How To Make Money On Pinterest 2020 – Complete Guide

Today it is possible to make money with social media. Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube are used by companies, influencers, bloggers, and YouTubers to generate income. This is no longer a secret.

The social media platform Pinterest but gets often forgotten when dealing with the theme of “Making Money Online”. On this social network, users can pin collections of images with appropriate descriptions on pinboards.

Hint – You don’t even need a website to make money with Pinterest.

How does Pinterest work?

This social network allows other users to share your pictures. The purpose of this “repeating” is that the individual pins are shared with many users.

Furthermore, users can express their personal opinion on individual images or images. The idea behind Pinterest is that users share their interests with other community users.

Earning money with Pinterest works because the users (mainly women) are extremely active on this platform.

The individual posts (the pins) are often shared. Over 80 percent of all posts on Pinterest are re-pins. This feature makes this social media channel particularly interesting for companies and brands.

Around 70 percent of company contributions are not created by the brands themselves, but by users. However, to be successful with Pinterest, there are a few rules to follow.

So that the pins attract the attention of users, you should publish striking pictures and interesting, much sought-after content. It is also important not only to create your pins but also to repeat other posts.

The uploaded photos should be your pictures, to which you have the copyright, otherwise, expensive warnings can result.

The reasons to make money with Pinterest

Many people use Pinterest to share or search for recipes, outfit ideas, furnishing suggestions for apartments, tricks, and tips. However, what many do not know is that, besides this pastime, Pinterest can also be used to make money.

Another reason why it is possible to make money with Pinterest is the strong growth of the platform. In 2017, 200 million active users were counted on Pinterest. 25 percent of growth was achieved within 12 months.

With the help of the contributions and, above all, with appealing photos, it is possible to get more attention and to promote his product. The contributions can thus be used as advertising for products, services, online shops, and websites. For websites, in particular, Pinterest is a suitable way to generate traffic. The chance of sales is increased with Pinterest.

Customers are more likely to purchase after entering the shop through Pinterest than is the case with other social media platforms. The reason for this is that, in most cases, Pinterest users do not specifically search for a product, but much more for a solution or a suggestion.

To be able to successfully earn money with Pinterest, a few tips must be observed. The selection of the right color for the pins here is a crucial factor.

Because on that platform first impressions count, should bold colors when creating graphics to be used. It can also be useful to use trends and popular topics when considering contributions.

Earn money with Pinterest – explained using an example

A cooking or food blog can, for example, more traffic generated by publishing a popular recipe on Pinterest and sales. The users come to his page to see the individual instructions for the recipe. Useful utensils for the recipe, such as a food processor can be provided via affiliate links.

If the customers buy this food processor via the link provided on the website, the cooking blog receives a commission. The same applies, for example, to creative blogs such as do-it-yourself, knitting, or sewing blogs. By publishing articles with sophisticated images from the website, users who are interested in topics such as overlock sewing machines or a knitting machine can be addressed.

Create branded pins as a blogger and company – why you should start today!

Branded pins are pins that contain certain products or logos. A small example to make the whole thing easier to understand: I am a blogger and work with yogurt manufacturer XY, for whom I am developing a recipe with yogurt, for example. In the blog post, I will try to integrate the yogurt so that the logo and manufacturer are recognizable. To get more traffic to this blog post, I create several photos and graphics for Pinterest. Now it would be smart to integrate the products into these Pinterest pins. Ideally, subtle, so that the topic of the blog post is picked up perfectly and supports the advertising message of the yogurt (yogurt XY is fresh and healthy, your recipe photos as well). And now comes the trick of how you can make money as a blogger: You sell this branded pin to the cooperation partner. For example, I would say to yogurt maker XY: “Do you know that my pins on Pinterest reach almost 1 million users every day? Because of this high reach, I recommend that you also book a branded pin together with a blog post. ”So I estimate a fee for my blog post and calculate the branded pin separately. How you can best convince your cooperation partner I explain to you below. 🙂

But branded pins are also worthwhile for companies:

So far I’ve only explained why branded pins are particularly worthwhile for bloggers who already have a slightly higher reach on Pinterest. But Pinterest is also becoming more and more interesting for companies and I am firmly convinced that Pinterest is growing rapidly in Germany. Branded pins are particularly worthwhile for companies if they convey useful, useful information and at the same time support the brand message (the yogurt manufacturer could also implement the example with the yogurt. Keyword: content marketing!). There are two ways to advertise branded pins as a company on Pinterest: organic (i.e., by trying to build a good reach on Pinterest using strategic pinning) and using advertisements.

