Affiliate marketing has been around for about 30 years, and it’s no wonder why. This strategy is a win-win for everyone involved: the seller gets a new customer, the customer finds something they want, and the affiliate makes a cut of the sale.
Fast forward to now, and you can find affiliate marketing on virtually every selling channel. Pinterest is one of the top performers.
Because Pinterest is a visual channel where many customers go to shop, it can present big opportunities for affiliate marketers who put the time into making engaging content.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how Pinterest affiliate marketing works, why you should try it, and how to go about setting up your first campaign.
We’ll also look at some helpful tips to create and promote killer content that converts, and how to make sure you’re in a constant state of growth.
How Pinterest affiliate marketing works
Pinterest is based around pins, which have images, videos, and a link to an external URL like a website, YouTube channel, or landing page. As users browse, they can save pins to “boards” or collections. These boards are often centered around niche topics like food, fashion, beauty, home decor, and travel (just to name a few).
As an affiliate, you would create pins related to the industry and niche of your affiliate product or service. These pins should entice users to make a purchase, either directly or indirectly.
In a nutshell, here’s how the process works:
- Choose which brands you’d like to promote as an affiliate.
- Sign up with the affiliate marketing program and receive unique URLs for the product or service. These affiliate links have a code that tracks how many sales happen through you.
- Create engaging pins that grab shoppers’ attention and generate interest in the product or service. Optimize them based on your niche’s top keywords (which we’ll discuss more later).
- Put your unique URLs into the pins directly, or link your pins to a blog, landing page, YouTube video, etc that gives shoppers more information to convince them to buy. You can put your unique URLs here.
- When someone buys through your link, your affiliate marketing program will give you the agreed-upon commission.
Make sure you follow the rules
It’s important to comply with the rules of Pinterest, your affiliate program and partner, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if you’re based in the US.
Pinterest rules state that you’re not allowed to “cloak,” which means hiding or shortening affiliate links. You also can’t use fake accounts. In the same vein, the FTC states that you need to label all content as “affiliated” or “sponsored.” So be sure to add disclaimers to your pins and/or wherever your URLs lead shoppers.
These are part of general policies of honesty and transparency, where every user should be able to expect what’s coming without any surprises or deception.
Want a more in-depth explanation? Learn more about how affiliate marketing works.
Is Pinterest affiliate marketing worth a shot?
In terms of social media affiliate marketing, Pinterest is a unique channel and opportunity. The platform has more than 500 million active users, many of whom use it specifically for shopping. This high purchase intent translates into profit for those who leverage it well.
Statistics also show that 85% of weekly users have bought something based on pins they’ve seen while browsing the platform.
And as of 2023, social shoppers on Pinterest bought the highest number of products in comparison to other social media platforms, averaging 3.5 products per basket. Snapchat followed with 3.2 and Twitter (now X) with 3.1 products.
Pinterest demographics: Who is using Pinterest?
To make sure you’ll succeed, you’ll need to understand the types of people who use Pinterest the most. Here are a few key points according to recent research:
- 76% of users are female
- 42% of users are Gen Z (aged 12 to 27)
- By age group, 16% of Millennials made a purchase on Pinterest—ahead of Gen Z (13%) and Gen X (13%)
- Pinterest shoppers’ average annual income is over $100,000
- 70% of the platform’s luxury audience is under 35 years old
As you can see, many Pinterest users have a high income, meaning they’re willing to purchase high-ticket items. If you decide to try Pinterest affiliate marketing, you might have a better chance if your affiliate products target Millennial and Gen Z females.
But male users are growing too, so don’t automatically weed out this demographic!
Getting started with Pinterest affiliate marketing
Now that you’re sold on the perks of being a Pinterest affiliate marketer, let’s dig a bit deeper into the process of becoming one.
We’ll start with the basics: setting up your Pinterest and exploring whether an external website is worth it for your situation.
1. Set up your Pinterest
Head over to Pinterest and sign up for your new account. You can use your email, Gmail, or Facebook. Pinterest will ask you a few questions, as well as ask you to choose 5 topics that interest you.
If you know which niche you want to pursue, you can choose related ones here. If not, go ahead and choose some interesting ones and you can change them later if you need to. The main point is to get to know how Pinterest works and see popular content.
Next, you’ll want to convert your account to a Business account.
While this isn’t necessary, it gives you access to helpful features for promoting and tracking your efforts. You’ll be able to run ads, get insights and analytics on your top-performing content, and have access to special credits and offers.
Plus, it’s free! A no-brainer really.
