Ready to turn your Pinterest scroll sessions into a money-making machine? Welcome to Pinterest affiliate marketing, where pretty pins meet passive income. 

This guide breaks down how to use affiliate links, create visually appealing pins, and drive traffic to your favorite affiliate programs. No confusing jargon – just a fun, step-by-step way to start earning with Pinterest.

Why use Pinterest for affiliate marketing?

Picture this: a visual search engine with millions of Pinterest users actively searching, saving, and – most importantly – shopping. That’s Pinterest affiliate marketing in a nutshell.

With Gen Z making up 42% of its global audience, plus strong engagement across all age groups, it’s a goldmine for affiliate marketers looking to make money online.

Unlike other platforms, Pinterest allows direct affiliate links, and pins last for months, driving traffic long after posting. Plus, it’s easy to use! Set up a Pinterest business account, design creative pins, and implement clever marketing strategies to turn clicks into commissions.

How to make money on Pinterest with affiliate marketing: 5 Steps for success

Let’s master affiliate marketing on Pinterest for beginners. Follow these five simple steps and turn different pin formats into a profitable side hustle.

Start affiliate marketing through Pinterest with Printify

Printify – a leading print-on-demand (POD) platform – lets you monetize your Pinterest audience by promoting custom products with no upfront costs. Help aspiring entrepreneurs launch their own POD business or creative customers make their own merch and earn a 5% commission on every order. No earnings cap. No limits. Just unlimited potential.

Pinterest affiliate marketing FAQ

Harnessing the power of Pinterest for affiliate marketing

Pinterest and affiliate links are a match made in digital marketing heaven. The platform’s visual nature and its users’ high intent to purchase create a profitable environment for affiliates to thrive.

For Printify affiliates, it’s an opportunity to maximize earnings and inspire people to level up their business by selling custom-printed products. Ready to begin a successful affiliate marketing journey? Start pinning today!

Make it your way!

Start selling

Wondering how to sell on Pinterest? It’s definitely worth learning, thanks to its huge network of 498 million active users per month. 

To make the most out of this popular visual search engine, uploading beautiful images is only one piece of the puzzle. Implement the right measures to stand out from other user-generated content and quickly convert clicks into purchases. 

We’ll cover everything you need to know to grow your business using promoted products and advertising. Follow our step-by-step guide and use this social media platform to boost your eCommerce store to success.

Why sell on Pinterest?

Pinterest’s platform boasts a marketable demographic, making it an attractive avenue for eCommerce merchants. Unlike other social media platforms, Pinterest functions as a visual search engine, making it a valuable outlet for branding and advertising. 

Potential customers pursue interests in lifestyle, fashion, home decor, and personal hobbies, with women as the majority audience.

The site has reached a sizeable commercial audience in North America and Europe, with over a billion annual website visits worldwide, proving there’s huge potential for exposure. 

Explore these key platform functions for leveraging ways how to sell on Pinterest:

• Targeted paid promotions. Features targeted advertising tools to help boost product visibility, efficiently enhancing reach to your ideal audience.
• Powerful analytics tools. Access insightful analytics that measure Pin performance, audience engagement, and campaign success – crucial for empowering data-driven strategies.
• Aesthetic collections. Pinterest relies on visual Pins to inspire users, making it an ideal place to utilize your artistic flair to boost product discovery with eye-catching images.
• High intent to purchase. Made with a format that encourages visually appealing collections, which can lead to high conversion rates if your brand matches what users are looking for.

Pin to win: How to sell on Pinterest in 5 steps

Selling on Pinterest can transform how you reach and engage with your audience. Before looking at how to best present your brand, follow our quick guide and understand the technical steps to set up a business account and enable selling.

1. Create a Pinterest business account

You’ll first need to create a free business account. Unlike a personal Pinterest account, you’ll access the Pinterest Business Hub – analytics, Promoted Pins, and store integrations.

There are three ways to set up a Pinterest business account on your web browser:

• Converting your email from an existing Pinterest account.
• Creating a standalone Pinterest business account with a new email.
• Attaching a new business email linked to an existing Pinterest account.

