Do you have a Pinterest account and wonder if there’s any way to make money from it?
Yes, Pinterest is an excellent place for bloggers, business owners, and even beginners to make money, and I will show you how.
With over 454 million monthly active users and ranked as the 14th most prominent social network globally, Pinterest is full of opportunities. You just need to stand out, locate your audience and be creative.
And, since you don’t want to be a blogger and may not like all that writing, possibly because you feel your writing is not good enough.
I’m going to show you a method that doesn’t require a blog. In fact, it doesn’t even need you to create a product, and, of course, you don’t even need a website.
So, What is this method?
It’s affiliate marketing with Pinterest.
But before I explain it further, let me tell you a bit about affiliate marketing.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is basically about you promoting products of other companies and get paid when someone buys them.
They will send you a link unique only to you, and any person who clicks on that link will now be tracked as your referral.
Pinterest is an excellent tool for affiliate marketers because it allows you to share affiliate links directly on pins.
You’ll be amazed at how rare it is. For example, Facebook doesn’t allow affiliate links in posts. Likewise, Instagram has no basic policies about links but will often delete accounts that have them.
The reason is that some affiliate marketers spam social media and thus make it difficult for others.
Most website owners will do a hard job ranking if they don’t cloak their affiliate links. Unfortunately, this means that they use URLs that aren’t similar to affiliate links.
Affiliate marketing can be a lucrative and reputable business if done correctly (I’ll show you how).
But first, let’s look at the steps to make money with and without a blog on Pinterest.
Steps to Making Money with a Blog on Pinterest
1. Start a blog
The first step is to create your own website. If you intend to make money through your blog, I advise you to go for a self-hosted website like WordPress.org rather than a free one.
Check here for how to start a WordPress website in minutes
Then create a Pinterest business account. And if you already have a personal account, you need to convert it to a business one.
2. Claim your business website
You need to prove that you are the owner of the website. So, you will receive a code to copy and paste or upload as an HTML file to your website.
3. Create valuable content
Choose a profitable niche, a field of interest you will be happy writing about for a long time. Then research into what questions people ask within your niche and provide valuable answers to them.
4. Enable rich pins
The reason is that rich pins get noticed quickly and provides detailed information about your business. Moreover, all the details on your website are updated immediately after making the changes.
Install Yoast SEO or All in One SEO plugin on your website to make this process easy.
Head over to the Pinterest developer, click on rich pin validator. Then add a URL from any of your posts in the validator box.
When you click validate, you will receive a green tick that your pin has been validated. But, keep in mind that it may take some days to see your rich pins on Pinterest.
Helpful article: How to enable rich pins on Pinterest
5. Optimize your pin description
Remember to use the right keywords in your pin description. That will make it easy for people to find them while searching.
Steps to Making Money without a Blog on Pinterest
Let’s now look at the steps you can follow to make money on Pinterest, even if your blog is not yet up and running.
1. Choose a Niche
Posting random affiliate links to your Pinterest boards won’t get you much traffic. Set up a Pinterest business account, and then pick a profitable niche.
Consider what interests you and what you’re good at doing. It will be easier to succeed in a niche you enjoy.
Keep in mind that Pinterest is not for everyone. However, these niches are the most popular.
- DIY & Crafts
- Food & Recipes
- Children & Parenting
- Home Décor
- Travel
- Health & Fitness
- Fashion
- Hair & Beauty
- Work from Home
- Personal Development
- Art & Design
- Gardening
- Weddings
2. Find Affiliate Programs in Your Niche
It’s now time to look for money-making opportunities you can promote via Pinterest.
There are over 60 affiliate programs that bloggers can promote (but you don’t necessarily need to own a blog to do so). So that will help you to get started, depending on your niche.
If none of these options work for you, it is time to start looking for alternatives. First, you should list companies that offer products you are interested in within your niche.
Look on their websites for the link that will redirect you to their affiliate program signup page. It is usually at the bottom.
You don’t have to know where to begin when it comes to companies. Simply search your niche + “affiliate program.”
After you have found the right affiliate program, you can apply. You may not be approved by every one of the companies.
Some require affiliates to have their website. Others need you to have a proven track record of success. So, apply for multiple jobs and go one step at a time.
While some companies approve you immediately, others may take several days. So while you wait, get started on your plan to make money.
3. Pin Other People’s Stuff to Pinterest Boards
Before you begin pinning affiliate links, it is crucial to develop a strategy that creates a virtual wonderland of information about everything your niche enjoys.
You should plan at least 20 topics your niche would like to learn about and create boards for them.
You can do some keyword research by entering a topic into Pinterest. Then, look at the auto-suggests. Be sure to name your boards appropriately and include a keyword-rich description.
Once you have set up your boards, you can start curating them with pins that fit each of them.
To start building your boards use this strategy; pin 5-10 posts from other boards.
