Affiliate marketing is an incredibly lucrative online business model that allows you to earn commissions by promoting other companies’ products and services. And one of the best platforms to do affiliate marketing on today is Pinterest.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn exactly how to start making money with Pinterest affiliate marketing, step-by-step.
An Introduction to Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a business model where you promote products or services from various brands and companies, and if someone makes a purchase through your special affiliate link, you earn a commission.
So you don’t have to worry about creating, selling or shipping a product yourself - your role is simply to advertise and drive traffic to the merchant’s website through your affiliate links.
It’s a win-win arrangement that allows both the business and affiliate to profit. Brands get more exposure and sales, while affiliates earn generous commissions simply for promoting the products.
Some key benefits of affiliate marketing include:
Low barrier to entry: Anyone can get started with affiliate marketing for free. You don’t need to have a product or website to begin.
Passive income potential: Once your affiliate marketing campaigns are set up, they can generate commissions on autopilot.
Variety of products to promote: As an affiliate, you can choose to promote physical products, digital products, services, subscriptions and more across almost any niche.
Performance-based: You only earn commissions when your marketing efforts directly result in sales, so there’s minimal risk involved.
Scalable: You can grow your earnings as you build your audience and improve your campaigns. Top affiliates earn 6 or even 7 figures annually.
Overall, affiliate marketing offers an easy, low-cost way to start making money online leveraging other companies’ products. You get to be your own boss too.
Now let’s take a look at why Pinterest is one of the best platforms for affiliate marketing today…
Why Pinterest is Great for Affiliate Marketing
Pinterest is a visual discovery platform used by over 400 million people each month. The platform is ideal for affiliate marketing for several reasons:
1. High Buyer Intent
People come to Pinterest to get inspiration and find products to purchase. So there is strong buyer intent compared to other social networks.
In fact, 60% of weekly Pinterest users say they have made a purchase because of Pinterest.
This makes it much easier to convert your Pinterest traffic into sales.
2. Organic Reach
Unlike other platforms like Facebook that now require paid advertising to reach people, you can still get tons of free organic reach on Pinterest through smart posting strategies and SEO optimization.
3. Visual Nature
Pinterest is highly visual, with the primary content being images and videos. This visual nature lends itself perfectly to affiliate marketing, where you can create eye-catching pins to promote affiliate products.
4. Product-Focused
There are over 175 billion pins on Pinterest, most of which are product-related. So you have endless products in every niche to potentially promote as an affiliate.
5. Shopping Features
Pinterest has invested heavily in shopping-related features like product pins, shoppable pins, price tracking and more - making it easy to connect users with affiliate links to products they want to buy.
6. Long-Term Traffic
Content on Pinterest continues driving traffic long after you post it. A pin can keep generating clicks and commissions for months or years if it gets saved and shared frequently.
So in summary, Pinterest offers the perfect combo of engaged users, buyer intent, visual media, product focus and viral potential that makes it a top choice for affiliate marketing today.
Now let’s take a look at how to actually get set up…
Step 1: Choose a Profitable Niche
The first step is choosing a niche that you want to focus on with your Pinterest affiliate marketing.
This niche becomes the theme that all your pins, boards and content will revolve around.
Some popular broad niches include:
- Health and fitness
- Cooking and recipes
- Fashion and beauty
- Home decor
- Crafts
- Self-help and personal development
- Travel
- Gardening
- Pets
You can niche down even further too - for example into keto recipes, men’s fashion, bedroom decor, productivity hacks, Europe travel guides, container gardening, etc.
I recommend choosing a niche you’re personally interested in. But keep profitability in mind too.
Some of the most lucrative niches for affiliate promotions on Pinterest include:
Money and Finance: Promoting programs related to making money online, budgeting, investing, side hustles, personal finance tools. Lots of high ticket affiliate programs.
Health and Fitness: Huge niche with buyers interested in supplements, workout programs, health gadgets, recipe books, gym equipment and more.
Self Improvement: Personal development tools and courses, productivity apps, life coaching programs, books, etc. Appeals to highly motivated buyers.
Home and Kitchen: Appliances, cookware, baking supplies, storage solutions. Massive niche with endless physical product options.