Leverage your existing following by converting a personal Pinterest profile:

1. Log in to your existing Pinterest account.
2. Access Settings by clicking the Dropdown icon in the top-right corner.
3. Go to Account management and select the Convert to business account option.
4. Choose Convert account, fill in your business information, and click Next.
5. Select if you want to enable and run ads.
6. Follow the introduction or close to access your converted personal account.

Jumpstart your commercial efforts by setting up a new standalone Pinterest profile:

1. Sign up from the top-right corner of the Pinterest home page.
2. Click the Create a business account button.
3. Finalize an account with your Age, Email, and Password.
4. Fill in the required business information and click Next.
5. Select if you want to enable and run ads.
6. Follow the introduction or close to access your standalone business account.

Easily switch between accounts by attaching a business to a personal Pinterest profile:

1. Log in to your existing Pinterest account.
2. Click Add account from the Dropdown icon in the top-right corner.
3. Click Create under the Create a linked business account option.
4. Fill in the required business information and click Next.
5. Select if you want to enable and run ads.
6. Follow the introduction or close to access your linked business Pinterest account.

2. Connect your eCommerce store

The next step involves attaching your sales channel to make it visible to Pinterest users. By connecting your eCommerce store, you can create Product Pins with shoppable Pinterest tags that link directly to your store for a smooth buyer’s journey.

In Pinterest’s terms, connecting a sales channel is referred to as Claiming Your Website. Access your account connections and claim a new website on Pinterest through the following steps:

1. Go to Settings on your account dashboard.
2. Access the Claimed accounts page.
3. Click Claim next to the Websites section.

There are three verification methods to claim a website. Since this is a fairly technical process and can vary depending on your business website, consult your web host’s resources:

• HTML tag. Adding a personalized Pinterest HTML tag to your website source code describes the web page’s content so that Pinterest can adequately link it.
• HTML file. Adding a downloaded Pinterest HTML file to your website’s server accesses the root folder and helps Pinterest describe the web page’s structure.
• DNS TXT record. Adding a personalized TXT record from Pinterest to your website’s DNS records. This will allow the server to respond to Pinterest’s information requests.

We strongly recommend using the following help guide to claim your website on Pinterest.

Note: Pinterest does not consider social accounts and online store platforms like Etsy, eBay, and Amazon as candidates for claiming a website. However, the platform offers many ways to synch your hosted eCommerce platform through approved third-party integrations.

Consider selling products with Printify using our print-on-demand (POD) platform. We offer a smooth custom product integration through official partners with a Pinterest presence, such as the Pinterest Shopify app, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce eCommerce platforms.

3. Create your Pinterest boards and product PINs

Creating Pinterest Boards and Product Pins is the next step – they’re essential for showcasing your brand’s offerings in an organized and visually appealing manner. This process will help enhance your brand’s visibility and streamline the customer journey from inspiration to purchase.

Setting up Pinterest boards:

Think of boards as digital catalogs where you can categorize and display your products. They are themed collections that reflect different aspects of your brand, such as product lines and inspiration associated with your unique selling points.

• Start by identifying the main categories or themes representing your products or brand ethos.
• Name your boards so that they reflect your content clearly and descriptively. For example, specify your style, culture, and design influences. 
• Consider creating seasonal or event-specific boards to tap into current trends or shopping seasons.

Creating product Pins:

Product Pins showcase your products with detailed information, such as pricing, availability, and a description. Use them to tag your store in your Pinterest content so that users can navigate to your shop and find the promoted listing.

To automate Product Pins, set up retail catalogs by connecting your store catalog through Pinterest with a data source. This allows you to create product Rich Pins, which automatically update when you change your eCommerce storefront’s listings.

• Pin the product images from your website to your Pinterest boards. Ensure your product images are high-quality and visually appealing.
• Write concise, keyword-rich descriptions for each pin. Include details highlighting the product’s features and benefits to attract your target audience.
• Include the price and stock availability – transparency enhances the shopping experience.

4. Promote your Pins

Once your Pins are public, continue your efforts and reach your desired audience. Do this through your own marketing channels like social media marketing, but we’ll outline how to get more sales through Pinterest Ads features.

