With more than 537 million active users each month, Pinterest isn’t just a place for wedding inspiration and DIY projects.
It’s a platform where people actively search for products, services, and ideas to improve their lives. The best part is that users come to Pinterest with intention. They’re not mindlessly scrolling. They’re planning purchases, dreaming up projects, and learning new skills.
Whether you’re a small business owner, a content creator, or even someone testing the ecommerce waters, Pinterest offers a unique way to connect with an engaged audience and turn that connection into income.
Unlike other social platforms, you don’t need a massive following to succeed here. Instead, it’s all about strategy. Here’s how you can tap into Pinterest’s potential to make money.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a visual search engine and social media platform that allows users to find, save, and share ideas through images and videos, often referred to as pins.
It serves various purposes, such as inspiration for home décor, fashion, recipes, and DIY projects, while also enabling businesses to promote their products and drive traffic to their websites.
How to make money on Pinterest
Use these strategies as your guide to making money on Pinterest:
Affiliate partnerships
An affiliate relationship includes one brand or individual promoting another company’s products or services. Pinterest affiliate marketing involves posting content for another brand with an affiliate link. When users click on the pins you’ve posted with direct affiliate links and buy something, you earn a commission from those conversions.
Become an affiliate marketer by joining an affiliate program or network that connects brands. Making money from affiliate sales requires you to have a Pinterest audience that aligns with the brand you are promoting.
Pinterest advertisements
Pinterest offers merchants the chance to place their pins in users’ home feeds, category feeds, and search results. Pinterest ads are a versatile format, similar to other cost-per-click (CPC) systems that let you set your specific budget.
Use Pinterest Ads Manager to create and manage your promoted pins, hone your target audience and keywords, and monitor analytics measuring how your ads perform. Pinterest ads are a great way to get your brand in front of potential customers and drive traffic to your ecommerce site for sales conversions.
Blogs
Pinterest is a useful platform for driving traffic to your brand’s blog. Create a Pinterest board for your blog and post content with visually engaging images. Make sure each blog post contains useful information and links back to your website’s landing page or a product’s sales page. Choose a blog niche that’s specific to your brand and relevant to your customer base. Building a profitable blog can take time, but a loyal readership built through regular posting of engaging, quality content can lead to sales for products or paid subscriptions.
Sponsored content
Another way to make money on Pinterest is to create sponsored posts with direct links to another brand’s website, products, or services. Whereas affiliate partnerships include posting generic links that earn commissions, sponsored content involves a brand paying you directly to create content.
Use Pinterest’s paid partnership tool to create Pins that feature branded content. These posts receive a paid partnership label after Pinterest approves the tag for the brand. You can also integrate sponsored content into idea pins, which are collections of images and videos that users can click through like Instagram Stories.
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This sponsored pin from IKEA links directly to the product page.
Group boards
Pinterest has an active community that collaborates through Pinterest boards. These group boards allow more than one person to pin images, videos, and other content. Collaborate with your customer base by creating a group board or join group boards focused on topics connected to your brand.
By contributing to a relevant board along with a community of like-minded users, you can find a larger audience for your content and earn more organic traffic for your ecommerce store or website.
Product sales
You can now add your product catalog to Pinterest and turn your items into discoverable dynamic product pins. Then, integrate your existing ecommerce platform to keep your inventory up to date.
Once your products are live, consider boosting them with ad campaigns or using native features like catalog sales campaigns, which pull from your product feed to create personalized ads. You can also use built-in Pinterest tools like direct links and mobile deep links so that you can sell directly on the platform.
Tips for making money on Pinterest
- Set up a business account
- Create rich pins
- Focus on SEO
- Post quality pins regularly
- Add Pinterest “Save” buttons to your website
- Optimize your profile for business
- Create boards that cater to your target audience
- Utilize Pinterest Analytics to track performance
- Leverage seasonal trends and holidays for content ideas
Creating pins with entertaining and useful information can help your brand garner Pinterest followers who convert by purchasing a product or subscribing to a service. Consider these general tips as you develop your Pinterest strategy:
Set up a business account
Set your Pinterest account as a Pinterest business account to give you access to the necessary analytics tools and features. Business accounts can create idea pins, video advertisements, product catalogs, and more.