At this point, you have the bare-bones basics. Later, we’ll look at how to optimize your profile and bio, as well as all the pins you post.
Should you create a website for affiliate marketing?
It’s not critical to create a website, but many successful affiliate marketers have one. They use websites to publish their own content, like blog posts and landing pages.
This content helps to build an organic audience and give them more information and education about a topic (and the associated affiliate product). This in turn builds trust, which boosts conversions and profits.
You can also use your website to build a brand and establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche. This reputation will give you a lot of leverage for promoting more types of products and services in the niche.
For example, Matt Giovanisci has a successful affiliate marketing empire he’s spent years building. Now, he posts regularly through his website Money Lab showing others how to do the same.
You can start with a free website or simple landing page on platforms like Wix, Google Sites, WordPress, Weebly, Hostinger, and even Canva. If you don't want to use a website, check out 'How to do affiliate marketing without a website: Strategies for success'.
2. Choose affiliate your niche
There are so many affiliate marketing opportunities. How do you know which one is right for you?
Balance passion with demand
In an ideal world, the things you’re most passionate about are the things you’re marketing. In this scenario, you’d already have a command of the subject matter, and you’d probably have interesting things to say that people want to hear.
Ask yourself questions like:
- What topics do I naturally enjoy learning and talking about?
- What hobbies or activities do I spend the most time on?
- What kinds of content (blogs, videos, podcasts) do I consume regularly?
- If I had to teach or explain something to someone, what topics would I feel most excited about?
- What problems or challenges have I personally overcome that I could help others with?
Research promising options
While you could just move forward solely based on your passions, the more strategic approach would be to do some research and make sure there’s a strong audience and market demand for that niche and topic (and not too much competition).
You’ll also want to make sure that it offers plenty of profitable and accessible affiliate marketing opportunities.
To do this research, you can browse popular websites, forums, and social media channels. Pay attention to trends and popular topics. What do you see a lot of people talking about?
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Pinterest Trends: Look at monthly, yearly, seasonal, and growing trends on the platform.
- Google Trends: Search potential niche ideas to see their popularity over time. Look at the Related Topics and Related Queries sections for more ideas.
- Amazon Best Sellers: Check Amazon’s Trending section, which includes Best Sellers, New Releases, and Movers & Shakers.
- Reddit: Explore relevant subreddits to gauge community interest and problems people discuss.
- Quora: Search questions related to your niche to learn what people are asking, discussing, and problem-solving around.
- AnswerThePublic: This tool generates common search queries and questions related to keywords, helping you understand what people are curious about.
As you dive deeper into these resources and topics, you’ll be able to validate your ideas. You’ll also find new ones that may not have been on your radar. (Which is part of why you shouldn’t skip the research step!)
Popular affiliate marketing niches
Here are some steady, popular niches for 2025:
- Electronics and technology
- Artificial intelligence
- Health and fitness
- Travel
- Wealth-building and finance
- Beauty and fashion
- Pet care
- Lifestyle and online education
- Hobbies, like golf, baking, and knitting
- Online learning
Keep in mind that these are broad, so start here and get more granular. For example, sub-niches in the health and fitness category include things like weight loss, strength training, supplements, wearable fitness trackers, or specialized conditions like arthritis or back pain.
Dig deeper with this list of the top niches for affiliate marketing.
3. Choose an affiliate marketing program
The next step in your Pinterest affiliate marketing journey is choosing affiliate programs that align with your audience and goals. Since the programs you pick will shape what you promote and how you earn, it's important to weigh your options carefully.
Top platforms for affiliate marketing
For Pinterest, certain platforms stand out for their variety and ease of use. Here are a few you'll want to consider:
Whop
Whop lets you make money in two powerful ways: referring customers and creators. You’ll earn a commission for every new customer who signs up for Whop's digital products. You’ll also earn a 30% commission (on Whop's earnings) forever when other content creators join Whop through your link. That means that as long as the creator is making money, you are making money - and all you have to do is refer them once.
ShareASale
Think of ShareASale as your one-stop shop for brand partnerships. With thousands of brands in home décor, fashion, and tech, you can find products that match what your followers already love.
Impact
Impact helps you track your success clearly. You'll see exactly how your pins perform, which products sell best, and where to focus your efforts. Best of all, you'll be promoting well-known brands your followers already trust.
Wayfair
Wayfair is perfect for your home decor and DIY Pinterest boards. Earn a 7% commission when your followers buy through your links, with products ranging from throw pillows to furniture sets. Wayfair’s professional product photos make creating beautiful pins easy.
