How to Make Extra Money for Christmas with Pinterest
Christmas is just around the corner and you are probably thinking how can I make extra money for Christmas this year? Well, what if I told you there is a way you can do that with Pinterest?
Yes, you read that correctly. There is a way to turn something you probably do all the time, pin on Pinterest, into a money-making machine.
Now there are actually multiple ways you can use Pinterest to make money. The two that I am going to share with you today are the ones that can start earning you extra money sooner than the other ways.
Affiliate Marketing on Pinterest to Make Extra Money for Christmas
You may have heard all about affiliate marketing already but let me share, for those that haven’t, what affiliate marketing is. It is pretty much getting paid to advertise for other companies.
Amazon was the first big one to roll it out. Instead of paying to advertise online they offered to give a commission back to those that advertised for them on their own sites. For example, if someone went to a blog or website and clicked on the advertisement for an Amazon product and then purchased something from Amazon after clicking that link, Amazon would pay that blog or website owner a commission for the sale.
It has since grown into a huge deal where almost all companies have some sort of affiliate or “influencer” program. And it isn’t only for purchases either, some pay for leads and other things now too.
Pinterest allows you to pin affiliate links so that is one way you could start making some extra cash before Christmas. Become an affiliate for a product you love and share it on Pinterest!
Now you can also share an affiliate link (where allowed) on your other social media accounts but they won’t get you nearly as far as Pinterest will. Unless you have millions of followers on your social media accounts.
There is more to it than just slapping some affiliate links on to Pinterest but overall that is just one option of making money for Christmas with Pinterest.
Sell Your Own Product on Pinterest to Make Extra Money for Christmas
Just like how you can create pins to sell other company’s products, you can create pins to sell your own products. This doesn’t mean you have to sell a physical product either.
If you already have a physical product that you sell and you are just looking to up your sales before Christmas than Pinterest would be perfect for that.
However, if you don’t have a physical product a very quick and much easier method is to sell a digital product. A digital product can be anything from a printable, an eBook, coloring pages, cookbook, or even a course.
If there is something you are knowledgeable about and you can create a digital product to share it with others than you can create a pin on Pinterest and sell your digital product.
Don’t worry about it not being perfect or professionally made. You can create your product in a Word Doc and save it as a PDF and ta-da! You now have a digital product to sell on Pinterest.
Keep in mind that your product should be more than just words on a paper. You will want to give it a cover page, an index, chapters, resources, and so on.
Make sure that you are solving a problem for your readers and make it worth buying. I just want to be clear I am not suggesting to just throw something together.
Think about if it is something you would spend money on? Yes? Then you are fine! If not, then you need to fix it up a little before trying to sell it.
Speaking of Christmas I have an awesome Christmas deal for you!
Grab all these printables that fit in 8×10 frames for only $1! This is a very easy, simple, and inexpensive way to add more Christmas decor to your house this year!
Questions on How to Make Extra Cash for Christmas with Pinterest
You probably have a bunch of questions right now like:
Do I need a special Pinterest account to do all this?
How do I find affiliate programs?
How do I sign up for affiliate programs?
What are the rules that go along with all this?
How do I get paid for selling my own products on Pinterest?
How long does it take to get paid?
Do I need a website or blog to do this?
And many more I am sure. It really isn’t as complicated as you think so stick with me and I will answer those questions for you.
Do I need a special Pinterest account to do all this?
Yes, you have to have a Business Pinterest Account.
How do I find affiliate programs?
You can go to affiliate networks that host a bunch of the big name company’s affiliate programs or a simple Google search works too. If all else fails it is usually listed on the company’s bottom menu on their website.
How do I sign up for affiliate programs?
Each program is different and if they host their own affiliate program you just follow the steps they provide. Or if you go through an affiliate network then you follow the steps provided on there.
What are the rules that go along with all this?
