Many businesses already use Pinterest to indirectly promote their products and services. However, what some may not realize is that Pinterest isn’t just a social media platform to share inspirations or ideas.
Beyond this primary function, it also offers opportunities for generating income directly on the site.
For entrepreneurs, marketers, or even individuals interested in leveraging their online presence for extra revenue, the guide provided here offers insights into how to make money on Pinterest.
12 Ways to Make Money with a Pinterest Account
Building a successful income-generating Pinterest strategy doesn’t happen overnight but with some strategic planning, it’s within reach. Your first step is to sign up for a Pinterest business account.
Once that’s done, it’s time to think about how you can guide other pinners to your site, or another income-earning destination. Consider the following methods for earning money through Pinterest.
1. Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant
Pinterest virtual assistants offer a unique service: they manage and operate Pinterest accounts for other users. As a Pinterest VA, your job is to create engaging pins, effectively promote them, and schedule content for brands or individuals.
If this appeals and you’d like to earn money as a Pinterest VA, start by creating your own account to demonstrate your prowess. Once your account showcases your skills, you can begin marketing your services on your website, or directly approach brands you love to offer your services.
2. Include Affiliate Links in Pins
Pinterest provides a fertile ground for affiliate marketing. This strategy involves creating pins embedded with a direct affiliate link to products or services relevant to your audience.
The process works such that when another user clicks the link from your pin, they are redirected to a site where they can make a purchase. Each completed purchase via your affiliate link earns you a commission.
To make the most of this strategy, become an affiliate with brands that resonate with your personal or business brand and integrate these affiliate links amongst other valuable content for your audience.
3. Partner with Brands
You can also partner directly with brands to promote their products or services for shoppable idea pins.
This strategy generally requires that you already have a lot of followers and traffic on your pins. To monetize Pinterest in this way, create rates you’ll charge brands for single pins and other content.
4. Offer Pinterest Consulting Services
If you’ve successfully implemented a Pinterest strategy for your own profile, why not share that knowledge with others? Offering Pinterest consulting services to brands or businesses that need help can be a lucrative business.
Before jumping in, ensure you have substantial proof of your own success on the platform. This could be a thriving Pinterest profile or quantifiable data showing how you’ve utilized the visual search engine to promote your own website.
Once you’ve established your credibility, you can market your services to other Pinterest users seeking to capitalize on their Pinterest strategies.
5. Drive Traffic to Your ECommerce Site
For those who run an eCommerce site selling physical products, Pinterest can be an incredibly effective tool to increase sales.
By creating pins that contain eye-catching photos and direct links to your products, you can funnel Pinterest’s vast user base right to your online storefront.
The pins you create not only raise brand awareness but also guide potential buyers to your site, effectively converting Pinterest users into customers and boosting your overall sales.
6. Drive Traffic to Your Blog
Bloggers, too, can leverage Pinterest to boost their online visibility and traffic. By using Pinterest to funnel users to their blog, they can significantly increase their blogging income. This is especially true if they monetize their site with sponsored posts or affiliate links.
The more visitors you bring to your blog via Pinterest, the higher your probability of creating a successful, profitable blog. Remember, more traffic usually means more income.
7. Sell Pinterest Templates
A significant number of Pinterest users rely on the site to drive traffic to their online content or products. Certain types of images and design elements consistently perform well on the platform, attracting more user engagement and shares.
For instance, pins with eye-catching images overlaid with text often gain traction. With this in mind, you can create and sell Pinterest templates.
These templates provide the basic format of popular pins, allowing your customers to effortlessly insert their images and headlines, thereby making their pin creation process smoother and more efficient.
8. Teach Pinterest Marketing
If you’ve mastered the art of Pinterest marketing and want to share your strategies with other online business owners, consider offering educational content for a fee. This could be in the form of an online course with various modules, all dedicated to the intricacies of Pinterest marketing.
Launch your own site or use a learning platform to host your course.
To add more value to your offering, consider including content related to other social media platforms or general online marketing strategies. By sharing your expertise, you not only help others succeed but also create an additional income stream for yourself.
9. Create Sponsored Pins
Collaborate with brands to create sponsored pins, where you’re compensated for showcasing their products or services in your pins. This can be effective if you have a large following or a niche audience that aligns with the brand.
10. Monetize Pinterest Analytics
If you’re skilled at interpreting Pinterest analytics, offer services to businesses looking to understand their Pinterest traffic better and improve their strategies based on data insights.
11. Sell Digital Products
Use Pinterest to market and sell digital products like eBooks, courses, or digital art. Create pins that link directly to your digital products’ sales pages.
12. Offer Photography Services for Pinterest
If you have photography skills, offer services to create high-quality images for Pinterest. Businesses often seek professional images that stand out and attract more engagement on the platform.
