HOW TO MAKE MONEY ON PINTREST PART 2

So – what is Pinterest and how does it work? Pinterest is a social network that allows users to visually share, and discover new interests by posting (known as ‘pinning’) images or videos to their own or others’ boards (i.e. a collection of ‘pins,’ usually with a common theme) and browsing what other users have pinned.

You can set up an account, log in, and like other users’ posts, or start your own.

Using a visual orientation, the social network is very much focused on the concept of a person’s lifestyle, allowing you to share your tastes and interests with others and discovering those of like-minded people.

Recently they have even added a “Pinterest Lens” feature to their app. Lens lets you discover ideas inspired by anything you point your Pinterest camera at.

Read part one of this article by clicking here

HOW TO MAKE MONEY ON PINTREST PART 2

4. Use Pinterest to drive traffic to your ecommerce site

If you have an ecommerce site, whether it’s through Shopify or Etsy, you can drive traffic to your site and make money with Pinterest. Again, you’re not directly making money from Pinterest — you are leveraging Pinterest’s powerful search engine.

Here’s why Pinterest is an important tool for your ecommerce site:

90% of users say that Pinterest helps them decide what to buy

78% say it’s helpful to see content from brands they see on Pinterest

66% buy something after seeing it on Pinterest

Pinterest brings in 33% more traffic to shopping sites than Facebook does

If you’re an online shop owner, you can utilize Pinterest in the same ways that bloggers do. That’s creating pins to promote new products, putting together boards for different styles or themes, doing keyword research, etc.

One thing I didn’t mention that’s a huge asset to ecommerce owners who want to learn how to make money on Pinterest is something called Promoted Pins. These are basically Pinterest’s version of Facebook ads. They look like normal pins, but they’re actually an ad.

You can optimize your Promoted Pins to meet different goals (traffic, brand awareness, app installs, etc.) You can choose to place ads in browse mode. But you can also do it in search mode, where you would pick the keywords a user would need to search to see your ads — this is a valuable position because you’re getting ads in front of people who are searching specifically for your product, or at least ones like it.

5. Gain a skill from Pinterest and monetize it

Another way to think about Pinterest is as a huge learning library. You can put in the most random stuff and find that someone somewhere has pinned something about it. You can learn how to decorate cakes, build furniture, make origami stars, etc., etc., etc. Not only can you find all of these different things, you can collect and organize them.

But what if you did something with all of that knowledge you’re collecting? There are so many different things you can learn how to do on Pinterest, a lot of them are marketable skills.

I spent a little time searching and scrolling through Pinterest, and came up with a few ideas:

You can start a podcast and monetize it

You can learn how to make those fancy signs you see everywhere (my wife has several) and sell them — Facebook buy/sell groups are a great place to start selling

You can learn how to do calligraphy and get paid to make signs, address fancy letters, do invites, and more

You can learn how to knit or crochet and sell hats, scarves, toys, etc.

You can level up your photography skills and eventually sell your photos to stock photo sites, do portrait photography, take family photos, shoot weddings, etc.

That’s just scratching the surface of what you can learn how to do on Pinterest. Rather than focusing on how to make money on Pinterest, think about what you can learn from Pinterest. And here’s the cool part, depending on what you decide to do, you can turn to Pinterest once again to promote your products or services.

6. Curate a shared board with a brand

For pinners with a decent sized following (this kind of thing is hard to nail down because it’s about the number of followers and the quality of each follower), this and the next two ideas are great ways to make money with Pinterest. Don’t worry, I’ve got tips for growing your Pinterest following at the end of this article.

Curating a shared board with a brand means you work with company and they pay you, usually a flat fee, to create a board for them on Pinterest. Not only do you get paid, you end up gaining some followers and views from people who are looking at companies that align with your personal brand and niche.

7. Do a joint promotion with a brand

This is when a pinner works directly with a brand to create pins that promote the company’s products. It can be product placement things, like “10 ways to repurpose Coca-Cola cans” or “5 epic Airbnb vacations.” I don’t know if either of those brands do joint promotions with pinners… this is just an example.

To make money on Pinterest through a joint promotion, you’ll need a successful account and be able to create really awesome pins, which would include:

The concept of the pin

Photography

Brand placement

Design of pin

If you’re looking for brands to work with, Pinterest recommends checking out the Pin Collective.

