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4 Ways to Make Money with Pinterest
Did you know that there are 4 ways you can make money on Pinterest? I know that sounds too good to be true but it is! In this post, I am going to share just how you can start making money on Pinterest! This is going to be a long post so hang with me as I cover all of these different ways to earn money with Pinterest plus some awesome resources to get you started!
Pinterest Business Account
First, you have to have a Pinterest Business Account. Odds are that you already have a Pinterest account so you can either switch your personal account to a business account or you can make a separate business account. To be able to earn from your Pinterest account it does have to a business account though so make sure to set that up here.
Convert Personal Pinterest Account
If you are planning to convert your personal Pinterest account then just go to your account settings and scroll to the bottom where it says convert account. Then the next screen will have you confirm that you want to convert your account and that’s it!
Set Up New Business Pinterest Account
To set up a new business Pinterest account go here and follow the steps.
Perfect! Now you are all set up to get started earning money on Pinterest!
1. Affiliate pins
The first way to earn money with Pinterest that I am going to cover is by using affiliate pins. These are pins that are linked to your affiliate link so when a customer clicks on your pin it will take them directly to the affiliate product you are promoting.
Sign Up for Affiliate Programs
To be able to do this you need to sign up for affiliate programs. Choose a company that you like and whose products you use. Apply to their affiliate program and after you are accepted they will give you an affiliate link.
How affiliate links work is the company whose product you are going to promote will give you a special link. That link is what you will add to your pin that you pin on Pinterest.
When a reader clicks on that pin, your link will take them to the product or service you are promoting. If they purchase this awesome product the company will give you an affiliate commission!
It is a win-win for both you and the company. And even the customer who bought a product that they were looking for.
Which Programs to Sign Up For
There are so many amazing companies out there that you couldn’t possibly sign up for them all. Plus, all those big companies have enough to handle so they outsource their affiliate programs anyways.
Those companies that take over their affiliate program are called Affiliate Networks and they host a lot of affiliate programs for different companies. You can sign up for those programs through these networks.
Affiliate Networks
A few of those main affiliate networks are ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, Awin, and Rakuten. Once you sign up for those networks then you can choose which programs you want to apply to from there.
It seems a little confusing at first, but just remember that you are setting up an account with an Affiliate Network that houses all the individual affiliate programs for all the different companies.
Once you have your account set up with the Affiliate Network you then have to apply for the individual affiliate programs you are wanting to promote.
Another way to find affiliate programs is to go to the website of the company you want to sign up for and scroll to the bottom of the home screen. Normally if they offer an affiliate program then there will be an option to sign up or learn more in the bottom menu.
Pin to Pinterest
Now that you have your business Pinterest account set up and you have signed up for the affiliate programs you want to promote, you are ready to start pinning to Pinterest.
Just as I said above when you create a pin just make sure to use your affiliate link as the URL to your pin. This way when someone sees your awesome pin and clicks on it, it will take them to that product through your link.
This is important because that link is how the affiliate company knows who to pay for sending them that paying customer.
Need help creating pin images? Check out my Free Pinterest Image Course.
Rules to follow
You do have to be careful and read through all of the terms of use for each affiliate program and Pinterest to make sure you are allowed to put it on Pinterest.
Some affiliate program rules may not allow you to advertise on social media and then Pinterest also may not allow certain products or services to be promoted.
Read more about affiliate marketing on Pinterest right here from Pinterest themselves. And make sure to check with each affiliate program, as they each have a different set of rules so make sure to read them carefully before pinning.
Disclosure
Also, make sure that you are open with pinners that your pin is an affiliate link. Add #affiliate, #affiliate link or something to that nature in the description of your pin.
Tips for a Perfect Pin
There is an art that goes behind creating the perfect pin. I cover most of this in my free Pinterest Image Course but I am going to go over some of it here for you as well. This goes for all pins.
Verticle
Verticle pins are much more eye appealing and they take up a good amount of landscape on Pinterest. If you have a small horizontal pin people are going to scroll right past it.
Make sure your pin is easy to read
This very important. It is easy to get caught up in all the fun fonts but let’s be honest, those fun fonts are hard to read. Stick with a clear and easy to read font or fonts on your pin. Also, keep in mind your color choices as well. Don’t put light pink writing on a white background. No one can read that. The goal is to grab their attention but in a good way.
Watermark your pin
Make sure that you place your logo or your URL someone on your pin. You don’t need to make it huge or to take away from what your pin says but you need to have it on there. This is important so no one steals your pin image and so that when bloggers are repinning your pin they have your URL available to see if it doesn’t move over. Sometimes while using Tailwind it won’t pull the URL so it is nice to see it on the pin to know which URL to add to that pin.
Keywords
Like for any search engine, you need to make sure your pins are keyword filled so that when someone types in “best chocolate chip cookies” your pin pops up as one of the options. If you don’t add what your pin is about and fill your description with keywords then your pin won’t come up for the right searchers.
