8 Easy Ways to Make Money with Pinterest

Pinterest has evolved far beyond a digital scrapbooking tool in 2025, it stands as a powerful visual search engine and a significant platform for discovery, shopping, and driving traffic. For creators, entrepreneurs, and businesses, this presents a golden opportunity to generate income.

If you’ve been wondering how to monetize your presence on this platform, you’re in the right place. This detailed explores 8 easy, yet effective, ways to make money with Pinterest, complete with updated strategies for success in the current digital landscape.

Drive Traffic to Your Blog or Website (Ad Revenue & Sales)

Pinterest excels at directing targeted traffic to external websites. The more relevant visitors you attract, the higher your potential for ad revenue, affiliate sales, or direct product/service sales on your site.

How it Works in 2025:

• High-Quality Content is King: Create valuable blog posts, articles, or landing pages that solve a problem or offer information your target audience is searching for.
• Visually Stunning Pins: Design eye-catching pins using tools like Canva. Focus on compelling headlines, high-quality images, and clear calls to action. Utilize the increasingly popular Idea Pins for native content, but always ensure a clear path to your website for those seeking more.
• Pinterest SEO: This is crucial. Research keywords related to your content using Pinterest Trends and Google Keyword Planner. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your pin titles, descriptions, and board descriptions. Think about what your audience is typing into the search bar.
• Consistent Scheduling: Use a scheduler like Tailwind or Pinterest’s native scheduler to consistently publish new pins and re-pin evergreen content. Fresh content is favored by the algorithm.
• Monetization on Your Site: Once users land on your site, monetize through display ads (e.g., Mediavine, AdThrive), selling your own digital products (eBooks, courses), physical products, or services.

Why it’s Easy: This method leverages content you’ve already created or plan to create. Pinterest acts as a free marketing channel, continually sending traffic long after the pin is published.

Earning Potential:

• Beginner (0-6 months): Potentially $50 – $300/month from a combination of low-tier ad networks and modest affiliate sales as traffic builds.
• Intermediate (6-18 months): $300 – $2,000+/month by qualifying for better ad networks (e.g., Mediavine requires 50k sessions/month for new sign-ups), increasing affiliate commissions, and potentially direct sales of your own products/services.
• Advanced (18+ months): $2,000 – $10,000+/month with significant traffic, strong affiliate partnerships, and a robust sales funnel for your own high-ticket products or services.

Affiliate Marketing

Promote other companies’ products or services and earn a commission for every sale or lead generated through your unique affiliate link. Pinterest is uniquely suited for visual product discovery.

How it Works in 2025:

• Direct Pinning (with Disclosures): Many affiliate programs (e.g., Amazon Associates, ShareASale, CJ Affiliate) allow direct linking from pins, provided you use clear disclosures like “#affiliatelink” or “#ad” in the pin description. Always check the specific program’s terms of service.
• Pin to Blog Post (Recommended): A safer and often more effective strategy is to create a blog post reviewing or showcasing affiliate products (e.g., “Top 10 Kitchen Gadgets,” “Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies”). Then, create multiple pins that drive traffic to that blog post. This adds value, builds trust, and allows you to include more affiliate links without cluttering a single pin.
• Curated Boards: Create themed boards dedicated to specific product categories (e.g., “Spring Fashion Finds,” “Home Office Essentials”). Fill these boards with your affiliate pins or pins linking to your review posts.
• Idea Pins for Product Showcases: Use Idea Pins to create engaging multi-page visual stories demonstrating a product in use, then add a direct product link using Pinterest’s built-in shopping features or link to a relevant blog post.

Why it’s Easy: You don’t need to create your own products. You’re leveraging existing products and earning a percentage of sales. The visual nature of Pinterest makes product promotion intuitive.

