Pinterest turns Pins into paying traffic for creators and business owners who know how to make money on Pinterest. This guide covers 10 proven methods, from print-on-demand stores to Pinterest ads, plus 11 tips to grow the account behind them.
Disclaimer
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no additional cost to you.
Key takeaways
- Pinterest combines social discovery with search, so a well-optimized profile reaches shoppers who already intend to buy.
- A print-on-demand store lets you design and list products with zero upfront inventory costs, using platforms like Printify to handle production and shipping.
- Affiliate marketing on Pinterest pays a commission every time a user clicks your Pin and completes a purchase on the linked site.
- Sponsored content and brand partnerships pay creators to produce authentic Pins, and Pinterest requires the paid partnership label on all of them.
- Pinterest ads and the catalog turn organic traffic into paid, targeted reach, letting you tag specific products directly inside a Pin.
- Consistent posting, keyword research, and a complete business account profile compound over time into passive income from Pinterest traffic.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a visual search engine where people find, save, and shop for ideas using images called Pins. A user types a query, and Pinterest returns Pins linked to a website, a blog post, or a product page, so a single click can carry a searcher from inspiration straight to a purchase.
Pinterest reported more than 80 billion monthly searches in Q4 2025, and the company's CEO said roughly half carry commercial intent.
That search volume turns Pinterest into a discovery engine for creators, brands, and affiliate marketers who want to drive traffic, grow an audience, and sell products, whether they run a blog, an eCommerce shop, or a Pinterest-only content strategy.
A single well-optimized Pin can send a shopper straight to a landing page, a product listing, or a blog post, which is why expert tips on Pinterest almost always start with understanding search intent before design.
10 Ways to make money on Pinterest
These 10 methods answer the core question of how to make money from Pinterest, whether you're monetizing an existing audience or building one from scratch. Each works independently, and most creators combine two or three to diversify how they earn money from their Pinterest content.
1. Become an affiliate marketer
Affiliate marketing on Pinterest pays a commission when a user clicks your Pin and buys through your unique link. The process runs in four steps:
- Pick a niche with clear buyer intent, such as home decor, beauty, or tech gadgets.
- Join an affiliate program, such as Amazon Associates, Awin, or Printify Affiliates.
- Add your affiliate link to the Pin description, or use direct links straight to the product page, then apply the paid partnership label so the relationship stays disclosed.
- Design eye-catching Pins with a clear image, a specific benefit, and a short caption.
Tip
Read Printify's guide to affiliate marketing on Pinterest for a full breakdown of program requirements and disclosure rules.
2. Open a print-on-demand store
Print on Demand (POD) lets you sell your own products, mugs, apparel, tote bags, without paying for inventory, warehousing, or design software. You upload artwork, a supplier prints it per order, and you keep the margin on each item you sell.
It's one of the most direct answers to how to make money on Pinterest for beginners, since it requires no design degree or upfront cash.
- Choose a specific niche your Pins can serve visually, such as retro astrology merch or plant-parent humor.
- Create a free Printify account and browse more than 2,000 customizable products, including custom clothing, mugs, and home decor.
- Design your product with Printify's Product Creator.
- Connect your store on Shopify or Etsy to Printify so orders are fulfilled automatically.
- Create Pinterest boards and Pins that link directly to your product pages, using relevant keywords in the Pin title and description.
Printify handles printing, packing, and shipping once an order comes in, so your only job becomes designing and promoting. One Pin, if it ranks well, can keep sending orders for years after you publish it.
3. Create sponsored content
Once a Pinterest account gains a steady, engaged audience, brands pay creators to feature products in original content, the same model that drives influencer marketing on Instagram and TikTok.
A complete bio, consistent posting, and real audience engagement build the trust brands look for before they commit budget to a creator.
Every sponsored Pin needs the paid partnership label to disclose relationships between the creator and the brand. Popular sponsored content niches include beauty, travel, food, home decor, and wellness, categories where Pinterest's audience already searches with purchase intent.
