Why Use Pinterest for Affiliate Marketing?
Two women smiling at their phones while working on affiliate marketing on Pinterest.
Pinterest is not just a place to find recipes, DIY projects, or home decor ideas. 
It’s also a powerful social media platform for affiliate marketing. Here are some reasons why:

Pinterest has over 463 million monthly active users looking for inspiration, solutions, and products.
Pinterest users have a high purchase intent. According to Pinterest, 89% of Pinners use the platform for purchase inspiration.
Pinterest users have a high average income. According to Statista, 41% of US Pinners have a yearly household income of over $75,000.
Pinterest allows you to add affiliate links directly on your pins, unlike some other social media platforms that restrict or ban them.
Pinterest pins have a long lifespan and can drive traffic for months or years after you publish them.
Pinterest is easy to use and doesn’t require any technical skills or investment.

How to Use Pinterest for Affiliate Marketing
Set up and optimize your Pinterest business account
Find and join affiliate programs
Create and share pins with affiliate links
Disclose affiliate links and follow Pinterest’s guidelines
Grow your traffic and income
Let’s look at each step in detail.

Step 1: Set Up and Optimize Your Pinterest Account
Pinterest Sign-up page, with the text, “Grow your business. Get in front of 400 million people looking to buy, make and do.”
The first step is to set up and optimize your Pinterest account for affiliate marketing. 
Here are some things you need to do in your Pinterest strategy:

Create a business account or convert your personal Pinterest account to a business one. 
This will give you access to analytics, ads, and other features to help you grow your account.
Claim your website or social media profile if you have one. This will help drive traffic to your site or profile and increase your credibility.
Enable rich pins if you have a website. Rich pins are enhanced pins that show extra information from your site,
 such as product prices, ratings, availability, etc.
Choose a niche and target audience. You need a clear idea of what topics you want to cover and who you want to reach with your pins.
Optimize your profile name, bio, and photo. Use relevant keywords that describe your niche and 
your value to your audience (utilize Google Analytics to see what’s trending). Use a clear and professional photo of yourself or your logo.
Create relevant Pinterest boards and organize them by categories. Boards are where you, as an affiliate marketer,
 save your pins related to different topics. Use descriptive names and keywords for your boards and choose appropriate categories.
Follow other accounts in your niche and engage with their content. This will help you get noticed by other users, 
grow your network, and become an affiliate marketer with real income.

Step 2: Find and Join Affiliate Programs
The list of benefits of being a Printify affiliate: 5% commission for 12 months, no earning ceiling, monthly payouts, custom promo codes, and more.
The next step in your Pinterest affiliate marketing strategy is to find affiliate programs that suit your niche and audience. Affiliate programs are where you sign up as an affiliate partner for a product or service and get a unique link that tracks your referrals.

There are two main types of affiliate programs:

Individual affiliate programs: These are run by the product or service owners. You need to apply directly on their website or through an email.
Affiliate networks: These are platforms that connect affiliates with multiple merchants or advertisers. You need to sign up on the network and then apply for individual programs within it.
Some popular individual affiliate programs are:

Some popular networks are:

ShareASale: This is one of the industry’s oldest and most reputable affiliate networks. It has over 4,000 merchants across various niches, such as fashion, home & garden, health & beauty, etc.
CJ Affiliate: This is another well-established affiliate network with over 3,000 merchants across various categories, such as travel, finance, education, etc.
Awin: This is a global affiliate network with over 15,000 advertisers across various sectors, such as retail, telecoms, gaming, etc.
To find more affiliate programs or networks in your niche, you can use a search engine, Google or Bing, or browse through directories like Affiliates Directory or High Paying Affiliate Programs.

Before you join any affiliate program or network, make sure you read their terms and conditions carefully. Some things you need to check are:

The commission rate and payment method
The cookie duration (how long after someone clicks on your link will you still get credit for the sale)
The approval process and requirements
The rules and restrictions regarding promotion methods
Step 3: Create and Share Pins With Affiliate Links
Person holding a phone with the Pinterest app opened.
The third step in Pinterest affiliate marketing is creating pins with direct affiliate links and sharing them on Pinterest. Pins are the images or videos you upload or save on the platform.

To create effective pins for affiliate marketing, here are some tips:

Use high-quality images or videos showcasing the product or service in an attractive way.
Use text overlays or captions highlighting the benefits or features of the product or service.
Ensure your pin details – including the title and description – have keywords matching what Pinterest visitors and your target audience are searching for.
Use relevant hashtags in your pin description related to your niche or topic.
Use a call-to-action (CTA) in your pin description that encourages people to click on your link.
To share pins with affiliate links on Pinterest, here are some steps:

Copy your affiliate link from the program or network dashboard
Go to Pinterest and click on the plus icon at the top right corner
Click Create Pin
Upload your image or video from your computer or phone
Paste your affiliate link in the destination link (URL) field
Add your pin title, description, hashtags, CTA, etc.
Choose a board where you want to save your pin
Click Publish
Alternatively, affiliate marketers can use tools like Tailwind or Canva Pro to create beautiful pins with affiliate links faster and easier.

Step 4: Add Disclosures and Follow Pinterest's Guidelines
Woman working on Pinterest affiliate marketing at her laptop.
The fourth step is to add disclosures and follow Pinterest’s community guidelines when doing affiliate marketing on Pinterest.

Disclosures are statements informing your audience that you’re using an affiliate link and that you may earn a commission through affiliate sales.

Disclosures are required by law (FTC) and by most affiliate programs (including Amazon) as part of their policies.

To add disclosures on Pinterest, here are some best practices:

Use clear and conspicuous language like “affiliate link,” “paid link,” “sponsored,” etc.
Place the disclosure before or near the link (not at the end of the description).
Use hashtags such as #affiliatelink, #paidlink, #sponsored, etc.
Use symbols such as [aff], [ad], [spon], etc.
For example:

“Looking for a cozy blanket for winter? Check out this one from Printify [aff]. It’s super soft, warm, and comes in different sizes and colors.”

“Want to start a blog in 2023? Here’s how I did it with Bluehost #paidlink. They offer fast, reliable, and affordable web hosting services.”

Besides adding disclosures, you must follow Pinterest’s guidelines when doing affiliate marketing on Pinterest.

Some of these guidelines are:

Don’t spam (don’t share too many pins with the same link or too many pins in general).
Don’t mislead (don’t use false claims or deceptive images).
Don’t promote prohibited products (such as adult content, gambling, drugs, etc.).
Don’t use link-shortening tools (such as bit.ly) or redirects (like cloaking), a
s they may lead to your pins being blocked or your account being suspended.

Step 5: Grow Your Traffic and Income
Phone placed between dollar bills, showing the Pinterest app icon.
Finally, focus on growing your traffic and income. Consistently share high-quality, valuable content to attract and engage your audience. 
Monitor your performance using Pinterest Analytics to understand which of your Pinterest pin images are performing well and why. 
Affiliate marketers should use these insights to refine their strategy, improve Pins, and increase income.

You can also consider leveraging Pinterest ads to further boost brand awareness, reach, and engagement. Remember, 
the key to growing your traffic and income on Pinterest is consistency, creativity, and user engagement.