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.
Can you make money on Pinterest?
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.
Key takeaways
- To increase earnings on Pinterest, use diverse strategies like affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and selling custom merchandise.
- Create a business account to unlock useful tools and monetization opportunities.
- Create SEO-optimized, visually appealing content to increase engagement and traffic to your Pins and website.
- Leverage affiliate marketing by promoting products or services through affiliate links to earn commissions on purchases.
- Use Pinterest Ads to boost visibility and drive conversions with precise targeting options and flexible budget control.
- If you’re a product-based business, use Pinterest’s Catalog feature for product tagging to create Pins that allow customers to buy directly from the platform.
- Join group boards to expand your reach and collaborate with other creators in your niche market.
Partner with Printify to design and sell custom products to your followers, adding another potential income stream to your Pinterest efforts.
How to make money on Pinterest
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.
1. Affiliate marketing
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.
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.
2. Create sponsored content
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?
- Creators deliver a more personal, authentic message, which is often more relatable than traditional advertising.
- Consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from creators they follow, which raises brand credibility.
- Sponsored content by creators often has higher interaction rates than regular ads, which leads to better brand visibility.
- For many brands, working with creators can be more cost-effective than large-scale advertising campaigns.
Keep your content aligned with your personal brand identity and avoid being overly promotional, as it can turn off your target audience.
3. Run Pinterest ads
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:
- Ad formats. Pinterest offers several ad formats, like Carousel (multiple images), Collections (variety of products), video ads, and idea ads (engaging multi-page formats).
- Campaign goals. Run campaigns aimed at awareness (expanding reach and impressions), consideration (engaging with potential customers), or conversions (driving purchases or sign-ups). Choose the right objective based on your business goals.
- Bidding and budgeting. Set your budget, whether you want to pay per impression (CPM) or per video view (CPV), and adjust it as you need while the ads are running.
- Targeting options. Pinterest allows precise targeting, letting you reach Pinterest users based on their interests, keywords, and behaviors. Use customer lists for retargeting or to reach new audiences using Pinterest’s targeting tools.
- Analytics and measurement: Track your performance through Pinterest’s built-in analytics tools or partner with third-party measurement solutions to monitor key metrics like impressions, clicks, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
4. Drive traffic to your website
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:
- Create multiple Pins for each blog post, ensuring the titles, descriptions, and images are optimized for relevant keywords.
- Use Pinterest Trends to conduct keyword research and identify popular terms among users.
- Utilize Rich Pins that pull in your blog post’s title, description, and author information directly from your site for better visibility.
5. List on the Pinterest catalog
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:
- Create product Pins. Upload your product feed through the Pinterest catalog. This automatically creates shoppable Pins for each item, making them easy for users to discover.
- Use them in your boards. Showcase your products in different contexts and encourage people to buy. Create a mood board, style guide, expert tips, DIY projects, or home decor ideas your audience might be interested in.
- Scale with ads. Use Catalog Sales Campaigns to promote specific products and run Conversion Campaigns to drive actions like adding to cart or completing a sale.
- Allow for easy checkout. Provide a smooth purchasing experience by using ad formats with direct links that take customers straight to your website.
- Measure and optimize. Utilize Pinterest Analytics and Conversion Insights to track performance and adjust your campaigns. Enable the Pinterest tag and Conversions API to connect actions on Pinterest to sales and conversions on your site.
Expand your brand by selling items like artwork, apparel, and accessories directly to your audience – discover how to sell art online.
6. Join group boards
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:
- Find high-performing boards. Search for highly engaging group boards relevant to your niche by looking at influencers or competitors and seeing which boards they belong to.
- Optimize your board participation. Take a slow-and-steady approach by pinning quality content and engaging with other people’s Pins. This builds trust with both the board and your audience.
- Track and evaluate boards. Keep a spreadsheet of boards you join and track metrics like follower-to-pin ratios. This helps you identify which boards are most effective for driving traffic and engagement.
7. Participate in the Pinterest Inclusion Fund
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:
- Eligibility. The fund is open to small merchants, independent publishers, and creator agencies that are owned by or create content for underrepresented communities.
- Application period. The program runs quarterly, with applications opening at specific times. For 2024, applications are open from September 16-25. It’s free to apply.
- Resources provided. Participants access cash grants, ad credits, virtual learning sessions, and community-building opportunities.
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.
8. Sell Pinterest templates
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.
9. Become a Pinterest virtual assistant
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.
How to make money on Pinterest for beginners
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.
How to get paid on Pinterest: The basics
To get the most out of Pinterest and start monetizing, it’s important to first learn the basics.
- Pinterest Pins. These are key to increasing earnings. Standard Pins let users shop directly from Pinterest, while Video Pins highlight products through engaging clips. Idea Pins share multi-page tutorials or inspiration. Rich Pins provide detailed info like pricing, and Carousel Pins showcase multiple images in a single post.
- Pinterest Boards. Organize your Pins in collections by theme, making it easy for potential followers or customers to find the content they’re interested in.
- Pinterest Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Optimizing your content helps it rank higher in Pinterest searches, leading to more traffic and potential earnings. Use relevant keywords in your Pin descriptions, board titles, and profile to increase visibility.
Do you need a Pinterest business account?
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.
How many followers do you need to make 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.
Pinterest FAQ
Promote products through an affiliate link, use the Pinterest Catalog, or engage in brand collaborations for sponsored posts.
Join the Amazon Associates program, create engaging Pins with an affiliate link to Amazon products, and earn a commission when people purchase through your links.
Share Pins with affiliate links directly to products or services. When someone clicks through and makes a purchase, you receive a commission.
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.
To summarize
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.