Make an affiliate sale in 24 hours
I took a course that was called “How to make an affiliate sale in 24 hours” it has since been changed to “Paid by Pinterest”
This course is how I learn all about affiliate marketing for Pinterest. It is a whole different ball game than using affiliate marketing in your blog.
Paid by Pinterest covers how to make the perfect pin, how to make a pin go viral, how to automate your pins and schedule them out, and how to stay out of Pinterest jail.
Recently a bunch of Pinterest accounts were all suspended and it was a bit of a mess. So now everyone is doing their best to prevent that from happening to their accounts.
If you want to learn more about affiliate marketing for Pinterest then check out this course that covers everything you need to know!
2. Product Pins
This is similar to affiliate pins but this time you are going to link your pin to a product of yours. For example, if you sell your own products on Etsy then you can create pins that link straight to your product. You can learn more about this method at Shop the Look Pins or learn more about Etsy pins on Pinterest right here.
Remember to follow all the same tips on creating an eye-catching pin that viewers are going to click on or at least share!
3. Blog Post Pins
The third method of using Pinterest to make money is to use it as it was intended, to promote your website or blog. Pinterest was created to help organize, store and share blog posts and articles found online. When you create pins to promote your blog you are trying to drive traffic to your blog.
Once on your blog or website this traffic can then turn into customers of yours. Regardless of how you monetize your blog, you need traffic for it to be able to work. By creating pins and pinning them on Pinterest you will drive traffic to your blog then you can make money with ads, affiliate marketing, products, memberships, coaching, or services.
So if you don’t have a blog yet that should be your first step.
Learn how to start a blog right here with my free workbook! Or check out this post to read more about blogging and see if it is right for you!
4. Pinterest VA
The final way to earn money with Pinterest is to do the above methods for someone else! Big bloggers and brands don’t have time to promote their businesses on Pinterest but they are willing to pay someone else to do it for them.
This is where you come in and become their Pinterest Virtual Assistant. I personally don’t know much about it besides how it is just like being a social media manager but only for Pinterest. I am a part of a Facebook Group called Pinterest Ninja’s where they talk more about this method. Megan at LoveFamilyHealth runs the Facebook Group so that is an option to get you started in the right direction!
There are so many options out there to learn more on this method, I just personally don’t have one that I have dealt with myself except that Facebook Group so I don’t want to point you toward anything I haven’t done myself.
However, a quick Google search can tell you all kinds of things! Or better yet, look on Pinterest!
Keep Pinning
An important tip I want to share with you is that you have to keep pinning and repinning your pins. You need to always be adding more pins all the time too. Regardless of what kind of pin it is. Think of it as handing out flyers on a busy street.
Some people will walk right by, some people will take the flyer and throw it away, and some people will take the flyer and buy!
The more flyers you hand out, the more money you will make!
You may be thinking well there is not enough time in the day to be constantly pinning and repinning on Pinterest, and you are not alone. That is why Tailwind was created. It is a scheduling program designed to do all the hard work for you.
All you have to do is create the pin, pin description, and URL. The rest is taken care of by Tailwind. They will pin your pin when it is the most optimal time for it to get as many views as possible and they will also provide you with stats on all of your pins.
Here is a full-walk through on how to use Tailwind to help give you more information on how it is such a lifesaver!
If you prefer to not use a scheduler then again are not alone! Carly created Pinteresting Strategies which is a very inciteful ebook turned course that covers everything regarding manual pinning on Pinterest.
I found this ebook to very informative and I really liked seeing her method of manual pinning since most bloggers use Tailwind. I learn so much and even though I always use Tailwind I do try and take all of her tips into consideration!
Overview
For those of you who skipped to the bottom.
4 different methods are:
- Affiliate Pins
- Product Pins
- Blog Post Pins
- Pinterest VA
Helpful Resources:
- Set up Pinterest Business Account
- Affiliate Networks – ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, Awin, and Rakuten.
- Free Pinterest Image Course
- Paid by Pinterest
- Product Pins on Pinterest and More on Etsy Pins
- Start a Blog Free Guide
- Tailwind to automate your pinning
- Pinteresting Strategies to rock manual pinning
Thanks for reading!
Vanessa
Want more?
Are you looking to become a pro at affiliate marketing? Maybe you have heard of all the money bloggers are able to make with affiliate marketing and you want to learn more about it. You want to find out if this is a real deal and exactly how they are able to bring in full-time incomes from their blogs?
Well then check out Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing by Michelle. She is in her mid-twenties and has dominated affiliate marketing. She makes $100k a month on her blog and $50k of that is from affiliate marketing!
I know I have to pick my jaw back up off the floor every time I think of that too.
Her course is very in-depth and covers everything you need to know so it is for someone that is serious about learning more and diving into affiliate marketing. Check out this blog post to learn more about her course!