Pinterest Affiliate Marketing (Affiliate Marketing)

Pinterest has been around for over a decade, building a huge following over the years. It has also become not only a social media platform but also an invaluable marketing tool.

It recorded 431 million monthly active users worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2021. In January 2022 alone, the site recorded a total of 980 million visits , indicating an increase of 3.84% compared to 943.7 million views in December 2021. 

The platform is basically a visual search engine. Pinterest is a great inspiration board – where people search for ideas and references for projects, holidays, fashion, and more. It is also a space where people can plan their purchases and start making purchasing decisions.

This makes Pinterest a viable way for affiliate marketing – your audience already exists with an interest or intent to buy. All you have to do is give them a nudge in the right direction. This guide explores how you can take advantage of Pinterest to generate additional income in 2022. We’ve included some practical tips and best practices to help you get started.

Pinterest and why it’s a great affiliate marketing tool 

Pinterest posts are known as “pins,” images or videos that link to an external website. Users save these pins to their boards, allowing them to create and organize an online brainstorming board. 

When used as an affiliate marketing tool, Pinterest allows marketers to expand their reach by increasing brand awareness. It is also an ideal platform to showcase your recommended products in a way that inspires and encourages users of the platform to purchase.

Pinterest vs Facebook and Instagram

Wait, it shows photos and videos, and you can also like and share posts? So how is it different from other social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram? 

While Facebook allows you to post and promote photos and videos (both your own and someone else’s), the platform isn’t just about visual content. Instagram, in addition to being a visual platform, focuses on content that you create yourself.

Meanwhile, Pinterest allows users to upload and share their own Pins. They can also browse over 240 billion pins on the platform and add them to their dashboard. 

One advantage that Pinterest has over other social media platforms when it comes to affiliate marketing is its visual nature. It is like a search engine designed specifically for images and videos. For example, if you search for “contemporary fashion”, you will likely come across something like this:

As you can see, the content focuses heavily on clickable images. When you hover over one of these images, it displays an external link that you can visit. 

Pinterest isn’t just about photos and videos. You’ll also find pins with links to tutorials, articles, and more.

For example, a search for “how to sew a dress step by step yourself” returns the following results:

All images here are linked to external websites or blog posts. Do you see something you like? Click on this pin to visit the external link. 

Similar to traditional search engines, you can also apply search engine optimization (SEO) principles to improve your search rankings and drive traffic to your links. 

The continued popularity of Pinterest

Being one of the most popular social media channels, Pinterest is growing in popularity among the younger generation. More Millennials and Generation Z users are adopting the platform, and women make up the majority of its audience. In 2020, 80% of American millennials used Pinterest and 4 out of 5 American mothers (i.e. another 80%) were active Pinterest users. Globally, women make up more than 60% of the platform’s audience .

In 2020, purchases on the platform increased by 50% . Additionally, 29% of Pinners , another term for Pinterest users, earn between $50,000 and $74,999, while 40% earn more than $75,000 annually. These are relatively significant numbers compared to other platforms like Twitter, Reddit, Snapchat and yes, even TikTok. Also, these numbers indicate that Pinners have high purchasing power.

More than half of Pinterest users turn to the platform for shopping inspiration, with shopping being their top priority at 48%. Users are looking for something and are willing to receive recommendations. They are actively looking for ideas and solutions and spend an average of 5 minutes 18 seconds on the site. On average, users browse 5.26 pages per visit.

This gives you plenty of opportunities to channel all that intent and turn it into an affiliate marketing opportunity .

Pinterest Affiliate Marketing

In affiliate marketing , the affiliate promotes the company’s products or services and receives a commission when someone makes a purchase using their affiliate link. Affiliate marketing works with Pinterest in a similar way. You recommend goods or services that your audience can purchase in exchange for a commission on successful transactions.

While it can be tempting — and relatively easy — to dive into using Pinterest for affiliate marketing, there are a few things to keep in mind: 

When using Pinterest for affiliate marketing in 2022, you need to define your goals first. Make sure it is clear, realistic and feasible. Do you want to gain more potential customers for the company you work with or do you want to grow audience loyalty? Are you looking to increase brand awareness for both your platform and the company you belong to?