Pinterest Ads allow businesses to promote Pins to a broad audience. These ads appear in the Pinterest feed, search results, and user category feeds and are marked with a Promoted by tag to indicate their sponsored status.

Setting up your first Pinterest Ad Campaign:

• Define clear goals like increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or boosting sales.
• Establish your target audience by choosing customers based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
• Set your budget using Pinterest’s flexible options, including a daily or lifetime campaign budget.
• Create shopping ads from Pinterest’s selection of ad formats, such as image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and collections ads.
• Choose your promoted Pins, select from the best-performing or most visually appealing Pins, and link them straight to your product page.
• Launch your campaign and monitor your performance closely, especially in the early days, to see how audiences respond.

Growing bigger and getting verified:

To promote your Pins and advertising campaign even further, consider joining the Verified Merchant Program. This is a Pinterest initiative designed to highlight reputable merchants on the platform, which can highly influence customer trust and store credibility.

• Merchants can apply through their Pinterest Business account. Pinterest reviews the application, assessing your website quality, customer service practices, and adherence to Pinterest’s merchant guidelines.

The Merchant Program is a valuable roadmap to follow. Here are the benefits of verification:

• Enhanced credibility. The verification badge adds an extra layer of trust, reassuring users of the quality and reliability of your products.
• Higher visibility. Verified merchants enjoy increased exposure through Pinterest’s shopping experiences, including dedicated shopping tabs and enhanced discovery features.
• Access to exclusive features. The program provides access to advanced analytics and new tools before they’re available to the general public.

5. Test, analyze, and adjust

The key to a successful Pinterest strategy lies in continually testing, analyzing your performance, and making necessary adjustments. This last step is an ongoing process that helps you understand what works best for your brand and audience in the long term.

Monitoring and analyzing performance:

• Use Pinterest analytics. Regularly check your Pinterest Analytics to gain insights into your Pins and board’s performance. Look for trends in engagement, click-through rates, and conversions.
• Evaluate campaign success. For Promoted Pins, dive into campaign analytics to assess the effectiveness of your ads. Analyze metrics like impressions, clicks, and conversion rates to understand your advertising efforts’ return on investment (ROI).
• Gather audience insights. Pinterest provides valuable data on your audience’s demographics, interests, and behaviors, which can help determine your future content and targeting strategies.

Making adjustments along the way:

• Refine your content strategy. Based on your analytics insights, adjust your content strategy. This might involve creating more of what’s working, tweaking your messaging, or exploring new themes and categories.
• Adjust your ad campaigns. If certain ads aren’t performing well, consider revising your targeting criteria, ad creative, or budget allocation. Testing different variations can help you find the most effective approach.
• Optimize for trends. Keep an eye on trending topics and seasonal interests on Pinterest. Adjusting your content and ad strategies to align with these trends can boost engagement and relevance.

8 Tips to successfully sell on Pinterest

Selling on Pinterest can be a game-changer for small business owners and established brands alike due to its extensive user base. Leverage the visual platform and maximize your growth potential with these tips.

1. Know your audience

Use Pinterest analytics and research other social platforms to monitor audience demographics and find your ideal customers. This will help you start tagging Pins with relevant keywords that your audience might use in the Pinterest search bar, maximizing your brand’s organic presence.

2. Create outstanding visuals

Pinterest is a visual platform, and well-themed images are the heart of the website. When creating new Pins, focus on getting high-resolution images that align with your brand’s aesthetic.

• Use high-quality photography. Consider investing in a professional photoshoot of your product samples.
• Create professional-looking graphics. If you’re not a graphic designer, try hiring one.
• Keep it consistent with your branding. A uniform style means that your followers can recognize your Pins from anyone else.

3. Organize your Pins and boards

Enhance the user experience by creating boards that categorize your content effectively. Maintain a clear structure based on product tags and sub-topics to facilitate a smoother browsing experience. Tidy your profile in a logical, engaging way.

4. Follow trends

Use Pinterest trends to understand what people are actively searching for to guide your product curation and content creation. Identify and capitalize on emerging trends relevant to your niche, whether in image presentation or by organizing Pins into categories with a high search volume.

