How To Make Money On Pinterest: A Step‑by‑step Side‑Hustle Guide for 2025

Updated on August 12, 2025

Pinterest isn’t just for recipes and room decor anymore. With over 570 million active Pinterest users, it’s a powerful tool for creators who want to make money.

This guide shows you how to turn your Pinterest account into a profitable side hustle – step by step.

Why Pinterest is a great platform to build a profitable side hustle

Pinterest is one of the few social media platforms where content stays relevant for months. Unlike TikTok or Instagram, pins appear in search long after posting, making Pinterest a reliable evergreen funnel to drive traffic and make money.

In 2025, over 570 million people use Pinterest monthly, with most planning purchases or discovering services. While TikTok drives viral reach and Instagram excels at conversions, Pinterest offers lower cost-per-click and strong visual targeting – perfect for long-tail income.

But here’s a bonus – with platforms like JumpTask, you can earn while you build, stacking micro-rewards as your Pinterest strategy gains traction.

Earn while you pin

Try quick tasks on JumpTask and keep the side cash flowing.

Set up your Pinterest business foundation

Before you can grow or make money on Pinterest, you need the right setup. These four steps build your foundation for growth, trust, and consistent Pinterest traffic.

1. Switching to a business account

Start by converting your Pinterest account into a Pinterest business account to unlock advanced tools like Pinterest analytics, rich pins, and product pins. Here’s how to do it:

Click your Pinterest profile icon in the top right
Select “Convert to Business”
Add your business name and relevant details
Choose a theme that reflects your brand
Upload a branded profile image
Write a compelling bio with relevant keywords
Claim your website
Apply to the Verified Merchant Program for added credibility

A business account gives you insights into what content is working, helps you drive traffic, and opens up features like promoted pins and audience analytics. It’s the first step to treating Pinterest like a real digital marketing channel, not just a mood board.

2. Picking one clear niche

Choose a single, focused niche that aligns with your goals and attracts your audience. Some profitable options are personal finance, fitness, digital downloads, or home organization.

Niching down makes it easier to create cohesive content, drive traffic, and show up in the right search results. It also boosts the performance of your affiliate links and product promotions.

3. Create boards that attract your ideal buyer

Set up 5-10 boards that address your target audience’s problems, goals, or desires. Use appropriate keywords in board names and descriptions, like “Meal Prep for Busy Moms” or “Budget Home Office Ideas.”

Strategic boards help users find your content, follow your account, and save your pins. They also signal to Pinterest that your profile is worth promoting to more users.

4. Enable rich pins for trust and higher CTR

Head to Pinterest’s Rich Pin Validator and connect your site. You’ll need basic meta tags on your pages (most site builders like Shopify or WordPress handle this easily).

Rich pins show extra details, like prices or recipe ingredients, on the pin. This builds trust and earns more clicks and potential customers.

Craft scroll‑stopping Pins

Creating visually appealing and high-performing pins is essential if you want to capture attention and drive traffic. Pinterest is a search-friendly visual engine, and your Pinterest content must stand out in both the home feed and searches.

Here’s how to make your ideas scroll-stoppers:

Format: Use a vertical 2:3 aspect ratio (1000 × 1500 px) to avoid cut-off pins.
Design: Keep visuals clean and bold. Use strong fonts, high contrast, and subtle branding.
CTA: Add clear, benefit-driven calls like “Get the guide” or “Shop now.”
Posting: Post 1–3 pins daily. Use Pinterest’s scheduler to stay consistent and visible.

Great pin design isn’t about perfection – it’s about clarity, branding, and consistency. When done right, it becomes your most reliable tool for engaging a larger audience and attracting potential customers over time.

Grow an engaged audience fast

If you want to make money on Pinterest, you need more than great visuals – you need an active and responsive audience that consistently clicks, saves, and shares. Focus on proven strategies to increase social media engagement across platforms, and you’ll grow faster on Pinterest, too.

Start with keyword research. Pinterest is a search engine, so appropriate keywords help your content appear in front of the right people:

Add keywords to your profile, descriptions, and board titles
Use 3-5 per pin
Focus on long-tail phrases

Next, capitalize on seasonal spikes. Pinterest users plan early, so post holiday or event-based content 30-60 days ahead:

Plan with a content calendar
Match designs to the season
Repurpose top-performing pins

Join group boards to reach a wider community:

Search “[theme] group board”
Follow posting rules
Share high-quality content

Finally, promote across other platforms:

Share pins on Stories, blogs, and Reels
Add Pinterest to your social bios

These steps help boost audience engagement and consistent traffic.

How many followers do you need on Pinterest to make money?

Here’s the truth – you don’t need a massive following to make bucks on Pinterest. Unlike other social media platforms, Pinterest runs on search results, so quality pins can perform well, even with smaller following.

That said, follower count still matters for brand deals:

0–1,000: Occasional commissions from trending, well-ranked affiliate links
1,000–50,000: Steady affiliate income + micro paid partnership deals
50,000+: Sponsored pins, product sales, and scalable income streams

More important than following? CTR. A pin with a 5% CTR shown to 20,000 users gets 1,000 clicks – no big audience is required. Focus on visually appealing pins people search for, save, and click.

Choose your monetization paths for Pinterest content

Once your foundation is solid, it’s time to turn your Pinterest into income. The best monetization path depends on where you are in your journey. Whether you’re starting fresh or growing a business, here are three proven ways to make money on Pinterest.

1. Affiliate marketing (quickest to start)

Affiliate marketing is best for beginners who want to make money fast without a product or website.

