How to Make Money on Pinterest Without a Blog 2025 | 5 Methods + Step-by-Step Guide
To make money on Pinterest without a blog:
- Do affiliate marketing
- Sell digital products
- Create sponsored pins for brands
- Become a Pinterest VA (virtual assistant)
- Apply for Pinterest Inclusion Fund (only available to some people).
You don’t need a blog to start earning with Pinterest. Instead, link your pins directly to affiliate offers, digital products, or brand deals. You can also offer Pinterest-related services, such as pin creation or ad management.
Pinterest is great as it has millions of active users. According to Sprout Social, 85% of users bought something from a pin they saw. You’re also allowed to add links to your pins, redirecting users to a buying platform when clicked. What’s more, pin performance relies on keywords, relevance, and engagement, not follower count. One Reddit user says Pinterest has the best organic reach and conversion.
However, without a blog, you can’t provide detailed product explanations. It’s harder to convince people to buy. That’s why highly visual niches work best, like fashion or home decor. Your product’s benefits should be obvious from the image and description alone. Finally, consistent effort is a must for Pinterest earnings. This includes creating quality pins, optimizing them for search, and using effective strategies.
I’ve been selling my digital product for 10+ years now. I learned that, although blogs are helpful, it isn’t necessary if you have a great product that you know how to sell. The same applies to Pinterest. To help you, I provide 5 methods on how to make money on Pinterest without a blog. I also give you a step-by-step guide for each one, expected earnings, and expert advice.
1. Do Pinterest Affiliate Marketing
Potential earnings: $100 to $3,000+ per month.
Pinterest affiliate marketing is promoting a brand’s product on the platform. You’re given a special link (called an affiliate link) that you add to your pins. When someone clicks on that link and buys the product, you earn a commission.
Affiliate marketing is how beginners make money on Pinterest since it’s easy to start. Plus, many affiliate programs, like CJ Affiliate and ShareASale, accept new creators. Commissions typically range from 3% to 30%, depending on the product and program. To do affiliate marketing on Pinterest without a blog:
- Read Pinterest’s community and direct affiliate link guidelines. Make sure you follow all the policies to avoid pin removal or account suspension.
- Join affiliate programs that allow direct affiliate links on Pinterest, and vice versa. Beginner-friendly programs include ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, Impact Radius, and small individual brand programs. NOTE! Amazon Associates doesn’t allow direct linking to social media platforms. You must add your affiliate link either to a website or blog.
- Choose products that fit Pinterest’s top niches. This includes beauty, fitness, home decor, and DIY. Pick items that are easy to show in a pin, so people understand what you’re promoting and why it’s useful.
- Create a Pinterest business account. This is required if you’re promoting a product. It also has access to analytics, ad tools, and other features to track performance and growth.
- Design eye-catching pins related to your affiliate products. Use Canva or Adobe Express to create your images. Example: For a makeup organizer, your image could show a messy counter vs a clean setup using the product.
- Add keywords, product details, affiliate disclosure, and call-to-action (CTA) to your pin description. Example: “Tired of clutter? This $15 makeup organizer is the perfect solution for makeup storage and vanity organization. Keeps everything neat and easy to find. Tap to shop now! #affiliate”
- Put your affiliate link in the designated link field. This makes your pins clickable.
- Come up with a consistent pinning schedule. Pinterest rewards consistency. You need at least 3 to 5 pins a day to reach more viewers. However, always follow Pinterest’s anti-spam requirements, especially for affiliate links.
- Track performance with Pinterest Analytics. Look at your pins’ impressions, outbound clicks, and saves. See which products or pin styles are converting best so you can double down on them.
- Stay informed about Pinterest changes. Pinterest updates its algorithm and features regularly. Follow Pinterest’s official blog or creator newsletter to stay updated. Adapting early lets you stay competitive.
Pinterest has taken a stricter stand on direct affiliate links in 2024 and 2025. Here are a few of the policies:
- You cannot shorten or conceal affiliate links.
