How To Make Money on Pinterest: Turn Your Pins Into Profit

At first glance, Pinterest may seem like a site purely for saving inspiration and ideas. But if you’re a content Creator, Pinterest can be a secret weapon for getting traffic to your blog and clicks to your affiliate links. If you’re already creating content on Pinterest, you may be wondering how to make money on Pinterest—well, there’s a variety of ways. A few of the most popular monetization strategies include: affiliate marketing, Pinterest ads, and product links. 

Pinterest has incredible growth potential and is ideal for content Creators to monetize their work. In fact, according to the site, “80% of users have discovered a new brand or product on Pinterest.” That’s a high potential for reach if you consider that the platform has 482 million users monthly. 

Not sure how to monetize Pinterest? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s how you can turn your pins into profit.

Why Pinterest Is a Prime Platform for Content Creators

Before we delve into the specifics of how to make money on Pinterest, let’s review why Pinterest is also a smart addition to your content strategy. 

While Pinterest is often thought of in the same vein as social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, for many users, it actually functions more as a search engine. While other social platforms are more geared towards discovery, discussion, and community building, Pinterest is built for search. 

And Pinterest users are a high-intent audience, meaning that they want and need solutions. This means that Pinterest users come onto the platform primarily seeking and searching for specific content: something to cook, outfit inspiration, home design, and more. When your content answers a question or fulfills a specific need, users are more likely to engage via a “pin” or act upon your content. This potential for satisfying user inquiries is what makes it a perfect platform for Creators, as you can create content specifically tailored towards these searches.

Once you learn how to consistently churn out content that helps audiences find what they’re looking for, Pinterest can become a key component of your content and monetization strategy.

Can You Make Money on Pinterest?

If you’re a Content Creator asking, “Can you make money on Pinterest?” The answer is a resounding yes. The powerful platform provides a diverse opportunity for Creators. We’ll dive into specifics later, but here’s a short list of monetizing options:

• Affiliate marketing and affiliate links 
• Selling digital products 
• Brand collaborations and sponsorships
• Traffic diversion to websites and social media pages
• Product Pins (If you have shoppable content)

This is just a short list to help you figure out how to make money on Pinterest. But the best part? If you already use these tactics on other social media sites, you can carry over these strategies to Pinterest.

How to Make Money on Pinterest for Beginners

Is this your first foray into content creation on Pinterest? If so, we encourage you to start with the basics.

Why Pinterest Is the Ideal Platform for Beginners

Pinterest is an amazing platform for beginners learning the ropes of how to become a content Creator. Here are four reasons why:

• Pinterest is very user friendly. Pinterest is such a simple platform with so much content. It’s easy to navigate, so users continue returning for content. The platform’s “For You” feed, labeled “All, ” is algorithm-based. It knows the content users have previously viewed and continuously tailors the feed toward content a user wants to see. 
• The platform is continually growing. Despite a slight post-COVID dip, the number of users on the platform continues to rise. According to the Business of Apps, Pinterest had a 7.3% increase in users from 2022 to 2023. From 2014 to 2023, Pinterest saw a 276% increase in users. If you’re new to content creation and need to build an audience, Pinterest has one built in.
• A large following is not required. As we’ve already mentioned, Pinterest has a large user base. Therefore, you don’t need to bring your own large following to the table. All you have to do is create engaging, quality content, post regularly, and take advantage of relevant and popular keywords. Pinterest’s algorithm does the rest. However, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t put in extra work to ensure users see your content. Posting across all social media channels, not just Pinterest, helps to build your audience. 
• Pinterest has a Creator Academy. Pinterest offers a Creator Academy to help you learn how to make money on Pinterest and begin your Creator journey. The online training module takes you through how to set up your account and profile and create content.

A Beginner’s First Steps To Monetize Your Pinterest

Firstly, you may be wondering what kind of content to post. Consider your niche, the topics you want to cover, and whether you want to drive traffic back to a blog, website, or social channel. You can use the Pinterest Trends tool to research what audiences are searching for on Pinterest, and see how you can create content that satisfies those inquiries. If you already post content to a blog, or you’ve mastered how to make money on Instagram, then you have content you can repurpose for Pinterest. 

