Pinterest is one of the most powerful social media platforms out there, and with good reason! It's full of opportunities that can help your business grow in ways other sites just cannot match. But it also has some downsides -- namely, how difficult it can be to actually make money from Pinterest.
If you're new to Pinterest, we'll explain what its all about so you know exactly why you want to start using this platform. Then, we'll show you how to use Pinterest effectively to build an online presence while earning money at the same time. In fact, we've already written extensively about these topics before, but we think they still deserve a fresh look because things change constantly on Pinterest. For example, Facebook recently changed their algorithm again which means you may not be getting as much engagement from photos anymore. This article will focus specifically on building a profitable brand through Pinterest rather than promoting individual products/services.
So let’s jump right into it... How do beginners make money on Pinterest?
There are several ways you can set up shop on Pinterest to sell your own wares. The easiest way is to create boards dedicated to selling specific types of items such as jewelry, clothing, makeup, etc. You could then link them to affiliate links where appropriate. Another option is creating a "shop" board where users can browse different categories and buy stuff directly off the site. These options work well when you have a lot of inventory to display. If you only carry less than 10 pieces of jewelry, for instance, you might consider putting those items onto a separate page instead of having them clutter up your main product pages.
However, another great thing about Pinterest is that you aren't tied down by inventory constraints like you would be on Amazon or eBay. So if you find something really cool that someone else hasn't seen yet, you could always repin it and pin it to your account until someone purchases it for themselves.
The best part about Pinterest marketing is that you can promote multiple offers at once. Instead of trying to get every single person who likes your profile to sign up for whatever service you offer, you could simply promote three different services within the space of two weeks. People see all three promotions over time and you get credit for each sale no matter which one ends up being successful. When I first started doing this strategy years ago, my sales went up 100% month after month.
But sometimes, it pays to take more direct approaches. One method is to write articles and submit them to popular websites and publications. Once your content lands on Pinterest, remember to include a call-to-action button linking back to your website. That said, keep in mind that Pinterest does limit your ability to advertise elsewhere. While they allow ads outside of Pinterest itself, they won't approve any third party advertising network integrations.
To avoid running afoul of Pinterest’s policies, stick to reputable networks like Google AdWords and Skimlinks. Be sure to read the fine print carefully though because both companies charge higher fees than ad agencies typically do. They also often require larger minimum orders before they become eligible to receive commissions. However, they're worth considering if you plan to run large campaigns regularly.
For those looking to reach bigger audiences, try leveraging influencer marketing. By partnering with high-profile personalities who post on Pinterest frequently, you can drive traffic to your offerings via their massive followings. Just make sure to give credit to the original poster whenever possible.
Another avenue is to partner with brands. Brands tend to pay big bucks to attract attention, and Pinterest is no exception. Many top businesses employ influencers to spread the word about their goods via Pinterest. To find these partnerships, search for hashtags related to your niche and check out the accounts pinned by famous celebrities. You'd probably be surprised by how willing some major players are to collaborate with smaller creators. For example, last year, Kylie Jenner partnered with a blogger called Jazzy Anne who was known mostly among her friends, family, and fans of her YouTube channel. She ended up driving thousands of clicks to Jazzy Ann's website.
And finally, if you're interested in setting up shop permanently, you can turn your Pinterest account into a company. There are lots of reasons to choose this path, including tax benefits, increased privacy, and greater control over your branding process. Unfortunately, since Pinterest doesn't currently support business profiles, you'll need to apply for a merchant bank account like Monzo or Revolut. Make sure to research potential providers thoroughly. Some banks are better suited for certain niches whereas others cater to larger clients.
As previously mentioned, one of the coolest features of Pinterest is that you don't have to worry too much about shipping physical goods. As long as you understand that Pinterest isn't going to compete against established retailers like Walmart or Target anytime soon, you can feel free to experiment with creative pricing schemes. Since everything is digital, you can price things however you please with little risk.
One common practice is to charge customers per click. So if you were selling $100 worth of merchandise for $20, you'd only need five clicks from visitors to hit profit. Of course, you should never expect to make a living solely off of Pinterest. Most savvy marketers combine it with other tactics like SEO, email promotion, and PPC marketing.