Pinterest is especially useful if you work with visually heavy items. Some of the most popular niches on the platform include:

• Travels by
• food
• health and beauty
• Handicraft do it yourself
• Home decoration 

If you are new to affiliate marketing, it is best to establish a niche before joining an affiliate program . If you are already part of an affiliate program, you can still use Pinterest to promote affiliate offers.

How to add affiliate links to Pinterest

To get started with Pinterest affiliate marketing, you need to know how to add affiliate links to the platform. Fortunately, it’s easy to add affiliate links to Pinterest.

Create a business profile on Pinterest. If you already have one, go to your profile page . Go to the Create tab and select Create PIN . You can also use third-party tools like Tailwind or Buffer to generate and schedule the Pins.

This is where you can use SEO to improve your content. 

Add details like pin title and description and optimize it for SEO by incorporating relevant and targeted keywords. For example, if you’re promoting sneakers, use a specific keyword like “classic sneakers” or “adidas sneakers” to narrow your product search. Avoid keyword stuffing and make sure to focus on two or three keywords that are relevant to your post.

Also, make sure your descriptions are detailed and insightful. Make them part of the solution: Remember that Pinterest users on the platform are looking for something. Give them the answers or inspiration they need using your descriptions. You can use related hashtags to make it easier to discover your Pins. 

A quick note about using hashtags on Pinterest: There is a possibility that the platform’s algorithm is hiding posts that contain hashtags . This is because spammers often use and misuse hashtags. 

If you are part of an affiliate network, you may receive a pre-defined PIN. Other than that, feel free to create your own, making sure to follow the Pinterest and affiliate network guidelines. As such, hashtags are completely optional on the platform. 

Don’t forget to add your referral link in the destination link . You can get links from your affiliate network. If you are an Amazon partner, you can use SiteStripe to create a link. 

When adding affiliate links, consider using links that lead to landing pages rather than direct affiliate links. Now, this does not mean that you should stop using direct affiliate links. Affiliates’ internal links are easy to use, and they take your users straight to where you want them to go. However, some users may be concerned about direct links to sites they are not yet familiar with. Sometimes these links can lead to pages that do not contain enough information, which can turn users off.

Please note that using link shorteners is against Pinterest’s policy. 

• Create attractive graphics.

When creating pin charts, keep in mind that Pinterest is essentially a visual search engine. Your photo should encourage users to click on it. 

Pinterest pin images are oriented vertically, following a standard 2:3 aspect ratio . The optimal image size for the platform is 1000 x 1500 pixels . Anything larger can be clipped, which may negatively affect the performance of the PIN. 

When creating images, be sure to use eye-catching images. If you are adding text to the image, use patterns that are easy to read. 

You have two options to publish your PIN: ‘Post immediately’ or ‘Post later’.

Leveraging Pinterest for Affiliate Marketing in 2022

• Create a Pinterest business account

As mentioned above, you need to set up your own Pinterest business profile. If you already have a personal Pinterest account, you can convert it to a business account. To do this, visit the Pinterest Business website . Click Create Account . 

You will be redirected to a registration page where you will have the option to create a business account or log into your existing Pinterest account. 

Your Pinterest Business account differs from your standard account in that it gives you access to analytics and advertising tools, including audience insights, engagement tracking, and install performance. It also allows you to create your own ads.

• Get ready to create lots of boards and pins.

The great thing about Pinterest is that there are no restrictions on the number of affiliate Pins you can create, so you can create multiple eye-catching Pins per post. Remember that you should promote products that are relevant to your niche and audience. This not only ensures that you reach your target audience, but also helps make your posts more aligned with your topic or niche. 

While content variety is always welcome, you don’t want to just share affiliate links. Remember: you want to offer your target audience a solution to their weaknesses. Promoting pet accessories while working in the health and fitness industry can confuse your audience. 

Once you’ve created a pin, you’ll need to create an appropriate frame for it. Boards are collections in which you keep your own pins. Make sure your forum is relevant to your niche so that you can attract your target audience. Once you get used to it, you can create more panels to cover relevant topics in your niche. 

For example, you are in the field of health and fitness. You can create a board for home exercises, a separate board for healthy recipes, and another for healthy food alternatives. 

Add a few frames each month to tell the Pinterest algorithm that your account is still active. 

If you have a website, this is a great place to create valuable content that is relevant to what you are promoting. Users want access to something that adds value. 

