Pinterest isn't just a way for suburban moms to find Keto recipes.
In 2012, after launching Pinterest business pages, the social network allowed users to make money.
Plus, with 89% of Pinterest users going to the site for purchase inspiration, it's safe to say the Pinterest blogging business is lucrative.
So whether you're new to blogging and social media or are a self-proclaimed pro, here's a step-by-step guide to making money on Pinterest.
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How to make money on Pinterest (even without a blog)
To profit from a Pinterest business account, you have to start with a strong foundation for traffic to grow and marketing to work.
Whether you'll attach a website to your Pinterest or not, your Pinterest profile needs a solid theme/niche, a profile picture to put a face to the name, an optimized account description, and a list of keywords associated with your blogging niche.
Let's break down why these tools are necessary for your Pinterest success.
Step 1: Start with a strong foundation
Can you make money on Pinterest by posting with the same content as everyone else?
Sure, you can make some money that way, but it's not a sustainable idea.
Social media users can see through ingenuine content, repetition, and get-rich-quick-schemes.
Also, your Pinterest won't stand out from the crowd if it's just following what everyone else does.
Plus, if you're not enjoying the content you're posting, then you'll quickly run out of steam.
That's why you need to sit down and ask yourself, what do I want to dedicate my Pinterest to and why?
If you're going to take this endeavor seriously and treat it as a profession, which it could be by following these steps, then you need to find your path.
For example, “fashion” is a popular yet broad topic that appeals to a wide audience, but it's not specific enough to make you stand out. Instead, if you're interested in the environment and sustainability, then your niche could be “sustainable fashion.”
It all depends on what you're interested in. Suppose you jot down a few ideas and cannot narrow them down, head to SEMrush to pick your niche based on the market demand.
The last aspect of this step is to spend time researching and reflecting. Put yourself in a reader's shoes and analyze ways that your Pinterest can appeal to a wide audience.
So take note of what pins you look for, what types of content you're drawn to, and what makes you click on a Pinterest profile. Then apply the same reasoning to your account.
After all, if you don't find your Pinterest interesting and unique, then why expect anyone else to?
And how can you make money on Pinterest without having confidence in your business?
After you feel secure with your niche, the next step is to set up an appealing and search engine optimized account.
See Related: How to Make Money on Snapchat
Step 2: Create a Pinterest profile that is aesthetically pleasing and then optimize it
To show that you're an active business account, make sure you have a recent picture of yourself or some sort of picture representing your business.
Accounts without profile pictures don't look active or professional. Then you can really optimize your account.
Optimizing means including relevant keywords, pictures, and links that will rank your account higher in the search engine.
Pinterest specifically has a visual algorithm that scans pictures and sees what they relate to.
So for example, if you include pictures of recycled clothing in your pins or boards, then the search engine will pull it up when users search for “recycled clothing.”
You can also use SEO in the account description, board titles, pin titles, and board descriptions on the profile itself. If you're lost on finding SEO terms, take the time to research top Pinterest accounts.
You can also plug in a broad term on the search bar and see the suggested searches, so you know what's highly searched.
When it comes down to writing descriptions, you want to organically sprinkle in keywords while explaining what your account is about in an inviting way. Don't bombard your audience with keywords.
There are many places to utilize SEO, and you don't want to come across as a robot. Show your personality in these short descriptions while signaling to Pinterest users that you have what they're looking for.
See Related: How to Share a Tweet on Facebook
Step 3: Create appealing content consistently
Nobody cares about a social media account that's empty or inconsistent. That's why content is king. So when you launch your account, have at least ten good niche board ideas.
The boards should be titled and include keywords. Additionally, the pins should have attractive yet simple images attached so that users will click on them.
Programs like Canva are free to use, easy to understand, and will allow you to create stylish visuals for your Pinterest.
Also, be consistent. Try posting a handful of pins at the same time every day. For example, you can plan on posting five pins in the morning, five at noon, and five more in the evening.
To make posting a million times easier, sign up for Tailwind. It helps you create enticing pins at the drop of a hat and schedules a week's worth of pins at once.
Plus, it saves your logo, fonts, and color scheme so that each pin is consistent with your brand.
View more information on Tailwind here and below.
If you've decided to attach your website to your Pinterest business, then you should have at least five blog posts up that you can link to your Pinterest. While you don't need a blog to succeed and make money on Pinterest, it makes the process much easier.
I'll explain exactly why later, but if you choose to make a blog, make sure you pay for the domain. Free website builders like Blogger won't allow you to grow or be taken seriously.
See Related: How to Become a Content Creator
Step 4: Gain followers
You will, of course, gain followers as time goes on and you implement marketing strategies, but from the get-go, you can gain followers by following your competitor's followers.
Or you can follow people who have shared interests.
You can follow up to 50 people a day. Any more than that, and your account looks spammy and might get locked out from Pinterest.
