Quick answer: Pinterest doesn’t pay creators for views, so you make money by sending Pinterest traffic to something that earns: affiliate links, a blog with ads, your own products on Etsy or Shopify, digital downloads, or services like Pinterest management. The fastest start is affiliate links or a small digital product; the biggest long-term income usually comes from a blog or shop that pins send visitors to every day.
A lot of “make money on Pinterest” advice skips the most important fact: Pinterest doesn’t pay you directly. It ended its Creator Rewards program in 2022, and there’s no ad revenue share for pins. What Pinterest does better than almost any other platform is send people to websites, and people on Pinterest are often planning to buy.
So the real question is: where will you send that traffic, and how will it earn? Here are 10 ways, from fastest to start to biggest long-term.
Key takeaways
- Pinterest doesn’t pay per view. You earn from what your pins link to.
- Without a website: affiliate links, Etsy listings, digital products on marketplaces and Pinterest services.
- With a website: blog traffic plus ads, affiliate posts, email lists and your own products earn the most.
- Pinterest is slow to start and long-lasting. Expect 2–6 months of steady posting before regular income.
- One method done well beats five done halfway. Pick the one that fits what you already have.
The 10 ways at a glance
| Method | Need a website? | Startup cost | Time to first income | Income potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Affiliate marketing | No | Free | 1–3 months | Medium to high |
| 2. Blog traffic with ads | Yes | Low | 3–6 months | High |
| 3. Sell on Etsy | No | Low | 1–2 months | Medium to high |
| 4. Sell on your own store | Yes | Medium | 1–3 months | High |
| 5. Digital products | No | Free to low | 1–2 months | Medium to high |
| 6. Pinterest management services | No | Free | Weeks | Medium |
| 7. Pin design services | No | Free | Weeks | Low to medium |
| 8. Sponsored pins | No | Free | 6+ months | Medium |
| 9. Grow an email list | Yes | Low | 2–4 months | High (indirect) |
| 10. Courses and coaching | Helps | Low | 3–6 months | High |
1. Affiliate marketing
Create pins about things people search for, and link to products through your affiliate links. When someone buys, you earn a commission.
- Best for: beginners, people without a product, home, fashion, beauty and kitchen niches.
- How to start: join a program like Amazon Associates, an affiliate network or a creator platform, pick a niche, and make pins that solve a search (“small bathroom storage ideas”) with products as part of the answer.
- Rules: disclose clearly with “#affiliate” or “#ad” and don’t use link shorteners.
This is the most popular way to earn on Pinterest. Read our full guide to Pinterest affiliate marketing for the rules, niches and a 90-day plan.
2. Drive traffic to a blog with ads
This is how many full-time Pinterest earners make their money. You write helpful posts, make several pins for each, and earn from display ads on every visit. The same posts can carry affiliate links and email sign-ups too.
- Best for: recipe, home, travel, parenting, DIY and personal finance bloggers.
- How it pays: ad networks pay per thousand page views. Rates depend on your niche and where your readers live. Traffic from the US, UK, Canada and Australia usually earns the most.
- Why Pinterest helps: one strong pin can send traffic to a post for years.
How to start: write posts that answer real Pinterest searches (find them with the Pinterest keyword tool), then make 3–5 pins per post. The blog post to pin tool turns any article link into pins, and the bulk pin maker makes pins for 10 posts at once.
3. Sell on Etsy
Pinterest and Etsy are a natural match. Both are visual, and people browse both to find gifts and handmade items.
- Best for: handmade products, printables, personalized gifts, vintage and craft supplies.
- How to start: make pins for your listings that show the product in use, link each pin to the listing, and create boards around what buyers search, like “personalized dog gifts”.
Our Etsy tools help on the Etsy side too: the Etsy SEO tool, Etsy tag generator and Etsy title generator.
4. Sell products from your own store
If you run a Shopify, WooCommerce or other online store, Pinterest can be a steady source of buyers.
- Product pins: make a pin for each product, linking straight to the product page. The product pin maker turns a product link into a pin with the photo, name and price.
- Shopping catalog: connect your store’s product feed to Pinterest so your products can show up as shoppable pins.
- Inspiration pins: show products in a room, an outfit or a gift guide, not just on a white background.
5. Sell digital products
Digital products have no shipping and no stock, and they sell very well on Pinterest because people are already planning and organizing.
Ideas that sell on Pinterest:
- Printable planners, checklists and calendars
- Meal plans and grocery lists
- Wall art printables
- Canva templates (social posts, resumes, wedding invitations)
- Budget spreadsheets
- Coloring pages and kids’ activity sheets
- Guides and ebooks
You can sell through Etsy, a store like Shopify or Payhip, or your own site. Make pins that show the product in use, like a printed planner on a desk, not just a flat preview.
