I am so delighted to have my friend Tasha from Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body here today to talk a little bit about blogging strategy-- and more specifically, monetizing your blog! Tasha is my go-to source any time I have questions about using affiliate sales as an income stream for my site, and I know you will find the information she has to share incredibly helpful as well. I'll let her take it from here!
Hello friends! I am Tasha and I blog over at Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body. I am blogger-friend of Abby's and a huge admirer of her entrepreneurial skills, so I am beyond honored to best guest posting here today.
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Inspiring other bloggers to maximize their blogging income through affiliate marketing is a huge passion of mine so I'm super excited to share my thoughts on how to use affiliate links on Pinterest to grow your affiliate earnings. If you are a blogger looking to get started with affiliate marketing or improve your affiliate marketing earnings, be sure to click the image below to get my free mini-eBook on affiliate marketing for bloggers.
Now, let's talk about how you can use affiliate links on Pinterest to boost your affiliate earnings!
Wait, affiliate links are allowed on Pinterest?
Yes! You may be confused because affiliate links were effectively banned from Pinterest back in 2015. But on May 12, 2016 Pinterest announced that affiliate links are once again allowed on Pinterest. Pinterest said in part, "In the past, we removed affiliate links from Pinterest because spammers were abusing them. Now that our spam detection system is so much stronger, we're ready to allow affiliate links again. To make way for these changes, we're making minor updates to our acceptable use policy. We'll start rolling out all affiliate networks today and over the coming weeks."
True to its word, Pinterest has indeed opened the gates to affiliate links once again.
What does that mean for bloggers?
In the past, bloggers could only promote affiliate products via Pinterest indirectly by linking to a blog post that contained affiliate links. But now, if you are a blogger who has already joined affiliate programs for your favorite retailers in your niche, you can now share your affiliate links directly on Pinterest. That means that instead of creating a post to drive readers to, you can now pin and image of a product you love with your affiliate link on Pinterest. You can see an example of one of my "affiliate pins" below.
Now, read on to learn about my tips how you can share your affiliate links on Pinterest.
Tips for Affiliate Marketing on Pinterest
First, let me emphasize that I feel strongly that bloggers should not go overboard when sharing affiliate links on Pinterest. Think about it… When you scroll through your Pinterest feed, do you want to only see products for sale? Probably not. So exercise your judgment and make sure that affiliate links are a small percentage of the content that you share on Pinterest.
Also, do not forget that you must disclose the fact that you are sharing an affiliate link just as you would on any other social media post! You can see how I disclose affiliate links on Pinterest later in this post.
Alright, now let's explore how to share affiliate links on Pinterest in an effective way.
Pin Relevant Affiliate Products to Your Existing Personal Boards
First, you should feel free to pin relevant affiliate content to your EXISTING personal boards that are filled with mostly substantive content from other blogs. For example, I will pin a beautiful rug from Target to my personal board called "Rugs and Windows." That board contains mostly DIY tutorials from other bloggers, but certainly the people who follow it are interested in rugs and window treatments, so they will likely also be interested in rugs that are available for purchase.
I pin an image of the rug directly from Target to my board. I write a short description about it and add "(affiliate)" at the end for disclosure purposes. Then, as soon as it is pinned, I view the pin, click "edit" and change the link url to my affiliate link. Easy peasy.
Create Boards Dedicated to Showcasing Affiliate Products Your Followers Will Love
Second, it's a good idea to create a few new personal boards that are used solely for the purpose of pinning products that are for sale (using your affiliate links of course). For example, I have created a personal board called "Gorgeous Throw Pillows and Bedding." The description for the board is "This board is full of gorgeous throw pillows, accent pillows, decorative pillows, duvet covers, sheets and bedding. Changing your throw pillows and bedding is such an easy way to refresh any room on a budget!" I pin beautiful products to it and edit the urls of the pin to my affiliate links, using the process described above.
Make the Most Out of Any Shopping Guide Posts On Your Blog
Third, go through any shopping guide posts and/or room reveal posts that you may have on your blog. Of course you want to continue pinning whatever "pinnable" graphic you have created for the post, but I also recommend pinning images of each individual product recommended in your post and swapping out the blog post url with your affiliate link to that product.