If you’re wondering the best tactic for how to make money on Pinterest for beginners, we recommend starting with affiliate marketing. In general, driving direct product sales is the simplest way to monetize your content on Pinterest. This usually entails posting Pins about specific products, and including custom affiliate links that’ll earn you a commission when you drive a sale. To get started with affiliate marketing, make sure to sign up for a reputable affiliate marketing service, and start producing links!

Moreover, be mindful of the content you pin. Make sure to always disclose if your Pins contain brand partnerships or affiliate links.

Setting Up for Content Creator Success on Pinterest

Even if you’re a seasoned Creator, learning how to make money on Pinterest might be new. After all, the platform is different from other social media sites. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc., are all sites focused on sharing and social interaction. Alternatively, Pinterest is a visual discovery platform. Therefore, your roadmap to monetize content on Pinterest might be slightly different than you’re used to.

Here are the basics to set yourself (and your Pinterest page) up for success.

How To Make Money on Pinterest Step 1: Optimize Your Pinterest Profile

Creating and optimizing your profile is essential whether you’re learning how to make money on Pinterest or other sites. Specifically, a strong Pinterest profile can help you grow your reach and audience. Here’s a list of what your optimized profile should contain:

• A quality profile picture.
• Your name.
• A few lines about you for a personalized touch. The information in your “about” section should be concise yet compelling. And it’s even better if it’s optimized with keywords that target your ideal Pinterest user and their search habits.
• Your website or predominant social media site. 

Your profile also contains your follower counts and monthly views. These numbers offer complete visibility, which contributes to your authenticity.

How To Make Money on Pinterest Step 2: Switch to a Business Account

Switching your Pinterest account from a user to a business account is important. Especially if you’re a Creator learning how to make money on Pinterest. One of the main reasons why you should switch is because Pinterest business accounts gain access to an analytics dashboard. Once you switch from a personal account to a business account, the platform also gives ad permissions. This means you can run ads on your account to generate income. 

Here’s how to switch to a Pinterest business account from the app:

1. Log into your Pinterest account and tap your profile icon. It’s located at the bottom menu. 
2. Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner. Then tap “Settings.” 
3. Tap on “Account Management”
4. Tap on “Convert to Business Account”
5. Follow the prompts to convert your account.

Once your account converts to a business account, you’ll have access to business tools that include analytics and audience insights. You can find your business tools on your profile page. It’s the three lines in the upper left corner.

How To Make Money on Pinterest Step 3: Utilize a Good Pinterest SEO Strategy

Just like knowing how to use Pinterest for blogging, basic knowledge of SEO or Search Engine Optimization is important as you devise a plan on how to make money on Pinterest. You’re not alone if you’re unfamiliar with SEO and how it can boost your blog and content. Basically, a good Pinterest SEO strategy improves the visibility and ranking of your content. 

SEO aims to drive organic (unpaid) traffic to your content so it ranks better in searches. It all comes down to knowing the right keywords to use as you create captions. Here’s how to utilize keywords in your Pins:

• Consider what your audience will be searching for, and create Pins that target those inquiries.
• Add keywords to your board names and descriptions. This will help with searchability when it comes to how to use Pinterest for blogging. 
• Optimize the caption of your Pins to include targeted keywords.

How To Make Money on Pinterest Step 4: Develop Engaging Content

Creating engaging content is at the heart of every Creator’s job. Your content is important whether you’re learning how to make money on Pinterest or just generally how to make money as a Creator. Since Pinterest mainly features imagery, your focus should be on high-quality images that link your content. You need to create an image that makes Pinterest users stop scrolling to focus on your imagery and caption. 

Consider what might make your visuals interesting and engaging, for example:

• High quality, beautiful images
• An interesting “hook” or text that immediately captures attention
• The answer to a commonly asked question
• A surprising fact or opinion that intrigues a user

Once you’ve captured their attention, they’ll be more likely to tap on your pin to see additional engaging content. Or, they’ll save it with other pins to revisit later.

How To Make Money on Pinterest Step 5: Drive Traffic With Hashtags

Like a good SEO keyword strategy, hashtags are equally important to your “how to make money on Pinterest” game plan. Hashtags make your content more discoverable to users searching specific terms, which can drive traffic to your affiliate links, sponsored content, or Product Pins. More traffic means more sales, which means more money!

Your content will likely populate in specific searches if you add relevant hashtags. If you’re posting about skincare, add hashtags like the following in your captions: #skincare, #skincareroutine, #skincareproducts, etc. You should also add your brand partner’s name to your hashtags. 

