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Reading Time: 6 minutesYou already know Pinterest is one big party that we all want to be invited to but the big question is, how do you actually make money with Pinterest?
Is it even possible or is Pinterest simply a tool for traffic?
In case you need a bit of a refresher on how Pinterest works and how to really get the most bang for your buck out of it, read through this post first then come back and read this post.
Trust me, everything will make much more sense.
I'm going to go over 5 ways you can passively and not so passively make money with Pinterest.
You ready?
disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links which means I make a small commission if you choose to use my link to purchase a product and if you do I appreciate you.
There are two main avenues you can take when deciding you want to make an income from Pinterest.
You can create a blog and make money via Pinterest indirectly with your blog or you can use affiliate marketing directly on Pinterest.
I'm going to be talking about both ways in more depth and do recommend you use both to not only stay in Pinterest's good graces but to better serve your audience.
For further inspiration and online money-making ideas, you can take a look at sites like https://thriveverge.com/the-top-ways-of-making-money-online/. There are many profitable side-hustles that could be worth a go. Today, however, we will be looking specifically at Pinterest.
If you do not have a blog yet and would like to use this avenue to make money with Pinterest (my number one choice) watch this free training video. And if you don't have a Pinterest account set up and would like to learn more about the ins and outs of Pinterest read this post.
This first way to make money from Pinterest with your blog is to drive lots of traffic and make money through ads. This is the most passive.
It's a numbers game.
The more people you get on your blog, the more money you will make.
Pretty simple as long as you have a solid Pinterest strategy set up and are able to drive a large number of people to your blog.
There are multiple ad companies you can sign up for but the big ones are Mediavine (requires 50,000 monthly pageviews) and Google Adsense (no monthly views requirement)
This strategy can work really well for a lot of bloggers because getting traffic from Pinterest is fairly easy and the quality of traffic doesn't really matter.
You can also make a few hundred dollars a month to a few thousand dollars a month passively depending on your traffic numbers and which ad company you are using.
Believe it or not, you can make this strategy even more passive by utilizing a scheduling tool like Tailwind (<–learn more about how Tailwind works).
So you wouldn't even have to pin to Pinterest because Tailwind does it for you.
The biggest downsides with ads are that you aren't really building up any sort of relationship with your audience.
And you're really only focused on the numbers instead of the quality of your blog posts which can bite you in the butt if you want to change up your monetization strategy down the road.
Alright, we're getting into a little less passive strategies now but still very easy to do and very worth it.
For this strategy, your focus is on affiliate marketing but it's also on providing value to your audience via your posts.
It's not as simple as slapping on 20 affiliate links, watching the traffic roll in and making sales.
You've got to put in a little work with your posts.
And you have to be writing the right types of posts.
With this strategy, your main focus will be to provide value to your audience while including a few affiliate products that will help them with the problem you are solving in your post.
For example, if you're writing a gift guide on the best products under $20 you can include affiliate links throughout that post.
Basically, solve a problem with your post and include affiliate products that make your audiences life easier.
Affiliate marketing is one of my favorite ways to make money blogging and it works really well no matter your audience size and traffic numbers.
Not only that, there are so many affiliate programs you can join.
I'm sure you've heard it before, the money is in the list.
What does that mean exactly? Basically, it just means when someone joins your list they already trust you enough to give you their email.
Then after a few emails sent to them, they're getting to know you and like you.
This primes your traffic for a sale and they are more likely to purchase a product from you or one that you recommend because they already know, like and trust you.
There are two ways to grow your email list with Pinterest, directly and indirectly.
You can create a freemium, lead magnet, whatever you want to call it, which can be a PDF checklist, an ebook, a free course, an email course, basically anything free that is of value to your audience.
Make a landing page with your email provider, you can use ConvertKit, Constant Contact (click here for a free 60-day trial), MailChimp, create a pin for it and post it directly to all relevant boards on Pinterest.
That is the direct way of growing your list.
The indirect way is to again, create a lead magnet and then write a blog post about a particular topic that you could add your lead magnet to and drive traffic to that blog post via Pinterest.
You then ask people to sign up to your email list in exchange for the lead magnet you've created for them.
I have personally used both ways to grow my list and boost my income and they both work.
Making money from Pinterest this way is one of the least passive ways but growing your email list is extremely important in an online business and can help you make more money in the long run.
You can read more about growing your email list with Pinterest here.
