Can you really make money on Pinterest? The short answer is “yes,” and I’m really excited to share and explain how it really works based on my many years of experience doing it.
Yes, I know this post likely captured your interest, and now you’re wondering how to make money on Pinterest.
I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of bloggers and online influencers talk about this a lot! Like me, you probably ignored the idea because you didn’t think it would be possible.
I don’t blame you for being skeptical because I was too! Whenever I came across articles teaching people how to make money online, I always thought they weren’t true. But after learning and experimenting with those ideas, I realized that earning money online is, in fact, real!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Please read my disclaimer for more info.
How to make money on Pinterest
When I first used Pinterest to pin my favorite vacations and gardens to my boards, I had no idea that you could make money online using Pinterest. The thought never crossed my mind because I was just a normal user looking for something beautiful, relevant, helpful, and inspiring.
Many people check out Pinterest first for their new ideas. Where else would I have gotten the idea to make a flower garden? From the Pinterest content creators!
Beyond all of what I just said, I soon learned that Pinterest is a search engine (NOT a social media) where users look for inspiration and solutions to their problems.
This is where making money on Pinterest becomes possible for you, and I’m going to go through everything you’ll want to know about earning money with Pinterest!
How much money can you make on Pinterest?
As we all know, time is valuable, so is it worth your time to learn monetizing strategies to make money on Pinterest? And nope, this side hustle idea doesn’t require experience at all.
I honestly started with absolutely no experience, but eventually learned how to earn money with Pinterest during my spare time to make money online. Most people make $0 a month, and some are making up to $50,000 a month. It’s nice to know that anything is possible!
Overall, how would that extra cash help you? Would it help you pay off some debt, stop living paycheck to paycheck, or put a bit extra toward your vacation savings fund?
The extra money you earn won’t always be able to replace your full-time job; however, the potential income you can make with Pinterest may just surprise you – it really did surprise me!
Wherever your imagination takes you, I’m here to tell you that making money with Pinterest is possible.
Step-by-step guide: How to make money on Pinterest
There are many ways to make money on Pinterest. One way is to start a money-making blog, which is my top recommendation and most effective method.
On the other hand, the other methods don’t require a blog, but I talk more about them near the end of this post because they are not my personal favorites. In either case, you don’t need any experience to start!
Step 1. Start a blog and make money on Pinterest!
I highly recommend starting a self-hosted blog with the best web-hosting company before you learn how to make money on Pinterest.
Investing in a web hosting plan is incredibly affordable, and you’ll receive a free domain name ($15 value) when you sign up through this special link and choose a 12-month plan or longer.
I personally started my blog with them too when I was a beginner and wanted to give blogging a try. I know you might be thinking of starting a blog for free on WordPress.com or Blogger, but DO NOT go that route!
It would be nearly impossible to make money when you sign up for a free blog because no one will take you seriously.
On top of that, applying to ad networks and affiliate programs will be extremely tough. So, believe me, you will want to start your blog the correct way by following my easy step-by-step tutorial here. You will thank yourself for doing this!
I really don’t know when this exclusive special ends, so take advantage of this offer before it’s gone.
If you’re interested and would like to learn more, you can visit my tutorial, How To Start a Blog for Beginners.
Step 2. make sure you write relevant and helpful content
Now, after setting up your blog, you should write two to five articles each week. Make sure those articles actually solve your readers’ problems and align with your niche. In other words, don’t ramble on about your personal issues if they aren’t going to help your reader.
For example, if you’re dealing with financial problems and are close to filing for bankruptcy, don’t just vent about it on your blog. Instead, turn it into a motivational and inspiring story by detailing the exact steps you took to pay off $1,000 or even $10,000 in debt.
By the way, there are many problems you may be facing—from time management and relationships to even achieving a certain beauty standard for yourself. So, my debt example is just that—an example.
With that said, it is really important to understand your audience before you begin writing. In my experience, selecting a topic you’re enthusiastic about will make your blogging experience more fascinating and enjoyable.
Don’t choose a topic just because you think it will make money. Sure, it may work out, but can you really keep writing about something you don’t have a genuine interest in? The last thing you want is for your blog to feel like a chore.
How to choose your topic
Here are some tips that will help you determine what you can write about while solving your readers’ problems.
– Passion: I’m not going to tell you to quit your job and chase your passions without any financial support. But what would you do with your life if you were financially independent? I know this is tough to answer, so this free personality test is amazing and can help you figure it out as long as you answer truthfully!
– Skills: What are you good at? What do you usually get compliments on?
– Market demand: What are people searching A LOT for on Google and Pinterest? I recommend using SEMrush for some guidance. Billions of people out there want answers and solutions to their problems!
