Affiliate Marketing on Pinterest Complete Guide
How to Use Pinterest for Affiliate Marketing (Beginner’s Guide 2026)

How to Use Pinterest to Make Money as an Affiliate (A Beginner’s Guide)
Using free traffic to do Pinterest affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money online. Pinterest is different from other social media sites because posts don’t go away right away. Instead, it works like a visual search engine, so your content can get clicks and affiliate sales for months or even years.
This full beginner’s guide will show you step by step how to use Pinterest for affiliate marketing, even if you don’t have a website or any experience.
What is affiliate marketing on Pinterest?
Affiliate marketing on Pinterest means using Pinterest pins to promote affiliate products. You get paid when someone clicks on your pin and uses your affiliate link to buy something.
There are two common ways to use Pinterest for affiliate marketing:
Direct affiliate links (pin → page for the affiliate product)
Links that aren’t direct (like pin → blog or landing page → affiliate product)
You can use either method on Pinterest as long as you follow their rules and make it clear that the links are affiliate links.
Why Pinterest Is a Great Place to Do Affiliate Marketing
Pinterest is a great place for beginners to start for the following reasons:
1. People who use Pinterest want to buy things
People use Pinterest to find products, ideas, and answers to their problems. This means that people who use Pinterest are often already interested in buying, which makes it a great place for affiliate marketing.
2. Free Organic Traffic
You can get free traffic on Pinterest without paying for ads. A single well-optimized pin can keep bringing in visitors long after it has been posted.
3. You don’t need followers
Pinterest doesn’t rely on followers as much as Instagram or TikTok do. Pinterest is better for beginners because it focuses more on keywords and SEO.
4. Long life span of content
Pins don’t go away right away. They can show up in Pinterest search results for months, which brings in a steady stream of visitors.
Pinterest Affiliate Marketing Rules You Need to Know
To avoid having your account suspended, you must follow Pinterest’s rules before you start:
Use words like #affiliate or #ad to let people know when you have affiliate links.
Don’t spam or pin too many times.
Use original and high-quality pin designs
You shouldn’t hide or shorten affiliate links unless the affiliate program says you can.
Following these rules will help you gain the trust of both Pinterest and your audience.
How to Use Pinterest to Make Money as an Affiliate (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Set up a business account on Pinterest
With a Pinterest business account, you can access:
Pinterest analytics
Insights about keywords
More visible in search results
It doesn’t cost anything and is highly recommended for affiliate marketing.
Step 2: Pick a niche that makes money
Instead of promoting random products, focus on one niche. Some popular niches for affiliate marketing on Pinterest are:
- Decorating your home and doing it yourself
- Fitness and health
- Skincare and beauty
- Style
- Gadgets for tech
- Digital products
Pinterest can better understand your content and show it to the right people if you choose a niche.
Step 3: Sign Up for Affiliate Programs
Here are some affiliate programs that are easy for beginners to use:
- Amazon Associates
- ShareASale
- Awin
- CJ Affiliate
- Click Bank
After you sign up, make affiliate links for products that are related to your niche.
Step 4: Make Pinterest Pins that Get a Lot of Clicks
The design of your pin is very important for conversions. Follow these best practices:
- Use pins that are 2:3 in size.
- Add clear text overlays with keywords
- Use pictures that are of good quality
- Add a strong call to action, like “Click to Learn More.”
Canva and other tools make it easy for people who are new to design to make professional pins.
Step 5: Make sure your Pins are good for Pinterest SEO
SEO for Pinterest helps your pins show up higher in search results.
Optimize:
- Pin titles with keywords
- Write natural-sounding pin descriptions with keywords.
- Names and descriptions of boards
- Text for Alt
Example keywords:
- Affiliate marketing on Pinterest for beginners
- How to put links to your affiliate site on Pinterest
Pinterest can help you make money.
Step 6: Put Affiliate Links in the Right Place
Put your affiliate link in the field for the destination URL. Always include a disclosure, such as:
“This post has links that are affiliate links. I might get a commission from you at no extra cost.
This keeps your content open and honest.
Step 7: Be consistent
Being consistent is the key to success. Pinning often will help you reach more people and get more attention.
- You can:
- Manually pin
- Use tools like Tailwind to plan ahead
- More pins mean more chances to rank and earn.
- Affiliate marketing on Pinterest without a website
You can do affiliate marketing on Pinterest without having a website.
A lot of beginners use direct affiliate links and still make money. But a blog or landing page can:
- Build trust
- Make more sales
- Help with branding for the long term
- Pick the one that fits your goals best; both work.
How to Boost Affiliate Sales on Pinterest
- Try out different designs for the same pin.
- Use long-tail keywords to make it easier to rank
- Use Pinterest analytics to look at performance
Don’t just sell; focus on solving user problems.
Is Pinterest Affiliate Marketing Worth It?
Yes, Pinterest affiliate marketing is:
- Beginner-friendly
- Free to start
- Scalable over time
- Powered by long-term organic traffic
With the right strategy and consistency, Pinterest can become a strong source of affiliate income.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a simple and effective way to start affiliate marketing, Pinterest is an excellent choice. By creating SEO-optimized pins and promoting relevant affiliate products, you can build passive income using free traffic.
Start small, stay consistent, and focus on value — the results will follow.