A Pinterest virtual assistant is someone who helps another blogger or business owner save time by growing their audience and reach on Pinterest for them.
There are a plethora of different services that can be offered as a Pinterest virtual assistant including, Pinterest Profile set up, clean-ups, creating pins for clients, pinning for them, building a personalized strategy and so much more.
You get to decide your pay and your hours and some virtual assistants make an hourly rate or package services into a bundle that is a one time fee. The choice is yours.
You can offer your services in relevant blog posts, your email lists and on social media.
Including Pinterest.
Tell your audience how you can help them, what services you offer and start booking in clients.
I like to recommend a discovery call or an email session before booking in the client to make sure you are both a good fit for each other before anyone pays a dime.
If you would like to check out my Pinterest VA services you can do so here.
I get it. Not everyone has a blog yet or even wants to blog although I do highly recommend that strategy, you can make money with Pinterest without a blog.
If you do not have a blog yet and would like to use this avenue to make money with Pinterest (my number one choice) read this post.
If you do not have a blog and still want to make money on Pinterest, posting your affiliate links directly to Pinterest is one of the most passive ways to make money pinning.
The only real work you need to put in is creating click-worthy pins and an SEO friendly description and also include the ad hashtag to let people know it's an affiliate link.
The nice thing about this is that the person or company you are an affiliate for is doing all the hard work.
They're creating the sales pages and getting the conversions.
You simply just have to drive the traffic.
You can even make this more passive and automated by using a Pinterest approved scheduler like Tailwind.
Some products sell better than others on Pinterest and some affiliate companies like Amazon do not allow you to link their products directly on Pinterest.
You just have to read the TOS (terms of service) of your affiliate companies.
That being said, if you want to make money more passively on Pinterest this is the route to go.
I recommend reading this post to get an understanding of how Pinterest works and to really create a solid strategy.
If you want to stop wasting time and just get to the good stuff and actually start making money, I highly recommend Elise of House of Brazen's course, Paid by Pinterest.
Elise does a fantastic job of helping you set up a strategy that has made her and hundreds of students (including myself) easy passive income with Pinterest (I've made over $300). Her strategies are easy to use, they're practical and they abide by the rules of Pinterest and the FTC. They also work quickly!
Learn more about Paid by Pinterest here.
All of the strategies I've laid out above are fantastic for creating some passive income on the side but what if you're ready to take it to the next level.
What if you're ready to make $50,000 or better yet, $100,000 a year?
It's completely possible but with the information out there today it's like trying to piece together a puzzle without the picture on the box.
It's confusing, frustrating and you end wasting time.
A lot of it.
That's where The Odd Noodle Business Odyssey comes in.
The Odd Noodle Business Odyssey is a ten-day event that breaks down the exact steps to building a successful, sustainable, and consistent six-figure business.
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Hey Emily,
Thanks for these tips.
I’m getting started with Pinterest and I do appreciate any tips to help grow in income and traffic.
Followed you on the platform
Happy holidays
Thank you so much, Enstine. I’m so happy you found my how to make money with Pinterest post so helpful! Happy holidays to you as well
Hey Emily! I just found your blog, and I love it! So much helpful information here. Keep it up! A very happy new year to you as well 🙂 Pinterest is by far my favorite platform for my blog and I think we all need a little reminder sometimes of how wonderful it is, so thank you!
Thank you so much, Carrie! I really appreciate your kind words and taking the time to comment! I couldn’t agree more. Pinterest is such a fantastic platform to use to grow our blogs and once you get the hang of it it’s pretty easy to use as well!
Found this on yahoo and I’m happy I did. Well written article.
Thank you, glad you found it helpful!
Great guide, Emily! Clear & smart!
Hey Gillian,
That’s a great post! I love the brief and precise info provided. I appreciate the writing and the fact
that it explains everything. Pinterest is a great tool, it works well and lets you do affiliate sales even if you do not own a blog.
I’m so glad you found it helpful! Pinterest affiliate marketing became my favorite way to make money online very quickly!
Yes, of course Pinterest is the best platform to serve your audience what you want to sell online. With creating pins on Pinterest you also creates a chance of getting good dime. But the most important is you need to first learn about Pinterest SEO.
GREAT POST! And hat tip you for letting me know about this.
That’s Nice to read. Pinterest serves the platform not only to grow your business or traffic but is also the trusted tool to earn money online.
[…] an extra income stream (for affiliate products, services, […]