Here’s a handy summary of the key info:
| Method | Description | Requirements/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant | Run and manage Pinterest accounts for other users | Create and showcase your own account, then market your services |
| Include Affiliate Links in Pins | Create pins with direct affiliate links to relevant products/services | Sign up as an affiliate with brands and mix affiliate links with valuable content |
| Partner with Brands | Promote products/services of brands via shoppable idea pins | Requires a lot of followers and traffic on your pins, create rates for your services |
| Offer Pinterest Consulting Services | Provide consulting services to brands based on your Pinterest strategy experience | Demonstrate your ability with the platform, then market your services |
| Drive Traffic to Your ECommerce Site | Use Pinterest to promote physical products and increase sales | Create pins with photos and links to your products |
| Drive Traffic to Your Blog | Use Pinterest to drive traffic to your blog and increase income | Monetize your blog with sponsored posts or affiliate links |
| Sell Pinterest Templates | Sell templates for high-performing images and design elements | Create and sell templates that users can customize with their own images and headlines |
| Teach Pinterest Marketing | Teach Pinterest strategies to other online business owners for a fee | Launch your own site and create an online course with various modules |
How to Make More Money from Your Pinterest Business Account
Having found your unique way to monetize Pinterest, remember that the work doesn’t end there. To maximize your earnings, you need to regularly create engaging content and effectively market your pins.
The consistency and quality of your output can directly impact your ability to reach more users and, subsequently, boost your earnings. Let’s discuss some key points that can enhance your Pinterest strategy and potentially increase your revenue stream from this platform.
- Find Your Niche – A focused Pinterest account is more likely to attract a dedicated following. For example, you may focus on DIY content, fashion, or home decor. Do some keyword research to find the most relevant terms to include.
- Fill in Your Pinterest Profile – When you sign up for a Pinterest business account, you can create a name, description, and links. These should include relevant keywords and help you draw in relevant followers. For example, a newbie blogger might describe their blogging journey in the description to attract like-minded bloggers.
- Improve Pinterest SEO – Pinterest users often find content through Google or the Pinterest search bar. So include relevant keywords in your profile and each pin description. Browse popular content in your niche for ideas.
- Research Your Target Audience – Your target audience can impact how you market to users on the site. For example, you may tailor content to professional bloggers, stay-at-home moms, or new homeowners. Look at your own blog niche or the demographics of your current customers to narrow this down.
- Increase Your Pinterest Followers – Utilizing Pinterest isn’t the same as other social platforms where you only rely on followers for traffic. But the more followers you have, the more people are likely to come across your content. Increase followers by interacting with other users and linking people to your profile.
- Join Group Boards – Pinterest also offers group boards where multiple Pinterest accounts can upload content. Many of these have lots of followers due to the consistency of content. Join some in your niche to increase your reach.
- Sign Up for an Affiliate Program – If you want to make money on Pinterest using affiliate marketing, you’ll need your own unique affiliate link. Sites like Amazon, RewardStyle, and ShareASale all welcome online influencers to share their own referral link on pins.
- Research Pinterest Analytics – Once you have your own Pinterest account set up, monitor stats to see what works best. If a certain type of pin performs consistently better than others, focus on that style of content going forward.
- Launch Your Own Website – Your own website can help you earn money through physical or digital products. Or you can monetize through ads or an affiliate relationship there. And Pinterest is a free tool that can drive traffic.
- Promote Pins on Other Social Media Sites – If you already have a lot of followers on other social platforms, leverage them on Pinterest too. Link to your account or individual pins or boards regularly to increase followers and engagement.
Can you Make Money on Pinterest?
Yes, absolutely. There are numerous opportunities to generate income on Pinterest. But one might wonder, does Pinterest pay pinners like YouTube pays some of its video creators?
The answer is no, but don’t be disheartened. By using the site strategically and intentionally, you can still harness its power to bolster your business or personal financial growth.
Pinterest’s structure is designed around the creation and sharing of pins, which are typically images or videos linked to external websites.
So, if you can effectively leverage these links to lead viewers to income-generating destinations, you’ve found the key on how to turn Pinterest into a source of income.
How many followers do you need to make money on Pinterest?
The good news is, you don’t need a staggering number of followers to make money on Pinterest.
Even without millions of followers, anyone who utilizes affiliate links in their pins or sells products on their own website can successfully monetize Pinterest by implementing the strategies mentioned above.
However, it’s worth noting that the size of your follower base and the engagement rate on your pins can influence your earnings.
While you don’t need to be a viral sensation, those with a solid following of at least a few thousand followers typically stand a better chance of earning affiliate income or gaining the social credibility required to form partnerships with brands.
Keep in mind that growing a dedicated and engaged following on Pinterest is an investment that can boost your earning potential in the long run.
Image: Depositphotos