Earning Potential:

• Beginner (0-6 months): $0 – $100/month as you learn best practices and build a library of pins. Initial income might be sporadic.
• Intermediate (6-18 months): $100 – $1,000/month by identifying winning products, refining your pin designs, and consistently pinning to high-traffic posts.
• Advanced (18+ months): $1,000 – $5,000+/month through strategic partnerships with high-commission programs, a well-established content base, and optimized conversion funnels. Top earners in specific niches can exceed this.

Sell Your Own Products (Physical or Digital)

Use Pinterest as a visual storefront to showcase your own creations, whether they are physical goods (handmade crafts, clothing, artwork) or digital products (eBooks, printables, courses, templates).

How it Works in 2025:

• High-Quality Product Photography: This is paramount. Pinterest is all about visuals. Invest in excellent photos that make your products shine.
• Direct Shop Links: Create pins that link directly to the product pages on your e-commerce store (Shopify, Etsy, Squarespace, etc.).
• Rich Pins: Enable Product Rich Pins. These automatically pull essential information like price, availability, and description from your website, making your pins more informative and appealing.
• Shop Tab Integration: For Shopify users, Pinterest offers direct integration to turn your product catalog into shoppable pins, appearing under a dedicated “Shop” tab on your profile.
• Idea Pins for Demos: Use Idea Pins to create engaging tutorials, behind-the-scenes content, or demonstrations of your products in action. Tag products directly within Idea Pins.
• Seasonal & Event-Based Pins: Create pins relevant to holidays, gift guides, or seasonal trends to capture opportune buying moments.

Why it’s Easy: Pinterest is a discovery platform where users actively look for inspiration and products. If your products fit that visual search, you’re directly connecting with potential buyers.

Earning Potential:

• Beginner (0-6 months): $50 – $500/month through initial sales, heavily dependent on product appeal, pricing, and marketing effort.
• Intermediate (6-18 months): $500 – $3,000+/month with optimized product listings, consistent pinning, and leveraging Pinterest’s shopping features.
• Advanced (18+ months): $3,000 – $10,000+/month for established brands with a strong product line, loyal customer base, and advanced Pinterest marketing strategies, potentially including Pinterest Ads.

Offer Pinterest Virtual Assistant (VA) Services

If you become adept at managing Pinterest accounts, you can offer your expertise to businesses, bloggers, and brands that need help optimizing their presence but don’t have the time or knowledge.

How it Works in 2025:

• Master the Platform: Learn Pinterest SEO, pin design (Canva proficiency is a must), scheduling (Tailwind), and analytics. Stay updated on algorithm changes and new features.
• Build Your Own Portfolio: Optimize your own Pinterest profile to showcase your skills. Use it as a live demonstration of what you can do for clients.
• Define Your Services: Offer packages that include pin design, scheduling, keyword research, board optimization, analytics reporting, and strategy calls.
• Market Yourself: Create a professional website or a dedicated services page. Use platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or Facebook groups for small business owners and bloggers to find clients. LinkedIn is also a great place to connect with potential clients.
• Charge for Value: Pinterest VAs can charge anywhere from $25-$100+ per hour, or offer monthly retainer packages from $300-$1,500+ depending on experience and the scope of work.

Why it’s Easy: You’re monetizing a skill you’ve developed. The demand for Pinterest management is high as businesses recognize its value.

Earning Potential:

• Beginner (0-6 months): $300 – $1,000/month by taking on 1-3 starter clients at lower hourly rates ($25-$40/hour) or small monthly retainers.
• Intermediate (6-18 months): $1,000 – $4,000/month by securing 3-5 consistent clients with more comprehensive packages, increasing your rates ($40-$70/hour), and refining your efficiency.
• Advanced (18+ months): $4,000 – $10,000+/month by specializing in high-demand niches, offering premium services like Pinterest Ads management, or scaling into an agency model with subcontractors. Top VAs can command $70-$100+ per hour.

Sell Canva Pin Templates

If you have a knack for design and are proficient with Canva, you can create and sell aesthetically pleasing and highly functional Pinterest pin templates. Many bloggers and small businesses struggle with design but need consistent, beautiful pins.