- You must add affiliate disclaimers to pin descriptions.
- You should not spam affiliate links.
- Your pins should actively help users, not just direct them to affiliate products.
- You must not link to websites that are unsafe, deceptive, untrustworthy, or unoriginal.
- Don’t create fake accounts or use alias accounts to repin your content.
- You should only add affiliate links to your own pins, not to pre-made templates or ones with stock images.
One Reddit user warns against reusing the same image or link on a pin within 1 to 2 weeks. You should balance pins that link to a normal website, have no link at all, or include a direct affiliate link on special occasions. You should also avoid linking to low-quality affiliate programs like ClickBank and WarriorPlus. These are the types of things you need to watch out for.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t earn with Pinterest affiliate marketing in 2025. Sara Finance makes $23K per month with her new strategy. First, she checks what affiliate products her top competitors are promoting on Pinterest. She makes a list of about 30 to 50 affiliate products. She then applies to those same programs. Sara also prefers high-ticket items that offer at least $30+ commissions. Finally, she often links pins to her blog, but will sometimes add direct affiliate links. TIP! If you don’t want to write a blog, it’s best to have at least a website. This is because it’s safer to link pins to a website than a direct affiliate link on Pinterest.
2. Sell Digital Products on Pinterest
Potential earnings: $500 to $5,000+ per month.
Selling digital products on Pinterest requires a website or a landing page. This way, you can link your pins to a page where people buy your product. The good news is you don’t have to create your own website. Platforms like Etsy, Gumroad, or Payhip let you add your product and list all the important info about it. These platforms also handle payments and automatically deliver your product to buyers.
Now, you can either sell a digital product you created or a done-for-you (DFY) product with resell rights. DFY products are items you buy from someone and get the rights to sell them under your name. It’s a lot faster to set up, but some don’t allow edits or commercial use. To sell digital products on Pinterest without a blog:
- Pick a digital product that’ll do well on Pinterest. This includes templates, ebooks, online courses, software, printables, worksheets, digital art, and presets.
- Research quality done-for-you products (if applicable). Before buying, check the licensing terms, reviews, and the creator’s reputation. You don’t want to waste money on a product not worth reselling. You’ll usually find quality digital products in PLR.me, Etsy, and MasterResellRights.com.
- Create your own digital product. This takes more time, but you control everything. Plus, unique products stand out more on Pinterest than ones that are resold by many others.
- Choose a selling platform. The best platforms are Etsy, Gumroad, Payhip, Creative Market, and Stan Store. Some platforms are more specific, like Thinkific for online courses or Lemon Squeezy for software. You can also create your own website or landing page using simple site builders like Wix or Carrd. NOTE! These platforms usually have fees.
- Set up a Pinterest business account. It allows you to access analytics, run ads (if needed), and claim your website or storefront. This gives Pinterest more trust signals and lets you track results.
- Do keyword research for Pinterest SEO (Search Engine Optimization). For this, use PinClicks or type in the Pinterest search bar to see suggestions. Also, check what words your competitors are using. Add those terms in your pin title, description, and board names. This lets your pins show up when people search for these keywords.
- Promote your product on Pinterest. Design attention-grabbing pins. Focus on visuals that pop. Pick colors and phrases that stand out in the feed and make people want to click. Along with that, write a description with a compelling call-to-action (CTA). Add keywords and hashtags. Put your link to redirect viewers to your digital storefront. Here’s an example:
- Post 3 to 5 pins a day. Pinterest is a search engine. The more high-quality pins you post, the more chances you have to get discovered over time.
- Run ads with Pinterest Ads Manager. Start with a small budget (as low as $5/day) and promote your best-performing pins. These ads allow you to select your target audience based on interests, keywords, demographics, or custom audiences (like your website visitors). It then shows up to people who fit your target audience description.
- Track your performance often. Use Pinterest Analytics to see which pins get the most clicks to your storefront. Make more content like the ones that perform well. With this, you’ll grow faster and focus your time where it counts.