For example, I have a post featuring 10 Affordable Headboards on my blog. Now, instead of just pinning the "pinnable graphic" you see below, I pin that PLUS individual images of each headboard featured within the post. That exponentially increases the chance that people will click on the pin and through to my blog post, which in turn increases my chance of making affiliate sales from that post. Plus, it also boosts traffic to that post, which translates to more ad revenue as well--it's a win-win!
A Word of Caution About Sharing Affiliate Links on Group Boards
Generally speaking, I do not recommend pinning affiliate products to group boards that are owned by other pinners. Bear in mind, most group boards are created for the purpose of bloggers being able to share their substantive blog content. Let me elaborate.
If I were a member of a group board called "Beautiful Home Decor" that was created for bloggers to share their blog posts, I would feel free to pin an image from a post of mine called "10 Beautiful Couches that Won't Break the Bank." Of course, that blog post would contain affiliate links. But, I would never pin an image of a couch with my affiliate to a group board called "Beautiful Home Decor" that I am a member of, since that is not the purpose of the board.
There may be exceptions to this if you are a member of a very specific group board, such as "Best Blogging Resources." In that case, I would feel comfortable pinning Abby's Building a Framework book and changing the url to my affiliate link.
I hope this was helpful! Remember, if you are a blogger looking to get started with affiliate marketing or improve your affiliate marketing earnings, be sure to click the button below to get my free quick-start guide to affiliate marketing for bloggers!
I love when I learn new marketing strategies, and I can't wait to try out Tasha's tips and tricks! There is so much potential for blog growth with Pinterest, and this strategy is a perfect example of that. Make sure you snag Tasha's free guide for even more incredibly helpful info!
Have a wonderful week!
This is super interesting Tasha! Does Pinterest care if we use a pretty link that re-directs to the affiliate link? Or should we also use the original source affiliate link?
Donnie, interested to see what Tasha says about this because I read an article yesterday that said be very careful with redirect links, they may be read as spam. ~Sonya
VERY interesting. I'm so glad Pinterest opened up affiliate marketing again. Thank you so much for sharing this news!
xo, Nicole @ Simply-Nicole.com
I just started using affiliate link for home decor on some of my Pinterest boards and I had a long disclosure. So glad I read this so now I can just put (affiliate) in the description. I'm a newbie, if you couldn't tell. Haha. I always worry about getting in trouble with that kind of stuff. Thanks for all of the wonderful info Tasha. I look forward to reading your mini ebook 🙂
So glad it was helpful for you, Sahvana!
~Abby =)
This post was SUPER helpful. I need to take some time and really focus on adding some affiliate pins to my boards. I completely see the benefit in doing this. Thanks so much for step by step.
So glad it was helpful for you, Tammy!
~Abby =)
I'm wondering if you've ever had a problem editing the URL of a pin. I have a pin currently pointing to a Facebook post of mine and I want to redirect that pin to a post on my site but Pinterest doesn't give me the URL field to edit. Have you ever seen this?
Thanks!
Thanks for this post. I knew that Pinteredt was allowing affiliate pins again but there were a few details I wasn't sure about. This post cleared up all my questions. ?
This post was extremely helpful and at just the right moment for me! I've been doing lots of research on Pinterest for business but had no idea that affiliate links were permitted again! Thank you!
This is so exciting! As a blogger, I'm always looking for ways to maximize my revenue streams. Thank you, Tasha (and Abby) for sharing this valuable info. BTW - I am taking Tasha's Blog Boost Bundle courses AND Abby's Book Boss course and both are excellent and full of valuable advise! Thanks to you both for taking the time to create these incredible courses!
So glad they have been helpful to you, Carole! Have a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Love this! I started playing with some affiliate pins last week, but haven't seen any measurable sales just yet. Wonder if they will take a little bit to gain traction? Would love to see some examples of successful affiliate pins for you, Tasha!
I am going to try this out! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! Looking forward to your eBook on Affiliate marketing.
Oh thank you both for this post! I've been wondering about affiliate marketing for bloggers (I'm a newbie) so I'm uber excited about this post and the free guide I snagged! Yay you!!
