If you have ever wondered how to make money online, Pinterest is one of those answers. Pinterest is a place that allows users to share and discover new ideas visually. It is not a social network like Instagram or TikTok; it is instead a search engine like Google or YouTube, and that is why it becomes so interesting because there are many ways to make money with Pinterest. With the latest updates, you can create different types of content that suit your preferences and republish it on other social networks. For example, you can republish reels or TikToks on Pinterest, making your outreach work easier.
Pinterest offers a plethora of opportunities for monetization, making it an ideal platform to connect with your target audience. Notably, it boasts a significant female user base, with women constituting 60% of its core audience.
In fact, it is how I make money online, and that is why Pinterest has become my number one option over other social networks. Of course, one of the most important things I have learned is that there is no “quick way” to make money on Pinterest or the internet. You must be committed, patient, and willing to invest your time and energy in it.
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Because I like and recommend making money on Pinterest:
For many reasons. First, as I explained, it is a search engine, so millions of people come to search and expand their favorite information. Second, unlike Google, growing there and finding an audience or potential buyers/customers is more accessible. Third, because it is easy to use and allows you long-term visibility. While Instagram and TikTok prioritize material created in the last 24 hours, your pins (your posts on Pinterest) are always current; for example, I have pins from 2 years ago that still bring traffic to my blog. So, it gives me more time and freedom without sacrificing visibility. And finally, it is a free platform to grow your business organically with virtually no investment.
How to make money on Pinterest
There are several options to make money with Pinterest, so I have divided them into options with and without a blog so that you understand better and see that it is not just limited to one option. Let’s get started:
1. Earn money with advertising
What are you passionate about? You can create a blog on any topic that interests you, such as crafts, food, or fashion trends. If you find that people are spending money on one topic you are passionate about, you can start blogging. For example, this blog you are reading now makes money from advertising so that you can dedicate yourself to writing and advertising. Income will depend on many factors:
- The advertising company you hire.
- Your niche (the topic of your blog).
- The time of year.
- Your traffic.
2. Promote affiliate products
Affiliate marketing involves selling someone else’s products or services through promotional strategies. Companies or creators offer commissions to bloggers or content creators for each sale generated. In Latin America, the most used platform to get affiliate products is Hotmart. There, you can find books and digital courses. Here, you have two options: promote them through a blog or look for courses on the topics you write about. But if you don’t have a blog, it doesn’t matter! The second option is to create pins or videos related to the course and promote them on your Pinterest account. The pins or videos can have links to your course or book, thus creating sales. You can also use that same content on other platforms like Instagram. You can now use the same system with Amazon products.
3. Promote your YouTube channel.
Pinterest is an excellent way to help promote your YouTube channel and make money if you already have one. You can create pins with the link to your videos to have an additional traffic source for your videos. If you don’t have a YouTube channel or would like to but are embarrassed to put your face on it, I have the solution: you can create a “faceless” channel thanks to Canva or Clinchamp. I love Canva. There, you can create videos with its visual material and record your voice. You upload them to YouTube, and that’s it! So, you can make money with Pinterest by monetizing a YouTube channel with zero investment.
4. Earn money teaching on Pinterest.
If you have skills in a certain area, you can create e-books or courses to earn a good passive income. For example, if you are good at making cakes, you can start making video tutorials with the help of online course platforms like Hotmart. You create your course or digital book on Hotmart and then promote it on Pinterest through short videos, infographics, or pins with attractive titles.
5. Sell your products
If you have a product, Pinterest can be a great platform to promote and sell it. By creating boards and pins that showcase your products, you can take your followers to your website or Instagram profile, where they can purchase them. This is a great way to make money on Pinterest because it allows you to monetize your efforts directly and reach a large audience.
6. Offering services
If you are a professional in a specific field, you can use Pinterest to promote your services and make money by offering your skills and experience. This could be anything from graphic design, photography, or web development to coaching, consulting, or writing. By promoting your services on Pinterest, you can reach a large audience and monetize their experience. For example, if you are a psychologist, you can create short videos on specific topics with advice or tips. And as I explained before, you can invite people to your website or Instagram profile so they can contact you.
7. Services as a Pinterest virtual assistant
If you have experience using Pinterest for business, you can offer virtual assistant services to other companies and individuals. This could include creating and managing Pinterest accounts, creating pins and boards, and analyzing metrics. This can be a great way to make money on Pinterest because it allows you to monetize your skills and experience and work with various clients.
8. Design and sell pins
As a graphic designer, you can create templates for Pinterest pins. Bloggers often do not want to use the templates offered on design platforms, but we need designers’ creation capacity. In that case, we turn to graphic design professionals to do it. You can then offer your services in creating personal branding, Pinterest pins, etc.
9. Sponsored Pins
A company pays for sponsored Pins to promote their products or services. These pins can appear in a user’s feed, search results, or on a specific board. As a Pinterest user, you can work with brands to create sponsored pins that align with their content and promote them to your followers. This can be a great way to make money on Pinterest because it allows you to work with brands you already support and encourage, and they pay you for your efforts.
The step by step to make money on Pinterest
Once you are clear about how you want to make money with Pinterest, then:
1. Learn how to open your Pinterest account:
Go to YouTube and look for tutorials on how to open your business account on Pinterest. Having a business account (rather than a personal one) will help you know what content is being viewed the most on Pinterest.
2. Start creating content:
Write your article or create your video according to the niche or topic of your content. Think about it sparingly. Start with what inspires you the most, then check what your audience sees the most to replicate similar content.
3. Create your pins:
With the help of Canva, create pins—the images you upload to Pinterest that the platform will promote. Make sure they have links to your website, online store, or Instagram profile, depending on which your business center is.
4. Stand out in searches:
You must know how its search engine and keywords work to stand out on Pinterest. It’s simple: when you type a word, for example, money, Pinterest shows you the search options, and these will be the keywords to add to your titles and descriptions. Regarding cash, the keywords would be “make money” and “business ideas.” Again, go to YouTube and search for information on SEO for Pinterest or “how to find keywords.” The truth is, it’s easy to do.
4. Create boards:
Boards on Pinterest allow you and your audience to organize content and find specific information. Based on the keywords, create at least 5 boards and start saving your content there.
5. Schedule your content:
Pinterest gives you the option to save content and schedule it to publish later. Previously I used Tailwind, which costs a little more than $100 a year, but I stopped using it because Pinterest gives the option to schedule content up to a month in advance, so I do it manually and it only takes 5 hours to publish the content of the month.
6. Check your statistics:
At the end of the month, go to Pinterest Analytics which will show you which content I liked the most. Based on this, it replicates the content. It can be by creating pins with the same title but changing the graphic design so that Pinterest takes it as new content. If you create video, make a small modification and present it again.
If you like Pinterest, it is an excellent option for starting your business from home or complementing the use of other social networks that you already manage, such as Instagram or TikTok. I have been using it for years, and it has brought me excellent results.