Crafts and DIY: Craft supplies, Cricut machines, sewing products, knitting resources, woodworking tools. Passionate and engaged audience.
No matter which niche you choose, make sure it’s a topic you’re genuinely interested in - that passion will come through in your content and help attract followers.
Step 2: Find Relevant Affiliate Programs
Once you’ve chosen a profitable niche, the next step is finding relevant affiliate programs to promote. This takes a bit of research.
Here are some top sites to browse for affiliate programs:
Amazon Associates - Amazon has one of the most popular affiliate programs, allowing you to earn commissions from any products bought on Amazon.com when you refer customers from your site. They offer up to 10% commission rates.
ShareASale - ShareASale has over 3900 merchant affiliate programs across many niches like home, fashion, health, business, travel and more.
FlexOffers - FlexOffers provides access to affiliate programs from large brands across diverse niches. Lots of big box retailers.
CJ Affiliate - Also known as Commission Junction, they work with many large brands and have solid affiliate programs.
Rakuten Marketing - Formerly known as LinkShare, Rakuten has affiliate programs from major brands in fashion, retail and more.
Impact - Impact has partnered with over 1000 top retailers, SaaS companies, travel brands, courses and more.
Some other places to find potential programs include direct brand affiliate programs, your favorite products and services, niche blogs and industry websites, and affiliate marketing forums.
Research different programs in your niche and compare commission rates, cookie length, payment thresholds and reporting to find the best options.
Focus on just a few quality programs at first while you build traffic. You can always add more later.
Step 3: Generate Custom Affiliate Links
Once you’ve joined some great affiliate programs, it’s time to get your custom affiliate links (also called hoplinks) so you can start promoting the products and tracking your sales.
Most programs provide you with a unique referral or affiliate ID after approval.
To create your hoplink, simply take the base sales page URL and add your ID to the end:
Copy
1 | https://www.merchantwebsite.com?ref=YOURID123 |
Many networks like Amazon Associates or Rakuten provide a link shortener and tracking dashboard that automatically assigns you a unique link for each product.
URL shorteners like bit.ly are also commonly used to create clean, trackable affiliate links.
For example:
Copy
1 | https://amzn.to/39djJSd |
No matter which approach you use, the key is having a unique affiliate link so the merchant knows a sale came from you and credits your account when someone makes a purchase.
You’ll also want to use link tracking software like PixelMe or CJ Affiliate links to get insights into clicks, conversions and sales.
Now you’re ready to start driving targeted traffic to your affiliate links through Pinterest!
Step 4: Set Up Your Pinterest Business Profile
To access all the best features for affiliate marketing on Pinterest, you need to upgrade to a Pinterest business account.
It only takes a minute to convert your regular Pinterest profile to a business one:
In the Pinterest mobile app, tap your profile icon > Settings > Account settings.
Tap “Convert to a business account”.
Enter your business name, website, category and confirm your account.
With a business profile, you gain access to powerful analytics about your content and audience.
You can also enable affiliate links directly on your pins to earn commissions.
To maximize your impact as a Pinterest affiliate marketer, optimize your business profile:
Profile Picture: Use a professional looking headshot or logo that represents your brand.
Account Name: Pick a memorable name related to your niche like “KetoDietRecipes”.
Description: Briefly describe your account focus, value proposition and audience.
Website: Link to your affiliate link site, blog or other website.
Location: Add your location to connect with local followers.
Spend some time personalizing your Pinterest business profile, as this is the first thing visitors will see. A polished profile builds authority and trust.
Step 5: Create Engaging Pinterest Content
The most important Pinterest affiliate marketing strategy is consistently creating and sharing high-quality content.
Posting pins that provide value, inspire and entertain Pinterest users is how you gain a loyal following.
Here are some types of content that perform well:
Informative Articles
Turn your blog content into eye-catching pins by choosing an interesting image and catchy caption.
Listicles
Posts like “25 Healthy Crockpot Recipes” or “10 Best Self Help Books” get saves and shares. Use affiliate links to products mentioned.
Infographics
Infographics that provide stats, tips and visuals for your niche make very popular pins.