Another way to gain followers is by re-pinning other people's pins within your target audience. Lastly, be sure only to follow profiles that have a profile picture since they're more likely to be active and thus engage with your Pinterest.
See Related: How to Make Money on Medium
Step 5: Sign up for Affiliate Programs
But once a business account is up and running, how do people make money on Pinterest? For starters, people sign up for affiliate programs.
Affiliate marketing is the middleman between the seller and the buyer.
You and your Pinterest come into play with this money-making program by promoting a product or service on behalf of the seller.
You will receive a commission for this. Keep in mind that when you start posting affiliate links, you need to identify that they are affiliate links per FTC guidelines.
You can do so by adding #affiliate. And perhaps most importantly with affiliate programs, you want to build trust with your audience by only promoting items and services you love.
Among the umbrella affiliate program, there are two types.
PPL: Pay-per-lead
- This type of affiliate marketing means you get paid or otherwise rewarded when someone signs up for a product or email list because you promoted it. There isn't a purchase necessary with this route.
- Examples of PPL affiliate programs include Tailwind, LinkedIn Learning, Grammarly, and Coupons.com.
PPS: Pay-per-sale
- Alternatively, PPS affiliate programs reward you once a sale is made. It's more difficult to attain many of these, but they do pay more.
- Examples include Bluehost, Etsy Affiliates, PicMonkey, and Coinbase.
Referral Programs
- A cashback program for when you invite people to shop brands or services through referral links.
- Examples include Airbnb, Swagbucks, and Rakuten.
Affiliate networks are more convenient than other money-making strategies, but they typically pay less. Plus, most require you to have a blog or domain name to apply, so if you don't want a blog, then your options are limited.
However, you can try to put affiliate links directly into your Pinterest pin and use the affiliate hashtag in the pin description to try gaining clicks. If you do have a blog, then you cannot just make money on Pinterest but from affiliates too.
Another tip for affiliate programs is to use URL shortening services like Bitly to manage your links. This tracks your pins and boards for the number of clicks you receive, so you know what works and doesn't work.
Plus, the shorter links are more appealing.
See Related: How to Make Money on TikTok
Step 6: Sign up for Ad Marketing
AdSense is a form of ad marketing powered by Google that displays ads on your Pinterest. You can apply right when you launch your Pinterest business account because you don't need a certain amount of followers or page views to qualify.
It's passive income, but many Pinterest users find other Ad networks to be higher paying once they gain a large audience.
For example, you can switch to Mediavine once your Pinterest is 3-4 months old with a minimum of around 30,000 monthly page views.
Two other Ad networks are Media.net and My Finance. The latter is perfect for Pinterest accounts dedicated to a finance or money niche.
See Related: Ways to Make Money on Quora
Step 7: Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant
Many Pinterest users, myself included, had no idea this job existed. Essentially, like any other assistant job, as a Pinterest VA, you can help a business owner manage their Pinterest account.
Professional bloggers and social media influencers might not have the time to create pins and engage with followers on every single social media account they have.
As long as you have some kind of design, organization, or administrative experience or interest then you can apply those skills to a Pinterest VA position.
Since this is a freelance gig, you will have to seek out clients unless you’re already a virtual assistant. If so, then you can add Pinterest management to your repertoire.
Various bloggers who work as Pinterest Virtual Assistants as a side hustle, offer workshops and courses on how to gain a client base and consistent work if you’re serious about pursuing this way to make money on Pinterest.
Step 8: Market your products
If you run an Etsy shop or other business where you sell products or offer services, you can utilize your Pinterest and promote your products. Examples include ebooks, workshops, jewelry, clothing, and interior decor.
As a business owner, it helps to have a social media channel to gain a big and loyal customer base. You can create pins for your products or services and link them directly to where your followers can buy them.
Make sure to include relevant pictures and optimized descriptions, so it ranks higher in the search engine.
Step 9: Ask for sponsorships
After you gain a certain standing on Pinterest, you can directly ask brands that provide products or services within your niche for sponsorships.
You can justify why Pinterest is a great platform for promoting their brand and products by sharing how many followers and daily pageviews you have. This can be done in a pitch.
Top tips for pitching sponsorships from Influencer Brianne Huntsman are,
- DM them since they're more likely to see it
- Only email them if they have a specific marketing email listed on the company site
- Make the pitch about your followers
- Include screenshots, if possible, of a follower asking for a recommendation that relates to the brand you’re pitching to
- Include one sentence about why you love their specific product
- Make sure you’re already following them on Pinterest
- Try to make it a timely campaign
- Discuss ROI such as measuring likes, comments, follower growth, site traffic increase, and products sold
- If you can, offer to send them a report of your rates and offerings such as saying, “Hey [brand name]! I’ve attached my rates and media kit to this email. I include a metrics report at the end of all collaborations, so you can better measure the impact of our partnership.”
It's really a win-win situation because they get marketing, and you get compensation for said marketing. Plus, your audience is introduced to a company that aligns with their interest.
That sounds pretty perfect if you ask me.
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