Unfortunately, there is still no way in Germany to place advertisements on Pinterest. That’s why I recommend companies to first build organic reach through Pinterest until the advertisements are finally introduced. Why? Because by building organic reach you can already collect user data and later use it in ads. For example, like on Facebook, there will be “Custom Audiences”, via which interaction data (repins, clicks …) can be readout. From this data, you can then create “Lookalike Audiences” like on Facebook. Anyone who has already worked with Lookalike and Custom Audiences on Facebook knows how ingenious these functions are in comparison to conventional target group limitations (based on Facebook’s data). That’s why I strongly recommend every company to use Pinterest organically now so that I can use it efficiently later on.

Case studies of branded pins

Pinterest itself has an entire Pinterest account called “Pin Factory”, which only deals with the topic of “branded pins”.

The whole topic is much more widespread in the USA, whereas in Germany only a few companies use Pinterest (wrongly!). Some companies that are already successfully using Pinterest in Germany are DaWanda, Westwing, Hussle, and numerous online magazines such as Gofeminin, Springlane, and Eltern Family.

On the Pin Factory Pinterest account, you can click through thematically categorized boards that contain all the branded pins that Pinterest recommends as examples. I find the “Food and Drink” board particularly interesting:

What I find particularly astonishing: There are even many examples of successful, branded pins in the USA for the topic of “finance”:

It is striking with all pins that an attempt is always made to convey useful information to the user. The advertising message itself is rather hidden and at first glance, it is actually “only” about recipes or financial tips. I would also like to show you two examples that I find particularly good:

And this pin here:

So, now imagine how awesome these branded pins are to advertise them in Ads! I will of course keep you up to date as soon as this function comes to Germany. Then there will be a big extra chapter on this topic in my Pinterest online course.

Branded Pins: This is how it works as a blogger and company

Step No. 1): Finding the topic

Not every branded pin is successful, it always depends on which topic is chosen and how it is implemented. In my experience, it is essential to research which topics would be particularly suitable in your niche before creating the branded pin. For my DIY blog, because of my long research into viral pins and topics, I know exactly what is most relevant for my target group. Otherwise, the pin may disappear afterward (also with many followers) in Pinterest nirvana.

Step # 2): Create useful and helpful pins

On Pinterest, it is very, very important to present helpful and useful information to the user. Since I unfortunately still see very often how topics in Germany are lovelessly packed on Pinterest (so according to the motto “someone will click”), I explicitly point out again. Your pin MUST be relevant to your users, it has to promise high-quality knowledge, for which it is worth looking at the pin for longer and, in the best case, even clicking on it.

Step No. 3): Build up the branded pins correctly

If you as a blogger create branded pins, it is important for the cooperation partner that the product is well integrated. I know that not all bloggers want products to be placed in the content, but through my experience in a PR agency, I also know the company side and speak for cooperation partners here. If you sell a branded pin, the product must be visible. This can either be done directly in the picture, in a college, or (if desired) blurry in the background. Ideally (as described in the yogurt example), the product’s advertising message is perfectly supported directly in the pin (yogurt XY is fresh and creamy, lemonade XY is low in sugar and refreshing). Since I have already implemented such collaborations via my DIY blog,

And another nice example:

Step No. 4): Convince the cooperation partner

At first, it was not easy for me to convince my cooperation partners to book a branded pin. Unfortunately, companies currently place too much emphasis on Instagram (my opinion), whereas on Pinterest the reach (at least in my case) is many times greater and it is also easier for bloggers who may not have 100k Instagram subscribers there to build a good reach. If I compare my Instagram numbers (30k followers) with my Pinterest numbers (50k followers), it is quite obvious that the Pinterest reach is more sustainable (pins circulate for several years) and pins are high concerning the follower’s Range. To substantiate this with concrete numbers, I show screenshots of my Pinterest reach in my media kit and point out that a sponsored blog post with branded pins on Pinterest records up to 500,000 views per month, whereas many other Instagram accounts with a similar number of subscribers only average up to 30,000 views per post (this is estimated data). I think with these numbers, many cooperation partners are aware of the great potential behind branded pins. Very important: I always expressly point out to the cooperation partner that a branded pin is a long-term investment. That means such a pin is not like Instagram, where I get 100 likes on a photo after a minute. Rather, it invests in long-term visibility. whereas many other Instagram accounts with a similar number of subscribers only average up to 30,000 views per post (this is estimated data). I think with these numbers, many cooperation partners are aware of the great potential behind branded pins. Very important: I always expressly point out to the cooperation partner that a branded pin is a long-term investment. That means such a pin is not like Instagram, where I get 100 likes on a photo after a minute. Rather, it invests in long-term visibility. whereas many other Instagram accounts with a similar number of subscribers only average up to 30,000 views per post (this is estimated data). I think with these numbers, many cooperation partners are aware of the great potential behind branded pins. Very important: I always expressly point out to the cooperation partner that a branded pin is a long-term investment. That means such a pin is not like Instagram, where I get 100 likes on a photo after a minute. Rather, it invests in long-term visibility. what a great potential there is behind branded pins. Very important: I always expressly point out to the cooperation partner that a branded pin is a long-term investment. That means such a pin is not like Instagram, where I get 100 likes on a photo after a minute. Rather, it invests in long-term visibility. what a great potential there is behind branded pins. Very important: I always expressly point out to the cooperation partner that a branded pin is a long-term investment. That means such a pin is not like Instagram, where I get 100 likes on a photo after a minute. Rather, it invests in long-term visibility.

