Blogging Tips

6 Ways to Make Money on Pinterest as a Creator

May 10, 2022
A black woman looking at Pinterest on her laptop

Pinterest has more than 442 million users who are looking for ideas that inspire them and solutions to their problems. If you’re a Content Creator, then you want to take advantage of this and learn how to make money on Pinterest.

Having multiple streams of income for your business is key. If you want to eventually make this a full-time career, then it’s important to have consistent money flow from different areas.

There are a variety of ways to monetize your Pinterest and we’ll be discussing them in this post!


Ways to Make Money on Pinterest

Before you learn how to make money on Pinterest, it’s important to set up your account for success. You can’t expect to profit from this platform if no one is seeing your content.

Here are some tips to follow:

  • Switch to a business account and claim your website
  • Use niche-specific keywords to optimize your account
  • Create attractive graphics and Idea Pins
  • Find a pinning frequency that works best for you

For a more in-depth guide to setting up and optimizing your account, check out this post: “Pinterest for Beginners: How to Set Up Your Profile.”

It may take months to see growth on Pinterest. This platform requires a long-term strategy and patience! As long as you’re creating valuable, quality content and staying consistent, then you’re on the right track and will be able to monetize in no time!

Affiliate links allow you to earn a percentage of a sale when someone clicks on them and purchases an item. In my opinion, this is the easiest stream of income to start with on Pinterest.

There are different programs you can sign up for to start sharing affiliate links. You want to only promote products that you love and your audience will resonate with.

Here are a few to sign up for:

I use Amazon and ShopStyle on Pinterest and have been able to increase sales over time. You can promote different products by creating graphics that will catch your audience’s attention and lead them to your affiliate links.

Here’s an example of a graphic I used to promote products from a beauty tutorial:

Once people click on it, they are taken to the list of products I recommend and they can choose whether or not they want to purchase them. This is an easy and quick way to make money on Pinterest!

Idea Pins

A popular feature to use on Pinterest is called Idea Pins and they’re great for driving organic traffic to your content. They include a mix of photos and videos on multiple frames similar to Instagram stories, however, they don’t disappear after 24 hours.

Since Pinterest is pushing this feature the most, you want to take advantage of the exposure and add your affiliate links using the product tag sticker.

Here’s how to add affiliate links to Idea Pins:

  1. Create your Idea Pin and upload your content. Once you’re finished, click on a frame to edit it and tap the stickers icon at the bottom. After that, click on the product tag option.
  1. Once this screen pops up, click on “Use a link”. Copy and paste your affiliate link in the box and click search.
  1. Select a featured image and keep the toggle on for “this is an affiliate link or sponsored product.” This will automatically add a disclosure once it’s posted.
  1. A clickable tag will generate and you can drag it anywhere on the screen and change the background color. When someone clicks on it, they’ll be taken to the affiliate link to shop so you can potentially earn a commission.

Pinterest has a few approved affiliate partners you can use in your Idea Pins which are Amazon Associates, ShopStyle, and Rakuten. I’m sure they’ll expand their options as they continue to update the platform.

I add my product tags to the last page of my Idea Pins. It’s easier for me to add them in one place so that my audience will have the option to check them out before they exit. You can see an example here.

Related Post: How to Use Pinterest Ideas as a Content Creator

Brand Partnerships

Another way to make money on Pinterest is through brand partnerships. Whether you pitch to a brand or they reach out to you, working on different campaigns can bring in a good stream of income.

For your partnerships on Pinterest, brands may want you to create Idea Pins, video pins, or upload graphics promoting their products. In addition to getting paid a flat rate, you can also ask the brand for an affiliate link.

This is a great way to show brands how well your audience resonates with your content and extra coins in your pockets never hurt!

You can add the personal link they give you to the graphics you upload and earn a commission when someone buys their products.

Drive Traffic to Your Website

If you have a blog, then I’m sure you’re using affiliate links for the products you promote in your posts. Using Pinterest to drive traffic to that content can boost your sales.

It’s important to implement Pinterest SEO in your strategy so that your content can get seen by your audience. Keyword research and optimization are the number one way to rank in the algorithm.

When you create graphics for these blog posts, you want to find relevant keywords/phrases to use in your pin titles and descriptions. Doing this will allow your content to get in front of the audience it’s intended for.

Here’s an example of a graphic I created for a blog post with links:

I have a board on Pinterest for my blog posts called “Best of Naturally Madisen.” Saving your graphics to a board dedicated to your website will help your audience find all of your content in one place.

Another way to monetize your traffic from Pinterest is by creating a resource page with affiliate links. Depending on your niche, the type of content you put on this page will vary.

For example, since I provide tips for Influencers on my blog, I can create a resource page that features photography equipment and accessories I use to create quality content.

Offer Pinterest Services

There are many other creators and business owners who want to learn how to use Pinterest. If you consider yourself an expert and know how to use the platform effectively, then you can offer your services.

Here are some examples:

  • Pinterest Management – Find clients and offer to run their Pinterest accounts. This includes doing keyword research to optimize their profile, designing and uploading pins to promote their content, creating Pinterest ads, and more.
  • Pinterest Pins Creation – Design graphics weekly or monthly for clients to post on Pinterest. I have a person who creates my graphics for me each month and this has saved me a lot of time!
  • Pinterest Audits – Offer to do audits for people who aren’t sure if their current strategy is working. This includes going through their profile and providing tips on how to become more successful and maximize the benefits of the platform.
  • Sell Pinterest Templates – Design unique Pinterest templates and sell them as a bundle. I’ve invested in templates before because they made designing pins easier and more convenient. 
  • Create an ebook/course – Put your knowledge into an eBook or online course and sell it. You can teach others how to set up their Pinterest profile, find keywords, figure out a strategy, etc.

Some people are willing to invest in your expertise and this is the perfect way to monetize Pinterest.

Creator Rewards

Creator Rewards is a new program that allows Content Creators to make money on Pinterest. This is currently in testing. so if you haven’t seen this option yet, don’t worry, it’ll come soon!

You can earn money from creating original Idea Pins in response to prompts created by Pinterest. Each prompt has specific engagement goals to reach such as getting a certain amount of clicks and reactions. Once it’s met, you’ll be compensated.

Reward goals will be posted frequently and you can participate by creating and submitting an original Idea Pin to the prompt. Each goal has a description, requirements, and how much you can earn.

When you have the opportunity to take part in this program, it’ll appear in the Creator Hub section of your profile. Be on the lookout for it!

I think this is an amazing feature that Pinterest is releasing for creators. Getting paid to create inspiring content that you love is fulfilling.


As you can see, Pinterest is a powerful platform that can be used to bring in multiple streams of income for your brand. It will continue to grow and offer you more organic exposure.

You can’t expect to hop on there and start making money overnight, however, following a long-term strategy will ensure you’re able to successfully monetize in the future.

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