There are a few different rules to make sure you are compliant with the FTC and disclose that you are an affiliate of that company, not the actually company. Also this openly let’s people know you are receiving a commission for sales made. Make sure you read through the terms of each affiliate program to see if they allow you to pin on Pinterest. Then make sure you add in your Pinterest pin description #affiliatelink to disclose it is an affiliate link.
How do I get paid for selling my own products on Pinterest?
Depending on if you have physical or digital products is how you will get paid. You need to use some sort of platform to make the transactions through. Example: Etsy. You can use Etsy for either your physical or digital homemade product. If you are looking to just do digital and you don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up an Etsy store, you can also try SendOwl. They offer a free trial and a very low plan after that.
How long does it take to get paid?
Each affiliate program has its own payout schedule so that just depends. I would say the average is 30 days. However, if you sell your own products you could get paid the same day the sale is made.
Do I need a website or blog to do this?
Technically the answer to this is no. You don’t have to have a website or blog. Some affiliate programs may want you to but not all of them do. For selling your own products, you don’t have to have a site either besides somewhere that you can make the transaction through for your product. If you are wanting to start a blog and promote your affiliate links on there for more added income than you can learn more here.
This sounds perfect but I have more questions, help me!
Don’t worry! If you are thinking “Yes, pinning on Pinterest sounds like the perfect way to make extra money for Christmas!” But you still have some unanswered questions then check out Paid by Pinterest by Elise McDowell.
I took this course and it walks you through exactly what you need to do to start earning money by pinning on Pinterest. Elise started earning money on Pinterest when she created a quick PDF and listed it for sale by pinning it on Pinterest. She also made her first affiliate sale in 24 hours. Then the rest is history! Now she shares all of her success and how you can achieve it too in her course!
How to Prevent Your Pinterest Account from Getting Suspended
1000+ Group Boards for All Different Niches
Free Canva Templates by Social Digital Designs
10k in 12 months eBook
I tend to make things more complicated than they need to be so I love how straight and to the point Elise is on getting you up and running to make extra money and just in time for Christmas! Check out Paid by Pinterest and get started today!
Affiliate Program Checklist
Once you start applying to different affiliate programs it can get confusing to try and remember which ones you have applied to, which ones you’ve been accepted in, which ones allow pins on Pinterest, etc. So, I created this free affiliate program checklist to help you keep track of all of your applications. I hope it helps keep you organized!
You may have noticed that there are new video pins on Pinterest when before it has always been a still image. They recently added this new feature and I am loving it. It is pretty cool to be scrolling along and see a pin start playing. It makes me love Pinterest that much more! Now I can see even more detail about what that pin is about before clicking through! But for a business owner, video pins on Pinterest means something more than to a normal Pinterest user.
Yes, as a normal Pinterest user you get to enjoy videos sharing all the cool ways you can braid your hair, but as a business owner, you now have more opportunity to share your business with your potential customers!
First let me say, don’t worry if you don’t have the option yet to create video pins on Pinterest yet. It is fairly new so it will be available soon if you don’t have it yet. If you do have the option to create a video pin then let’s dive into why this is so awesome for you and your business!
Video Pins Can Benefit Your Business
1. People Like to Watch Videos
It is pretty obvious that people like videos. YouTube, TikTok, SnapChat, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all have videos on them. Not all of them have always had videos but they have evolved to all cater to videos because people love to watch them! You can tell so much more of your story with a quick video than trying to explain it all over text and with an image. Even blogs have turned into vlogs!
2. Video Pins on Pinterest are Eye-catching
Videos catch your eye when they start playing, you can’t help but watch. If the video is good you are likely to stay and watch it until the end. When you could easily scroll right on past images.
3. Video Pins on Pinterest Stand Out in the Crowd
On Pinterest, it is a sea of images. There aren’t personal posts to break up the images, it is only images. With that said, it is very easy to just scroll and scroll. However, if a pin starts moving and playing an eye-catching video, you can’t help but stop and watch what’s happening at least for a few seconds. And those few seconds of your attention are more than the other pins got!
