How to Make Money on Pinterest Without a Blog
Did you know that you can make money on Pinterest? Would you like to learn how to make money on Pinterest without a blog? Up until about a year ago, I had no clue myself. Now that I know how it works and am actually making money from it myself, I’m sharing what I know with you all so that you can make money too!
Keep in mind that many people choose to make money online with a website as well. Websites and Pinterest work well together. However, it’s really just a matter of preference. Some people prefer not to have a website because they just want to focus on one task at a time. I get it. However, if you’re the type who wants to jump right in and experience different ways to make money online using affiliate marketing then you probably should go ahead and start a website. It’s really not that hard.
All you need to do is buy a domain and hosting, as well as pick a theme. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A basic website will do. Right away you’ll have 2 income streams-your website and Pinterest. You’ll just need to make sure you understand affiliate marketing if you want to have your own website. Obviously having a website gives you more options.
If your time is limited, or you’re just not interested in owning a website, then making money on Pinterest is just for you! Its super easy and when I show you how you’ll be mad (like I was) that you didn’t know about this sooner.
Now on to the good stuff-how to make money on Pinterest without a blog. What am I referring to you ask? Using affiliate links on Pinterest! That’s right. Once upon a time Pinterest banned using affiliate links but they are now allowed and more popular than ever. You really don’t need a blog or website to practice affiliate marketing on Pinterest. All you need is a Pinterest account, affiliate links, and pins.
One thing to remember regarding making money on Pinterest is that there are requirements for disclosing the use of affiliate links if you are receiving any sort of compensation for promoting or recommending a product. It is very important that you understand where and how to properly disclose that you are using affiliate links when using Pinterest.
There are a few ways to disclose the use of an affiliate link. One way is to add hashtags. You may have seen words like #ad, #affiliate, or #sponsored post in the description of a pin. It’s always a good idea to check the Terms of Service of each affiliate program you apply for specific requirements on using their links. Please take this seriously as your account can get shut down for not disclosing. If you share your affiliate link on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram you should use one of the hashtags as well.
The first thing you’ll want to do is set up a Business account (it’s free) on Pinterest. If you already have a Pinterest account you want to use then you can convert it to a business account. Why? Well for one because it’s required in the Pinterest Terms of Service. Another reason to have a business account is for the Pinterest Analytics. Business accounts, which are free, give you access to features such as analytics that can help you strategize. You definitely will want to view statistics about how your pins are performing and how people are engaging with your content. A business account allows you to do just that. In turn, knowing your Pinterest analytics helps you discover more of what people want to see. This will help you create more engaging pins. If you do have a website you can also brand your pins with your business name, enable rich pins (rich pins have more information on them than regular pins), and showcase your boards.
In order to really get your Pinterest profile and pins noticed be sure you’re using SEO. SEO keywords should be added in the business name and About Me section of your profile. You should also add keywords in the board title and description. Be sure your descriptions have complete sentences filled with keywords relevant to your board. Using the search bar in Pinterest is extremely helpful for finding good keywords so take advantage of it.
One thing you can do if you want to increase your profits with affiliate pins is make a few of your boards dedicated strictly to affiliate pins. You can label your Board as such in the description so that others who run across this board know this from the start. There are also Group Boards you can join that are dedicated to affiliate pins only or that welcome affiliate pins. Some boards have strict guidelines on what they allow and don’t. Be sure to pay careful attention to the Group Board rules before you join and post affiliate pins. You can find Group Boards that are affiliate friendly by doing a search on Pinterest. I also recommend joining groups on Facebook that are dedicated to those who have created Group Boards and those looking to join Group Boards. You can find not only affiliate friendly group boards there but also Group Boards specific to a certain niche you may be looking for. Group Boards are great for getting your content seen by more people. The more people that see your pins, the more money you can make. Once I became a part of some Group Boards that were affiliate friendly, I begin making more money than before joining those boards so it can work. One such FB Group Board is “Pinterest Group Board Add”. Just do a search on Facebook and request to join.