8. Help people shop your look

Shop the Look pins are a really popular way for pinners to earn money by promoting products they are literally wearing or using.

As long as your account is set up as a business account (what you need to do if you want to make money on Pinterest), you can create Shop the Look pins. For items you’ve tagged in your pins, someone can click on that little blue dot, see the item, make a purchase, and you earn a commission. In some ways it’s similar to affiliate marketing, but it’s with individual products on individual pins.

9. Teach people your Pinterest strategy

When you get really good at any of those ideas above, the next step is to make money on Pinterest by leveraging your Pinterest knowledge.

If you managed to find several brands to work with you, other pinners will want to know how. Created a number of successful Pinterest campaigns for different clients, give people that knowledge.

You can monetize your Pinterest knowledge with courses, ebooks, coaching, etc. Having a blog will help you share your journey and reach other people who want to do the same.

If you don’t have a blog yet and are interested in starting one, Launch That Blog is a free service that:

Helps with the installation and set-up process of a WordPress blog

Teaches you how to use it

Helps you make it look awesome
Makes sure you have the essential tools ready to go

The only thing you need to pay for is hosting, which is only $2.95 per month through Bluehost.

Seriously, that’s it.

Tips for making money on Pinterest

Now that you know how to make money on Pinterest, it’s important to stay on top of growing your Pinterest audience, and here’s how:

Create eye catching pins

Pinterest is a visual tool, and your pins need to stand out. And if you’re also trying to make money on Pinterest, then they definitely need to look professional.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY ON PINTREST PART 2

Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to come up with creative, high-quality images for your pins. Canva is a free tool for creating digital images for Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, but you can also use it for flyers, invites, business cards, etc. Canva is super easy to use, and there are lots of free designs that you can edit with your own text and images.

Know how to describe your pins

Pinterest is a search engine like Google, so you want to describe your Pins using searchable keywords. Start by looking at the pins that pop up in the top of your feed. I bet they’re simple and to the point descriptions. That’s what you want.

You can do some easy keyword research in the search bar. Start typing something related to your niche. If you’re a cooking/food based pinner, start with a search for “how to cook” and let Pinterest fill in the rest. What pops up will show you what people are currently searching for.

Using hashtags is also really useful for searching for things, so don’t forget to add those too.

Interact with other pinners
Pin other people’s pins, click their follow links, etc. Pinterest is a search engine, but it’s also a social media platform. This is an overall best practice on Pinterest. It says, “Thanks for following me.” You can always unfollow people if you don’t like what’s showing up in your feed.

Make sure you have a business account
I’ve said this already, but if you want to learn how to make money on Pinterest, you need a business account. This is a must do if you want to reach out to any brands for partnerships, affiliate links, etc. Business accounts are free and give you access to analytics, among other things.

Use Tailwind to schedule pins
Tailwind is a marketing app that was created just for Pinterest and Instagram. It can help you with analytics, promoting Pins, but one of the things it does really well is helping you create a pinning schedule.

It costs $9.99 a month, and pinners swear by it.

Have a press or media kit
Media kits tell potential partners key facts and statistics about your blog, business, or Pinterest following. Having a media kit is one of the easiest ways to tell people what you can offer their business.

You can use Canva for your media kit too, and it should include:

A short bio about you and your business

A list of your services

Number of impressions and/or following

Information about your audience

Always be transparent about your partnerships

This is another one I’ve already said, but it’s too important to overlook.

If you are using affiliate links or partnering with brands in any capacity, you have to let your audience know. The FTC has clear guidelines about this.

All it takes is a simple #affiliate or #affiliatelink in the text of your pin to fulfill the FTC regulations.

Follow Pinterest’s guidelines and best practices

To stay on the up and up as you make money on Pinterest, respect the platform by following their guidelines. You can find Pinterest’s Community Guidelines here, and it’s for both business account owners and personal users.

Learn about changes to the platform

Pinterest has changed a lot since they started in 2010. Those changes can affect the way you earn money through Pinterest. To learn about them, read emails they send and check out Social Media Today.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY ON PINTREST PART 2