As expected, it takes time to build traction, so you might not see results right away. Give it 6 months to a year before you start earning. You must also post lots of fresh pins every day, so don’t expect it to be passive income at first. One Reddit user also says that, though they got 500K monthly views, very few clicked to their site. This shows that you need a good Pinterest marketing strategy.
Nikki Connected shares her strategy that helped her earn $16K a month. Most people won’t buy expensive products straight from Pinterest. This is why Nikki first offers a low-priced AI prompts pack. Since it’s only $7, people freely buy it, which she then asks for their emails. After that, she sends them emails to promote her main product, the Pinterest Profit Pack for $59. Since she’s already in their circle, people are more likely to trust her and buy it.
3. Create Sponsored Pinterest Pins for Brands
Potential earnings: $1,500 to $8,000+ per month.
Sponsored pins work best if your Pinterest account already gets lots of impressions. Brands will want to use your audience to drive traffic to their products or websites. There are many deals, but the most common one for beginners is a flat fee per pin. For example, brands pay you $500 to create 3 pins for their product, regardless of performance. The downside is that you get no extra earnings if the pin goes viral.
There are also opportunities to work long-term. You become their ambassador for 6 to 12+ months. Here, you make regular, ongoing content for a monthly retainer + bonus for viral content. Since you’re promoting someone else’s product, you don’t need a blog. To create sponsored Pinterest pins for brands:
- Set up your Pinterest business account. If you already have a personal account with many viewers, you can switch it to a business account. This makes it quicker to get deals. If you don’t have one yet, create a new business account from scratch.
- Optimize your Pinterest profile. Upload a clear, professional headshot or logo. Make your username easy to remember and spell. Write a clear niche statement in your bio with your contact information. Example: “Home decor inspiration for busy moms 🏠 | DIY tutorials & styling tips | Contact: name@email.com .”
- Remove unrelated boards or pins (if applicable). If you’re switching from a personal account, hide any pins or boards that don’t fit your chosen niche. You need to show brands that you only deal with content relevant to their audience.
- Meet the basic requirements for brand deals. You must have a business account, 1,000+ followers, and a 2% engagement rate. You should also be an active pinner, with new content every week. Finally, your account has to be 30+ days old for monetization.
- Come up with your price. For this, check influencer rate calculators or research competitor pricing. Also, consider your engagement rate, as higher engagement means you may charge more. Don’t forget to factor in time and effort to create pins. Here are common pricing structures:
- Create a media kit. This is what you present to a brand you want to make a deal with. The kit should have a professional photo, contact info, about section, audience demographics, performance metrics, types of deals, 6-8 of your best pin examples, and your pricing structure. Keep it to 2-3 pages and make it easy to scan. Here’s an example:
- Look for target brands in your niche. The easiest way is to join influencer platforms that match creators with partners. Popular platforms include Aspire, Upfluence, Grin, Sprout Social Influencer Marketing, and LTK. Or, do your own research and find brands you want to work with. Just make sure they’re active on Pinterest and have an influencer marketing budget.
- Send emails to the brands you want to work with. Email 5 different brands per week. Follow up after 1 week. Have at least 3 more follow-up emails after that. It’s a good idea to track all your outreach in a spreadsheet. Here’s an example of what to include in your email:
- Make clear negotiations. If a brand wants to partner with you, ask clarifying questions about deliverables. What is the timeline and expectations? How much will you earn and when will you get paid? How long can they use your content? Can you work with other partners that compete with theirs? It’s best to have a contract and have both parties sign it.
- Create visually appealing pins for your partners. Use regular pins (static images) for simple product features or reviews. For tutorials, step-by-step guides, or storytelling, upload a video pin. Always follow guidelines and have correct branding and messaging.
- Add a paid partnership label to your pins. You can only turn it on through the Pinterest mobile app, not desktop. Once you publish your pin, the brand will receive an email to approve or decline the partnership. When approved, their name will appear with the paid partnership label in your pins. Pinterest automatically adds the disclosure label for you.
