Content Writer at SocialBee
Pinterest is becoming a go-to spot for businesses to get noticed and earn more by sharing products that fit with the creative content people love.
More than just a social media platform, Pinterest is where people find ideas, and businesses can make money through affiliate marketing.
This guide will show you how to make Pinterest a money-maker for your business. From starting a business account to using affiliate links correctly, we’ll cover everything you need to turn your pins into profits.
Streamline your marketing with an efficient social media strategy template.
Short Summary
- Create captivating pins that incorporate your affiliate links, and earn commissions when followers click through and make purchases. It’s a creative and effective way to monetize your passion.
- Leverage the platform’s strengths, such as its visual appeal and pin longevity. Pinterest is ideal for products that photograph well, like fashion items or home decor, because your content stays relevant and discoverable for a longer time compared to other social platforms.
- Kick things off by setting up a Pinterest business account and tailoring your profile with keywords that attract the right crowd. Find your niche and start building meaningful interactions within the Pinterest community.
- Diversify your pin portfolio to cater to different tastes and preferences within your audience. Always be upfront about your use of affiliate links to maintain transparency and trust. Regularly optimize your content for SEO, and keep tabs on which types of pins perform best to refine your approach.
- Keep your content fresh and engaging without being spammy. Respect copyright laws and maintain a positive presence by interacting constructively with your followers. This will help you build a supportive and engaged community around your brand.
What Is Pinterest Affiliate Marketing?
Pinterest affiliate marketing is a method where marketers promote products on Pinterest and earn commissions from sales or actions (e.g. starting a trial, downloading a resource, etc.) through affiliate links.
Marketers start by joining affiliate programs to receive unique tracking links, then create engaging Pins that can include images, videos, or infographics.
These Pins incorporate the affiliate links either directly or in their descriptions. When Pinterest users click on these links and make a purchase or complete a designated action, the marketer earns a commission.
Why Should Affiliate Marketers Use Pinterest?
Pinterest is not just another place to post your photos. It’s a place where people seek ideas. Imagine a space where 498 million people hang out every month, hunting for their next big project or purchase. That’s Pinterest for you.
Pinterest is a fantastic platform for affiliate marketers for a few key reasons:
- Engaging visuals: Pinterest is all about eye-catching images and visuals. For affiliate marketers, this is a golden opportunity to present products in a visually appealing way, which is especially effective for items that look good in photos, like fashion, home decor, or food.
- Long-lasting impact: Unlike other social platforms where content quickly fades away, Pins on Pinterest have a much longer shelf life. Once you pin something, it can be discovered and reshared for months or even years later, continually driving traffic to your affiliate links without additional effort.
- Targeted audience: Pinterest users often search for specific ideas and products, which means you can tailor your Pins to reach an audience that’s already interested in what you’re promoting.
- User intent to purchase: Many Pinterest users come to the platform with shopping in mind, making it a strategic spot for affiliate links. Pinterest also offers features like Product Pins and a dedicated “Shop” tab that streamline the journey from discovery to purchase, making it even easier for users to buy products through your links.
- Growing platform: With a continuously growing user base, Pinterest offers a fresh audience that’s receptive to new ideas and products. This expanding audience represents a great opportunity for affiliate marketers to boost visibility and sales.
How to Create a Pinterest Affiliate Marketing Strategy
If you’re looking to tap into Pinterest to boost your affiliate marketing efforts, crafting a strategic approach is essential.
In this section, we’ll guide you through creating a Pinterest affiliate marketing strategy that not only captures the attention of pinners but also drives clicks and conversions.
Here are the things you need to do to start affiliate marketing on Pinterest:
- Create a Pinterest account
- Optimize your Pinterest profile
- Find your niche
- Join affiliate networks and programs
- Create multiple pins
- Pin to group boards
- Disclose affiliate links
- Optimize for SEO
- Analyze pin performance
- Don’t break the Pinterest marketing rules
1. Create a Pinterest Account
There’s no way you can be a Pinterest marketer without having an account of your own.
To create a Pinterest account, follow these steps:
- Visit Pinterest: Go to Pinterest.com or download the app.
- Sign up: Choose to sign up with an email address, a Google account, or a Facebook account. If using email, provide your email address, create a password, and enter your age.
- Set up your profile: Choose a username that reflects your interests or brand, as it will be part of your profile URL.
- Confirm your email: Check your email and click on the confirmation link sent by Pinterest to finalize the account setup.
2. Optimize Your Pinterest Profile
When setting up your Pinterest profile as an affiliate marketer, it’s all about creating a personal touch while keeping it professional.