What you’ll earn
Knowing how and what you'll earn makes it easier to decide which programs are worth your time.
- Wayfair offers a 7% commission on every home goods sale from your pins
- Amazon's rates vary from 2% on electronics to 10% on luxury beauty products
- Whop pays you 30% of ongoing earnings whenever a creator joins through your link
- Home Chef gives you $10 each time someone signs up for their meal service
Getting started
Follow these steps to begin affiliate marketing:
- Choose and sign up for your first platform
- Pick 5-10 products that match your existing pin style
- Submit your application with your Pinterest profile link and specific plans (like "weekly DIY tutorials featuring products" or "seasonal gift guides")
- Wait for review (usually 2-4 days)
- Start creating pins with your affiliate links and track which styles perform best
Learn more about the top affiliate marketing tools to help you on your journey.
How to do affiliate marketing on Pinterest
Once you've joined affiliate programs that match your interests, let's focus on creating pins that people will actually click and buy from. Here are the steps to do so:
1. Choose your pin type
Think about what kind of pin works best for what you’re selling. Pinterest offers several options:
- Image pins: Great for highlighting one product with a clean, simple design.
- Video pins: Show your product in action with short, engaging clips.
- Story pins: These work well for step-by-step tutorials or guides that keep people scrolling.
- Rich pins: Automatically update details like prices or availability, saving you time.
- Shopping pins: Perfect if you want to showcase multiple items, each with clickable tags that lead to the product page.
Each type serves a purpose, so you can test and see which works best for your content. Find out more about pins in this article about how Elna Cain makes money with Pinterest.
2. Use the right sizes and formats
Pinterest favors vertical pins, so be sure to follow their recommended dimensions:
- Standard pins: 1000 x 1500 pixels (2:3 ratio).
- Tall pins: 1000 x 2100 pixels (1:2.6 ratio).
- Square pins: 1000 x 1000 pixels (1:1 ratio).
- Video pins: 1000 x 1500 pixels or 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 ratio).
To keep your pins loading quickly and looking sharp, use JPEG or PNG files under 20MB for images. For videos, use MP4 or MOV formats under 100MB. Canva is a great tool to design and resize your pins with ease.
3. Create eye-catching visuals
Your visuals are what grab attention first. Use bold, eye-catching colors like red or yellow paired with soft tones like white or beige for balance. Pick readable fonts like Montserrat or Open Sans, and avoid using script fonts for anything important.
Want your text to stand out? Add contrast by placing it on a darker or lighter background. Don’t cram everything in—leave space around your text so it’s easier to read. And don’t forget to add your logo or URL to make your brand recognizable (and protect your designs from being reused).
4. Write compelling text overlays
Text overlays—the words on your pin—can make or break it. They need to be clear and engaging.
Instead of writing something generic like “Desk Chair,” go for “Most Comfortable Home Office Chair of 2025.” Numbers work wonders too: “7 Ways to Save Space” or “50% Off Offer.” Place the text in the upper third or center of your pin, and always include a small note like “affiliate” or “ad” to keep things legal.
5. Build your brand image
Your pins should have a look that says, “This is mine.” Pick 2 to 3 main colors, a font combo (one for headings and another for body text), and stick with them. Canva makes it easy to save templates, so you’re not starting from scratch every time.
6. Optimize for mobile
Most people browse Pinterest on their phones, so your pins need to look great on small screens. Keep text large enough to read easily—titles should be around size 60-80 in Canva. Compress files to make them load faster, and always preview your pin on a phone and computer before posting.
Strategies for driving traffic and engagement to your Pinterest profile
Pinterest has a lot of competition, and that means you need to take steps to make sure your content is visible and gets the attention it deserves. Here are some strategies to help you drive traffic and increase engagement.
Optimize your profile
Your Pinterest profile needs to work hard to attract your ideal audience and boost your affiliate marketing efforts. It's the first thing people see, so it’s important to make a great impression and show them the value you bring.
Here are a few tips to get it right:
- Use a clear profile picture: If you're a solopreneur, go for a personal photo. If you're running a business, a clean logo works better.
- Write a short, catchy bio: Tell people who you are and what you offer. Keep it simple but engaging.
- Organize your boards: Make sure your boards align with your niche and the products you're promoting.
- Stay active: Regularly update your pins and profile to keep things fresh and engaging.
And, don’t forget to claim your website. It gives your pins more credibility and boosts your visibility across Pinterest.
Nail your Pinterest SEO strategy
Pinterest functions as a powerful visual search engine, displaying content based on users' search queries. To maximize your pins' visibility, you need to strategically use keywords across your Pinterest profile—pin titles, descriptions, board names, and hashtags.
