How to Make Money on Pinterest Without a Blog

Wondering how to make money on Pinterest without a blog? Not sure if it’s a real possibility or if all the internet gurus are just blowing smoke?

You’re in luck – there are actually many ways to earn some extra cash on Pinterest which don’t require having your own website. Like anything else in online marketing, these strategies will require a bit of hard work and hustle, but you can definitely create a solid revenue stream with these ideas.

Note: This post was originally published in 2022 and has been updated in 2025.

1. Sponsored Content

Sponsored content has been one of my biggest revenue streams the last few years, though that spans across my own blog and social platforms. However, you can definitely do sponsored content on Pinterest without a blog.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, sponsored content is when a brand pays you to feature their product or service. This could be a pin that features the product in a review, recipe, tutorial, workout…the opportunities are endless. The pin can then link back to that brand’s website or product.

Sponsored Pinterest opportunities in blogging networks are relatively rare, but it’s something you can directly pitch to a brand. They may not even realize it’s an option!

For example, last year I worked with one of my brand partners to do several sponsored pins (outside of any blog content or other social content). The results were great, with each pin garnering more than 5,000 impressions – great for brand awareness.

You can offer sponsored pins to brands as a one-off service, or you can include it as an add-on to other sponsored content you might do if you’re an influencer on another platform. It’s very easy to take the same content from Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, or Instagram stories and post similar content on Pinterest.

For example, when I create contracts for a sponsored TikTok video, I always include cross-promotion to Pinterest as part of the contract. It’s a great way for me to be able to have a higher overall rate for the contract while simultaneously providing extra value for the brand.

You can find great tips about sponsored content and pitching brands here (focused on blogs, but the same tips apply to social sponsored content). Once you have a brand that’s interested, work to put together a contract that outlines your deliverables and fees. The amount you should charge for sponsored content will vary depending on your niche, followers, engagement rate, and credentials/expertise.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Another way to make some extra cash on Pinterest is through affiliate programs. If you’re not familiar with affiliate marketing, you promote other people’s products or services and earn a commission on any sales that you generate.

I do think the best way of doing affiliate marketing is to have a website and direct Pinterest traffic to affiliate-focused posts on that site. However, Pinterest does state in their guidelines that they allow affiliate marketing on the platform.

You can create affiliate pins on Pinterest in two ways:

1. Create a static pin image or traditional video pin image that is connected to your affiliate link.

Static pins and video pins are different from idea pins; these offer you the ability to add a link to your pin. When someone clicks through on that pin, they’ll be taken to the sales page from your affiliate link. If they purchase the item, you earn money.

If you are doing this, you should make it clear on the pin image and in the pin description that you are using an affiliate link, per FTC disclosure rules. You can add something like “Affiliate link; I earn a commission.” Short, clear, to the point.

Here’s an example of an affiliate focused static pin that I created to direct people to an AI tool I used to use, before ChatGPT hit the market):

2. Create a pin and use affiliate partners to tag products in the idea pin.

In addition to regular linking, you can also create pins that tag products.

Pinterest may only accept certain affiliate programs in tagged products. They used to specify it was limited to Amazon Associates, ShopStyle Collective, and Rakuten Advertising, though I don’t see this language on their site anymore. If you notice a link is not working, though, it may be that they don’t allow that particular program.

To tag a product on desktop, click the little shopping bag that appears when creating a pin.

From there, you have the option to add a URL to a product.

Similarly, on mobile, you can add it by clicking the “tag products” option in your pin draft.

Make sure to add a disclosure on the pin indicating that it contains affiliate links.

[Find a complete tutorial on adding affiliate links to pins here.]

In my own tests and asking around to other Pinterest users, it appears that affiliate marketing tends to work best on Pinterest in the home, fashion, and tech sectors. I haven’t seen as much success in the food or fitness spaces. However, it is definitely still worth testing and seeing if it works for you.

A Note on Amazon Marketing on Pinterest…

There is a lot of information going around about Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest, with folks saying neither allow it. I do not believe this is 100% accurate; there is some nuance and lack of clarity here.

In the Pinterest business community, a Pinterest rep made this statement in 2024 regarding affiliate marketing directly on pins:

“You can add your affiliate link directly to your Pin without directing it to another website…..Ensure that you select reputable affiliate programs such as Amazon Affiliates, Rakuten, Shopstyle, and LTK to build trust with your audience. When sharing affiliate links on Pinterest, make sure to link directly to the product and avoid linking to a collection of items. Additionally, limit the number of redirects in your links to prevent triggering spam filters and maintain a positive user experience.”

There does seem to be reports of people that have been doing heavy affiliate marketing on Pinterest that have gotten their accounts banned though, likely from setting off the spam filer.

