How to Make Money with Pinterest: 7 Proven Methods (2026)

Pinterest isn't just a place to save recipes and home decor ideas - it's a visual search engine with 578 million monthly active users actively looking to buy. Unlike other social platforms where people scroll passively, Pinterest users come with intent. They're planning purchases, researching products, and discovering brands.

Here's the best part: you don't need a massive following to make money on Pinterest. With the right strategy, even small accounts can drive significant traffic and revenue.

Here are seven proven ways to turn your Pinterest presence into income.

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the most accessible ways to make money on Pinterest. You promote products from other companies and earn a commission when someone purchases through your link.

How it works:

Join affiliate programs (Amazon Associates, ShareASale, LTK, Impact, etc.)
Create Pins featuring products you recommend
Include your affiliate link in the Pin
Earn commission when followers purchase

Why Pinterest works for affiliates: Pinterest users are in discovery and shopping mode. They're actively searching for product recommendations, gift ideas, and solutions - making them more likely to click and buy than users on other platforms.

Best practices:

Choose a specific niche (home decor, fashion, fitness, beauty work well)
Create high-quality, vertical images (1000x1500 pixels)
Write keyword-rich Pin descriptions
Disclose affiliate relationships as required
Link to a blog post or landing page rather than direct linking (Pinterest prefers this)

Pro tip: Create multiple Pins for the same product with different images and descriptions. Test what resonates with your audience.

2. Sell Digital Products

Digital products are perfect for Pinterest because they require no inventory, no shipping, and can be sold infinitely. Pinterest users actively search for printables, templates, and planners - making it an ideal platform for digital product sellers.

Popular digital products to sell:

Printable planners and journals
Social media templates (Canva)
Resume templates
Wall art and digital prints
Budget spreadsheets
Wedding invitations and party templates
E-books and guides
Notion templates
Lightroom presets

Where to sell:

Etsy (built-in audience, easy setup)
Gumroad (simple and creator-friendly)
Your own website (Shopify, WooCommerce)
Payhip or SendOwl

How to promote on Pinterest:

Create beautiful Pins showcasing your products
Use mockups to show products in real-life settings
Link directly to your product listings
Create boards organized by product category
Pin consistently (5-10 Pins per day)

Example: Printable planners generate over 2 million monthly views on Etsy, with top sellers earning $10,000-$50,000 per month in passive income. Pinterest is the #1 traffic driver for Etsy digital product shops.

3. Drive Traffic to a Monetized Blog

If you have a blog monetized with display ads (like Mediavine, AdThrive, or Raptive), Pinterest can become your primary traffic source. Unlike social media traffic that disappears, Pinterest Pins can drive traffic for months or even years.

How it works:

Create valuable blog content in popular Pinterest niches
Design eye-catching Pins for each blog post
Optimize for Pinterest SEO (keywords in titles, descriptions, boards)
Watch traffic grow over time

Best blog niches for Pinterest:

Food and recipes
Home decor and DIY
Personal finance
Health and fitness
Fashion and beauty
Parenting and family
Travel
Crafts and hobbies

Why it works: Pinterest is a search engine, not a social network. A well-optimized Pin can rank in Pinterest search results for years, driving consistent traffic to your blog long after you create it. This makes Pinterest traffic more sustainable than Instagram or TikTok, where content has a short lifespan.

Pro tip: Create multiple Pin designs for your best-performing blog posts. Fresh Pin designs signal to Pinterest that your content is new and relevant.

4. Offer Pinterest Management Services

Businesses know Pinterest drives traffic, but most don't have time to manage it themselves. That's where Pinterest Virtual Assistants (VAs) and Pinterest Managers come in.

Services you can offer:

Pinterest account setup and optimization
Pin design and creation
Content scheduling (using Genviral's Pinterest Scheduler, Tailwind or Pinterest's native scheduler)
Keyword research and SEO
Analytics reporting
Pinterest ads management
Account audits and strategy

Who needs Pinterest help:

Bloggers
E-commerce shops
Small businesses
Coaches and course creators
Etsy sellers
Affiliate marketers

What you can charge:

Beginners: $300-$500/month per client
Experienced managers: $500-$1,500/month per client
Pinterest ads specialists: $1,000-$3,000/month per client

How to get started:

Learn Pinterest marketing (free resources, courses, or certifications)
Build your own Pinterest account as a portfolio
Offer services on platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or through networking
Join Pinterest VA communities to connect with potential clients

Why it's lucrative: Once businesses see results from Pinterest, they're hooked. Pinterest VAs often maintain long-term client relationships, creating stable recurring income.

5. Sell Physical Products (E-commerce)

Pinterest is a powerful platform for e-commerce, especially for visual products. Over 85% of weekly Pinterest users have purchased something based on Pins they've seen from brands.

How to sell physical products:

Set up a Pinterest Business account
Enable Product Pins (Rich Pins that show real-time pricing and availability)
Connect your product catalog
Create shoppable Pins that link directly to checkout

Products that sell well on Pinterest:

Home decor and furniture
Fashion and accessories
Beauty and skincare
Handmade and artisan goods
Party supplies and gifts
Pet products
Kitchen and cooking items

Options for selling:

Etsy + Pinterest integration
Shopify + Pinterest sales channel
Your own website with Product Pins enabled
Print-on-demand (Printful, Printify) for custom merchandise

Pinterest advertising: Pinterest Ads let you place your products in users' home feeds, search results, and category pages. You only pay per click, and you can target users based on interests, keywords, and demographics. Businesses report strong ROI compared to other ad platforms because Pinterest users have high purchase intent.