- Follow up after the campaign. Send a performance report and thank them for the partnership. You should also request a testimonial for future pitches. To encourage repeat business, share ongoing pin performance and introduce new packages.
Brand-sponsored pins are sure to pay you, especially if it’s a flat fee. However, it takes time to grow your followers and engagement on Pinterest. It’ll take around 6 months of constant posting to hit the basic requirements. Another downside is that you’ll be competing against more experienced Pinners. You have to prove to brands how you will help them grow.
Chrissy Carroll says sponsored content has been one of her biggest revenue streams. Companies love to work with her because she puts extra effort to build their brand awareness. She doesn’t just create pins to earn. Plus, she offers cross-promotion on TikTok or Instagram. One food account let her do several sponsored pins for them. Each one got 5,000 impressions, bringing a lot of traffic to their blog.
4. Become a Pinterest VA (Virtual Assistant)
Income potential: $5 to $40 per hour.
Pinterest VAs work on someone else’s Pinterest account. You create and schedule their pins, run their Pinterest ad campaigns, report analytics, or manage it all. Since you’re working for clients, you’ll usually earn an hourly rate. This is a great option if you enjoy Pinterest but don’t want to commit to your own products, personal brand, or blog.
Many companies are seeing how effective Pinterest is, especially in visual niches. According to SocialPilot, Pinterest marketing generates $4.30 for every $1 spent. Its ads generate twice the return on ad spend (ROAS) compared to Facebook and Instagram ads. But these companies don’t have the time to learn Pinterest. This is why they’re willing to hire virtual assistants to do it for them. To become a Pinterest VA:
- Learn Pinterest marketing. The basics include Pinterest SEO, design, content creation, ads, analytics, and management tools. It’s best to use Pinterest yourself to gain experience. Taking an online course is also good because it gives you a certificate that makes you more hirable.
- Choose a VA service to focus on. While studying Pinterest, figure out which task you enjoy the most. Specializing in one area helps you stand out. However, many small companies only hire one person to manage the entire account.
- Set your pricing. Beginner hourly rates range from $5 to $12. With more experience and testimonials, it increases to $15 to $40 per hour. Some Pinterest VAs offer packages, such as monthly pin creation, management, or campaigns. For package pricing, research your competitors and industry standards.
- Create a strong portfolio. Showcase your best-designed pins, impressions, followers, and knowledge about Pinterest. Prove that you can help companies build brand awareness and drive traffic. Of course, add your name, photo, contact info, about me, VA services, pricing, and testimonials (if any). Here’s a VA portfolio example:
- Find clients. Start on platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer. Here, create gigs or apply for job listings as a Pinterest VA. As you grow, find more clients through Facebook groups, LinkedIn, or Pinterest-specific communities. Direct clients pay more than those found on freelance platforms.
- Start pinning! Focus on designing scroll-stopping pins, writing SEO-optimized titles and descriptions, coming up with great ads, linking to relevant content, etc… Keep your clients satisfied so they come back or refer you to others.
- Market yourself. To get even more clients, use your own Pinterest account to show off your skills. Pin about Pinterest tips, your services, or case studies. This way, clients will come to you, rather than you having to search for them.
- Stay updated with Pinterest trends. The platform is always changing. To stay competitive, you need to adapt to these changes quickly. So follow Pinterest’s official blog, join Pinterest marketing groups, and read industry news.
Pinterest VA is a client-focused approach to making money on Pinterest without a blog. You first need to convince them to hire you. Then, you must communicate regularly to understand their needs. Unfortunately, some clients may have unrealistic expectations of quick results. Others don’t understand the effort Pinterest takes and try to pay less for your services. With all the demands and managing multiple accounts, you might start to burn out. One Reddit user says being a VA is definitely not good for those who have phone anxiety.
Ramish M is proof that Pinterest VAs earn big, too. On Upwork, she charges $8 per hour for her VA for ongoing support on platforms like Pinterest. As of now, Ramish completed 23,638 hours for her clients. That means she earned almost $200K. Clients hire her not only for the low cost but also because of her great reviews. In her Upwork account, she earned 4.7/5 stars from 271 reviews.