5. Utilize search engine optimization and content marketing

Incorporate Pinterest SEO using target keywords in Pin titles, descriptions, and alt-texts combined with high-quality images. Similarly, engage your audience with valuable content. For a more in-depth analysis, check out our strategies for leveraging content marketing tips.

6. Use rich Pins

Rich Pins provide more context by including extra information directly on the pin. There are several types, including Article Pins, Product Pins, and Recipe Pins. Setting up Rich Pins will immediately make your content more actionable and give your brand more credibility.

7. Create catalogs

This is one of the most important selling options since creating retail catalogs links products directly to your Pins, turning your Pinterest profile into a browseable Pinterest shop. By creating shoppable Pins, customers can access your store in just a few clicks.

8. Consistency is key

Consistent posting and updating can significantly impact your visibility and engagement on Pinterest. Schedule regular updates for your campaigns, boards, and Pins. Balance organic and paid content with constant additions to maximize your reach without overspending on ads.

Start selling on Pinterest: FAQ

To summarize

Selling on Pinterest involves adopting a strategic approach to marketing and product curation. 

Publish Pins linked to your store website using visually appealing content, promote with ads, and optimize with trends using SEO, consistent brand values, and frequent updates.

Check out our quick summary of the five steps to sell on Pinterest:

• Create a Pinterest business profile with a new or existing email.
• Connect your eCommerce outlet through your website or third-party integrations.
• Create your Pinterest Boards and Product Pins with consistent branding elements.
• Promote your Pins using Rich Pins, ad campaigns, and the Verified Merchant Program.
• Test, analyze, and adjust your existing Pins and marketing strategy consistently.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a visual search engine for finding ideas like recipes, home and style inspiration, and more. With billions of Pins on every topic under the sun, the platform’s users use it to:

• spark creativity,
• plan their projects,
• and visualize their goals.

But it’s not just for the casual browser, Pinterest has evolved into a powerful marketing tool. Businesses use Pinterest Pins to showcase their products and ideas, reaching out to an audience that’s ready to be inspired and, more importantly, ready to buy.

Setting up a Pinterest business sccount

To boost your Etsy shop, a Pinterest business account is key – it unlocks analytics and ads to grow your reach.

Complete your Pinterest profile

A fully fleshed-out Pinterest profile is vital for establishing credibility and connection with your audience. Make sure every aspect reflects your Etsy business and brand. 

To edit your profile: 

• Sign in to your Pinterest account.
• At the top-right of the screen, click on the downward-facing chevron icon.
• Select Settings.

Then, choose Edit profile.

Create Etsy shop Pins

Create Pins for your Etsy shop – it’s a key step in your Pinterest marketing strategy. Pins allow you to showcase your items and engage with a community eager to find new ideas and products.

Add new Pinterest Pins regularly

Consistently adding fresh Pins is a key strategy to maintain and grow your presence on the platform and to promote your Etsy shop effectively.

• Develop a content calendar. Create multiple Pins for the coming weeks or months. This will help you maintain a steady stream of content promoting your Etsy listings.
• Leverage scheduling tools. Utilize Pinterest’s business account features or third-party tools to schedule your Pins. This helps you stay active without daily manual posting.
• Capitalize on SEO. By creating multiple Pins for your Etsy shop listings and using Pinterest search bar suggestions, you can tap into what users are actively searching for.
• Be mindful of the Pinterest algorithm. Create multiple Pinterest boards and Pins regularly to increase your visibility on the platform.

Use high-quality Pin images

Creating high-quality Pinterest Pin images is essential for capturing the attention of potential customers and directing them to your Etsy store. Every Etsy seller should pay attention to:

• High-resolution photos
• Bright and vibrant colors
• Clear and concise text
• Relevant keywords
• On-brand visuals

Here are some resources for crafting creative, high-quality, on-brand product images for Pinterest.

• Pinterest Creator Hub – The Pinterest Creator Hub is a great resource for finding inspiration and learning tips for creating Pinterest images.
• Canva – Canva is a free online design tool to help you easily create Pinterest images. It offers various templates and elements for creating visually appealing images.
• PicMonkey – PicMonkey is another free online design tool for creating Pinterest images. It offers a variety of features, such as photo editing, text overlays, and collage creation.

