The Truth about Pinterest Affiliate Marketing (what I’ve learnt)
Am sure you’ve probably heard of Pinterest Affiliate marketing and if you’ve not heard of it sit back and enjoy the ride. Its started back 2023 i opened up my YouTube and all i saw was "how to make money online with Pinterest Affiliate marketing", "how to make 10 grand a month with Pinterest", "Pinterest can earn you 100 dollars per post" all that good stuff. Pinterest usually gets excluded from the affiliate marketing world so many times, yet it should be considered a gold mine to drive traffic and sales if done properly. After reading all those headlines saying that people were earning money while they slept, the thought of passive income seduced me, and I dived into Pinterest head on. However, just like everything else in the world of online marketing, real life is more complicated compared to the dream.
DISCLAIMER*** This is in no way meant to discourage anyone or be the gauge of your particular side hustle not working. I’m just sharing my story.
1.The Allure of Pinterest Affiliate Marketing(Starting off)
I started by Setting up a Pinterest Business Account by converting my personal Pinterest account into a business account, then I looked though the most popular niche to see which one would suit me. After a lot of searching and thinking I decided to pick the fashion niche as I was already a fashion lover, although home deco, lifestyle and travel where a better choice.I Started looking up content to post and was uploading fashion and beauty pins everyday, the first few weeks my pins bearly got any view or engagement to the point were i almost gave up. The next month I checked my Pinterest account and all my previous pins have blown up getting 500k engagements in totally, first lesson was learnt and that was that; Pinterest content has a long shelf life. This happened again and again over the next few weeks more older pins were blowing up while the newer was would not get any engagement, till couple of weeks or months even later . At this point I had about 500 followers with 700k plus monthly views. But simply sharing my fashion ideas wasn’t enough I wanted to monetize this passion.
2. Monetizing (turning the passion to grind)
First, I did a search for fashion affiliate programs that would fit my content, because I found out Pinterest doesn’t have a creator reward program. I checked out everything from well-known brands to small boutiques to see which ones were offering average to good commissions with quality products.
First way i tried monetizing my account was by using it to apply for the LTK (like to know) reward style program, of course i got regretted over and over again, over the next few months. I decided to try out some other affiliate programs like Impact,Amazon and Shein. I signed up for a few, got my affiliate links, and started pinning. Of course, I knew at that moment that all it was going to take was a few striking pins, and commission would start coming in.
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3. The Reality(Getting into the Pinterest Alogorithm)
After a lot of heart breaking rejections from almost all the affiliate programs and, getting kicked out of Amazon twice for no reason, i decided to take a break and try again later. After a couple of rejection I was finally fully signed into to Amazon Associate, it wasn’t what I had in mind as the commission were very low but I decided to try out.
Pinterest didn’t seem like a battlefield at the first glance. Still, the harsh reality hit when it was clear every corner was flooded with experienced marketers' pins covering every possible topic. Clin a unique spot on Pinterest isn’t as easy as dropping nice visuals it comes down to playing strategic moves, holding ground consistently and biding your time. I wasn’t going to let this stop me, I challenged myself to post 100 new pins every month and started uploading after the first few months my account was blowing up, I want from 500 followers to 1.5k followers in one month. I decided it was time start including affiliate links to my post due to my previous Amazon account being blocked for no reason, I did some research and found out it was probably due to me not including a Disclaimer warning. This time I included a Disclaimer in a my post description.
4. Method One ("The Tried and True")
Quality importance soon taught itself to me. In the starting period, my eyes were caught by quantity, quality fell behind. Hustling to create pins not wasting any time, attaching them to affiliated items, expecting a windfall. But no windfall was in sight. My pins grew unnoticed; visitors were few and far between. My discovery revealed that Pinterest users are choosy They seek quality content that presents a solution, sparks inspiration, or offers fresh knowledge. Pins driving users to rich blog articles, detailed manuals, or worthy resources outperform those only directing to a product. I decided to start a blog and would start including my affiliate links in my blog posts and linking the blog post to my pins. I did this over the next few months and the downfall of my account was something I didn’t see coming, once I started including links my pins no longer performed as well as they did before, I was still getting a couple of engaging and a few clicks on my blog. But after 70 clicks on my blog this was still not profitable, as no one will actually click on any affiliate links I included on my blog.
5. Method Two ("The Dark Horse")
Pinterest’s formula keeps shifting. What was successful before might fail now, making it tough when your pins lose their earlier appeal. It’s like trying to play a game where the rulebook keeps getting rewritten. Adaptability and experimentation became second nature. Modifying content, altering pin designs, or adjusting pin times are some techniques I’ve worked on. Staying abreast of these variations has aided in keeping my edge sharp.
The strategy I decided to apply was linking my pins directly to the ecommerce site. My Blog post were getting a couple of views but no commission was earned, I started uploading pins with direct affiliate link. It actually worked out (abit) although my page engagement was still dropping my links were also getting clicked on. After a hundred and fifty clicks on my links finally made a sale earn me 2 dollars on me first commission.
6. Is Pinterest Affiliate marketing worth it? (The bottom Line)
As an apprentice in the trade of Pinterest affiliate marketing, I began without a compass. I’d stick a pin into something random and stand by, hoping for results. However, I realized eventually that understanding analytics was no longer optional. Pinterest offers precious feedback on the performance of your pins which ones pull in crowds, and which ones make cash registers sing.Building a Pinterest crowd, crafting captivating pins, and generating noteworthy traffic demand time. Endurance is key. It might be a drawn-out time before visible outcomes are seen, but with unbroken strategy, the paycheck awaits you.
The Big Question can I call "Project Pinterest" a win Sure, but you have to be ready to knuckle down. No fast-paced riches or lazy efforts here. A calculated approach, dedication, and a commitment to quality content is how Pinterest becomes a hefty lever to pull in affiliate sales. Consider Pinterest affiliate marketing as running a marathon, not a 100-yard dash. The spo are there but solely for those prepared to learn, adjust, and persevere. It demands persistence, even if immediate results aren’t always clear. If you have that stamina and adaptability, Pinterest will become a potent tool in your affiliate marketing toolbox.
To be honest my Pinterest project was seen as a fail to me, because although I did see some profit in it, getting 3 dollars after 6 month of work is not really a good investment of time. With that being said let me know your experience if you’ve ever tired this side hustle, I am not yet done with my journey on Pinterest Affiliate marketing, as I feel like there is much more to be learnt.
This is where I wrap up the first part of this series; these are just one of the few hustles that I have experienced, and currently, I’m trying the medium platform God’s will, he keeps me focused and motivated.I promise to keep updating you guys if anyone actually reads this.
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