5 Ways on How to Monetize on Pinterest

Business and money go hand in hand, at least they should, otherwise you may be running a hobby not a business.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) states that the average millionaire has at least 7 streams of income.

It makes sense that the wealthy diversify their income streams because they are creating a buffer between themselves and potential financial hardships. The rich clearly heed the warning of “don’t put all your eggs in the same basket.”

In the world of Pinterest, I can think of five different sources of income that specifically applies to online businesses.

From obvious to lesser-known streams, this post takes a look at 5 ways on how to monetize on Pinterest:

Affiliate Links
Digital Downloads
Brand Partnerships and Sponsored Pins
Sell an evergreen digital course
Consulting Sessions

Revenue source #1: Affiliate Links

As a course creator you likely have a specific audience and a fairly narrow niche. Within that niche there are tools of the trade that help with that specific Ideal Customer’s problem.

For example, you might be a fitness coach with an online audience. On Pinterest the fitness coach could share their top tools or go-to recommendations for their clients.

This list showcases the “best-of” items that are perfect for affiliate commissions. When you round up a list of the best products, you are saving your ideal customer time and energy from having to research it all on their own.

By serving your audience with this list you help them solve their problems which in turn establishes you as the expert and you build goodwill. While achieving all that, you also gain with some commission income.

The dollars per units sold may not be significant, but over time these small amounts can add up to generate more than negligible income.

Revenue Source #2: Digital Downloads

Digital products have been around for as long as the beginning of the internet.

E-books, digital pdfs and downloads are another way you can market to Pinterest and generate another income stream.

The days where you have to create an Etsy store or a Shopify store are gone. You can also sell your digital pdfs directly on Pinterest using alternative means like Stripe links and your email service provider.

For example, at the beginning of 2022 with the start of the new year I created and shared my 2022 Calendar Template Pack to my home organization audience.

I used idea pins and standard pins to promote the offer and the links I shared sent the viewer directly to a sale checkout page. For a low entry offer such as this, also known as tripwire, I was able to add someone to my email list as well as make and generate revenue in the process.

I’ve tried it myself and it works to sell directly on Pinterest in this way.

There is no hard and fast rule, but lower priced items do better than higher ticket items that may require a longer nurture sequence.

You could, but you might not get a sale if you put your $10K coaching program directly on Pinterest. But if you try it and it works, please let me know!

Revenue Source #3: Brand partnerships

Believe it or not, if you own an online business, you are a content creator.

Creating an online presence for your online business is non-negotiable.

As you sharpen your content creation skills, you may find that you’re attracting an audience of loyal fans, and thus creating influence. It is entirely possible to become a brand advocate and even create user generated content that creates a partnership between you and a brand that you love.

Take TikTok creator, Vanessa Amaro, @vanesamaro91, for example. As a professional housekeeper, she used a cleaning tool called Scrub Daddy in her personal cleaning business. After highlighting the product and its diverse uses, the brand took notice of her and her viral TikToks.

As a result, Scrub Daddy reached out to her in partnership. That partnership led to Vanesa being named the official spokesperson for the brand.

If it can happen to Vanessa, it can happen to you to drive more revenue to your business.

Revenue Source #4: Evergreen digital course

Putting your offer out there, visible to your ideal customer, is essential for growth in an online business.

Pinterest can be the place where you supercharge your brand awareness.

As potential customers get to know you, share your evergreen digital courses with them. I like the idea of sharing an evergreen product because there are no limitations on when a person can make a purchase.

Also, time sensitive items may not work on Pinterest as you are at the mercy of the algorithm and the indexing that occurs on the platform. The timing of your time-sensitive live launch and offer may not coincide with how Pinterest pushes your content out to viewers.

Revenue Source #5: Consulting sessions

If you offer consulting sessions as part of your business offerings, consider putting it out there on Pinterest.

Your ideal customer may establish a connection with you through your content that drives enough trust to book a one-on-one call with you.

Another idea is that service based business can offer a complimentary introduction call that can lead to a paid consulting session, and additional revenue for your business.

Conclusion

Diversify your income and share multiple offers with those you want to work with and serve.

Using Pinterest to promote your offers in an organic or paid way can drive dollars to your bank account.

As online business owners, when we think outside the box and dare to try new things, we are welcomed with real data rather than guesses.

I like to see the tangible effects of my actions rather than the frustrations I feel when I hem and haw with procrastination or analysis paralysis.

Thought of something not covered in these 5 ways on how to monetize on Pinterest? Let me know in the comments!

Southern California based Professional Organizer, Sandy Park, owner and founder of Tidy with SPARK shares her joy of organization with her clients.

She serves clients in Orange County as well as the hundreds of thousands of followers on her combined social media platforms.

Connect with Sandy through her website or by connecting through her social channels.