Building a track record with smaller brand partnerships often helps creators gain access to larger campaigns and higher-paying deals over time.
4. Run Pinterest ads
Pinterest ads put your content in front of a targeted audience immediately, instead of waiting for organic reach. A free Pinterest business account gives you access to Ads Manager, where you set a campaign goal, such as more outbound clicks, more website traffic, or more direct sales.
These paid campaigns appear as promoted pins inside normal search results and feeds, carrying a small sponsored label instead of disrupting the browsing experience.
- You can promote product pages, a blog post, affiliate links, or digital downloads. Pinterest's shopping ads also let you tag specific products inside a single Pin, so a shopper can view pricing and click through without leaving the app.
- Ads Manager includes its own paid partnership tool, which applies the disclosure tag automatically once you link a sponsored Pin to a brand.
- Review Pinterest's advertising data before setting a budget, since ad pricing and impression volume shift quarter to quarter.
5. Join group boards
Group boards work as shared boards where multiple creators pin content around one niche, giving each contributor access to a larger audience beyond their own followers.
- Search Pinterest for boards that match your niche, such as home decor, travel, or side hustles.
- Message the board owner, usually listed in the board description, to request access.
- Once accepted, create Pins that link back to your site, product pages, or affiliate links.
Group boards cost nothing to join, and the traffic, sales, or affiliate income they generate scales with how many boards accept your content.
6. Drive traffic to your website
Pinterest sends visitors to whatever destination you link, so the monetization path depends on what sits on the other end of that click. A blog post can carry display ads or affiliate links, an eCommerce store can link straight to product pages, and a lead magnet can convert visitors into an email list you monetize later.
- Create Pins and boards with product links that lead directly to specific pages on your site.
- Use relevant keywords in Pin titles and descriptions so your content surfaces in Pinterest search results.
- Post consistently, and share to relevant group boards to extend your reach.
- Once a user lands on your site, your product pages, content, or offers drive conversions, turning Pinterest traffic into revenue.
7. List on the Pinterest catalog
The Pinterest catalog turns your product feed into shoppable Pins automatically, giving online brands a passive path to discovery and sales.
Connect your store, most easily through Shopify or another supported eCommerce platform, and Pinterest converts each listed item into a Pin with pricing and availability pulled directly from your feed, complete with product tags that identify specific products at a glance.
Shoppers who find a catalog Pin while searching or scrolling can click straight through to buy, which removes a manual step that manual Pin creation requires.
The catalog also works for service-based businesses that list bookable services as individual catalog items alongside physical products.
8. Participate in the Pinterest Inclusion Fund
The Pinterest Inclusion Fund is an incubator program that gives cash grants, ad credits, and coaching to small merchants and creators from underrepresented communities who work in fashion, beauty, or lifestyle. One participating brand, Sknmuse, reported a 824% increase in saves and a dramatic jump in outbound clicks after completing the program.
Applications run in cycles through the Pinterest Creator Hub. Submitting your account, your niche, and your story is the first step, and accepted participants gain access to mentorship alongside the financial grant.
9. Sell Pinterest templates
Every creator on Pinterest wants visually appealing Pins, and not everyone has the design skill to build them, which makes Pin templates one of the easiest digital products to sell on the platform.
- Design customizable templates in Canva or Adobe Express, covering formats like bold text overlays or product mockups.
- Sell the templates on Etsy or your own website as digital downloads.
- Create content on your own Pinterest account that promotes the templates to bloggers, coaches, and small business owners.
10. Become a Pinterest virtual assistant
Brands and creators who lack the time to manage boards, design Pins, or run ads hire Pinterest virtual assistants to do it for them. The role typically covers:
- Designing eye-catching Pins and writing relevant Pin descriptions.
- Scheduling posts with tools like Tailwind or Later.
- Managing business accounts, group boards, and paid partnership disclosures.
- Reviewing analytics to track what content drives traffic.
Freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork list Pinterest VA gigs, and most VAs charge a monthly retainer, which builds recurring income instead of one-time payments.
11 Tips for making money on Pinterest
Earning money on Pinterest depends on a clear Pinterest strategy that goes beyond posting pretty images.
Anyone wondering how to post on Pinterest and make money needs these 11 tips, which cover the account setup, content planning, and analytics habits that turn a Pinterest profile into a consistent traffic source.
1. Switch to a business account
A Pinterest business account gives you access to Pinterest Analytics, Ads Manager, and product tagging, tools a personal account cannot use. Business accounts also qualify for the Verified Merchant Program, which places a vetted badge on your profile and product Pins and expands your distribution across Pinterest's shopping surfaces.
2. Optimize your profile
Treat your Pinterest profile like a storefront window. Use a clear, high-quality logo or photo, write a clear bio with relevant keywords describing what you offer, and add a direct link to your website or shop.
3. Use rich Pins
Rich Pins pull extra data, price, availability, or article headline, directly from your site into the Pin itself. That live data builds shopper trust, since a Rich Pin shows accurate, current information instead of a static image.
4. Master Pinterest SEO
Pinterest works as a search engine first, so keyword research matters as much as design. Add keywords to Pin titles, descriptions, and board names based on what your audience actually searches for.
Research keywords with the Pinterest Trends tool before designing a single Pin. The audience insights inside show which topics are gaining traction by category, letting you plan content ideas instead of guessing.
5. Post Pins consistently
Pinterest rewards accounts that post Pins on a steady weekly schedule. Scheduling tools like Tailwind help you plan and create content ahead of time, and steady posting signals the algorithm to distribute your Pins to a larger audience.
Creators who ask how to make money pinning on Pinterest usually land on this same answer: consistency turns a Pinterest account into a compounding habit instead of a one-time launch.
6. Add Save buttons to your website
A Pinterest Save button on your site lets a visitor pin your content directly to their own board, turning every page view into a potential source of free, ongoing distribution.
7. Track your analytics
Pinterest Analytics reports four core metrics inside your business account:
- Impressions show how many people saw your Pin. Low impressions usually mean the keywords or visuals need work.
- Saves show how many people saved your Pin. High saves function as free promotion.
- Clicks show how many people visited your site or shop. This number connects directly to revenue, so a weak result often points to a mismatched or unclear call to action.
- Engagement rate shows overall interaction. A low rate is a signal to test a new Pin format.
8. Tap into seasonal trends
Pinterest users plan months ahead of a holiday or event, so posting seasonal content early captures that search volume before competitors do. Use the Pinterest Trends tool to find rising topics in your niche and schedule Pins weeks or months in advance of the relevant date.
9. Test different Pin formats
Static images, videos, and carousels each perform differently depending on the content. Video Pins work well for tutorials or product demonstrations, while carousels suit step-by-step content or multi-product showcases. Testing formats reveals what your specific audience responds to.
10. Cross-promote your Pins
Share Pins on Instagram Stories, in an email newsletter, or in relevant Facebook groups, and add a Pinterest link to your website footer or blog posts. Each additional placement gives users another path to find, save, and click your content.
11. Stay authentic and helpful
Pinterest users come to the platform searching for inspiration and solutions. Pins that teach something, solve a specific problem, or spark an idea earn more saves and clicks than promotional content, which builds the trust that eventually converts into sales.
How to monetize Pinterest: FAQ
Pinterest deep dive: Start making money today
Making money on Pinterest, whether through affiliate links, sponsored content, or your own product line, rewards consistent, keyword-optimized Pins over one-off posts. Anyone still weighing how to earn money from Pinterest should combine two or three methods from this guide, since layered income streams compound faster than relying on just one.
Starting a print-on-demand store removes the biggest barrier most creators face: upfront cost. Open a free Printify account, design a product around a niche your Pinterest audience already searches for, and connect it to Pinterest to start turning Pins into sales.