4. Make Graphics for Pinterest
Before you can make money from your affiliate links, images will be required. While some companies may provide graphics, you’ll be more successful if you make your own graphics.
There are many ways to make professional-looking graphics that don’t require any design software.
Canva is the most popular software that Pinterest marketers use. It is easy to use and comes with a free plan.
You can create a design with Canva by selecting the Pinterest option. It will automatically give you the right-sized graphic. In addition, there are templates, drag and drop elements, and tons of images.
Simply upload your image, write a keyword-rich description and add your affiliate link to create a pin. Then, pin it to each pin’s relevant boards.
Don’t stop there. It is unlikely that you will pin it to several boards and earn hundreds of thousands or even thousands of dollars per month.
You will need to continue repinning your pins with the different graphics that you created for each one. But, again, Tailwind is there to help you.
5. Use Tailwind for Scheduling Your Pins
Anyone serious about making money on Pinterest will find Tailwind essential. Tailwind allows you to set up your pins and go on autopilot.
You can program them to send out at certain times and return in loops, so you don’t have to do it manually.
Tailwind offers a free trial, but you can only pin 100 pins. So you will need to upgrade to a paid plan after that. However, it is well worth the cost and will save you hours of work.
This tool is fantastic because it analyzes your engagement on your pins. It will also send your content at times throughout the day where your audience will see them and engage with them.
6. Join Group Boards & Tribes
After you have mastered the basics of Pinterest pins and Tailwind automation, it’s time to expand your reach. The best way to do this is to use group boards and tribes.
There are many group boards, and you will find some in your area. These boards have multiple pinners, which allows the board to get thousands of hits per day. You can even add your pin, even though you don’t own it.
Usually, you must repin at least one pin from the group board for every pin you add. It’s all about the magic – everyone will be pinning their stuff as you are pinning others’ stuff.
Tribes can be viewed as group boards, but they are in Tailwind and not directly on Pinterest. During your free trial, you can join five tribes and then upgrade to get more.
Tailwind also allows you to search for Tribes based on subcategories and categories. It shows the number of members as well as the amount of activity that the tribe generates. Look for tribes with at least three bars.
How To Make Money with Affiliate Links on Pinterest
Below, you’ll find out how you can promote your Pinterest affiliate links to make money. In addition, companies will allow you to promote their products in many different ways.
1. Promote the Home Page: You can pin a link to the company’s homepage that you are promoting. This idea works great for promoting a general idea, such as “A great place where you can get healthy food at a fraction of the cost.”
If you are looking to promote a specific product, you can link directly to it. Rich pins work well for this as you can include the price directly in the pin. Moreover, Pins with the cost of the product get more engagement.
2. Link to a Course: It is an excellent idea to find courses that fit your niche. You can use an affiliate link to direct users to the course landing page.
3. Link to service: Many service companies offer affiliate programs. You can also link to these. For example, you might be interested in web design, business coaching, and marketing services.
4. Link to a freebie: Many companies offer a freebie to prospects. Some of these freebies are also available to affiliates. If someone opts for the freebie, the company will track their referral and pay you when they sell something.
Ensure you select products that will be of benefit to your audience. So look for those products and promote them on your boards using your affiliate links.
And if you use a direct affiliate link, comply with the FTC disclosures. For example, add a hashtag like this #affiliate if you use a direct link.
Bonus – Make Money On Pinterest
1. Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant
You can do this in many ways, for example, manage other people’s accounts and get paid. But most especially for influencers and busy entrepreneurs who don’t have the time to create pins and share on social media themselves.
2. Earn Through Your Skills
You can also make money teaching people valuable strategies on Pinterest.
For example, if you have a unique method for creating awesome pins. Then, you can create videos, tutorials, training, and ebooks to teach others about the skill.
Final Words
Making money on Pinterest does not happen overnight; it takes time, but you are on your way to success if you are committed and consistently schedule your pins.
So, there you have it, quick tips on making money with Pinterest without a site. You can follow this step-by-step guide to up your game on Pinterest.
If you’re new to affiliate marketing, you can also find much information in this post.
Make Money Online
If you’re looking for the best way to make money online, affiliate marketing is a good option.
You can read more about how to make money online here.
If you find this article helpful, please share it with your friends.
About The Author
Muslimah is a writer and blogger. She helps beginner bloggers scale their blogging business to spend more time with their families while working from home. When she's not spending time with her family and friends, you'll likely find her reading books or writing articles like this one.
I’m registered on Pinterest. But I use it to advertise new posts on the site. I did not fully understand how it works but your article enlightened me. I admit that sometimes I advertise certain products through affiliate links, but I think that until you have enough visitors, they don’t make much sense.
True, Carmen. Traffic is an essential aspect of affiliate marketing. Without people visiting your website or affiliate link, there will be no sales.
Thank you.