How to Make Money on Pinterest in 2024: 9 Proven Strategies for Monetizing Your Account
Are you eager to turn your Pinterest scrolling into a reliable stream of revenue? You‘ve come to the right place! In this ultimate guide, we‘ll walk you through nine proven ways to make money on Pinterest – whether you‘re an e-commerce brand, blogger, service provider, creator, or just have a knack for curating eye-catching content.
But first, let‘s look at some stats that illustrate why Pinterest is such a powerful platform for driving revenue in 2024:
- Pinterest has over 400 million monthly active users, with 37% year-over-year growth in Q4 2023 alone
- 75% of Pinners say they are likely to purchase a product they see on Pinterest with 4 out of 5 brands seeing an increase in conversions
- Pinterest users spend 98% more on retail products than non-Pinners and 80% more at checkout when they shop online
- The number of Pinners engaging with shopping surfaces grew over 20% in the past 6 months
Sources: Pinterest Newsroom, Pinterest for Business
Clearly, the purchase intent on Pinterest is strong! Let‘s dive into how you can tap into this opportunity and start generating sales from your Pinterest presence this year.
1. Master Affiliate Marketing with Product Pins
Affiliate marketing is one of the most accessible ways to monetize on Pinterest. By creating pins that feature products you love and linking them to the retailer‘s site with your unique tracking link, you can earn a commission on any resulting sales.
The key to succeeding with affiliate pins is to prioritize authenticity and value. Focus on products you genuinely use and believe in rather than just pushing anything and everything. Create helpful content like gift guides, tutorials, and styling tips that naturally incorporate your affiliate products.
Here are a few examples of compelling affiliate pins from top Pinterest marketers:
[Insert 2-3 example screenshots]When designing your affiliate pins, be sure to:
- Use vertical images that show the product in context
- Overlay the product name and key selling points on the image
- Include searchable keywords in your title and description
- Disclose your affiliate relationship for transparency
- Link directly to the specific product page vs. a general homepage
By building trust with your audience and consistently sharing high-quality recommendations, you can turn your affiliate pins into a substantial income stream. Experienced Pinterest affiliate marketers can earn anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month.
2. Sell Your Products with Shoppable Product Pins
Have your own products to sell? Pinterest is the perfect place to get them in front of eager shoppers and drive traffic to your online store. In fact, a 2022 study found that:
- 83% of weekly Pinners made a purchase based on content they saw from brands on Pinterest
- 45% of Pinners are Pinterest to shop, not just browse
- Shopping ads on Pinterest have 2.3x more cost-efficient conversion vs ads on social media
Source: Pinterest Ads
To start selling on Pinterest, create a business account and set up a product catalog to enable shoppable Product Pins. Be sure to sync your product feed so pins always reflect the most up-to-date pricing and availability.
When designing your shoppable pins, use professional photography that clearly showcases your product and entices people to learn more. Your copy should highlight unique benefits and features while incorporating relevant keywords.
Check out how the brand Kingdom of XXXII drives sales for their premium pet beds with Pinterest:
[Insert example screenshot]In addition to organic pins, consider investing in Pinterest Shopping Ads to get your products in front of even more potential customers. You can run Promoted Product Pins that look native to the feed and only pay when someone clicks through to your site.
3. Grow Your Blog Traffic for Ad & Sponsor Revenue
Is your blog or website monetized with display advertising, sponsorships, or digital product sales? Tapping Pinterest to send more traffic to your site can have a big impact on your bottom line.
[Insert Pinterest referral traffic screenshot]Because pins tend to have a much longer lifespan compared to posts on other social media platforms, a single pin can drive significant traffic to your site for weeks and months after originally shared. This is especially true if you create content around evergreen topics.
To optimize your website content for success on Pinterest:
- Design 2-3 eye-catching pin images per post
- Write titles that match what your target audience is searching for
- Include a strong call-to-action in your pin descriptions
- Add the Pinterest save button to your site for easy pinning
- Make your content scannable with lists, tips, and takeaways
You can also partner with brands on sponsored content campaigns and get paid to create pins featuring their products or services. Sponsored pins should still provide value to your unique audience and fit seamlessly with your organic content.
4. Offer Pinterest Management & Marketing Services
Perhaps you‘ve seen strong results with Pinterest for your own blog or business – so much so that people are constantly asking you for advice. Have you considered turning that expertise into a service-based business?
Plenty of companies and entrepreneurs recognize the potential of Pinterest marketing but lack the time, skills, or desire to manage it themselves. That‘s where you come in!
As a Pinterest manager or strategist, you can help your clients:
- Optimize their profile and boards for discoverability
- Design click-worthy pin images and write compelling copy
- Schedule and publish fresh pins on a consistent basis
- Analyze results and make data-driven improvements
- Set up and manage Pinterest ads campaigns
According to a survey by Credo, freelance social media managers earn an average of $65-80 per hour. Agencies and consultants can charge anywhere from $500 to $2,000+ per month depending on the scope of services.