Before we get into which affiliates are the best to join for Pinterest and how they work, below is an example of how to edit your pin to include an affiliate link.
Example 1
Example: 2
If you look at the first picture at the top of if you will see 3 little dots. If you click on a pin you will see that they all have those 3 dots. That’s what you click on to edit a pin.
In the first example, you will also see the fields “Board, Section, Description, and Website”. Your Board name should be SEO friendly. Cute Pajamas may seem like a good board name to you, and may even describe what’s on your Board perfectly. Do not name your board something unless you have done a search on Pinterest and know people are using and searching for the term. Otherwise, your board may not get much exposure. Always do a SEO search on Pinterest before naming your boards.
The Section portion is where you can break your board down even further. For instance, say you have a board named “Pets”. You can break it down even further into sections of different breeds of dogs. Some people find this organizational tool beneficial. It really all depends on your board and preference.
For the Description field, again, you want to put in good SEO and keywords here to get your board out to the masses. The description field is where you put your ad disclosure info such as #aff. You also want to write a sentence or two with keywords here. If it’s one of your boards you have dedicated strictly to affiliate pins here is where you can state that as well.
The Website field is where you put your affiliate link (see example 2). Once you join different affiliate programs and go to each one to get your links, then you just plug them in the website field and voila! When people click on your pin and decide to buy or learn more about the items they’ll be taken to whatever you’re advertising. If they buy the item then you make money from the sell. The affiliate program keeps track of it all based on their tracking system.
Most affiliate programs have two types of systems. Click per Action or CPA, or Pay Per Click or PPC. Obviously, the CPA programs pays more. However, I say apply for all kinds of programs. Those clicks can add up.
When applying for the affiliate programs you’ll list your Pinterest Profile URL as your website. It’s important to know that not all affiliate programs will accept you if you do not have a website. The affiliates I discuss are ones that are either ones that do accept applicants without a website, or will more than likely accept you. If you do have a problem getting accepted one option is to explain to them how you’ll promote the merchant with Pinterest. Most times once they understand better why you listed your Pinterest profile URL, they will reverse their decision to reject your application.
Here are some of the different affiliate programs for affiliate pins on Pinterest that will accept you without a blog.
Affiliate Programs
ShopStyleCollective
ShopStyle Collective, or SSC, actually has a partnership with Pinterest. Right now ShopStyle Collective has a CPA (Click per Action) and a PPC (Pay per Click) model. However, the PPC model will be going away soon. They promise to give a90-day notice before this happens. As stated earlier CPA is when someone actually buys an item. If you aren’t already a part of SSC, they may make you go ahead and sign up for the CPA program without offering the PPC option since they’re phasing it out.
Once you get to the section where the affiliate program ask you for your website or blog domain, enter the URL to your Pinterest account (this is why you need to create a Pinterest account first).
If you do happen to have a blog you can also create a “Look” with SSC. A Look is a shoppable image that allows your audience to view and purchase products featured on your Instagram. Or if you blog, you can add multiple looks to your blog and embed the collection code onto your blog, share your blog page on Instagram, and monetize your feed. If you don’t have a blog just share the URL to your shop page as hosted on shopstyle.com. If you have a fashion blog or a fashion-themed Instagram account or Pinterest profile you can really get creative. However, fashion is just one example. Any niche will work when it comes to affiliate marketing on Pinterest and making money. I know someone who has a board dedicated to pets and pet products and is doing quite well.
ShopStyle Collective also has what they call a Linkit button you can use to pin directly from stores. Be sure to add the Linkit button to your Chrome browser if you want to be able to do this.