How-To Tutorials
Show people how to do something step-by-step like a recipe or DIY project. Affiliate links to any supplies used.
Quotes
Uplifting and inspiring quotes over a background image are pinned consistently. Can promote self-help programs.
Videos
Short videos like recipes, workouts or product reviews get high engagement. Affiliate links in the description.
The goal is to create content that people find useful and want to save for later. That leads to lifelong traffic!
Here are some final tips for maximizing your affiliate content strategy on Pinterest:
Post Consistently: Aim for multiple new pins per day in the beginning. Top affiliates post 5-10 times daily.
Re-pin Content: Repin your best performing pins repeatedly over time to keep driving traffic.
Optimize Images: Use high-quality vertical images (1000x1500 ideal), appealing design, minimal text overlay.
Write Catchy Captions: Use keywords, curiosity triggering questions and value-focused descriptions to get clicks.
Follow Trends: Stay on top of what’s currently popular in your niche and create pins aligned with trends.
Mix Up Content: Combine images, videos, quotes, articles, lists etc. Variety attracts more followers.
Source Quality Content: Re-pin and share content from influencers and brands related to your niche too.
Spend time pinning content daily, analyze performance, and continually improve. This organic reach is the fuel for your affiliate earnings.
Step 6: Add Affiliate Links to Your Pins
One of the best things about Pinterest for affiliate marketing is that you can directly add affiliate links to the pins you create.
When viewers click your image or video, they can go straight to your affiliate link and you get credit for sending Pinterest traffic.
To add affiliate links to your Pinterest pins:
When creating a new Pin, enter your affiliate link in the “Add link” field.
Click “Remove preview image” so the affiliate link button displays prominently.
In the caption, tell people to click the link for more info, to claim a discount, sign up for a program etc. to encourage them to click through.
You can also add affiliate links to your Pinterest profile bio so they show up on all your content.
Make sure not to spam or over-promote links - they should feel natural and value-adding. The goal is sending visitors to offers they are genuinely interested in.
Step 7: Leverage Pinterest Tools for Affiliates
Pinterest offers some built-in tools that affiliates can leverage to improve performance:
Rich Pins: Enhance your product pins by adding details directly from the merchant like reviews, pricing and more. Helps convince people to buy.
Shop The Look: Lets you tag products in your lifestyle or outfit pins so users can shop items seamlessly.
Product Pin Ads: Create pay-per-click ads with your product pins to reach more interested buyers in your niche.
Shop tab: Have your affiliate pins featured in Pinterest’s shop tab for broader visibility.
Analytics: Track meaningful stats like impressions, saves, clicks, traffic sources and more to optimize efforts.
Take advantage of these features for more sales. But the organic content marketing should still be your main focus.
Advanced Pinterest Affiliate Marketing Tips and Strategies
Now that you know the fundamentals, here are some advanced tactics to level up your affiliate game on Pinterest:
Promote Offers with High Payouts
Seeking out affiliates programs with generous commission structures - like 50-75% or more - ensures you maximize profits from each sale you drive.
Capture Leads with Downloads
Offering a free informational PDF, checklist, or resource in exchange for an email signup lets you build an audience to market to beyond Pinterest.
Run Contests and Giveaways
Contests are highly engaging. To promote a product, have people enter by following you and sharing a pin for their chance to win.
Build Multi-Platform Presence
Promote your Pinterest content and pins on other platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to drive more followers.
Use Affiliate Links in Emails
Send promotional emails when you have new pins or offers. Signatures also provide real estate for affiliate links.
Promote Affiliate Deals and Coupons
Offering an extra discount, coupon code or limited-time deal creates urgency to buy through your link.
Develop Relationships with Brands
Reaching out to merchants directly can help you negotiate higher commissions, get custom coupon codes and more.
Guest Post for Niche Sites
Pitch blogs and publications in your niche to contribute posts with embedded affiliate links to grow your audience.
The more creative you get with your affiliate promotions, the better your results will be. Always provide genuine value for Pinterest users first.
