It is possible to make money on Pinterest, even though the platform itself doesn’t pay users directly like YouTube or TikTok. However, Pinterest is a powerful tool for driving traffic, generating sales, and building a brand. Here are several ways you can make money on Pinterest:
1. Affiliate Marketing
- How It Works: You can use Pinterest to promote affiliate links and earn commissions on sales. Affiliate marketing involves sharing products from companies, and when someone purchases through your link, you earn a commission.
- Steps:
- Join affiliate programs (e.g., Amazon Associates, ShareASale, CJ Affiliate).
- Create engaging pins that feature products you promote, making sure to add your affiliate link to the pin or description.
- You can link directly to the product’s sales page, or drive traffic to your blog or website where you place affiliate links.
- Pinterest Rules: Pinterest allows affiliate links, but be sure to disclose your affiliate relationship (e.g., using hashtags like #affiliate).
- Earnings Potential: Depending on your niche, affiliate marketing on Pinterest can generate anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars per month, especially if your pins get a lot of views and engagement.
2. Promoting Your Own Products or Services
- How It Works: If you have a business, an online store, or offer services, Pinterest is an excellent way to promote them. You can create pins that link directly to your product pages, service offers, or blog posts to drive sales.
- Steps:
- Optimize your Pinterest profile to showcase your brand.
- Create visually appealing and keyword-rich pins that lead back to your website or online store (Shopify, Etsy, etc.).
- Use tools like Rich Pins, which automatically pull product information (price, availability) from your website into your pins.
- Earnings Potential: You can see a significant boost in sales if you have a well-designed sales funnel and your products are appealing to Pinterest’s user base. E-commerce sellers often make anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars per month with Pinterest traffic.
3. Blogging and Pinterest Traffic
- How It Works: Pinterest is a great tool for driving traffic to a blog, which you can monetize through ads, sponsored posts, or affiliate links. Bloggers often use Pinterest as a primary traffic source because pins can continue driving traffic long after they’re posted.
- Steps:
- Create a blog with monetizable content (e.g., lifestyle, recipes, travel, DIY, personal finance).
- Optimize your blog for affiliate marketing, display ads (e.g., Google AdSense), or selling digital products.
- Design pins that link to your blog posts, ensuring they’re optimized with relevant keywords.
- Earnings Potential: Established bloggers can make anywhere from $500 to $5,000+ per month depending on the amount of traffic they get and their monetization strategies.
4. Pinterest Virtual Assistant
- How It Works: Many businesses and influencers use Pinterest to market their products, but they don’t always have time to manage their accounts. Becoming a Pinterest virtual assistant (VA) involves managing and optimizing Pinterest accounts for clients.
- Services You Can Offer:
- Pin creation and scheduling.
- Pinterest SEO and keyword optimization.
- Setting up and managing promoted pins (Pinterest ads).
- Pinterest analytics and performance reporting.
- Earnings Potential: Pinterest VAs can charge anywhere from $15 to $50+ per hour or offer monthly packages ranging from $300 to $1,000+, depending on the services provided and the client’s needs.
5. Selling Pinterest Templates and Graphics
- How It Works: Since Pinterest is a highly visual platform, many users need well-designed pins to promote their content. If you have graphic design skills, you can create Pinterest templates or custom pin designs to sell on platforms like Etsy or Creative Market.
- Steps:
- Create attractive Pinterest templates using tools like Canva or Adobe Illustrator.
- Sell the templates on digital marketplaces or through your own website.
- Promote your design services on Pinterest by pinning examples of your work and linking to your store.
- Earnings Potential: Selling templates can bring in $500 to $3,000+ per month, depending on demand and your pricing strategy.
6. Sponsored Pins
- How It Works: If you have a large Pinterest following or significant influence in a specific niche, brands may pay you to create pins that promote their products or services. Sponsored pins are a form of influencer marketing.
- Steps:
- Build a niche-specific Pinterest account with a large, engaged following.
- Partner with brands that align with your audience’s interests and create promotional pins on their behalf.
- Brands may pay for a single sponsored pin or a package of content, and you can charge based on your reach and engagement.
- Earnings Potential: Depending on your follower count and engagement levels, you can charge anywhere from $100 to $5,000 per sponsored pin.
7. Pinterest Ads (Promoted Pins)
- How It Works: Pinterest offers a paid advertising option called “Promoted Pins,” which can help boost the visibility of your products or services. While this isn’t a direct way to make money, running Pinterest ads can drive traffic to your online store, affiliate products, or blog, increasing your earnings.
- Steps:
- Create visually appealing pins that promote your products or services.
- Set up a Pinterest Ads campaign targeting your desired audience using specific keywords and interests.
- Track the performance of your ads and optimize them for better ROI.
- Earnings Potential: If done well, promoted pins can result in a significant increase in traffic and sales. E-commerce businesses often see a high return on ad spend (ROAS) from Pinterest, sometimes as much as $4 to $10+ for every $1 spent.
8. Selling Digital Products
- How It Works: Pinterest is a great platform for selling digital products like eBooks, online courses, printables, or graphic design elements. You can create pins that link to a landing page where users can purchase your digital products.
- Steps:
- Identify a digital product that resonates with Pinterest’s audience (e.g., planners, social media templates, recipes, how-to guides).
- Create and upload your products to an e-commerce platform (e.g., Shopify, Gumroad, Etsy).
- Create keyword-optimized pins that link to your product page.
- Earnings Potential: Selling digital products through Pinterest can bring in anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month, depending on your niche and marketing strategy.
9. Pinterest SEO Consulting
- How It Works: Pinterest operates as a visual search engine, so businesses need to optimize their pins and profiles to rank higher in Pinterest search results. If you’re knowledgeable about Pinterest SEO, you can offer consulting services to help businesses improve their visibility and traffic.
- Steps:
- Learn Pinterest SEO techniques (keyword research, pin optimization, board management).
- Offer your services to bloggers, businesses, and influencers looking to improve their Pinterest performance.
- Use platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or direct outreach to find clients.
- Earnings Potential: Pinterest SEO consultants can charge $50 to $150+ per hour, depending on their expertise and client results.
There are multiple ways to make money with pinterest , especially for people involved in affiliate marketing, e-commerce, blogging, or creative services. The key to making money on Pinterest is understanding its user base, mastering Pinterest SEO, and using visually appealing pins to drive traffic and conversions. While success doesn’t come overnight, consistent effort and strategic use of the platform can lead to a profitable business model.