6. Offer Pinterest management services
Many bloggers and small businesses know Pinterest could help them but don’t have time for it. A Pinterest manager (sometimes called a Pinterest VA) handles it for them.
- What you do: keyword research, pin design, writing titles and descriptions, scheduling and monthly reports.
- How to find clients: freelance sites, Facebook groups for bloggers and small business owners, LinkedIn, and by showing results from your own account.
- How it pays: usually a monthly fee per client, which gives you steady income.
Your own account is your portfolio. Grow it first, then use its numbers to win clients.
7. Sell pin design services or templates
If you’re good at design, you can make pins for others or sell pin templates.
- Design custom pins for bloggers and shops, per pin or per batch.
- Sell Canva pin template packs on Etsy or your own site.
- Offer “pin packs” for launches, like 20 pins for a new product.
8. Sponsored pins and brand deals
Brands pay creators to make pins featuring their products. This usually comes later, once you have an engaged audience in a clear niche.
- What brands look for: a focused niche, strong saves and clicks, and an account that looks professional, not follower count alone.
- How to start: pitch brands you already use and love, or join influencer platforms.
- Rules: use Pinterest’s paid partnership label so it’s clear the pin is sponsored.
9. Grow an email list
An email list isn’t income by itself, but it multiplies everything else. A Pinterest visitor might read one post and never come back. A subscriber hears from you every week.
- Offer a free download on your post, like a checklist or printable, in exchange for an email.
- Make pins for the freebie itself. “Free Printable Meal Planner” pins tend to get lots of saves.
- Earn from the list through affiliate recommendations, your products and new posts.
10. Courses and coaching
Once you’re an expert in something, whether that’s Pinterest itself, baking, budgeting or watercolor, you can teach it. Courses and coaching earn the most per customer, and Pinterest is good at sending the right people to a free lesson or webinar first.
How to get started this week
- Pick one method from the table, based on what you already have: a blog, a shop, a skill or nothing yet.
- Switch to a free Pinterest business account to get analytics and scheduling.
- Choose your niche and create 5–10 focused boards with searchable names. The board name generator helps.
- Find 10 keywords your future customers search, with the Pinterest keyword tool.
- Make 5 pins with the free pin maker. New to pins? Read how to make Pinterest pins that get clicks.
- Post steadily. 3–5 pins a week to start, building to 1–3 a day. See how many pins to post per day.
- Check your analytics monthly and make more of what gets clicks.
How much can you make on Pinterest?
There’s no fixed number. It depends on your niche, what you sell, and how much traffic you build. A rough guide:
| Stage | Monthly outbound clicks | What’s realistic |
|---|---|---|
| Months 1–3 | Under 1,000 | A few affiliate sales or product orders |
| Months 4–9 | 1,000–10,000 | A side income of a few hundred dollars a month |
| Year 1+ | 10,000–100,000+ | A part-time or full-time income for a well-run blog or shop |
These are examples, not promises. The accounts that reach the top stage almost always share three habits: a clear niche, fresh pins every week, and a website or shop that turns visits into money.
Mistakes that stop people earning
- Expecting Pinterest to pay you. It won’t. Build something for the traffic to land on.
- No clear niche. Pinterest can’t recommend an account that pins about everything.
- Weak pins. Small text, dark photos and vague titles don’t get clicked. See 15 pin design ideas.
- Ignoring keywords. Pinterest is a search engine. Read our Pinterest SEO guide.
- Quitting too early. Most income comes after month three.
- Breaking the rules. Undisclosed affiliate links and spammy posting can get your account limited.
Frequently asked questions
Does Pinterest pay you for views?
No. Pinterest ended its Creator Rewards program in 2022 and doesn’t share ad revenue with creators. You make money from what your pins link to, like affiliate products, a blog, a shop or your services.
Can you make money on Pinterest without a blog?
Yes. You can use direct affiliate links, sell on Etsy, sell digital products through a marketplace, or offer Pinterest management and design services. A blog or shop usually earns more in the long run.
How many followers do you need to make money on Pinterest?
You don’t need a set number. Pinterest shows pins to people based on searches and interests, not only to followers, so a new account can get clicks and sales once its pins rank.
How long does it take to make money on Pinterest?
Most people see their first income after 1–3 months and steady income after 4–6 months of consistent posting. Pins keep working for a long time, so earnings tend to grow.
What is the easiest way to make money on Pinterest?
Affiliate marketing and simple digital products are the easiest to start, since they need no stock and no website. Blog traffic with ads takes longer but often earns the most over time.
What sells best on Pinterest?
Things people plan and decorate with: home decor, kitchen products, fashion, beauty, wedding items, gifts, printables and planners, and DIY and craft supplies.
Start earning with your first pins
Pick your method, find a keyword with the Pinterest keyword tool, and make your first pins with the free pin maker. Check each title and description in the Pinterest SEO checker before you post.