Some users have also heard from Amazon that Pinterest is no longer an approved platform, but this seems more related to using Pinterest as a way to apply to the influencer or affiliate programs, not necessarily being used after you are in those programs. However, different reps have provided different statements.

Ultimately it is up to you if you want to try using Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest; just tread carefully though.

3. Create Pin Templates

Maybe you love the visual aspect of Pinterest because you have an eye for design, and you’re not sure about diving into dealing with brands or feeling the constant push of content creation. There’s still a way for you to make money on (OK, more like in relation to) Pinterest without a blog – creating pin templates!

If you love Pinterest, you likely have scrolled through it quite a bit, so you probably have an eye for what types of pin designs catch your eye. You can create templates like this in Canva that social media marketing pros and bloggers can use as a “plug and play” solution for creating their own pins.

You can add fun design options using different text and colors, and add spaces for folks to simply drag and drop their images in. You can sell these to people in VA Facebook groups, or you can sell Canva templates on Etsy or Creative Market. (I learned a lot about selling on Etsy through the Gold City Ventures course – highly recommend it if you want to learn about the platform).

Note that Canva does not allow you to sell their own pre-made templates (which seems obvious, but just mentioning it regardless). However, you can sell original templates that you personally create in Canva using the “template” function in Canva. The template must be created for use specifically on Canva (i.e. customers are required to go back into Canva to finish designing/using it).

(Note: If you pursue selling templates, it’s a good idea to check Canva’s current license information, as it has changed frequently throughout the years. At the time of publish, the above information is accurate.)

4. Sell Digital Products

If you have any digital products – like e-books, worksheets, or printables – you can sell those via Pinterest as well.

Simply create static or video pin images that link directly to your product’s sales page. This could be a sales page that you create via a tool like Leadpages or Thrivecart, or it could be a sales page on a platform like Etsy.

Most people expect to click through pin images to get to blog posts rather than a sales page, so keep in mind that the conversions may be lower than other marketing methods. However, it’s a free platform and if you have a compelling enough sales page – you’ll likely earn some money this way!

Be sure the pin images you create are high quality, visually appealing, vertical orientation, and give someone a reason to click. Remember, you want to appeal to people that need a solution to their problem – or people that have aspirational goals and want help reaching them.

Also make sure to use good keywords in your pin descriptions, as Pinterest acts as part search engine, part social platform. When people search for terms related to your product, your hope is that your pin will come up in those results!

Don’t hesitate to also try out an ad budget for your product. You can try a consideration (traffic) campaign, which is where you pay for clicks on the pin. Note that when you bid on the CPC (cost per click), that refers to the click to enlarge the pin in their feed – NOT the second click from the pin to your sales page. It’s important to keep this in mind when bidding on the CPC you’re willing to spend.

Or, you can try a conversion campaign, which is where you pay for the result – like a sales checkout.

Your goal with these campaigns is to get enough sales that it outweighs the cost of the advertising, thus giving you a positive ROI. For example, if you spend $100 on an ad campaign and end up with $200 on sales, you have a net positive ROI of $100. That would be an excellent campaign to continue running.

5. Become a Pinterest VA

Last but not least – maybe you’ve been on Pinterest for a while and truly understand how the platform works for brand exposure. Or perhaps you used to use Pinterest for an old blog that you no longer have, but you get the ins and outs of using Pinterest to grow traffic.

You can use those skills to help other people grow their businesses on Pinterest! You can offer your services as a Pinterest Virtual Assistant (VA) to individuals or brands. This involves creating different types of pins, monitoring analytics, and may (depending on the contract) also involve running ad campaigns on Pinterest.

There are a ton of bloggers and small business owners who understand the value of being on Pinterest but don’t have the time to dedicate to it themselves. That’s where you can help, by taking over their Pinterest marketing and giving them a positive ROI.

A few years back, I helped a food brand with their Pinterest account for a year. It was really fun to be able to create visually appealing pins and help the brand grow traffic to their website. Over about a year, we were able to grow their Pinterest from 340 followers and 30 clicks to their website a month, all the way up to 760 followers and 2200 clicks to their website a month.

If you feel that you have the skills and expertise to work on other Pinterest accounts, consider pitching your services in VA groups, business owner groups, and to brands that you love (who you notice have a lacking Pinterest presence).

When developing your pricing, consider your time creating pins (static and idea), pin descriptions, responding to any comments, interacting on the platform, creating ads (if necessary), etc. Don’t undersell yourself.

The Bottom Line

From Pinterest VA services to affiliate marketing and everything in between, there are lots of ways to make money on Pinterest without a blog. You just need to get creative and put in the hard work. Don’t be afraid to pivot if something isn’t working out for you, but also be sure to give each method enough time to take hold (for example, affiliate marketing on idea pins may take a few months to pick up steam). You’ve got this!

Share: Have you tried any of these methods for monetizing your Pinterest presence? What have you found success with?

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