TIP: Check the merchant’s websites for pictures you can use for your pins. Their blog or advertisements usually have great pictures. Using images already created is such a time saver. Then just save the picture to your computer and use Canva or some other image/graphic editing software to create your pin. I use Canva because it’s free. There’s also Stencil, Pic Monkey, and one I just learned about that I’ve fallen in love with called Adobe Spark. It’s super easy (like Canva) but with more options. Canva and Adobe Spark are free to use. There’s really no need to pay for image editing software if you’re just creating pins. After you create your pin, all that’s left to do is upload your picture, add the affiliate link, and then save to a board on Pinterest.
Magic Links
If you don’t have a blog, then Magic Links is another affiliate program that will work well. They also have a Click per Action model. Like ShopStyle, you shop and find items you want to pin at MagicLinks partner retailers. You can use the MagicLinks app, or download the Link browser extension. Then, copy your MagicLink so it’s ready to be added to your Pin.
There are a few options for adding the image. They make it almost effortless with their drag and drop feature where you just drag the retailer’s image from their website. You can also add an image the old fashion way by doing it manually. Or select an image by clicking “save from site”. Always double check your affiliate link after you put it in the website field on your pin to make sure it works and is saved correctly.
Mavenx
Mavenx is one of those affiliates not many people seem to know about for some reason. I love Mavenx. Not only because they’re an awesome affiliate to be a part of, but because you can actually create your own little Mavenx page on their website as well and earn money when people purchase items you’ve posted on your Mavenx page! It’s very easy to use. There are so many ways to customize your Maven profile and promote your boards on social media.
Another bonus is that you get $1 for each referral plus 25% of that referral’s sale earnings for nine months. Maven pays you commission even if you use your own link to shop! Come on folks! This is a win-win situation here. How can you not use Maven?
Once you have some boards set up there are a few ways to share the link. You can share boards or individual products by embedding a Maven board on your blog (if you have one), sending a link through email or social media, or pin it to Pinterest. **see note below.
Zazzle
In addition to using Zazzle affiliate links on Pinterest, you can also sell your art or other products on Zazzle’s website if you wish. You can create an affiliate link to your store, a product, pre-made banners that you can use to earn referrals, or even the Zazzle homepage.
Other Affiliates
There are many affiliate programs you can join. There’s no way I can talk about all of them but the list above offers a few choice ones that I use and love that I know will accept your Pinterest Profile URL as your website.
Having said that, here’s a list of a few more than may or may not accept your Pinterest profile URL. How it works with these affiliates is once you join then you have to go to each merchant up under them and apply to get accepted to their individual affiliate program. It’s a quick process so don’t let it discourage you.
For those that do allow it, you can simply enter your Pinterest URL when asked for your website. If not, don’t waste any time being disappointed. Just apply to the affiliates I outlined earlier that do let you use your Pinterest profile URL and keep moving forward and applying for others. You’ll still make money.
ShareASale
Once you sign up with ShareASale you will be able to see all the merchants they have that you can sign up with. Merchants who sell planners are always a hit on Pinterest. Join their affiliate program through ShareASale and sell some planners. You will just save the images you want if the merchant has any for the particular item you want to sell. Then create your design on Canva, Adobe Spark, or any other image editing software, download and save the picture, and upload the image on Pinterest.
Go back to the merchant information and copy your affiliate link associated with them or the item you want to sell. That’s the link you’ll plug into the website field on Pinterest of the pin you created.
ShareASale is a good affiliate program to use if you want to have many merchant choices. These affiliate have a host of merchants you can choose from. To apply for each merchant whose affiliate program you want to become a part of just do a search for the one you want. If you aren’t familiar with which merchants are a part of the affiliate program, just do a search by category. This will bring up a list of merchants that sell items in that category. The only thing to be careful about with affiliates that offer many merchants is you have to read each ones Terms of Service. As I said, some of the merchants may not allow their affiliate links on Pinterest. Here are 2 others you might consider joining:
As an FYI…Please do not use any Amazon or Etsy affiliate links on Pinterest. Both of their Terms of Service forbid it.