Top Affiliate Programs on Pinterest
Here is a sampling of some of the most popular and profitable affiliate programs across different niches that you can join and promote on Pinterest:
Health/Fitness:
- Beachbody - Fitness and nutrition programs
- Daily Burn - Workout videos and apps
- Precision Nutrition - Nutrition courses and coaching
Fashion/Beauty:
- RewardStyle - Influencer collaborations and fashion affiliate
- ShopStyle - Clothing, accessories, beauty and home products
- LTK - Influencer fashion and lifestyle promotions
Home/Kitchen:
- KitchenAid - Kitchen appliances and accessories
- Bed Bath & Beyond - Home goods, furnishings and decor
- Gohome - Furniture and home decor
Self Improvement:
- Mindvalley - Personal growth courses and events
- Audible - Audiobooks and membership program
- Masterclass - Classes taught by celebrities and experts
Business/Finance:
- ClickFunnels - Sales funnel builder and courses
- Teachable - Create and sell online courses
- Freshbooks - Small business accounting and invoicing
Check affiliate program directories like CJ Affiliate, ShareASale and Impact to discover products ripe for promotion in your niche.
Scaling Your Affiliate Earnings with Pinterest
If you consistently share great content and strategically promote affiliate links, you can start building an audience and earning commissions within your first few months.
Here are some tips for taking your earnings to the next level over time:
Diversify traffic sources - Promote your Pinterest profile and pins on social networks, your website, email, YouTube etc. Don’t rely solely on Pinterest.
Expand to more networks - Join additional affiliate programs and experiment with promoting different products and services.
Try paid advertising - Use Pinterest and Facebook ads to lower customer acquisition costs and scale faster.
Build an email list - Email marketing to an engaged subscriber base provides more affordable traffic.
Create lead magnets - Free value-packed guides, trainings etc. in exchange for emails allow you to build higher converting funnels.
Hire team members - Outsource content creation, prospecting, link building, design work and more to grow faster.
With consistent effort put into providing value and promoting affiliate offers aligned with your audience’s interests, you can realistically generate a healthy full-time income from Pinterest affiliate marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pinterest Affiliate Marketing
What affiliate commissions can you earn on Pinterest?
Commission rates vary widely by merchant. Many programs offer anywhere from 5-30%. However, some specialized niches pay up to 80% commissions in some cases. Generally, digital products and services pay higher commissions than physical products. With good optimization, top affiliates earn $500 to $2000+ per month.
Does Pinterest allow affiliate links?
Yes, Pinterest now allows and encourages affiliates to directly add their affiliate links to pins. This provides a seamless experience for users to click from a pin straight to the affiliate offer.
Can you make money from Pinterest without a blog?
Absolutely! While a blog allows you to embed affiliate links and drive external traffic, it’s not required. Many successful Pinterest affiliates focus just on the platform itself to promote affiliate products directly to Pinterest users.
How much traffic do you need to make money with Pinterest affiliate marketing?
There isn’t a specific number – earnings depend on your conversion rate and commission amounts. But as a general benchmark, 500-1000 targeted monthly visitors from Pinterest to your affiliate links provides a good starting point to build from.
How do you get affiliate sales on Pinterest?
- Optimize your profile and create content aligned with your niche
- Strategically include affiliate links on your pins
- Promote pins and offers on other platforms to increase reach
- Run contests, giveaways and promotions to incentivize clicks
- Capture emails and build sales funnels to convert visitors
- Track performance and double down on what’s working
What makes a profitable Pinterest affiliate marketing niche?
The best niches have an engaged audience of buyers, expensive products, passionate user base, and affiliate programs that pay high commissions. Some top options are self-improvement courses, big ticket software, travel deals, furniture, high-end fashion, and lead generation programs.
Conclusion
I hope this complete guide provided you with an in-depth look at the incredible potential of Pinterest affiliate marketing.
Pinterest offers the perfect platform to tap into highly engaged users ready to buy, combined with the ability to directly link affiliate offers for seamless monetization.
By consistently posting valuable content, building a loyal audience, and promoting relevant affiliate links, you can build a highly profitable Pinterest affiliate marketing business that delivers passive income.
Just remember to always provide honest recommendations, stay laser targeted on your niche, and keep optimizing your campaigns.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with someone else who may be interested in getting started with profitable Pinterest affiliate marketing!