Start by researching keywords related to your niche. Type broad terms into Pinterest's search bar and pay attention to the autocomplete suggestions. For example, if you type "wireless headphones," you might see suggestions like "wireless headphones bluetooth" or "wireless headphones cheap."
Incorporate these keywords naturally into your pin titles, descriptions, and board names. Be sure to add 3-5 relevant hashtags at the end of your descriptions. Pinterest recommends using both broad (#wirelessheadphones) and specific (#affordableheadphones) hashtags to improve searchability.
Schedule your pins
Pinterest affiliate marketing involves many moving parts that can quickly become overwhelming. Luckily, you can save time by scheduling your posts in advance.
Tools like Later and Hootsuite let you queue up multiple pins ahead of time. These tools will automatically post them to your boards according to a preset schedule. It's a great way to maintain consistent activity without spending hours on manual work each week.
Build an email list
Driving traffic is one thing, but turning that traffic into a loyal audience is another. Building an email list is one of the most effective ways to do this.
You can use your pins to direct people to a landing page where they sign up for something valuable, like a free guide or discount code. Once they’re on your list, you can nurture your audience with helpful emails that include affiliate product recommendations.
Check out the best affiliate marketing email platforms.
Try Pinterest ads
When you're ready to expand your reach, Pinterest ads can help you get more eyes on your best-performing pins. You don’t need a large budget to see results—start small and test a few pins that are already performing well.
- Pick your best pins: Promote pins that already have good engagement.
- Set your budget: Even a small budget can bring great results.
- Target the right audience: Use interests, keywords, and demographics to reach people who are likely to engage with your content.
Join group boards
Group boards are like shared spaces where multiple people post their pins. Joining one in your niche can help you reach a larger audience.
To find group boards, search Pinterest or use tools like Pingroupie. Once you’re in, follow the board’s rules and pin regularly. This can introduce your content to people who wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.
Tracking your Pinterest analytics and performance
The most successful affiliate marketers have a game plan. They set goals, track their performance, analyze it regularly, and consistently make changes based on the results.
Your strategy should never stay the same—you should always be watching, learning, testing, and growing. (This goes for every new business venture, by the way. Not just Pinterest affiliate marketing!)
Let’s look at some helpful tracking tools and top metrics to keep an eye on.
Tracking tools
If you have a Business account, you’ll have access to Pinterest Analytics. It provides a wealth of info, like how many people have interacted with your content and how they've done so, your top-performing pins, and insights into your audience, their interests, and their behavior on Pinterest.
If you have your own website, you can use Conversion Insights to learn more about how Pinterest users interact with the content they click to from your pins.
Taking this a step further: you can install Google Analytics on your website to get much more in-depth info about what people do on your website.
There are plenty of other third-party tracking tools, like Sprout Social, Tailwind, ClickMeter, Ahrefs, and Wecantrack.
Key metrics to look at
Here are some of the top performance metrics you should be keeping track of:
- Impressions: How many times your pins were on a user’s screen
- Engagements: The level of interaction with your pins, like clicks and saves
- Saves: How often users save your pins to their boards
- Outbound clicks: The number of times users click on your pins to visit the linked website
- Total audience: The number of users who have seen or engaged with your pins
- Engaged audience: The number of users who have engaged with your pins
Make money with affiliate marketing on Pinterest
Pinterest affiliate marketing is a powerful way to combine creativity with earning potential. With its visually-driven platform and a user base that’s eager to discover and buy new products, Pinterest offers unique opportunities for affiliate marketers.
By understanding the platform’s rules, choosing the right niches and products, creating engaging content, and consistently driving growth, you can turn your pins into profit.
Remember to stay adaptable, track your performance regularly, and keep refining your strategy. Like all new business ventures, success in affiliate marketing doesn’t happen overnight. But with the right tools and approach, growth is inevitable.
Get started with Whop
Ready to take the next step? Whether you’re ready to sign up as an affiliate marketer today, or you’re just looking to learn more, Whop has you covered.
On Whop, you can find plenty of courses and content on affiliate marketing to broaden your knowledge and sharpen your skills. Join the vibrant community of marketers who are making moves every day. Check out these top affiliate marketing courses on Whop, or head to the Whop Discover page to find more affiliate courses and communities.
You can also become a Whop affiliate, earning a commission whenever you refer new customers or creators to the platform.
There's no limit to the amount of customers and creators you can refer to Whop - what are you waiting for?