Include keywords in Etsy Pin descriptions and tags

Optimizing your Pinterest SEO is a crucial part of your marketing strategy for getting your Etsy shop’s Pins discovered.

• Keyword research. Use the Pinterest search bar to find high-volume keywords related to your Etsy listing. Create Pins with these keywords in mind.
• Craft descriptive captions. Incorporate the selected Pinterest keywords into your descriptions.
• Utilize tags wisely. Tags are another avenue to include keywords, making your Etsy listing more discoverable to users searching for related content.

Always link to your Etsy shop

Including shop links in your marketing materials is essential for driving traffic to your Etsy shop and increasing sales. How and where to include your Etsy shop URL?

• In your social media bios
• In your email signature
• In your blog posts and website content
• In your Etsy listings

Be active on other Pinterest users’ boards

The key to gaining traction for your Etsy shop on Pinterest is to immerse yourself in the pinning community. Follow other Pinterest boards that align with your brand and repin, as well as comment on Pins that resonate with your Etsy shop’s aesthetic and values. Be genuine to your brand’s voice. 

Additionally, Etsy shops should actively promote their Pinterest presence to their customers. For instance, you can share your Pinterest profile link when communicating with customers so they can follow you and share your content, helping to amplify your Etsy store’s reach on the platform.

Learn from trends, customers, and other users

Harnessing the power of Pinterest trends can be a game-changer for your Etsy shop. Regularly scour Pinterest to see which Pins and keywords are gaining traction within your niche. This not only keeps you informed about current tastes but also guides your product development and pinning strategy.

By analyzing how other Etsy shop owners describe their Pins and what items are often pinned alongside yours, you can refine your listings to drive Etsy sales.

Use Pinterest ads

Pinterest ads are a powerful tool for Etsy sellers aiming to enhance their product visibility to an engaged audience. Here’s a condensed guide on how to promote your Etsy shop with Pinterest ads.

Craft impactful visual ads

With Pinterest’s emphasis on visuals, select from ad formats like standard, video, or carousel to capture attention and engage users.

Define your ad objectives

• Build Awareness. Expand your brand reach.
• Increase Consideration. Get more visitors to your Etsy shop.
• Boost Conversions. Drive sales or subscriptions.
• Enhance Offline Sales. Promote in-store purchases.

Maximize ad efficiency

Pinterest ads are known for a higher return on ad spend and cost-effective conversions, making them a smart choice for marketers.

Target with precision

Reach your ideal audience through:

• Automated or demographic targeting for specific user profiles.
• Interest and keyword targeting to connect with niche markets.
• Customer lists and actalikes to re-engage and expand your customer base.

Manage ads

Use Pinterest’s mobile-friendly tools or Ads Manager for campaign control, with the option to collaborate with Pinterest Business Partners for larger campaigns.

Budget with flexibility

Set and adjust your ad spend with manual or automatic bidding options.

Analyze and adjust

Leverage Pinterest’s analytics tools to track ad performance and refine your approach.

Pinterest for Etsy: Final thoughts

Etsy sellers, it’s time to elevate your shop’s visibility through the Pinterest platform! Start creating captivating Pins and make your listings shine in the Pinterest feed. Here are the key takeaways:

• Attractive Pins. Create beautiful Pins that reflect your Etsy items’ uniqueness, making them irresistible in a sea of visuals.
• Promote your own Pins. Invest in promoted Pins to boost visibility, leading potential customers directly to your Etsy shop.
• Etsy pinning. Regularly pin your own creations to different Pinterest boards to increase your reach and engagement.
• Pinterest strategy. Develop a robust Pinterest strategy, curating content that highlights your Etsy Pins across multiple Pinterest boards.
• Printify x Etsy integration. Harness the combined power of Printify and Etsy to tap into a market enthusiastic about discovering and sharing unique products. This synergy allows you to seamlessly showcase your Printify-customized items on Etsy, connecting you with buyers looking for special, custom-made finds.

Now you know how to use Pinterest for Etsy and are one step closer to enhancing your online success through Etsy sales.

Make it happen today!

Start selling