If you’re unsure what hashtags to use, try a hashtag generator. One that displays analytics is helpful so you know which options have the highest search volume.

How To Make Money on Pinterest: 4 Specific Strategies

Now that you have dialed in your Pinterest profile and account let’s discuss how to make money on Pinterest. There are a variety of avenues that’ll bring you income. From affiliate marketing to sponsored content, there are multiple ways to turn your content into cash flow.

1. Pinterest Affiliate Marketing

If you’re wondering how to make money on Pinterest, look no further than Pinterest affiliate marketing. Even if you don’t have your own blog, Pinterest is great because it allows you to post affiliate links in Pin descriptions. 

For example, put an affiliate link in the description of a video Pin of you reviewing a product, or an idea Pin featuring products you used to cook a specific dish. As you drive more sales, Pinterest affiliate marketing can become a key part of your social media income-generating strategy.

2. How To Make Money on Pinterest with Sponsored Content 

Sponsored content is essential to brands. According to Hootsuite, “61% of consumers trust recommendations on social platforms. Including those made by influencers.” 

As you grow your Pinterest viewership, you can showcase the power of your Pins to potential brand partners and partner with a brand on a sponsored pin. You can also include Pinterest as an additional channel in your brand partnership packages; for example, if a brand wants to sponsor your Instagram posts, you can ask them to sponsor corresponding Pins for an additional fee. 

3. How To Make Money From Pinterest with Pinterest Shopping

If you have a product to sell, learn how to make money on Pinterest with the Pinterest shopping feature. Pinterest makes it seamless to link your shoppable content to your Pinterest account with this in-house feature. If you utilize an e-commerce platform like Shopify, you can integrate it with your Pinterest account. Once you upload your shoppable content, Pinterest will create a Catalog provided you have a claimed website. Then, Pinterest will take your items and create product pins for users to shop. These pins appear across your Pinterest folders.

As a Creator, Pinterest shopping is the ideal place to sell your merchandise or digital products. So if you have something to sell like digital courses or paid subscription content, do it through Pinterest shopping. All you have to do is create a highly engaging, visual pin to draw users to your saleable content. 

Currently, Pinterest supports and can integrate with the following e-commerce platforms:

• Shopify
• WooCommerce
• Lengow
• ChannelAdvisor
• GoDataFeed
• Feedonomics
• Productsup

At any time you can access your business dashboard from your profile to create shopping campaigns. Or, to make edits on saleable content.

4. Learning How To Make Money on Pinterest Through the Pinterest Creator Inclusion Fund

Pinterest found a need to uplift and teach Creators from historically marginalized communities, so they created the Pinterest Creator Inclusion Fund in 2021. Accordingly, Pinterest offers this program to users from disproportionately underrepresented communities including Black, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, Asian, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, and others. 

If you’re a member of one of these mentioned communities, Pinterest offers a series of courses. The learning modules teach you how to use the platform, create content, and make money on Pinterest. The platform provides monetary grants, ad credit, and/or equipment to help with content creation. In exchange, Pinterest Creator Inclusion members must agree to post requirements. 

To be considered for the program, you must complete an application and meet the following criteria:

• Identify as part of an underrepresented community
• 18 or older 
• Reside in a region that participates in the program 
• Have 500-10,000 followers on Pinterest
• Meet monetized content amount restrictions ($10K or less)
• Created at least 30 pins in the last 30 days and have at least 6 Pinterest boards 
• In one of the following niches: food, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, or wellness

If you’re interested in the program, check the Pinterest Creator Inclusion Fund regularly. Pinterest opens up the application window every few months.

How To Get Paid on Pinterest

Pinterest introduced a Creator Rewards program in May 2021. However, the program was short-lived, as the platform shut down the program in November 2022. Currently, Pinterest does not offer any programs where the platform pays directly.

Therefore, if you want to know how to make money on Pinterest, pin content with affiliate links or shoppable content. 

How to Make Money on Pinterest: Final Thoughts

Don’t leave Pinterest off your list if you’re a Creator sharing content on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Knowing how to make money on Pinterest is just as important as knowing how to monetize other platforms. All you have to do is optimize your profile, pin linkable content consistently, and keep your boards fresh and clutter-free. Think of Pinterest as a place to broaden your reach and gain new followers. The more followers, reach, and audience you have, means more opportunities for income.