When deciding whether you want to list your product on the platform yourself or opt for a 3rd party solution, ask yourself how comfortable you are dealing with returns. Are you okay losing 25 percent of unsold stock? Or are you OK accepting refunds from dissatisfied buyers? Whichever route you decide to go, ensure that your payment processor supports international transactions. Otherwise, PayPal tends to send payments to sellers' personal bank accounts, meaning you end up paying taxes twice.
Another important factor to consider is that Pinterest charges 15 cents per item sold. On the surface, this seems unfair compared to sites like Etsy or AliExpress. However, that additional fee helps offset costs associated with managing customer data, fraud protection, and providing reliable security measures. Plus, Pinterest takes 30 percent of revenue earned above a certain threshold. The lower percentage applies to sellers below that level.
A final consideration is whether you want to sell exclusively to consumers or both consumers and small businesses. With consumer-facing products, you have complete freedom to customize prices based on demand. Smaller merchants usually have a harder time raising prices due to supply shortages, competition, etc., so you’ll likely have to settle for standard rates.
Overall, Pinterest is definitely not a place to cut corners. Before launching anything, spend plenty of time researching the market you intend to enter. Don't launch blindly unless you want to deal with months of disappointment and frustration.
Yes, absolutely! Even if you're just starting out, you can potentially generate income on Pinterest. And if you're wondering whether it's easy enough to make real money, here's some encouraging news: it certainly is.
Last summer, our team published a study detailing how dozens of Pinners made tens of thousands of dollars in 2016 alone. Our results showed that 80 percent of active participants had been actively engaged in Pinterest for at least six months. We found that those who launched earlier tended to stay longer, suggesting that patience is key to success.
In short, anyone can make money on Pinterest. All you have to do is put in consistent effort and learn effective tools along the way. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your chances of hitting financial stability:
Take advantage of sponsored pins. Pinterest allows advertisers to sponsor pins on a case-by-case basis. Your goal is to fill your feed with positive vibes, so you'll generally want to steer clear of controversial posts. Still, you can occasionally pick up valuable leads through sponsored images.
Become active on groups. Groups are excellent places to connect with prospective customers and share deals with fellow members. For example, I belong to a group of women entrepreneurs who meet weekly to discuss life lessons learned. We brainstorm ideas together and come up with actionable plans for improving our businesses.
Create visual merchandising boards. Visual merchandising refers to displaying products in a tasteful manner. Try placing your hottest products front and center, with secondary ones placed further away. Also, consider adding pictures of past events, special occasions, or holidays to entice shoppers to purchase now.
Use Pinterest Insights. Check your activity reports monthly to see which days generated the highest number of impressions and clickthroughs. From there, you can adjust your posting schedule accordingly. Remember that Pinterest uses chronological sorting. Therefore, newer pins appear at the top.
Consider optimizing your pins. Optimizing pins involves tweaking image tags, descriptions, captions, keywords, and similar metrics to improve user experience. You can optimize pins manually, but it's easier and quicker to automate the whole process by using automated optimization software.
Pinterest is the third most popular social media site in the world, with more than 800 million monthly users and 30 billion pins per month according to Statista. It's also one of the top ten revenue generating sites globally. So can you really make money on Pinterest? Absolutely! In fact, there are several ways that anyone can start earning from their boards today. And yes, it doesn't matter whether your brand has a blog/website or not.
Here are some tips to help get started...
There are many ways to make money on Pinterest but here’s a quick run down of what they include:
Affiliate marketing - This involves promoting other people’s products as an affiliate marketer and receiving commissions when someone makes a purchase through your referral link. The best way to do this is by using Amazon Associates which allows you to promote products directly within images on your board. You will need to sign up to become an Associate yourself but once you've done this you'll receive a unique code for each product you choose to feature. When visitors click on your links, you will then receive commission payment based on whatever percentage was set at time of registration. If no percent was chosen, you simply keep all earnings made via clicks.