4. Video Pins Share More Than a Still Image Can
With a video pin, you are able to share with your potential customer more about your pin that with a still image. If your pin image is a delicious recipe but it is a still image that is just one shot to show them how amazing your recipe is. With a video image, this gives you the opportunity to show them how amazing your recipe is. I love watching those quick cooking videos! And I don’t even like to cook! I just love watching them and it gives the illusion that this is quick and easy to make, even when it may not be.
But that video got me to stop, watch, think, and possibly click through. That is MUCH more than a still image recipe pin gets from me.
5. Video Pins are Listed at the Top of the Mobile App
On the mobile Pinterest app, there is a section of video pins at the top after you search for something. I searched for fall soup recipes to show you what I mean. In the search results, there is a list of video pins at the top of the feed. There were also several promoted video pins as I scrolled down that were by big companies like the Food Network. That should tell you that video pins work right there!
Well, now that we have covered the video pins are awesome and everyone’s favorite let’s talk about how to make them so you can join the cool club of video pin makers!
How to Make a Video Pin on Pinterest
My favorite way to create animated pins is with the Adobe Spark App. Since my pins are all about blogging tips, it is an easy way to add some zest to my pins without completely creating an entire video. With the Adobe Spark App you can create your pin very simply and then you click on effects and from there you can animate your text on your pin.
This App is free and makes creating pins very easy. It is something I actually just started using last week. That was when I realized that you could animate your text turning it into a short video that would be perfect for grabbing your reader’s attention out of the crowd of other pins without creating a video.
As with anything, there is more than one way to create a video pin and yes, luckily some of them are free! As I mentioned you can use Abobe Spark but here are some other free options to help you get started.
Free Options
Wave.video
Giphy.com
Adobe Spark
iMovie
Powerpoint
Video Speed App
Wave.video and Giphy.com
I have not personally tried the wave.video option yet but I used giphy.com to create the video above showing you the fall soup recipes example. I just read that the wave.video was an option another blogger used so I included it for you.
The video above from giphy.com would be able to be a video pin because it falls into all the criteria listed for a video pin on Pinterest. That said, that means you could use giphy.com to create animated pins or video pins as well.
This pin was created with giphy.com too and I am going to use it on Pinterest to advertise this blog post. I created three pin images like I normally would do. Uploaded them to giphy.com and set the time fo 3 seconds per image. Then the final step allows you to add an animated sticker. I added the arrow and hit complete!
Now I have a video pin that showcases all of the three pins I created. This is an easy way to set your pins apart from all of the others!
iMovie
If you are an Apple user you can use iMovie to create a video right from your phone. This is where creating an actual video and editing it would come in. If your blog is about cooking you could video the process of cooking something and edit it in iMovie to shorten it and create a video pin.
PowerPoint
You can even use PowerPoint to create a slideshow video. You just need to make sure that the slides are the pin image size but I tried this method and was able to get it to work! It didn’t work for GoogleSlides though. You have to save the movie in a correct format and GoogleSlides didn’t have that option. Also, PowerPoint let me set a timer to automatically change the slides turning it into a movie similar to the pin above and GoogleSlides didn’t have that option either.
Video Speed App
I included this App in the list because it helps you speed up your videos faster than iMovie will let you. Let’s say that your video is of you drawing something and you want to speed it up but iMovie will only go 2x as fast and you need 4x. The video speed app will speed up your video for you so that you don’t lose your viewer’s attention.
I love to watch those videos of people drawing things out but if I have to watch it in real-time I would give up very quickly. When they speed through it I stick around to see the end result because I know it’s coming quickly.
Paid Options
Animoto
Lumen 5
Canva (paid option)
Again, I read about Animoto and Lumen 5 so I wanted to include these options but I haven’t tried them myself. I have tried Canva (the free option) and I do enjoy it so if Canva is something you already use then it may be worth the small investment to enable to video option.
Video Pin Specs from Pinterest
How long can videos be on Pinterest?