Yay! So glad it was helpful for you, Daria! 🙂
~Abby =)
This is insanely helpful, thank you! I'm so excited to read the e-book guide on affiliate programs. My blog is still a baby so I'm working so hard to learn as much as I possibly can as consistently as I can. Abby, you have given so much advice in your posts that I have turned to while getting my blog going. Thank you so much for the advice, for exposing your readers to new bloggers with guest posts, and for always producing great content and great resources. You are AWESOMENESS!
You are too sweet, Klayci! Thank you! I'm so glad they have been helpful for you... Love to hear that! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
So I went ahead and started creating a board to be able to include some affiliate links in some pins. When I went to go and edit some of the pins to add the URL there was no website spot to fill in. Any idea why this might be the case?
Hi Heather. In case you haven't found the answer yet, did you pin the images from the original website (I mean they are not repins)? I've only noticed recently that in that case there is a website field too. If that doesn't work, I have no more ideas. Take care. 🙂
Thanks so much Abby and Tasha. I was wondering how to do this on Pinterest. I'm going to give this a try tomorrow. Thanks a bunch.
Hi Tasha and Abby, very intersting post . Tasha, I've noticed that you're using Amazon links too. Doesn't Amazon only allow affiliate links on your own website? No social networks, no emails, no ebooks, no nothing else... I'm not a native English speaker, so maybe I misunderstood the terms (they are complicated as hell for me). But good to know that with a less strict company it's possible to use affiliate links on Pinterest too. Thank you for the info!
Tasha may have a more definitive answer on this, but I'm pretty sure Amazon links are allowed on social networks like Facebook and Pinterest. I see people using them on Facebook all the time. I know you can't use them in emails or products like eBooks, though.
~Abby =)
Thanks a lot Abby 🙂
Hi Anabella! You DO need to list Pinterest, Facebook and any other social media links that you are using affiliate links on within your Amazon profile as sites you will be sharing links on 🙂 I hope that helps!
This was so very helpful! I'm very new to the world of affiliate marketing, SEO, and even Pinterest. This was a really easy and clear guide. I'm definitely sending it to blogging friends that want to know more about Pinterest affiliate links!
Thanks!
Heather
Hello there! Are you sure that Pinterest allows affiliate links? Because it prohibits me every time I try to pin something. Was this just an issue for summer of 2016? Because I am talking about beginning of 2017!!!
Hi John! Nope, affiliate links have been allowed on Pinterest again since February 2016. Where are you trying to pin affiliate products from? Sometimes certain link shorteners, like bit.ly, are not allowed by Pinterest and Pinterest will treat them as SPAM, but I've had no trouble using the rewardStyle shortener. Hope that helps!
Hi, just to let you know that I had a conversation with customer service at Amazon.com and they only allow direct links to Facebook, Twitter and Youtube at the moment and I asked about Pinterest and the answer is no you can't link directly to an Amazon product, you need to go via your own website or blog. If they catch you doing that, your account will be closed as it is against their TOS.
Hi Tim! I've talked to Amazon about this as well, as have many other bloggers I know personally. Each one of us is getting different answers. It's VERY frustrating. Many have been told as long as their Pinterest account is listed in their profile, it's fine. For those that haven't, I've pointed out during my calls to Amazon that you can pin Amazon affiliate products directly to Pinterest from the rewardStyle interface, so it's silly for them to tell anyone that they can't do it directly from their Amazon Associates account. But of course, with Amazon giving different bloggers different answers, you have to do what you are comfortable with. Or, if in doubt, pin Amazon products via rewardStyle if you are a member 🙂 Hope that helps.
Hello Abby
I tried doing this but when I hit "save" on my pin, it tells me that they can't pin my post because it might be spam. Why is this happening? It says the same if I shorten the link. :/
I tried several times and different ways.
Hmmm... I'm not sure about that. Tasha is the guru at the affiliate stuff. You can find her at https://www.designertrapped.com/ .
~Abby =)
Hi Sophie! Chances are the issue is because a link shortener is being used. I know for certain Pinterest doesn't allow bit.ly links to be used. What source are you trying to pin from? You can email me directly at [email protected] if you have more questions.
