With a catalog on Pinterest, run promoted Pins that remind users of products they’ve already viewed, increasing the chances of making sales.
To start selling on Pinterest, you’ll need a business account. In addition, apply for Pinterest’s Verified Merchant Program to increase trust and credibility.
Here’s how to maximize the platform’s shopping features:
Expand your brand by selling items like artwork, apparel, and accessories directly to your audience – discover how to sell art online.
Joining and participating in group boards is an excellent way for beginners to start making money on Pinterest. With group boards, multiple members can create and share Pins, allowing your content to reach a broader audience beyond just your followers.
Contributing to active, well-moderated group boards related to your niche can drive more traffic to your profile or website. It’s also a useful way to become part of the Pinterest community and grow your presence on the platform.
Here are some tips on maximizing the value of group boards:
The Pinterest Inclusion Fund is a six-week program designed to support underrepresented communities by providing resources to grow on the platform and explore how to make money on Pinterest.
Participants receive mentorship from industry experts, personalized sessions on Pinterest best practices, and tools to optimize their content for better engagement.
If you’re interested in applying, here’s what you need to know:
Although Pinterest doesn’t disclose how many creators are accepted per cycle, more than 150 participants have joined the program since 2021. Last year’s participants saw an average of 124% growth in engagement.
One effective way how to make money on Pinterest is by creating and selling Pinterest templates, especially if you have graphic design skills.
Many bloggers, small business owners, and content creators look for ready-made, customizable templates to save time and maintain a consistent visual aesthetic.
Design templates for Pinterest Pins, boards, or Idea Pins with high-quality images, clever placements, and visually appealing elements – and sell them on platforms like Etsy or through your own website. Offering beautiful, easy-to-use templates can generate a steady income stream as users seek visually appealing content to grow their Pinterest presence.
Becoming a Pinterest virtual assistant is a great way to start making money on Pinterest by helping businesses and social media influencers grow their presence on the platform. Pinterest virtual assistants manage tasks like creating and scheduling Pins, optimizing profiles, conducting keyword research, and tracking analytics.
As the demand for Pinterest marketing grows, many online business owners are willing to pay for expert help to increase traffic and sales through the social media platform. This role is perfect for you if you have a good understanding of marketing and value flexibility and remote work.
Earn money on Pinterest by building a strong profile and creating engaging, visually appealing Pins. Focus on a niche you’re passionate about and consistently post content that provides value to your audience.
Once you gain more followers and increase engagement, start exploring monetization options like affiliate marketing, or joining group boards to increase visibility. Over time, as your Pinterest account grows, it’s also possible to attract sponsored content deals, turning Pinterest into a steady source of income.
To get the most out of Pinterest and start monetizing, it’s important to first learn the basics.
Quick Tip
Use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and eRank to gain tips and insights on the most-used terms relevant to your blogging niche.
A Pinterest business account is essential if you’re looking to learn how to make money on Pinterest. Unlike personal accounts, this gives you access to important features like Pinterest Analytics, which helps track the performance of your Pins and audience engagement.
Run Pinterest Ads to reach a larger audience and promote your products or services. Additionally, a business account lets you enable Rich Pins.
Setting up the account is free and easy, making it the first step to making money on Pinterest.
There’s no specific number of followers you need to start making money on Pinterest, but having a strong and engaged audience is key. Many creators begin monetizing with as few as 1,000 followers if their engagement rates are high and their content is well-targeted to a specific niche.
Brands and advertisers often look for creators with loyal and active followers, so focusing on quality engagement can be more important than follower count alone. As your audience grows, opportunities for sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and other income streams increase.
While there’s no specific number, more monthly views increase your chances of generating income through Pinterest affiliate marketing or brand partnerships. Generally, a few thousand engaged viewers is a good number to start earning.
Whether you want to try affiliate marketing, create sponsored content, run ads, or list on the Pinterest product catalog, the popular visual search engine brings many opportunities to make money.
Explore the options we’ve covered in this blog on how to make money with Pinterest and partner with Printify to sell custom merchandise with your own designs.