Remember that readers need your help with something. Most of them aren’t here to read about your problems. When they land on your page, they will subconsciously ask:
“What’s in it for me?”
Your ideal spot is to hit all these 3 elements (passion, skills, and market demand). You can find more tips here: how to find your perfect niche.
I know it’s easier said than done, but if you really put the time and effort into figuring this out, you will be rewarded!
You don’t have to be an expert in your field to be considered skilled. For example, you could document your learning journey and teach others about your mistakes and what you’ve learned. Lessons add a ton of value to your readers (as long as it’s something people are searching for a lot)!
Step 3. Set up a Pinterest business account
You, too, can start your Pinterest journey by signing up for a business Pinterest account. This is 100% free to sign up for and use. Make sure to include relevant keywords in your profile bio like what I did in the image above. This will allow users to find you more easily.
But before you create a business Pinterest account, be sure to learn how to start a blog and use Pinterest to gain traffic to your blog.
One tool I can’t go without is PinClick. On PinClicks, I can find all the keywords people are actually typing into Pinterest. I use these keywords in my pins and blogs (simply copy-paste), and it helped me so much!
It’s a paid tool, but given the fact that I use it daily, it’s been so worth it! You can try PinClicks for free here.
Step 4. Create Pinterest boards and pins
Now you can start creating boards and making pins for your Pinterest account. I recommend using Canva to make pins when you’re a beginner, because this service is free and easy to use.
Like your bio description, make sure to sprinkle relevant keywords (you find there with PinClicks) into your personal boards and pin descriptions. By the way, when I say “sprinkle,” I don’t mean keyword stuffing. Pinterest doesn’t like that, so keep it natural to read.
In the past, I’ve made the mistake of stuffing keywords in my pins. It’s no wonder I wasn’t getting any traffic when I first started. Without any traffic to my blog, there was no way for me to make money on Pinterest, so don’t make the same mistake!
5. Join group boards for a boost
For brand new bloggers with no followers, you can join a few group boards that are closely related to what you blog about.
Pinterest favors smaller group boards (relevant to your niche) with fewer contributors. While joining 3-5 group boards within the scope of what you blog about, I highly recommend you create personal boards for you to pin your content because Pinterest has shifted its focus to your personal boards.
For example, I am a personal finance blogger, so I would only join group boards that are all about finance, saving money, making money, and so on. That way, I can pin and post my articles about personal finance, budgeting, earning extra money, etc., on those boards for Pinterest users to see.
On the other hand, if you blog about food, then you’ll want to become a contributor to group boards that only allow you to pin your posts related to food and recipes.
Or, if you’re a crafts blogger, then you’ll want to find members of group boards that blog about crafts
In short, focus on making new personal boards while joining some high-quality group boards with fewer contributors.
An alternative to joining group boards is to start using Tailwind Communities. This will allow you to upload your pins to each community (like a group board), where members will share them.
Aside from the Communities feature, I also use Tailwind and PinGenerator to create and schedule my pins to both group boards and my own personal boards.
Since using Tailwind, my traffic has increased! PinGenerator is a new scheduling tool I’m currently trying out. You don’t have to use both; one is just fine!
Step 6. Upload your pin onto your Pinterest account
Once you have started a blog and published your first 5 to 10 blog posts (along with creating a catchy Pin image for that blog post), upload your pins onto your Pinterest account. Uploading your pins and attaching the link to your blog post to those images will help you get traffic to your blog.
Some of you may be familiar with Pinterest as a visual search engine where you can view pictures of recipes, fashion, products, and more.
So, it’s no surprise that some might wonder how to earn from Pinterest by uploading photos onto the platform. Well, this action is referred to as “pinning”.
Getting traffic to your blog means the potential to earn money online through monetization methods like display advertising (perfect for beginners), affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and selling your coaching services or digital products.
Once you consistently create blog posts and pin out the images with the articles’ links, you’ll start seeing traffic to your site.
With traffic, you apply to ad management companies like Google AdSense, Ezoic, Monumetric, and Mediavine so you can start earning display advertising money through your Pinterest traffic.
How To Make Money on Pinterest with a Blog by Driving Traffic
Here we are, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for!
You are now ready to learn how to make money on Pinterest after :
– You’ve written 5-10 epic blog articles related to your niche that are inspiring and/or solve a problem.
– You’ve signed up for a Pinterest business account and claim your website.
– You’ve Created eye-catching pins in canva with clickable images and titles like these ones here.
– You’ve joined a few group boards and made some personal boards related to your niche.
– You’ve optimized your bio profile, boards, and pins by sprinkling relevant keywords throughout.
First thing to do: drive traffic to your blog!