5. Apply for Pinterest Inclusion Fund
Income potential: $10,000 one-time grant for each group of participants.
The Pinterest Inclusion Fund (formerly Pinterest Creator Fund) is a monetization program. Pinterest offers a $10,000 cash out, 15,000 ad credits, and educational resources on how to boost Pinterest visibility. However, they only accept people who promote products or content for underrepresented groups. For example, you create content about diverse skin tones, hair types, and body shapes. They help these creators as they want to be an inclusive platform.
Applications for the Pinterest Inclusion Fund open periodically. Pinterest announces these opportunities on their official creator channels. So keep an eye out if you’re interested. Now, the requirements for joining the program change every time. To give you an idea, the criteria for their 2025 openings were:
- Your content has to support one of Pinterest’s inclusive product tools, such as skin tone and/or body types.
- Your content must focus on fashion, beauty, and/or lifestyle topics.
- You must be located in Canada.
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You must be an active content creator sharing on at least two other social media platforms.
- You’re interested in improving your content creation skills on Pinterest.
- You’re able to commit to the program session and office hours.
Last year, a Redditor said that the Pinterest program focused on Black and Indigenous creators. She also mentioned that you needed a certain number of followers to join. Plus, there are long periods before they open the program again. Another Reddit user was able to join one time and said that it helped them make good money.
The Pinterest Inclusion Fund (or Pinterest Creator Fund) isn’t considered income. But it’s a great way to start earning from Pinterest with full support, and without the need for a blog. You can use the money to create a product for diverse people and the resources to promote it on Pinterest.
Does Pinterest Pay You?
Pinterest no longer pays you directly for creating pins with high engagement. They ended their Creator Rewards program on November 30, 2022. The official report said the program ended to “focus on other creator programs and features.” However, Pinterest promised to help creators who work with brands or affiliate programs. This is why they provide affiliate link support and brand partnership tagging.
As of now, Pinterest’s only monetization program is the Inclusion Fund. You may not be eligible, as it targets very specific people and opens slots occasionally. So, to make money on Pinterest without a blog, you must send traffic to a product (your own, affiliate, or brand). Alternatively, you can work as a virtual assistant managing clients’ accounts.
What Are the Best Niches for Pinterest Affiliate Marketing?
The best niches for Pinterest affiliate marketing include:
- Home decor
- DIY and crafts
- Fashion and accessories
- Health and fitness
- Beauty products
- Gardening
- Parenting and kids
- Cooking and recipes
- Event planning
- Wedding
What’s the Best Way to Make Money on Pinterest?
Selling your own digital product is the best way to make money on Pinterest without a blog. For one, you have full control over the quality and price. Plus, 97% of users are open to discovering new products and creators on Pinterest (Pinhouss). You don’t have to promote popular brands or on platforms like Amazon.
What’s more, selling your own digital products has the fewest downsides. There are lots of strict rules for affiliate marketing. This is especially true if you put direct links to the affiliate product. Many affiliate marketers complain that Pinterest randomly bans their accounts, specifically those promoting Amazon affiliate links. Getting brand sponsors gets you money, but it takes time to build a following. Also, it’s typically a fixed price, not one that increases as your content grows. Pinterest VAs earn less and have to deal with client expectations.
I can vouch for digital products as I sell my own and make $50,000 monthly. I don’t do the usual templates, kits, stickers, etc… Instead, I do local lead generation. I create home service websites, drive traffic to them, and rent them out to companies. Since the websites bring in quality leads, these companies want their name on my sites. I charge $500 to $3,000 per month to add their business info.
Before, I used Pinterest to get traffic to my websites, and it was good enough. However, I found that local SEO is more secure as it ranks your website on Google. You don’t have to constantly make hundreds of pins. If you want to try and sell this type of product, you can start with Pinterest. While you’re at it, learn more about local SEO and apply it to your sites.

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