This is an amazing post! I've been wondering about the etiquette on this and I was sure I wasn't the first person to think of sharing affiliate links. This was super helpful!
Apparently, Maven is an entire platform that is basically Pinterest but allows you to share affiliate links.
So glad it was helpful for you, Katherine!
~Abby =)
How do you link to particular items using Target affiliate links? I'm just getting into this and have no idea. lol
Hi, Erica! I link to Target with RewardStyle, but they are also part of Impact Radius, so you could sign up for their affiliate program there as well. Hope you're having a great week!
~Abby =)
Thanks for the valuable information! I would like to start doing affiliate links but I'm looking into which websites are the best. Any recommendations? I have a party ideas blog..
Hi, Sarina! I think this post will be helpful for you: https://justagirlandherblog.com/make-money-blogging/
Have a great day!
~Abby =)
This post is so helpful! I was still of the opinion that affiliate links were not allowed on Pinterest. Silly me! Going to implement this strategy right away! Thank you Tasha & Abby!
So glad this was helpful, Rebecca! Staying up with all the newest rules and regulations can't be overwhelming! 🙂 Have an awesome week!
~Abby =)
Great post! Thanks for taking the time for sharing. I am just starting to dabble in this and wanted to confirm the process! Thanks again!
So glad it was helpful for you! <3
~Abby =)
Hi I recently joined Amazon tried to put the URL in the Website section while editing, put it tells me its not a valid url it is very long. Did I use the wrong URL its what Amazon gave me, or does Pinterest not allow those anymore? Please help if you can! I followed your advise you are cool!!!
I tried to download the ebook mentioned in the post, but none of the links seem active.
Is this offer no longer valid, and if so, can I get an (affiliate lol) link to where I can buy the book?
Thanks
Hi, Ishtar! I just tried it, and it is working for me, so maybe give it a try in a different browser? You should still be able to get the eBook. So sorry about that! Have a great day!
~Abby =)
Different browser did the trick, so it must have been an issue on my end. Thanks!
Yay! So glad it worked!
~Abby =)
Hi Abby
I was looking for a post like this. Since it was written in 2016 and things might have changed a lot in 2 years. I want to know if direct pinning of amazon affiliate links is still allowed. I tried reading on internet but a lot of contradictory information. Please help. Thanks
From what I've read, and from what Tasha has answered in other comments above, it seems like Amazon themselves give contradictory information. In one of Tasha's previous answers she says, "Hi Tim! I’ve talked to Amazon about this as well, as have many other bloggers I know personally. Each one of us is getting different answers. It’s VERY frustrating. Many have been told as long as their Pinterest account is listed in their profile, it’s fine. For those that haven’t, I’ve pointed out during my calls to Amazon that you can pin Amazon affiliate products directly to Pinterest from the rewardStyle interface, so it’s silly for them to tell anyone that they can’t do it directly from their Amazon Associates account. But of course, with Amazon giving different bloggers different answers, you have to do what you are comfortable with. Or, if in doubt, pin Amazon products via rewardStyle if you are a member ? Hope that helps."
For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why my affiliate links were not being accepted in the "create a pin" section of my Pinterest. I have looked and looked for help and even contacted Pinterest with no results. I found your blog post and huzzah! You solved my problem. Thank you very much!
Yay! So glad it was helpful for you, Monica! Have a great weekend!
~Abby =)
FINALLY I am finding information I can use to grow my website. Straightforward and to the point. Refreshing!
Yay! So glad it was helpful for you, Marilyn!
~Abby =)
Thanks for this. I didn't realize the rules had changed for links and I didn't realize you could edit the url after it was posted! So much I do not know!
I'm working through Tasha's online course right now and it's great!
I have a blog that is finance niche (mainly focusing on debt)and it's doing really well but it's not very sexy this niche. I want to try my hand at Pin funnels for beautiful things so, would you recommend a separate account or just separate boards within my existing account?
I don't want to mess up something that's already working or confuse my followers too much.
cheers
I would have your business Pinterest account reflect what your blog is about. When I have boards on my Pinterest account that I want to keep but don't match up with my blog, I just make them secret so that I can still access them but others don't see the off-brand topics. I hope this helps!
~Abby =)
Very helpful, thank you!