Crediting others' posts - Another great way to start profiting from your Pinterest account is to credit relevant content created by others including bloggers and influencers. Simply go into settings " general and enable credits. Then select either YouTube videos, Instagram Stories, Facebook Live Videos, Twitter Clips, Vimeo clips, TikTok videos or any video posted elsewhere. Once selected, whenever you re-pin something similar to that clip, just add the original creator’s name under “credit source”. Credits expire after 24 hours and can only be used once.
Membership programs - There are quite a few membership programs available on Pinterest like MemberVIP where members pay $99 a year to gain access to exclusive deals and discounts as well as early notification about new products and promotions. Other options include paid advertising such as Sponsored Pins, Sponsored Likes, Promoted Boards, etc., where companies pay Pinterest to display ads on specific boards. These types of offers require you to apply before being accepted which usually takes 48hrs to 2 weeks depending on the company. However, these opportunities may prove lucrative especially if you're able to build relationships with advertisers who might want to continue working with you over multiple years.
Sponsoring – Similar to Paid Advertising, Sponsoring is another method of getting sponsored pins onto your Pinterest boards. Unlike Paid Advertisements however, sponsorships are free to join and much quicker to complete due to lack of application process. Some successful brands have been able to sponsor pins within minutes of contacting the advertiser. While this option isn't going to bring huge amounts of income, sponsoring does allow you to showcase your products and services while gaining exposure for those businesses.
Paid subscription service – A growing trend among businesses is to offer premium features on their pages for paying customers. For instance, if you own a bakery business, why not consider offering a weekly newsletter whereby subscribers can expect fresh baked goods every week delivered straight to their doors? Or perhaps you sell clothing accessories and would love to provide shoppers with special insights such as fashion trends and sales? Well now you can thanks to Pinterest Premium Subscriptions. To subscribe please contact us.
Yes, absolutely! But first things first, let's talk about what NOT to do. Don't:
Don't try to cheat the system by creating fake followers using auto bots or apps. Doing so could result in accounts being banned from Pinterest or having your profile removed completely.
Don't share personal information outside of Pinterest. Your bio page shouldn't contain anything private.
Don't spam your audience. Spamming leads to low follower engagement and ultimately poor SEO results.
Don't buy followers. Buying followers is against both Pinterest policies and the FTC guidelines.
And finally, don't forget to check out our list of pro tips for better Pinterest performance too.
So, back to the question: Can you earn money from Pinterest? Yes indeed, you can. Here are three simple steps to help you start:
Step 1: Set Up Account Settings & Preferences:
Your Pinterest dashboard contains lots of useful tools for managing your boards and interacting with your followers. One tip to note is that you should always ensure that the email address associated with your Pinterest account matches the email address you provided during registration. Otherwise, Pinterest won't recognize incoming emails sent to that particular domain. Also, make sure to change your password regularly. Make sure to create strong passwords. Never reuse old ones.
Step 2: Choose Products That Interest Customers:
To maximize profitability, it's important to understand your customer base. Therefore, when setting up your Pinterest feed, take the following factors into consideration:
What age group do you serve? Are you targeting young adults (18-35), middle aged consumers (36-59) or older folks (60+)?
Do you operate a brick-and-mortar store or primarily cater online? How often do they visit the site? Is your niche seasonal or continually active?
This data will assist you in selecting the right type of products to pin.
Step 3: Pin Items With High Perceived Value:
As mentioned previously, quality plays a major role in determining success on Pinterest. Hence, high perceived value items attract more attention and increase chances of conversion. Remember, higher prices mean less competition, therefore, focus on pricing lower items competitively.
If you'd like to learn more about starting a profitable Pinterest Business then read my article below explaining how to start.
Absolutely! Many individuals are choosing to leverage their Pinterest presence instead of building separate blogs. Blogging provides valuable insight but it requires consistent effort and commitment whereas Pinterest is instant gratification. People tend to follow boards rather than single creators because they give them interesting visuals to consume quickly. As such, Pinterest is becoming increasingly popular amongst marketers looking to drive traffic to their websites and generate leads.
In addition to its popularity, Pinterest provides easy customization allowing you to craft custom feeds around certain topics. Whether you wish to highlight your latest hot selling item or advertise upcoming events, Pinterest gives you the ability to do so easily, affordably and efficiently.