Personalize your Pinterest profile with a branded image, claim your brand’s website, and apply to the Verified Merchants Program to receive a blue checkmark next to your profile. Download the Pinterest app on the Shopify App Store to publish product pins, update your catalog, and track conversions.
To set up a business account, simply click your profile icon in the top right and select “convert to business.”
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Create rich pins
Rich pins include contextual information on your branded pins while syncing directly to information from your website. Product-rich pins connect directly to your ecommerce store and include updated information about product pricing, availability, and features. If you’re running a blog, article-rich pins include information from your blog post like its headline, description, and author information. Rich pins can help your content stand out and rank higher on Pinterest results pages.
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Focus on SEO
The Pinterest search bar works like a search engine. Optimizing your on-page SEO can help your pins find their audience. Perform keyword research to find the most relevant keywords you should include in your pin description, metadata, and content.
Pinterest allows up to 100 characters for titles and up to 500 characters for descriptions. By optimizing your pins for the Pinterest search engine, you can reach more users who are trying to learn about a topic relevant to your brand.
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These product pins all show up in the top results for the keyword “wool jumper dress.”
Post quality pins regularly
Create Pinterest content that offers exciting and applicable information specific to your target audience. Post unique and original pins on a regular schedule—at least once a week. Pinterest allows you to schedule pins up to two weeks in advance.
Post eye-catching pins by including visually appealing images in a 2:3 aspect ratio and captivating videos running between 15 and 60 seconds. By releasing engaging content on a consistent timeline, you can increase your chances of earning more Pinterest traffic to your content, ecommerce store, or website.
Add Pinterest “Save” buttons to your website
Along with optimizing your Pinterest page, consider adding a “Save” button to your site that allows customers to save products or pages to their Pinterest boards directly from your ecommerce website. These buttons make it easy for customers with a Pinterest profile to engage with your material and post about it on the platform.
Optimize your profile for business
If you haven’t already, switch to a Pinterest business account (it’s free!) to unlock tools like analytics and ads. Then, make your profile look professional and appealing. Use a clear, recognizable profile picture and write a compelling bio that includes keywords relevant to your niche. This helps people understand what you offer and improves your visibility in search results. Finally, add your website link and verify it. A verified website builds trust and enables features like rich pins, which automatically pull product details into your posts.
Create boards that cater to your target audience
To attract the right people, create boards around topics or themes your ideal customers care about. For example, if you sell home décor, you might have boards like “Cozy Living Room Ideas” or “Small Space Organization.” Each board should have a clear, keyword-rich title and description to improve discoverability. Pin a mix of your products and helpful, related content from other sources to keep your boards valuable and engaging.
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Fenton has a range of different Pinterest boards catering to different segments of its audience.
Utilize Pinterest Analytics to track performance
If you want to succeed at Pinterest marketing, you need to know what’s working and what’s not. Pinterest Analytics gives you insight into your pins’ performance, audience engagement, and traffic sources. Pay attention to metrics like saves, clicks, and impressions to identify which types of content resonate most with your audience. Use this data to tweak your strategy so you can focus on creating more of what’s performing well and weed out underperforming content.
Leverage seasonal trends and holidays for content ideas
Pinterest users are planners, often searching for ideas weeks or even months in advance. Take advantage of this by creating content around seasonal trends and holidays.
For example, start posting holiday gift guides in October or summer recipes in early spring. Use Pinterest’s search bar to explore trending keywords and incorporate them into your pin descriptions.
How to make money from Pinterest FAQ
What types of products sell best on Pinterest?
Products that perform well on Pinterest are visually appealing and cater to popular categories like home décor, fashion, beauty, DIY projects, and lifestyle goods. Items that solve a problem or inspire creativity can also attract engagement.
How do I create a business account on Pinterest?
To create a business account, go to Pinterest for Business, sign up using your email, and fill out your business details. If you already have a personal account, you can convert it to a business account in the settings.
Can I use Pinterest for dropshipping?
Yes, Pinterest is a great platform for dropshipping. By optimizing your pins with quality images, compelling descriptions, and direct links to your store, you can drive traffic and generate sales.
What are the best practices for Pinterest marketing?
Focus on creating high-quality, keyword-rich pins with visually appealing images or videos, post consistently, and organize your content into well-targeted boards. Use analytics to track performance, adjust your strategy, and take advantage of seasonal trends.