What to do:

Join programs like Amazon Associates, ShareASale, or networks like RewardStyle. These let you make money without investment by promoting products you don’t own.
Grab affiliate links for products related to your Pinterest theme.
Create pins that link directly to your affiliate URLs.
Add proper disclosures to comply with Pinterest's guidelines.

Tips:

Use the Pinterest Trends Tool to find in-demand product ideas.
Add rich pins to show real-time price, availability, or article metadata.
Write clear, benefit-driven pin descriptions that match user search intent.

Mix trending products with evergreen ones to earn both immediate and long-term clicks. Also, remember to test different designs to see which ones convert best.

2. Sponsored or “Paid Partnership” Pins

This path is best for users with at least 1,000 engaged followers.

What to do:

Set up a strong Pinterest profile with a cohesive visual theme and compelling description.
Reach out to relevant brands directly or join platforms like Aspire or Upfluence to get matched with sponsorship deals.
Once approved, create pins using the brand’s product and mark them with the paid partnership (Pinterest requires this for all sponsored content).

Tips:

Deep dive into your analytics to pitch your past performance
Focus on creating helpful content, not just product promos. Think “How I styled this lamp in a tiny apartment” instead of “Buy this lamp!”

Even smaller creators can land deals, just highlight how your theme aligns with the brand’s target audience and how your content consistently drives traffic.

3. Sell your own products and services

This type of monetization is best for creators building long-term income and brand equity.

What to do:

Set up a simple website or Shopify store to host your digital or physical products.
Use product pins to advertise items like digital planners, art prints, courses, or coaching.
Enable rich pins so your product info stays up to date automatically.
Share behind-the-scenes content, testimonials, and transformation stories to build trust and attract potential customers.

Tips:

Use analytics to test which content drives the most traffic and conversions.
Repurpose existing content into multiple pins with different angles (e.g., lifestyle vs. benefits).
Include clear CTAs on every pin: “Shop now,” “Grab the planner,” or “Book a call.”

Offer a freebie or discount code to encourage saves and clicks. Consider using JumpTask as a micro-income boost while you ramp up your product sales.

Turn scrolling time into side cash

A few microtasks on JumpTask, and you’ve got coffee money for tomorrow.

Compliance checklist to stay safe

To start making money on Pinterest safely, follow the platform’s rules to avoid reduced reach or account flags. Here’s a quick compliance checklist:

Disclose early: Add “affiliate” or “sponsored” in your description upfront.
Use the paid partnership label for brand deals.
One link per pin: Avoid linking in both image and text.
Skip link shorteners like Bit.ly – use clean, visible URLs.
Label AI-generated images to avoid flags.
Don’t promote affiliate pins with ads – they’re allowed organically, but not via Pinterest ads.

Pinterest monetization workflow you can copy this month

Not sure where to start? Follow this 4-week strategy to begin turning your Pinterest into profit.

Week	What to Do	Why It Matters
Week 1	Pick a niche, write a compelling bio, and create boards based on your theme (8-10).	This aligns your Pinterest profile with your target audience and helps Pinterest understand your focus.
Week 2	Design 25 visually appealing pins and schedule them across the week.	Fresh content boosts visibility and improves placement in search results.
Week 3	Join 2 affiliate networks and prep your first 5 product links.	You’re laying the foundation for affiliate marketing on Pinterest.
Week 4	Publish 10 affiliate ads, A/B-test CTA button colors, and track CTR.	A click-through rate (CTR) above 1% means your ads are driving results.

Recommended tools and resources

Here are some reliable tools to help you create, schedule, and optimize your content:

Canva / Adobe Express: Design beautiful, branded, and aesthetic pins using ready-made templates.
Tailwind or Pinterest Scheduler: Schedule consistently without burning out.
Pinterest Trends Tool & Pinterest Analytics: Follow what’s trending, track metrics, and measure impressions and performance over time.
Shopify-Pinterest App: Seamlessly sync your product catalog to create auto-updating product pins.
JumpTask: Earn real rewards doing simple micro-tasks during off-hours. Great way to create extra cash flow while your strategy ramps up.

Key takeaways and next steps

Pinterest’s search engine + evergreen content = long-term passive traffic
Focus on SEO, consistent posting, and clear audience targeting
Start with one monetization path: affiliate links, paid partnership labels, or services
Small wins compound – reinvest JumpTask or affiliate income into better tools
Use analytics to track, tweak, and grow
Don’t wait for perfect, just post and learn by doing

FAQs

Focus on a specific theme, create aesthetic content daily, and use relevant keywords in your profile, boards, and descriptions. Join active group boards, cross-promote on other platforms, and post during seasonal drifts to reach more people.

Go to your Pinterest business account dashboard and check metrics like saves, clicks, and impressions. Look for top-performing ideas and track CTR (aim for 1%+). Use that data to refine your pin descriptions, colors, or posting schedule for better audience engagement.

Use the free Pinterest Scheduler for basic planning or Tailwind for smart automation and analytics. Both tools help you stay consistent, schedule in batches, and keep your Pinterest traffic flowing without daily posting.

Nope! You can use affiliate links, product pins, or link to Shopify, Etsy, or Gumroad. A website helps long-term, but you can still earn money by sharing value-driven pins that point to trusted partner platforms or direct sales pages.

Use the Pinterest Trends Tool to find ideas, or browse seasonal categories and your own search bar. Pay attention to what’s performing on your feed, and remix your best posts into new formats with updated pin descriptions.

Gabriele Zundaite

Digital Marketing Manager

Meet Gabriele, a marketing specialist focused on digital growth and social media. As a Digital Marketing Manager at JumpTask, she helps others discover new ways to earn online by turning creative ideas into real results. With a degree in Marketing Management and a background in growth marketing and community building, Gabriele shares clear, practical advice for anyone ready to start earning or grow their online presence.