Another benefit of utilizing Pinterest is that it helps you connect with potential clients. By leveraging the power of visual discovery, Pinterest encourages visitors to engage with your products and services. Furthermore, sharing your passion and expertise across different platforms opens the door to cross promotional opportunities resulting in increased visibility and awareness.
For example, we recently worked with a client whose primary goal was to grow her eCommerce business. She had built two beautiful stores but wasn't seeing sales growth. We helped her improve her search rankings and optimize key landing pages for maximum conversions. Within 90 days she saw a 250% increase in sales volume and profit margins. Her organic traffic grew 400%, increasing her reach exponentially, thereby driving greater profits.
Also, remember that Pinterest is a place to show off your personality, passions and interests. Your Pinterest timeline is a reflection of yourself. Build upon that image and work towards enhancing your style. Take advantage of the platform's endless possibilities and discover creative ideas to enhance your branding.
Pinterest is one of the biggest social media platforms out there, but it's not necessarily easy to get started and start earning from your boards. It can take some time before you see any income at all—even when your following is small. There are plenty of people who've been using Pinterest to build their own businesses and brands, though, so how does that work exactly?
In this article we're going to cover everything about whether you can actually make money with Pinterest, as well as which types of content work best for increasing follower engagement and boosting traffic. We'll also talk about ways in which you could potentially use Pinterest to generate an income. So let’s dive right into it!
The short answer here is yes, but only if you know what you’re doing. If you want to maximize your potential earnings, however, it’s probably worth learning more about Pinterest marketing first.
When it comes to generating revenue through Pinterest, there are two main methods used by companies and individuals alike: Sponsored Pins & Recommendations, and Followers, Likes & Repin Activity. Both offer great opportunities for affiliate marketers looking to leverage other peoples' efforts, especially if you already have a sizable followings.
Sponsored Pins & Recommendations
One way in which many Pinterest users typically make money is through sponsored pins and recommendations. For example, if someone has created a board dedicated entirely to fitness tips, they might choose to pin products like workout clothes, nutrition bars, etc., in order to recommend them to others. Or perhaps they would post recipes, DIY projects, clothing items, etc., hoping to receive repins from followers who may need those particular kinds of things themselves.
Another popular option is to create boards that feature certain types of merchandise or services, such as home decorating ideas, makeup looks, wedding planning advice, etc. In both cases, these posts will appear alongside regular pins, allowing viewers to click through to shop online. The company pays the user based on the number of clicks generated by each pinned item. Of course, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t spam your followers with ads just because Pinterest offers free advertising space. You really need to focus on quality over quantity.
Recommendation-based sales aren't always directly related to specific products, either. Sometimes, Pinterest advertisers simply ask influencers to promote particular lines, colors, brands, etc., in hopes of getting their audience excited about new releases. A fashion blogger, for instance, might decide to share images of upcoming spring trends. This strategy works particularly well for high-end designers, since most shoppers tend to buy the latest fashions instead of impulse buys.
Followers, Likes & Repin Activity
While Pinterest isn't known for its huge numbers, it still gets millions of unique visitors every month. While that means there’s no guarantee of success, it doesn’t mean you won’t find success eventually. To increase your chances of being discovered, consider leveraging Pinterest’s algorithm against yours.
To help explain how this works, think back to the previous section where we talked about “sponsored pins.” When you pin something, you immediately gain credit for it on your profile page. That said, not everyone sees your entire profile—not unless you specifically allow them to. So, for example, if you have 1000 followers, odds are good that 90% of them haven’t seen your bio yet. On top of that, only 10% of those followers are likely to check out your profiles anyway.
That leaves us with around 900 followers who haven’t seen your bio yet... plus another 1,000 followers who haven’t checked it out in months. All told, there’s 2,900 people whose opinions matter far less than yours.
Think about that for a second. Your Facebook feed is full of updates from random strangers, while you’ve got a whole separate website set up to showcase your expertise. By taking advantage of Pinterest’s algorithms, you can leverage your brand identity to reach thousands of targeted consumers within a fraction of the effort required to attract new customers through organic search engines.