Step No. 5): How much money is a branded pin worth?

I usually sell branded pins in cooperation with a blog post. Since branded pins are still very new in Germany, I try to draw attention to them with attractive prices to collect even more successful case studies that I can present to other customers later. Therefore, I would also set the price in your place lower than you might otherwise do on an Instagram post. Besides, I always sell companies a package of several branded pins so that they can be retested which pin works better. Experience has shown that pins can be played out worse than other pins, for example. For such a package, I’m currently starting at € 150-200. I hardly know any other bloggers who also sell branded pins, therefore I can only pass on my own experience. However, I guess the higher the branded pins develop, the better these prices can be, and this type of advertising has also reached companies.

AFFILIATE MARKETING WITH PINTEREST

MOST SELF-EMPLOYED PEOPLE WHO USE PINTEREST FOR THEIR BUSINESS USUALLY HAVE A BLOG AND USE PINTEREST TO GENERATE TRAFFIC TO THEIR WEBSITE. BUT NOT YOU. HOW DO YOU USE PINTEREST INSTEAD? 

It is possible to earn money via Pinterest with recommendations and favorite products via affiliate links without having to run a blog or niche website.

A pin can be linked directly to a product or website for which you are registered as an affiliate. This eliminates the step of a blog. Before, you could only advertise your blog articles via Pinterest, and hope that someone would read the blog, click on an affiliate link and then buy the product. By linking products and services directly, you receive the commission and bypass this intermediate step.

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO USE PINTEREST FOR AFFILIATE MARKETING? 

Admittedly, the idea is of course not new, but still largely unknown here in Germany. Pinterest also prevented affiliate links from being placed on the platform for a long time. Only since the summer of 2016 has Pinterest allowed the use of affiliate links again. Affiliate links were previously removed from the platform in no time. I then started doing a lot of research and trying and, it works, I make money with my affiliate links – without a blog, without a website, etc., just by linking to external websites.

WHICH PRODUCTS DO YOU PIN? CAN YOU GIVE US ONE OR TWO VERY SPECIFIC EXAMPLES?

You should always pin things that you enjoy yourself or topics that you know well. Only in this way is it authentic and gives a coherent overall picture. Pinpointing anything that comes to mind is usually not a good idea.

I have specialized in interior, mostly children’s room furnishings. I link, for example, children’s room decorations or furniture. I mostly take photos myself. I only use third-party photos from online shops etc. if they match the other images and my profile.

Since I have two children, there is also a lot of crafts. I show and describe a short handicraft instruction and link to the necessary handicraft utensils.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR AFFILIATE MARKETING WITH PINTEREST TO BRING YOU SIGNIFICANT RESULTS? I CAN IMAGINE IT TOOK A WHILE …

Of course, you don’t make any money overnight and the first income is also very manageable. The internet is full of people who promise quick money with affiliate marketing – whether with a blog or other platforms. I don’t think anything of it. As for all other business concepts, you need perseverance and patience. However, it is a very simple and thankful job that is also fun. A significant additional income arises after about a quarter to half a year, if you stay tuned. The nice thing about Pinterest is: If a pin goes viral, you get something out of it for years, so the work is never in vain.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT’S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU COULD MAKE WITH AFFILIATE MARKETING ON PINTEREST? 

Too much spam! Pinterest is a large feel-good community. Most visitors look for inspiration and tips. A string of product recommendations is therefore quickly noticed negatively. It is therefore better to also share the links from other users (= repeat) and thus to upgrade and diversify your profile. I follow the one-third rule here: at least two “foreign” pins follow an affiliate pin.

AND WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO START IF YOU WANT TO USE PINTEREST FOR AFFILIATE MARKETING? WHAT IS THE VERY FIRST STEP?

The very first step is of course to create a profile and create so-called boards. From there it can start and it can be pinned diligently. To make money with Pinterest, you now have to find the right affiliate networks, log in there, and provide your pins with affiliate links. It is very easy.

DOES YOUR ENVIRONMENT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU EARN YOUR MONEY OR DO YOU SOMETIMES GET QUESTIONING LOOKS? 

Hihi, nobody can understand it. 😉 It also looks more like fun and google for colorful pictures on the Internet than after work. But I’ve got used to it.