How it Works in 2025:

• Design High-Quality Templates: Create various sets of templates for different niches (e.g., food bloggers, fashion, business tips, digital products). Ensure they are easy to edit and customize in Canva.
• Showcase Your Templates: Create pins promoting your templates. Show mockups of how the templates look and how they can be used.
• Sell on Platforms: List your templates on platforms like Etsy, Creative Market, or your own website (using e-commerce solutions like Shopify or Gumroad).
• Offer Bundles: Create bundles of templates for different purposes (e.g., 50 pins for blog posts, 20 pins for product promotion).
• Tutorials: Offer quick video tutorials on how to use your templates effectively. This adds value and can be promoted via Idea Pins.

Why it’s Easy: Once created, templates are a passive income stream. People are always looking for ways to streamline their content creation.

Earning Potential:

• Beginner (0-6 months): $50 – $300/month with a small initial offering of templates, learning what sells well on chosen platforms.
• Intermediate (6-18 months): $300 – $1,500/month by expanding your template library, optimizing your product listings, and actively promoting them on Pinterest and other channels.
• Advanced (18+ months): $1,500 – $5,000+/month by establishing a reputation as a go-to template designer, offering premium bundles, and potentially diversifying into other digital design products.

Promote Your Services (Coaching, Consulting, Freelance)

Use Pinterest to attract clients for your professional services, whether you’re a coach, consultant, web designer, copywriter, or any other service-based professional.

How it Works in 2025:

• Create Value-Driven Pins: Instead of directly pitching your service, create pins that offer solutions or valuable advice related to your expertise. For example, a business coach might create a pin titled “5 Steps to Boost Your Productivity.”
• Lead Magnet Integration: Drive traffic from these pins to a landing page on your website where users can sign up for a free resource (eBook, checklist, mini-course) in exchange for their email. This allows you to nurture leads.
• Client Testimonial Pins: Create visually appealing pins featuring quotes or testimonials from satisfied clients.
• Behind-the-Scenes & Process Pins: Use Idea Pins to showcase your work process, a typical “day in the life,” or explain how your service helps clients.
• Direct Service Page Links: Include pins that link directly to your service pages, but ensure they are part of a broader content strategy that first builds trust and offers value.

Why it’s Easy: Pinterest allows you to visually explain complex services and connect with an audience actively seeking solutions to their problems.

Earning Potential:

• Beginner (0-6 months): $0 – $500/month by generating initial leads that may convert into clients. The sales cycle for services can be longer.
• Intermediate (6-18 months): $500 – $3,000/month by consistently attracting qualified leads, optimizing your sales funnel, and converting more prospects into paying clients.
• Advanced (18+ months): $3,000 – $10,000+/month by regularly securing high-ticket clients for your services, with Pinterest being a consistent source of quality leads.

Sell Printable or Digital Downloads

Create and sell digital products that users can download and print at home, such as planners, organizers, educational worksheets, digital stickers, wall art, or journaling prompts.

How it Works in 2025:

• Design Niche-Specific Printables: Identify a target audience and create printables that cater to their specific needs (e.g., budget planners for students, weekly meal planners for busy moms, lesson plans for teachers).
• Showcase with Mockups: Create pins using attractive mockups that show your printables in action (e.g., a planner open on a desk, wall art in a living room setting).
• Direct Store Links: Link your pins directly to your Etsy shop, Shopify store, or other e-commerce platforms where your printables are sold.
• Bundle Offers: Group related printables into bundles to offer more value and increase average order value.
• Seasonal & Event-Based: Create printables for holidays, back-to-school, or specific life events.

Why it’s Easy: Digital products have no inventory, shipping costs, or expiry dates. Once created, they can provide a consistent income stream for years. Pinterest’s visual nature is perfect for showcasing them.