For example, you can create a blog post and publish it on your website. It could be a product review or a detailed tutorial highlighting your affiliate product. But when creating content for an affiliate product, it is important to be honest and transparent. 

Now that you’ve covered the basics, the next step is to focus on growing. You can do this by following other profiles, sharing popular content, or joining group boards. Once you are in the group panel, all your followers will also be added to it. 

This is a good way to get information about your profile, and therefore about your nails. Just be sure to join the group boards relevant to your niche or interests. 

Scheduling your Pins to appear at the optimal times can help you better reach your target audience. Plus, you don’t have to worry about missing out on the opportunity to post new content. It also allows you to maximize your time so you can focus on creating more relevant or relevant posts. 

• Optimize Your Content for SEO

Pinterest is like a search engine, so it makes sense to use SEO techniques to improve your posts. Use third party tools to perform keyword research. Other things you can do to make your Pins more SEO friendly include:

• Keep your profile visible. Check your settings to ensure that your profile is not hidden from search engines.
• Keep your pins and boards organized.
• Find relevant keywords in your niche: What keywords does your target audience use when searching online?
• Try to include relevant keywords on your profile, pin description, and board description.
• Consider adding long tail keywords.

• Interact with your audience

Don’t forget that Pinterest is still a social network, so it’s useful to connect with other users. This means replying to comments, replying to related posts, commenting on other Pins, or following other installers in your niche. 

• Analyze the performance of your pins

It goes without saying that you should track and analyze the performance of your Pins. Find out which hikes are driving up engagement and traffic and which ones need improvement. Fortunately, tracking pin performance on a Pinterest Business page can be done through Pinterest Analytics. If you want to take your analytics game a step further, feel free to use other analytics tools like Google Analytics.

Knowing what works and what doesn’t will help you fine tune your content and strategy, allowing you to make better and more informed decisions.

Consistency is key when it comes to Pinterest affiliate marketing, so try creating a few pins per day or one to three boards per week. Create a workflow and use a scheduling tool to ensure consistency.

Pinterest Affiliate Marketing Best Practices

• Define your target audience

Building your audience is key to planning what your Pins will be. Who you target will determine the direction of the types of images you should install, as well as the type of content or products you are promoting. In short, you need to create Pins that resonate with and engage your target audience, so it’s best to know who they are before you spend time and other resources creating your Pins and promoting affiliate products.

While trends change periodically, they are good indicators of what people are looking for at any given time. Take advantage of popular keywords and use trends to see what your competitors are doing. 

• Learn and follow the Pinterest Community Guidelines

The Pinterest Community Guidelines are a great resource for affiliate marketers, whether you’re a beginner or an expert. It covers topics like site security, access, spam, paid membership guidelines, and more. Knowing the platform’s guidelines ensures that you have a safe and smooth experience on Pinterest. 

• Don’t forget to post affiliate links

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires merchants to disclose paid affiliate links or partnerships to protect consumers. Label your Pins according to the ‘Sponsored’ or ‘Affiliate’ tags. 

Hiding links or hiding affiliate links using link shorteners or redirects is against the platform’s community guidelines. When adding affiliate links, be sure to use their full versions. Pinterest makes it clear that your audience should know, or at least have an idea, where your links will take them.

• Keep your recommendations permanent and relevant

The Pinners and Pinterest algorithm love new content. This means that you must publish original content. To keep your Pins up to date, you can update or share new product listings as they become available.

• Your friend’s connection tests

Testing links or links to reviews or buying guides allows affiliate marketers to make additional, relevant recommendations for their target audience. To create a test link, create an eye-catching pin associated with your proof of purchase. Then check its performance to see if it is able to generate traffic or not. You can also use this method to measure traffic to your websites.  

• Know the rules of your referral program

Affiliate program rules for sharing affiliate content may vary, so please familiarize yourself with their guidelines to avoid penalties or penalties. 

last thoughts

Pinterest is an accessible channel for consumers looking for inspiration, as well as marketers looking to expand their reach and generate more revenue. Users looking to earn new income can also turn to Pinterest for affiliate marketing. When used correctly, this social media platform can be used to increase traffic, attract more conversions, increase sales or commissions, and grow your loyal customer base. 

Your Unique Selling Proposition is the only social media platform that works like a visual search engine. This alone makes it a valuable resource for users or customers who are looking for ideas, references, and even specific products or brands.