File type
.mp4, .mov or .m4v
File size
2GB max
Encoding
H.264 or H.265
Length
4 seconds – 15 minutes
Description
up to 500 characters long, though only the first few lines will show in feed
Aspect ratio
We accommodate standard video sizes including widescreen (16:9)Horizontal -Youtube, square (1:1)-Instagram, FB, and vertical (9:16, 4:5, 2:3)- Pinterest.
Pinterest has a lot to share on their business page on the basics of creating pins on Pinterest. Of course, going there and reading everything straight from them is always the best. This is some advice from myself and other bloggers on what makes a good pin and what to avoid.
Also, you can check out my Free Pinterest Image Course that walks through this information and the programs I use to create my pins.
Are vertical and not horizontal bc they are easily scrolled right past. You can, however, do the square video pin bc they are used at the top of the mobile app.
Add Text overlay with clear easy to read font, avoid too much script font.
Bright colors (or at least contrasting colors).
Watermark – make sure to put your URL or logo somewhere on the image to avoid others stealing your pin and to make it easier for it to be repinned by others.
Eye-catching.
Saveable – the point isn’t to just get an ad of your blog out there in front of people but it is to get people to:
a) save it because then it goes to more people but also
b) to click through
An attention-grabbing title.
Solves a problem.
Branding colors (or at least colors that go well together).
A keyword filled description.
Keep it short (doesn’t give away too much and keeps attention).
Use beautiful images.
Don’t rely on audio with video pins.
Link to Pinterest Business page.
Rich pins added to your account.
How to Upload a Video Pin to Pinterest
Once you have created this masterpiece all you need to do next is to upload it to Pinterest. To do this it is just like adding a regular pin to Pinterest. Click the + sign that can be found on the top right corner of the screen and follow the steps from there.
There is an approval process for video pins, unlike normal pins. I’m sure this is to verify that all videos being uploaded to Pinterest are appropriate. Which I for one am very thankful for! I don’t want to be scrolling along and seeing something I don’t want to see.
Promote Your Video Pins
How do you promote a video pin?
You can promote your video pins by following the steps explained on Pinterest’s business page and after reading up on promoting pins I see that you can not promote GIFs so just be aware of that if promoting video pins is something you think you might do. I would hate for you to create a video pin from a giphy.com and then not be able to promote it later if it took off.
How to Schedule Your Pins
Tailwind
Now that you have creating video pins for Pinterest down, let’s talk about scheduling them out to automatically pin on Pinterest. If you have made it this far to learn how to create video pins on Pinterest I am sure that you have already been pinning regular pins and have either realized it is too much to do all on your own or you have already signed up for Tailwind.
If you haven’t yet signed up and you are feeling a bit overwhelmed on how to possibly be pinning all day every day then I am here to tell you that Tailwind is a lifesaver! I have two different success stories I will share with you on how amazing Tailwind can be.
My Success Stories
When I first started using Tailwind on my new blog within a week my traffic spiked. It went from a couple people a day to hundreds of people a day visiting my blog. I had over 7,000 page views on my very new blog in 30 days. The last week of January is when I started and 30 days later I had over 7,000 page views. I go more into detail on that in this blog post.
Fast forward to me not staying consistent on neither creating content nor adding it to Tailwind and my traffic had gone down. I only have myself to blame but it’s the honest truth I let it all go and basically went back to where I started. I reloaded my Tailwind with all new blog posts and did my normal leave it and forget about it until a couple days later. My traffic took off again! This time I tried my best to keep it alive and I was able to off of that one blog post that was driving traffic in. I was able to get over 20,000 page views in 30 days. I talk all about which pins too off and why in this blog post.
If you actually use Tailwind the way it should be used (and if you are paying for it then you should – unlike me!) then it definitely works. My traffic 100 percent reflects my Tailwind strategy. If I am keeping up with it and adding new content to my blog and to Tailwind then my traffic goes up. If I get behind and I don’t then my traffic goes down. Learn more about how to use Tailwind and give it a try and see for yourself!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