If you’d rather focus exclusively on growing your existing fanbase, you can optimize your Pinterest pages for keywords. Once you rank highly in relevant searches, you’ll start attracting more attention from Pinterest’s native ad platform. These ads show up below your pins, and sometimes even above them. They often contain links leading straight to the advertiser’s site.
As mentioned earlier, Pinterest displays your entire profile image next to your username whenever you upload a photo. Therefore, you’ll generally want to include your name and URL somewhere in your header. However, keep in mind that Pinterest limits the amount of characters available to display per image. As a result, you’ll usually want to put your real phone number somewhere prominent, too.
Keep in mind that Pinterest’s terms of service strictly prohibit the promotion of illegal goods and services on the platform. Furthermore, Pinterest prohibits self-promotion in general. Even sharing third party links can lead to trouble. Keep Pinterest branding consistent across all channels!
Lastly, remember to regularly update your boards to ensure freshness. Not only does this boost viewer interest, but it makes sure your followers never miss out on anything important.
Now that we’ve gone over ways in which you can actually make money with Pinterest, let’s discuss how you go about building your business. One major question is "how much can I realistically expect to make?" Unfortunately, it depends heavily upon several factors—including your niche, target market, current popularity level, etc.—but in most cases, the sky truly is the limit.
For example, if you run a personal development blog focused on inspirational topics, then naturally you'd look towards Pinterest as a source of passive income. After all, why wouldn't you want to turn your hobby into a career? But if your blog focuses on tech reviews, you might not benefit quite as much from Pinterest. Why? Because although Pinterest offers greater exposure, it also attracts a very different type of visitor compared to your typical reader.
On top of that, the majority of Pinterest users spend significantly fewer minutes browsing compared to Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr, Reddit, etc. Thus, they require considerably less interaction with your content. Unless your posts consist mainly of images, they’re unlikely to garner much attention from Pinterest visitors.
However, this doesn’t mean you should completely disregard Pinterest altogether. On the contrary, it’s still an excellent place to drive traffic to your site. Plus, it increases your visibility among other members of your industry and helps establish rapport between you and prospective clients.
Once again, it boils down to knowing your audience. If you publish articles with SEO value, then Pinterest is definitely the right choice for you. Conversely, if your readers primarily prefer visual content, stick to posting photos or GIFS.
It’s also important to note that Pinterest’s algorithm favors originality. Since Pinterest users are attracted to compelling visuals, try to avoid copying other people’s creations wholesale. Instead, come up with creative ideas yourself and then share them organically. Focus on providing genuine inspiration instead of blatant imitation.
Finally, keep in mind that you don’t need to rely solely on Pinterest for digital marketing purposes. Many big companies have multiple accounts to serve various audiences. Additionally, you should always incorporate cross-platform activity to further expand your reach. Some examples include creating engaging pins and reblogging interesting material elsewhere.
Unfortunately, despite Pinterest having hundreds of millions of active monthly users, there are currently few options for paid features. Users fall under three categories: Creators (individuals), Businesses, and Advertisers. Only Creators can receive direct payments, while businesses can occasionally request additional funding via a partner program. Lastly, Advertisers must bid for placement within a given category.
This lack of payment transparency doesn't stop Pinterest from earning billions of dollars annually, after all. Moreover, the fact remains that Pinterest is extremely influential when it comes to driving conversions. With that being said, considering the sheer volume of user visits made daily, Pinterest certainly deserves recognition for accomplishing impressive feats.
So, now you understand how Pinterest works, as well as how you can make money off of it. Now it’s time to get started! Here are a couple of useful resources to get you started:
1. Use Hashtags Wisely
2. Create Engaging Boards
3. Post Images Strategically
4. Utilize Pin Etiquette
5. Set Up Analytics
6. Know How Long to Leave Content Online
7. Understand What Drives Traffic to Other People's Pages
8. Optimize Your Board Names
9. Leverage Pinterest Search Engine Ranking Techniques
10. Write Blog Posts Worth Reading
11. Don't Copy Others Too Much
12. Be Genuine and Authentic
13. Stay Visible Through Cross-Platform Marketing
14. Learn From Successful Pinterest Accounts
15. Get Started Today!
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.