Choose a username that resonates with your area of expertise and reflects your brand—this will be part of your Pinterest URL and helps in establishing your online identity.
For your profile picture, opt for something that represents you or your brand well; a crisp logo or a professional headshot works wonders in making your account look reputable.
Your bio is your chance to shine and attract the right crowd, so pack it with concise, engaging descriptions.
Use relevant keywords effectively, like “home deco” to ensure you’re easily discoverable by those interested in your niche. This is not just about stuffing keywords but weaving them into a narrative that tells potential followers who you are and what you can offer.
3. Find Your Niche
Choosing the right niche on Pinterest can be quite exciting, especially when you’re aiming to promote affiliate products.
Think of it as finding your little corner where you can talk about what you love, whether that’s beauty, fashion, tech, or something else entirely.
Picking a niche like this not only helps you target the right audience but also lets you share your passion and expertise with people who are just as enthusiastic.
Once you’ve honed in on your niche, the real fun begins: engaging with the community. This isn’t just about posting content; it’s about sparking conversations, learning from feedback, and building relationships.
For instance, if your niche is fashion, you could discuss the latest runway trends, share outfit ideas, or create boards that cater to specific fashion tastes. In tech, you might review new gadgets or create how-to guides for using new software.
Cool Mom Tech is, for example, a great resource for tech-savvy parents looking for the latest gadgets, apps, and tips to integrate technology into family life.
Whatever your focus, actively engaging with your followers can help you understand their preferences and refine your affiliate strategies to better meet their needs.
This way, your Pinterest becomes not just a place to promote products, but a platform to connect with like-minded individuals and offer them real value.
4. Join Affiliate Networks and Programs
Diving into the world of affiliate marketing on Pinterest can be both exciting and profitable, especially when you connect with the right affiliate networks.
These networks serve as a bridge between you and merchants looking to promote their products, offering a centralized platform where you can find a large pool of affiliate programs tailored to various niches.
To start, select affiliate networks that align with your passions, whether that’s in beauty, fashion, tech, or any other sphere. Well-known networks like ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, and Amazon Associates provide a wide range of products to promote.
Once your account gets the green light, explore the available affiliate programs and pick those that resonate most with your niche. This alignment ensures that the products you promote genuinely interest your followers, increasing the chances of clicks and sales.
After joining a program, you’ll receive unique affiliate links to share on your Pinterest boards.
Don’t overlook niche-specific networks or in-house programs such as the one offered by SocialBee, which can offer unique opportunities and products that might appeal to a specific audience.
Through the in-house affiliate program, SocialBee offers a 20% monthly commission (in perpetuity) for every customer a partner refers. Extra benefits include SocialBee plans for every affiliate, partner badges, discounts for your audience, and more.
5. Create Multiple Pins
Start by crafting a variety of pins for each product. Mix up your designs by using different images, layouts, and color schemes to capture attention and appeal to diverse preferences.
For example, if you’re promoting a beauty product, try creating affiliate pins with a close-up of the product, another showing it in use, and maybe a third featuring a glowing customer testimonial.
When writing your pin descriptions, keep them fresh and engaging by varying your language and emphasizing different product features or benefits in each. Always include a clear call to action like “Check this out!” or “Find out more here.”
And don’t forget to schedule your pins to go out at different times; this keeps your feed lively and reaches more viewers as they come online.
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Engage actively with anyone who interacts with your pins.
Responding to comments and questions can help solidify your reputation as a trustworthy source and encourage more clicks on your affiliate links.
6. Pin to Group Boards
Effectively organizing your Pinterest content into well-crafted boards is essential for attracting and retaining followers interested in your niche.
When setting up boards, it’s important to think strategically about their themes and how they can serve both your content strategy and your audience’s interests.
Here’s a board for side-gigs for moms, for example:
Maintain a cohesive theme by carefully selecting pins that align well with the board’s purpose. This consistency will keep your followers engaged and make your boards more attractive to potential followers who are passionate about those particular topics.
For instance, on a board dedicated to “Vegan Recipes,” only pin content that fits within that dietary focus, such as plant-based dinners, vegan baking tips, and ingredient guides.
Here are a few additional pointers for managing your Pinterest boards effectively:
- Refresh regularly: Periodically update your boards by removing outdated pins and adding new content to keep them relevant and engaging.
- Add cover images: Choose compelling cover images for each board to catch the eye of potential followers scrolling through their feeds.
- Organize pins: Within each board, order pins in a way that makes sense, perhaps by seasonality, popularity, or even color schemes, to enhance the visual appeal.
7. Disclose Affiliate Links
When using Pinterest to drive affiliate sales and generate passive income, you should always disclose your affiliate links.
