A lot of people want to know about how you can use Pinterest for affiliate marketing without a blog since blogging is a whole beast on its own. And they really don’t want to take the long route.
And I can understand that. But if you think that you can have a shortcut to riches then I am sorry to say my friend affiliate marketing is not a get-rich-quick scheme.
All the methods described below will require you the same level of dedication as starting your own blog. Affiliate marketing is no joke and there is A LOT of competition, so you need to give it your all to have any substantial income.
I wish someone told me this before I dived into this whole game. I faced so many failures because all these fake gurus made it sound so easy. And I really thought it was UNTIL I stepped into this game myself and damn!
IT WAS HARD.
Why?
Because I was in for the money, not for the value I’ll provide to my customers.
You don’t have to be the next Bill Gates or Elon Musk, but you can do enough to make someone’s life a bit easier. That’s all it takes.
If you wish to start your blog (best if you do), then I have made an In-depth guide about starting a blog from scratch so do check it out!
Now, let’s get down to business!
In this post, I’ll be sharing with you 3 methods you can use to promote your affiliate links without a blog on Pinterest and earn your affiliate commission.
Let’s go!
Affiliate Marketing On Pinterest: Promote Your Affiliate Links Without A Blog On Pinterest
Pinterest is NOT a social media site like Instagram but a search engine like Google.
I was surprised too. I always thought Pinterest was a visually appealing social media site like Instagram where I can save and pin about DIY, crafts, and other home décor stuff.
I never realized how much I was missing out on and how businesses are reaping benefits and profits on Pinterest. As soon as I realized it was a search engine, it became my goal to master it and drive traffic to my site with it.
Think of Pinterest as a search engine and you’ll have an easier time marketing your links.
A few things to know about Pinterest before we explore all the methods.
- A majority of the traffic on Pinterest is from women. (Statista)
- Tech, gaming, crypto, and similar niches are not popular on Pinterest. You would need a different platform to market your links for the best ROI.
- You need to learn Pinterest SEO to gain quality traffic.
- Pinterest is mostly used in the USA. (Statista)
- You need to create a Pinterest business account (it’s free) for the best results.
Now let’s start!
1. Place Affiliate Links Directly in the Pin URL
This method doesn’t always work since Pinterest is VERY picky about allowing affiliate links on pins and you need to make sure that Pinterest allows your particular links.
Many affiliate marketers got their accounts suspended or marked as spam for going down this method. Pinterest takes spam very seriously and it’s very selective about affiliate activity.
You also cannot use bit.ly or other link shorteners to shorten or cloak your affiliate links.
When you add an affiliate link to your pin, you need to add a disclaimer in the pin description to disclose that it’s an affiliate link. Like this: #ad #affiliate
Fiverr is one program people promote with direct affiliate links on Pinterest without getting their account penalized. It’s a digital service-providing platform and many businesses use it to outsource their work. You can promote individual gigs, and also you can promote their courses, business workspace and so much more.
For beginners, this is the program I would recommend you promote at the start.
2. Use A Landing Page
This is the best method to use for those that don’t want to start a blog and instead use Pinterest for affiliate marketing!
You would need a landing page to paste the link in the URL of the pin. This way, your Pinterest account will not get suspended and you can easily promote your affiliate links!
Let’s assume: You want to promote a course on Pinterest. First, you need to create a landing page where you write details about the product, paste a few pictures of the product and make it as visually appealing and persuasive as possible.
Something like this:
You can create stunning landing pages like this on Getresponse.
Getresponse is very inexpensive (provides unlimited landing pages in the cheapest plan) PLUS it also provides you email marketing tools and auto responders which will help you capture email leads from your landing pages.
Overall the best deal for affiliate marketers. (especially for beginners or intermediate)
There is no need to buy expensive landing page builders like Instapage when you have just entered the affiliate marketing world. There is a lot to learn and in the meantime, you will just be blowing your cash away.
Another way to build quality landing pages is through website builders like Wix or WordPress.Org.
To create a landing page on WordPress, you need hosting and a domain. Nothing too fancy, just enough so you can access WordPress and build your landing page.
For this purpose, I recommend you go with Bluehost as they provide very inexpensive hosting and a free domain (for 1 year) to get you going.
Another way to build a landing page for cheap is through Wix.com. Wix provides easy-to-use drag and drop page builders so you can easily build stunning landing pages for free.
BUT the free plan comes with Wix’s branding and subdomain.
Like this: fitnesschad.wixsite.com
For people to take you more seriously, I would recommend buying their ‘Most Basic’ plan. This plan allows you to buy and use your own domain and look more professional.
Once you have created your landing page, create attractive pins on Canva or buy a bundle of pin templates to speed up the process.
Instead of creating image pins, another method is to create Idea & video pins (you can get more views & exposure in less time) and urge people to click your link in the bio (you can’t place your link in Idea pins) where you have placed your landing page.
I have seen many successfully use this method to gain an insane amount of traffic in less time. BUT they do offer quality content in exchange.
3. Use Free Social Media Or Blogging Platforms
Another method is using free social media or blogging platforms like Youtube or Medium.
You can get active on these platforms and share your knowledge about the product, write articles, or post videos.
For example, you can make great videos around fitness to promote a weight loss or muscle-building course.
By doing so, you can also link relevant fitness-related equipment from Amazon.
Place your affiliate links in the description and pinned comments. And bring in traffic through Pinterest.
Cracking the Youtube algorithm as well as mastering Pinterest can be overwhelming so it’s better to make great videos around your product for the sole purpose of bringing traffic from Pinterest.
The same goes for Medium. I have seen many bloggers use Medium to promote their affiliate links and successfully gain profits.
BUT unlike Youtube, where you can paste as many affiliate links as you like, Medium does penalize you for using too many, so use the links sparsely or only where it’s relevant.
Don’t use direct affiliate links on every post multiple times since Medium takes spam very seriously.
Offer value and you don’t have anything to worry about.
Conclusion
These are the best methods you can use to promote your affiliate links on Pinterest without a blog. There are a lot of people that use Pinterest for their affiliate marketing business but it’s best to start a blog for the best return on your efforts.
It feels less salesy and more genuine thus you have a higher chance to convert your affiliate links.
If don’t have any niche in mind and also you want to use Pinterest as your only source of traffic then I recommend you visit Pinterest trends and see what’s popular.
This way you will have an easier time building up your account and understanding your potential audience. Some niches are evergreen (home décor, fashion) and some are seasonal (Halloween, Valentine).
It’s best if you target the evergreen ones.
PROTIP: If you can’t find Pinterest trends on your dashboard or if they’re unavailable in your region, change your account location to US or UK to access it. Pinterest Ads are not available in every country. The same goes for Idea Pins.
Share this post if you found it useful! Also, tell me in the comments which method you liked best and why!
*there are some affiliate links in the post. That means if you click through them and purchase something, I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