When you have a new blog or website, I recommend focusing your efforts on learning how to drive traffic from Pinterest for beginners and monetizing your blog. It’s definitely a lot easier and faster to get traffic from Pinterest than Google when your website is new. Pinterest traffic is honestly a new blogger’s BFF!
When Pinterest is used correctly and consistently, you can drive a lot of traffic to your blog and make money through display advertising.
Remember, you need to write blog posts that are helpful to your readers. Depending on how many ads you put and which ad network you’re with, you can potentially make between $6 to $50 per 1,000 page views each day.
Make money with ads on your blog
When you’re a brand new blogger, I recommend applying to Google Adsense because they do not require you to have a minimum amount of page views.
Adsense won’t pay you a lot, but it’s a good way to gain a little bit of experience online before making the switch to a better ad management network like Mediavine or Raptive.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still money your earn with your blog! We all have to start somewhere!
Aside from Adsense, there are other ad networks you can apply to when you’re a new blogger without a lot of pageviews. Like Ezoic, SHEMedia, Monumetric and MyFinance.
Mediavine requires your blog to be at least 3-4 months old with a minimum of 50,000 monthly sessions (this is about 65,000 page views).
As you increase your Pinterest traffic to your blog, you will start earning passive income online. More views = more income!
How To Get Pinterest Traffic To Your Blog
Honestly, I was able to increase my traffic and earn money on Pinterest because I invested my time to learn how Pinterest works. It’s worth the small investment.
Don’t be afraid to invest in the right blogging education. There’s no such thing as 100% guaranteed returns (nothing in life is guaranteed). But think about how much money you spend on cosmetics, going out with friends, and on daily lunches.
What’s a small investment worth to you? I’ve said this many times, and I will say it again. Investing in yourself is the best investment you could ever make!
Just like you, I had NO experience and started from scratch. I had to learn it too.
Use affiliate links in your blog
On top of making money with AdSense or Mediavine, you can also make money on Pinterest using affiliate links, also known as affiliate marketing.
Learning how to use affiliate marketing on Pinterest to make money can make a huge difference to your earning potential, with or without a blog.
If you’re new to this concept, affiliate marketing is just recommending products that you love and/or believe will add value to your audience.
When they make a purchase through your affiliate link, you earn a small commission without any additional cost to the buyer. In other words, you get rewarded for talking about a product or service you like.
Once you have your blog set up with 5 to 10 posts, you can start applying to affiliate networks such as Awin and FlexOffers.
After you get accepted into affiliate networks, you can start applying to a wide range of companies and promote their products and services on your blog.
Just make sure you only promote things that you genuinely believe in and will help your audience!
Sell your own products on Pinterest
Did you know Pinterest is a great place to sell? It turns out that people on Pinterest are more likely to buy than shoppers on other platforms.
If you have an e-commerce store, you’d be silly for not using Pinterest Shopping. With this feature, you can connect third-party eCommerce platforms, and Pinterest will turn your whole catalog into product pins. Efficient, right? They also have a Verified Merchant Program, which can help boost your products onto shoppers’ radars.
But even if you don’t have your own online store, you can use platforms like Etsy. There are a lot of things to sell on Etsy that you can market on Pinterest, such as online courses, eBooks, and home decor items, among others. With Etsy, all you have to do is link your pins back to your store.
Or you can sell your own digital products, like an eBook you made or a course. What I do is create pins on Canva and link the pins to my digital shop. You can create a digital storefront for free with Beacons. Perfect for starters, because if you don’t sell anything, it doesn’t cost you anything either 😉
How to use Pinterest for blogging
Now that you are aware that you can earn money on Pinterest with a blog, I’m going to talk about how to use Pinterest for blogging.
Pinterest is NOT a blogging platform, Pinterest is not designed to host long-form content. You should create attractive images, graphics, videos, and other types of visuals that will draw attention to your blog posts.
On top of that, make sure your headlines and titles are click-worthy because they will ultimately determine whether or not your pins get clicked on and shared.
As I mentioned, you can use Pinterest as a platform or channel to drive traffic to your blog. Because without traffic, your blog won’t make money.
If you’re a beginner at using Pinterest and you’re trying to grow your followers, keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how many followers you have on Pinterest or the number of views. Don’t look at that too much.
It all comes down to attracting high-quality traffic. Attracting the right audience means you are bringing them to your blog post, video, or page that will immediately solve a specific problem they are currently struggling with.
Later on, you will need to come up with a pinning strategy and be consistent over time to see your followers grow naturally over time.
As mentioned earlier, building a successful blog and a solid Pinterest account doesn’t happen overnight, so it will take time to gain followers and get noticed on Pinterest.