6. Brand Partnerships and Sponsored Content

As your Pinterest following grows, brands may pay you to create content featuring their products. This is especially valuable if you've built authority in a specific niche.

How Pinterest brand partnerships work:

Brands pay you to create Pins featuring their products
You use Pinterest's "Paid Partnership" tool to disclose the relationship
Sponsored Pins appear with your content, reaching your audience and beyond

Who's eligible: Anyone with a Pinterest Business account can participate in branded content. Unlike other platforms that require huge followings, Pinterest allows creators of all sizes to work with brands. What matters most is engagement and content quality.

How to land brand deals:

Build a strong, niche-focused Pinterest presence
Pitch brands directly with your media kit
Join influencer marketing platforms (AspireIQ, Grin, Creator.co)
Showcase your engagement metrics and traffic stats

What you can charge: Rates vary widely based on your audience size and engagement:

Micro-influencers: $100-$500 per sponsored Pin
Mid-tier creators: $500-$2,000 per campaign
Established influencers: $2,000+ per campaign

Pro tip: Don't wait for brands to find you. Actively pitch brands whose products align with your content. A well-crafted pitch highlighting your Pinterest engagement can open doors.

7. Create and Sell Online Courses

If you've mastered Pinterest marketing, others will pay to learn from you. Online courses about Pinterest strategy, Pin design, or niche-specific Pinterest marketing can generate significant passive income.

Course ideas:

Pinterest marketing for beginners
Pinterest for Etsy sellers
Pinterest SEO masterclass
Pin design using Canva
Pinterest for bloggers
Pinterest ads for e-commerce

Where to host courses:

Teachable
Thinkific
Kajabi
Skillshare
Your own website

How Pinterest helps sell courses:

Create Pins that lead to free lead magnets (PDFs, checklists)
Build an email list from Pinterest traffic
Promote course launches through Pins
Share student testimonials and success stories

The compounding effect: You can use Pinterest to promote your Pinterest course. Create Pins about Pinterest tips and strategies, then funnel that traffic to your course. The platform itself becomes your marketing engine.

Quick Comparison: Pinterest Monetization Methods

Method	Startup Cost	Time to Income	Scalability
Affiliate Marketing	Free	1-3 months	High
Digital Products	Low ($0-$50)	1-2 months	Very High
Blog + Ads	Medium ($100-$500)	6-12 months	High
Pinterest VA Services	Free-Low	1-2 months	Medium
E-commerce/Products	Medium-High	1-3 months	High
Brand Partnerships	Free	3-6 months	Medium
Online Courses	Medium ($100-$500)	3-6 months	Very High

Keys to Pinterest Success

Regardless of which monetization method you choose, these fundamentals apply:

1. Create high-quality visuals Pinterest is visual. Invest time in creating eye-catching, vertical Pins (1000x1500 pixels) with clear text overlays and professional design.

2. Master Pinterest SEO Pinterest is a search engine. Use relevant keywords in your Pin titles, descriptions, and board names to help your content get discovered. Learn more about Pinterest tips and tricks here.

3. Be consistent Pin regularly (at least 5-10 Pins per day) to maintain visibility. Use scheduling tools to stay consistent without spending hours on the platform. Review our Pinterest posting strategy guide for more details.

4. Focus on a niche Broad accounts struggle. Choose a specific niche and become known for that topic. This builds authority and attracts the right audience.

5. Think long-term Pinterest is a slow burn compared to other platforms. Pins can take weeks or months to gain traction, but the payoff is content that drives traffic for years.

6. Track and optimize Use Pinterest Analytics to see what's working. Double down on Pin styles, topics, and formats that perform well.

Start Making Money on Pinterest with Genviral

Pinterest success comes down to consistency, quality, and strategy. But creating fresh Pins, researching keywords, and staying on top of trends takes time - time most creators and businesses don't have.

That's where Genviral's Pinterest Scheduler comes in.

Genviral helps you create scroll-stopping Pinterest content faster. Whether you're promoting affiliate products, driving traffic to your blog, or selling digital products, Genviral streamlines the content creation process so you can focus on what matters: growing your income.

With Genviral, you can:

Generate engaging Pin ideas optimized for your niche
Create consistent content across Pinterest and other platforms
Save hours on content planning and creation
Stay ahead of trends with AI-powered insights
Scale your Pinterest strategy without burning out

Stop spending hours on content creation. Start pinning smarter.

Try Genviral free today →

Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale your Pinterest income, Genviral gives you the tools to turn pins into profit—without the overwhelm.

Final Thoughts

Pinterest is one of the most underrated platforms for making money online. While everyone's fighting for attention on Instagram and TikTok, smart creators are quietly building traffic and income streams on Pinterest.

The best part? You don't need to be famous, dance on camera, or post every day. Pinterest rewards quality content that helps people - and that content keeps working for you long after you create it.

Pick one monetization method that fits your skills and interests, commit to consistency, and watch the results compound over time.

Ready to turn your Pinterest presence into profit? Start with Genviral and make every Pin count.

Get started with Genviral →