How to Make Money On Pinterest in 2023 (for Beginners)
Pinterest is a platform where users can create ‘inspiration boards’, which are made up of ‘Pins’.
Pins can be original, uploaded from a computer. They can also be shared from other people’s boards; this is known as ‘Re-Pinning’.
Each Pin can hold a link. It is through these links that users can direct traffic, and then begin generating revenue aka make money online.
Before you do anything else, head over to pinterest.com and make an account. This step is kind of crucial.
Also, let me quickly walk you through a couple of important know-how of Pinterest that’ll help you understand the concepts shared below better.
1. How To Create Your First Board
On your Pinterest profile click on the ‘+’ icon, it’ll be on the right-hand side of your screen. From here you can select to make a new Board or Pin.
Select Board, now you’ll be prompted to enter some information. You’ll need to name your board, so think of something relevant to your content.
There’s an option for an end date too, so can you can give yourself a time limit if you want to keep things organized.
Finally, you can choose whether your board is private or public, this is up to you.
Keep in mind that private boards can only be seen by people you invite, therefore Public boards might gain more traction as they can be found independently.
2. What is A Pin and How Do I Make One?
So now you’re probably going to want to learn to make Pins.
A Pin is basically an image with some information attached to it. You can customize all aspects of your own Pins.
Pinterest has streamlined the Pin making process, so it’s quick and easy even for a beginner.
First, you’re going to want to find the image you want to make into a Pin. This could be a picture you’ve found online or something you’ve taken yourself and uploaded to your PC.
You’re going to want to use .jpg files, as this is what Pinterest recommends on their website, the image needs to be smaller than 20MB too.
Remember that ‘+’ icon from making your board? Give that another cheeky click.
This time you’re going to want to select Pin. Then locate the image you wish to use on your computer and drag it into the website.
After the image is uploaded enter a title, a small description, and a link (this part will become important later!).
Finally, when everything is looking good and ready, choose the Board you want from the drop-down and hit ‘Save’.
3. Why Use Pinterest To Make Money?
While Pinterest is usually viewed as a social media site; it can be used in a multitude of other ways.
The best way that I have heard it described is as a ‘visual search engine’. People use it to find things to inspire or purchase.
So if you’re perched in front of your computer, thinking about how to top up your piggybank from where you’re sitting, look no further.
Pinterest can offer you inventive ways of making money and increasing your income, and the site is forever changing to become friendlier for new users.
To get your hopes up, here are a few interesting facts about Pinterest:
- Pinterest is the third most popular social network in the US.
- The site’s international user base is growing even faster than inside the US.
- It has 416 million users and rising.
- 84% of the time is spent re-pinning
4. How To Build An Audience on Pinterest
You’ve set up your page, there’s some quality content pinned to your board. Now it’s time to build an audience.
It may seem like luck when a profile has built a large audience. In reality, it is more likely a variety of factors.
With the right techniques and a little time, you can start to engage with Pinterest’s inbuilt audience.
Below are a few different ways of engaging with Pinterest and its users. Most importantly you want to be driving traffic to your Pins and Boards.
1. SEO Strategizing
Search Engine Optimized (SEO) content is specifically designed to get your page noticed on search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
It may sound like something from an outdated Sci-Fi, but it’s actually relatively simple.
It involves the use of keywords, which are phrases that someone might use when searching for something online.
So if people frequently search for “ironic t-shirts” on Google, it would be beneficial if you use this phrase somewhere on your Pinterest. This should only be if your Pinterest is related to ironic t-shirts though. You want to be getting the right kind of traffic.
There are a few places you can employ keywords. A great example is the ‘About’ section of your profile. Pins can be tagged to include some text, so use this to keep your keywords up to date with what’s trending.
It’s better to be specific with keywords. You’ll benefit more from having 10 people interested in exactly what you’re selling, rather than 100 people looking for something close to it.
2. Creating Contests
Creating your own contests on Pinterest is quick and easy, and very, very popular. People love free things, who knew?
You should make sure that you make entering your contests as easy as possible, to get as large an audience as you can. Look at making things mobile-friendly for maximum uptake.
With contests, you can ask people to re-pin your content, so depending on the kind of interest you can generate this could result in a lot of exposure.
You could also go a step further if you’ve got something particularly juicy up for grabs. You could ask your followers to create entire boards with a theme of your choosing.
Giving something small away for publicity is almost a no brainer; it can pay dividends in the end.
Make sure you read the rules surrounding contests on Pinterest, and most of all, have fun!
3. Landing Page
When making a contest it’s usually best to direct users to a separate website known as a ‘Landing Page’. This is where they will submit their content for evaluation.