Transparency is not only ethical but also aligns with legal requirements and Pinterest’s guidelines. Here’s how you can integrate these disclosures seamlessly into your content:
When you create a pin with an affiliate link, make sure to clearly state that the link is promotional. This can be done simply by adding a brief note in the pin’s description—something straightforward like “This pin contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.”
This transparency helps build trust with your audience, as they appreciate knowing that you might earn from their purchases.
8. Optimize for SEO
Optimizing your Pinterest content for SEO is a must since it functions as a visual search engine.
A smart Pinterest strategy begins with effective keyword research. Start by identifying keywords that your target audience uses when searching for pins like yours. This research will guide you in crafting compelling pin descriptions, titles, and even board names.
To aid in this, you can use Pinterest Trends, which provides insights into the most searched terms and popular content across various categories. This tool can help you align your content with user interests and increase visibility.
Incorporate these keywords naturally to ensure your content is both discoverable and engaging. Remember, Pinterest is all about visuals, so make sure your images are eye-catching and relevant.
A crisp, clear image with a text overlay featuring your targeted keyword can do wonders for visibility. By marrying great visuals with smart keyword use, you’ll boost your profile’s reach and effectiveness, while also driving more traffic to your affiliate links!
9. Analyze Pin Performance
To effectively analyze the performance of your pins on Pinterest and enhance your strategy, start by tapping into Pinterest’s analytics tools. This dashboard gives you a clear view of how well your pins are doing, providing various key metrics that are essential for understanding your content’s impact.
Here’s what you should focus on when you analyze pin performance:
- Impressions: Shows how often your pins appear on screens, helping you gauge visibility.
- Clicks: Indicates the number of times people have clicked on your pins, which helps you understand the draw of your call-to-action.
- Saves: Reflects how many times people have saved your pins to their boards, which can signal the appeal and relevance of your content.
- Engagement rate: Measures interactions relative to impressions, showing how much your audience engages with your pins.
Regularly reviewing these metrics allows you to identify which types of pins work best. Try to replicate the successful elements in future pins.
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Pinterest business accounts provide direct access to analytics, which is great for tracking your pin performance. But if you’re looking to evaluate all your social media accounts from a single dashboard, consider a more centralized solution.
SocialBee allows you to gather analytics from all your platforms in one place and easily convert them into shareable PDF reports. Start using SocialBee to streamline your social media auditing process.
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10. Don’t Break the Pinterest Marketing Rules
When diving into Pinterest for affiliate marketing, it’s important to play by the rules to keep your strategy effective and respectful.
A. Refresh Your Content Regularly
First up, keep your content fresh and diverse. Spamming isn’t just frowned upon; it can also get you penalized, so avoid overloading your followers with repetitive posts or stuffing your pins with irrelevant keywords.
Instead, aim for a variety of engaging and relevant content that truly speaks to your audience.
B. Disclose Affiliate Relationships
Transparency is key, especially when it comes to affiliate links.
Always be upfront by disclosing these links in your pins. This transparency isn’t just good etiquette—it’s also a legal must in many places, and it helps build trust with your followers.
C. Honor Copyright Laws
Be mindful of copyright. Always use images and content that you have the rights to, or make sure to properly credit the original creators.
This respects the creative community and keeps you clear of copyright issues.
D. Follow Pinterest Ad Guidelines
If you’re venturing into Pinterest ads, make sure you’re up to speed with their ad policies. Pinterest has specific guidelines on what is and isn’t allowed, and sticking to these rules can ensure your ads run smoothly without any hitches.
Looking at the bigger picture of strategizing for Pinterest, remember that the digital landscape is always changing. Staying ahead requires learning and self-improvement.
Strong business concept background is essential for affiliate marketers trying to get a competitive edge. Learning more can equip you with the skills to traverse sites like Pinterest more effectively.
The fastest MBA programs online can provide you with the sophisticated knowledge and strategic insight required to excel in affiliate marketing and beyond. These courses are meant to offer a complete business education in less time so you may rapidly use innovative marketing ideas.
Completing one of the fastest MBA programs online can help you to get a strong awareness of consumer behavior, data analysis, and advertising concepts—all of which are important for maximizing your affiliate marketing activities on Pinterest.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s Time to Turn Pins Into Profits!
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Start mastering Pinterest affiliate marketing, from crafting an engaging profile to leveraging affiliate links and embracing advanced marketing techniques.
It’s your turn to adopt these strategies and set yourself up for success. Pinterest is constantly changing, giving businesses endless opportunities to increase affiliate revenue.
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