Earning Potential:

• Beginner (0-6 months): $50 – $400/month by starting with a small collection of popular printables and learning the ropes of digital product sales.
• Intermediate (6-18 months): $400 – $2,000/month by expanding your product line, optimizing your listings, and driving consistent traffic through Pinterest.
• Advanced (18+ months): $2,000 – $7,000+/month for those with a large, popular inventory of printables, established shops, and optimized Pinterest marketing.

Promote Online Courses or Workshops

If you have expertise you can teach, Pinterest is an excellent platform to market your online courses, workshops, webinars, or masterclasses.

How it Works in 2025:

• Value-Driven Educational Pins: Create pins that provide snippets of information or “teasers” related to your course content. For example, if you teach photography, pin “5 Tips for Better Portrait Lighting.” These pins link to blog posts that then introduce your course.
• Student Success Stories: Share testimonials or case studies from past students in visually engaging pins.
• Behind-the-Scenes: Use Idea Pins to give a sneak peek into your course content, your teaching style, or the platform you use.
• Webinar/Freebie Pins: Create pins promoting free webinars or mini-courses that act as a lead magnet for your paid courses.
• Direct Sales Page Links: While most pins should offer value first, you can also have some direct links to your course sales page, especially for testimonials or limited-time offers.

Why it’s Easy: Pinterest users are often in a discovery mindset, looking for new skills, hobbies, or ways to improve their lives and businesses, making them ideal candidates for online learning.

Earning Potential:

• Beginner (0-6 months): $0 – $500/month if starting with a new course, as course sales typically have a longer conversion cycle and require building trust.
• Intermediate (6-18 months): $500 – $3,000/month by consistently driving leads to your course sales page or webinars, building an email list, and optimizing your conversion strategy.
• Advanced (18+ months): $3,000 – $10,000+/month for established course creators with high-value offerings, a strong audience, and a robust marketing funnel with Pinterest as a key traffic source.

Final Thoughts for Success in 2025

Regardless of the method you choose, consistency, quality, and an understanding of Pinterest SEO are your keys to success. The platform rewards fresh, valuable content and consistent activity. Regularly analyze your Pinterest analytics to see what’s working and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Pinterest offers diverse avenues for monetization, catering to various skills and business models. By strategically leveraging its visual appeal and search capabilities, you can turn your pinning efforts into a profitable income stream in 2025.

FAQs

Q1: Do I need a large following on Pinterest to start making money?

No, not necessarily. While a larger following can help with reach, Pinterest functions more like a search engine than a traditional social media platform. Your success depends more on your pins’ visibility in search results, the quality of your content, and effective keyword usage, rather than just your follower count. Focus on creating valuable, searchable pins, and traffic will follow.

Q2: Is it free to use Pinterest for business?

Yes, creating a Pinterest business account and generating organic traffic is entirely free. You can design pins using free tools like Canva, and the scheduling features within Pinterest are also free. However, there are paid options like Pinterest Ads and premium scheduling tools like Tailwind, which can accelerate growth but are not mandatory to start.

Q3: How long does it take to start earning money from Pinterest?

The timeline varies widely depending on your niche, consistency, and the monetization method. Driving traffic to a new blog can take a few months to gain traction. Affiliate marketing might see quicker returns if your pins go viral. Offering VA services can generate income as soon as you land your first client. Patience and consistent effort are key.

Q4: Do I need a website or blog to make money with Pinterest?

While many methods benefit greatly from having a website or blog (for ad revenue, selling products, or offering services), it’s not strictly essential for all methods. For example, direct affiliate linking (where allowed by the affiliate program) or selling digital products on platforms like Etsy can be done without your own dedicated website. However, having a website generally provides more control and professional credibility.

Q5: What kind of content performs best on Pinterest?

Visually appealing, high-quality, and useful content tends to perform best. “How-to” guides, tutorials, recipes, fashion outfits, home decor ideas, inspirational quotes, printables, and product showcases are consistently popular. Video pins (Idea Pins) are also gaining significant traction. Ensure your content offers value and is relevant to what your target audience is searching for.