To attract your first few clients, showcase your own Pinterest account growth and results. Consider publishing Pinterest tips on your blog or social media to demonstrate your knowledge. Finally, don‘t be afraid to reach out to companies in your niche that could benefit from your skills.
5. Join the Pinterest Creator Fund
Pinterest is investing $20 million in its Creator Fund to help support and scale talented creators on the platform. Each cohort of the Creator Fund receives:
- A financial grant to boost their content creation
- Hands-on training and tailored coaching from Pinterest
- Access to exclusive tools and insights
- Promotion to new audiences across Pinterest
To be eligible for the program, you must:
- Have published at least 3 Idea Pins and have at least 1 in the last 30 days
- Have posted at least 3 times in the last 30 days
- Have a minimum of 250 engaged followers (likes/comments) in the last 30 days
- Adhere to Pinterest‘s Community Guidelines and Creator Guidelines
While not a direct monetization strategy, the Creator Fund can accelerate your organic growth on the platform and open up opportunities to earn more from your Pinterest audience down the line.
[Insert Creator Fund example or quote]6. Host an Idea Pin Series or Workshop
Idea Pins are Pinterest‘s multi-page video pin format, which has seen a 15x increase in engagement compared to standard pins.
You can use Idea Pins to:
- Showcase a product tutorial or styling session
- Break down a complex topic in your niche
- Share a peek behind-the-scenes of your business
- Host an interactive challenge or series
For example, personal stylist Allison Bornstein uses Idea Pins to educate her audience on fashion tips and trends.
[Insert Allison Bornstein Idea Pin example]Idea Pins are also the perfect format for teaching a paid workshop or course. By hosting it live on Pinterest, you can tap into a built-in engaged audience and attract new students.
To run a successful Idea Pin series:
- Plan a storyboard for your content in advance
- Hook viewers in the first few seconds with a strong opener
- Make it as easy as possible for viewers to take action on your ideas
- Use text overlay to highlight key points
- Add relevant keywords to your title and description
7. Promote Paid & Sponsored Content with Idea Ads
After giving Idea Pins a try organically, take your video content to the next level with Idea Ads. This format allows you to create an interactive series with up to 20 pages and gain in-depth post analytics, including performance per page.
By putting spend behind your top Idea Pins, you can expand your reach and sell more products or services. Make these paid pins shoppable by tagging products or including a prominent link in the final slide.
[Insert Idea Ads example]8. Expand into Pinterest TV Streaming
Last year, Pinterest launched Pinterest TV, a series of live, original, and shoppable episodes featuring creators. Episodes are currently produced in-house, but Pinterest plans to open up hosting capabilities to more businesses and creators in the future.
This could become a new way for entrepreneurs and brands to connect with their audience and drive sales through engaging video content. Imagine launching a weekly show that educates viewers on your area of expertise and inspires them to purchase your offers.
[Insert PTTV example screenshot]Becoming a Pinterest TV creator will likely require a sizable existing following on the platform. Focus on growing your audience and building demand for longer-form video content from your brand. You can start experimenting with Pinterest video through Idea Pins and Lives to hone your skills.
9. Experiment with Augmented Reality (AR) Try On
AR is becoming an increasingly popular way for brands to help customers visualize their products and boost purchase confidence. Popular furniture retailer Crate & Barrel has seen promising results from their AR Try On campaign on Pinterest:
- 14% higher CTR than standard pins
- 97% in-store purchases by offline shoppers who engaged with a try-on pin online
- 280% lift in revenue compared to standard pins
Source: Customer Stories for Pinterest
As Pinterest continues rolling out AR capabilities to more advertisers, jumping on this trend early could help your products stand out in the feed and lower friction in the buying journey.
Some key use cases for AR on Pinterest include:
- Virtual try-on for beauty products like lipstick shades
- 3D models of home decor to preview in a customer‘s space
- Interactive experiences to customize and view products
While AR content creation does require more resources than standard pins, it can pay off in boosted engagement and conversions.
Bringing It All Together
From affiliate links to AR Try On, there are more ways than ever to generate meaningful revenue through Pinterest. Whether you have 100 or 100,000 followers, you can implement these strategies to start monetizing your presence and scaling your income over time.
But no matter which methods you choose, remember: success on Pinterest boils down to creating content that provides value to your target audience. Focus on serving, inspiring, and problem-solving vs. solely self-promotion and you‘ll gain a loyal community of followers that look forward to every new pin.
We‘d love to hear your favorite Pinterest monetization strategy or must-have tips for earning more from the platform. Head to the comments to share your insights and learn from other Pinterest marketers!
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