A Landing Page can stop you from becoming involved with anything Pinterest would consider to generate spam.
Creating a Landing Page is easy; you can use services like Wix or Mailchimp to make one. Luckily sites like these have guides to get your Landing Page up and running.
4. Re-Pinning Content
If you’re not in the mood to spend all day creating your own pins, maybe try re-pinning a few things.
This way you can quickly develop a look for your page, and you’re engaging with the community, helping other creators.
You can usually find pins for any niche, so don’t worry. From dollhouses to industrial tools, someone will have you covered.
With a little goodwill and a lot of re-pinning, you may find that people start to re-pin from your page, and thus your network expands.
You never know, there could be a whole community on Pinterest based around the very thing you’re trying to promote.
This makes it a great place to find contacts interested in the same industries as you.
How To Make Money On Pinterest: 3 Amazing Ways
Whether you’re thinking of utilizing Pinterest to directly make money or to redirect users to your own site, this guide will hopefully have you covered!
Now that you’ve started building a sizable following, it’s time to start making money on Pinterest…
1. Affiliate Marketing
Have you ever recommended something to a friend? They’ve gone out, made the purchase, and you’re sitting at home while some Bezos shmuck makes money off of your goodwill?
No longer, you can get paid for those recommendations. Enter, affiliate links.
An affiliate link is essentially a shop web address you attach to a pin on your Pinterest page. You get a commission on every purchase made through this link.
There are a few different marketplaces that offer affiliation, and a couple of the easiest include:
- Amazon Associates
- Shopstyle Collective
Both of these are open to anyone, so you can set up an account and get linking almost instantly.
Amazon is especially good as they run the Amazon influencer program. You can apply for this once you have a little more ‘internet reach’.
There are other platforms that are slightly more elite, such as Awin and Rewardstyle. You have to be invited to become a member of these organizations which is a little trickier.
Make sure people know you’re an affiliate when posting pins, using an appropriate hashtag should keep you covered.
For example, something along the lines of #affiliate or #amazonaffiliate is usually enough of a signal.
Maybe you don’t want to swim with the big fishes though; maybe you want to sell your own thing. You’re an independent business with a quality product, so here’s…
2. Driving Traffic from Pinterest to Another Site
So affiliate marketing didn’t take your fancy? Or you’ve already conquered it? Incredible.
Obviously, you’ve been on the internet a while, already have your own Etsy or Redbubble up and running?
Pinterest can be a powerful ally, another route through which an audience can find your product.
Driving traffic from your Pinterest page to your own blog or e-commerce site is easy. You could create Pins of your own products, which would then have links to your site.
So, let’s say you’re selling designer handbags (good for you!); you could create a pin with the image of a handbag you’re selling.
This pin would then link back to the sales page for that handbag.
This ensures the opportunity for purchase is there immediately, right after someone takes an interest.
It also creates a positive user experience; the process of finding your product feels organic through Pinterest.
It’s the same procedure when trying to secure some eyes for your blog, create a pin for each article you write.
This way you might be able to generate some conversation on Pinterest, it is a social media site after all.
As long as the Pin is trending so is your article, and this can last for an extremely long time.
Don’t want to promote your own product? You just want to help someone else do it? Consider…
3. Becoming a Pinterest Virtual Assistant
So you’ve read through this article and think you’re a Pinterest master. You’ve exhausted every avenue; you’ve cranked those clicks up to the max.
Now it’s time to share that expertise, it’s time to become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant.
A Pinterest VA assists high profile Pinterest users with things like SEO Content, creating pins, and running Promoted Pins.
You never know who you could be assisting, so be open to promoting varied content!
There are plenty of guides available on how to become a Pinterest VA, online courses are particularly helpful.
These resources can help you learn everything you need to know about being a VA, including how to find clients and keep hold of them.
Just like most services, the more experienced a VA you are the more lucrative the position can become.
People often start out making $20 an hour but this can move up to around $500 a month with the right work ethic.
That’s pretty sweet for something you could be doing from your sofa right?
Related: Low-Stress Jobs for People With Anxiety
Final Thoughts
Thanks for reading the guide; I hope you have a better idea of how to start making some money from Pinterest now.
It’s a very versatile platform and I would implore anyone to make use of it. That’s whether you’re an individual looking to make a quick buck, or a business looking for ways to expand their reach.
The beautiful thing about this kind of work is that you can do it on your own time. Do as little or as much as you want.
Pinterest is becoming increasingly popular year on year, there’s no better time to jump in than now.
So get out there and start pinning, start linking and start generating some cash. You don’t need anything more than an internet connection to get going.
Happy Pinteresting, and good luck!
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