Scheduling your Pins
Tailwind is a scheduling tool for Pinterest. Not only will it simplify scheduling your pins, but it is a huge time saver as well. Anyone using Pinterest for affiliate sales should be using Tailwind, especially if you want to have optimal reach. Optimal reach equals optimal sales.
When I first started pinning affiliate links I focused on a few specific categories such as fashion and home décor. If sticking to a specific category does not yield the results you desire, try branching out a bit. Study your Pinterest analytics (again a good reason to get a business account or convert to one) to find out what people are interested in and which pins are getting the most engagement. Pay attention to what’s being re-pinned and what your followers are saving. This is great information to help you know what types of pins and boards to create and focus on the most. Even if you don’t have a lot of followers you still can make money on Pinterest. You just need to make sure your board titles and descriptions are SEO abundant which everyone should do anyway if they want their pins to be discovered and pinned. Your success rate will be higher if you automate your pin process with Tailwind.
Here are some popular categories on Pinterest for affiliate marketing:
- Fashion
- Home Décor
- Pets
- Food
- Weddings
- Holidays
- Furniture
- Blogging
- Gardening
- Parenting
- Faith/Religion
- Accessories
When thinking of what categories you want to explore you may need to take it a step further. For instance, maybe you want to break the categories down even further into sections. For a wedding, you might have sections such as bridesmaid’s dresses, wedding gowns, etc. For fashion, you may have women’s fashions, and then break it down into plus sizes, chic, etc. You get the picture. Be creative and have fun!
Now that you know how to make money on Pinterest there’s nothing left to it but to do it! I try to pin about 4 affiliate pins a day to at least 3 different boards. You pick your own schedule and do as many or as little as you want. The more pins the better. However, remember to mix it up, don’t pin only affiliate pins, diversify your pins, add a chrome extension for any affiliates that offer one to save time, and be consistent. Tailwind has an extension that makes pinning life easy. Also, practice makes perfect when it comes to creating pins. You’ll become better and better at it the more you do it.
Pinterest Affiliate Marketing Courses
When I first begin using Pinterest for affiliate marketing, I wish I had known about this Pinterest resource e-book. I could have saved myself tons of time and research and trying to figure everything out on my own. If you want to speed things up too then here are my favorite Pinterest resources.
The e-books that really helped me step up my Pinterest game and start making more money are Pinterest Strategies and Pinterest Ninjas. These first one is helpful for learning more about how to make money on Pinterest although that’s not all it is helpful for.
Pinterest Ninjas is a great course that will help you learn more about Pinterest and increase your Pinterest traffic. I don’t have to tell you that the more traffic you have on Pinterest, the more sales you’ll make. The e-book also goes into depth about the best way to use Tailwind. Another perk if you purchase this e-book is that each time there’s an update on Pinterest, the author updates the e-book and you get an updated copy for life! How cool is that? Well worth the money I say especially since Pinterest is forever changing their rules, algorithms, etc. and you definitely want to stay in the know.
Plus, don’t forget, if you buy the e-book, then you can become an affiliate for these books as well. Then you can create images for the e-books (or use the ones some of the authors provide through their affiliate program) to pin them so that you can make money selling them.
I hope this post is helpful to you and has answered your questions on Pinterest Affiliate Marketing. If you have any questions you can always email me. I love helping people make money and helping them in general as well.
Happy Pinning!
UPDATE: **This morning (Sept. 8) I got an email from Mavenx stating they will be shutting down operations on October 8, 2018. This is surprising and sad news. I really loved working with Mavenx. They did not give a reason for the shut-down. Which goes to show you…you cannot put all your eggs in one basket in the online business. However, don’t let this discourage you….there are still lots of other affiliates you can choose from and still be successful. Just choose some of the other ones listed below. Alright rat racers, onward and upward!
This post may contain affiliate links, that means I make a small commission which helps keep the blog running at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure for details.