So let’s get something out of the way real quick.
Pinterest is not just for mood boards, wedding dresses, and people planning lives they don’t actually live.
It’s a legit traffic machine—and if you use it right, it can turn tiny niche sites into very real income.
To put things into perspective: one of my niche sites made $3500 in just a few months purely from display ads. No launches. No selling my soul. Just traffic + monetization done right.
And no, I’m not saying this to flex. I’m saying it because this is possible. And when you stack multiple sites like that? Yeah… that’s when things get spicy.
Let’s break down exactly how you can make money with Pinterest traffic, step by step, without the fluff.
Why Pinterest Traffic Is Different (And Kinda OP)
Here’s the thing most people don’t get.
Pinterest isn’t social media. It’s a visual search engine.
People go there with intent. They’re planning, buying, saving, and bookmarking ideas for later.
IMO, that’s what makes it such a goldmine.
- Traffic lasts for months (sometimes years)
- Pins compound over time
- You don’t need to “go viral” every 24 hours to survive
So if you build niche sites and feed them Pinterest traffic?
Congrats—you just unlocked multiple monetization options instead of relying on one fragile income stream.
Display Ads: The Boring (But Beautiful) Money Maker
Let’s start with the most straightforward option: display ads.
Not sexy.
Not exciting.
Extremely effective.
Once your site starts getting consistent traffic, you can join ad networks like:
- Monumetric
- Google AdSense
- Ezoic
- Journey by Mediavine
And then?
You get paid for page views. That’s it.
Why display ads are a great baseline
- You don’t sell anything
- You don’t deal with customers
- More traffic = more money
Simple math. Beautiful math.
This is the income stream that just sits there, quietly compounding while you sleep.
Is it flashy? No.
Does it work? Absolutely.
Affiliate Marketing With Physical Products (Pinterest Loves This)
Pinterest users love inspiration.
Outfits.
Home decor.
Kitchen setups.
Aesthetic everything.
So affiliate marketing with physical products works insanely well in niches like:
- Fashion
- Home decor
- Beauty
- Lifestyle
Here’s how it works (no PhD required):
- Someone finds your article from Pinterest
- They click a product link
- They buy the product
- You get a commission
Platforms like Amazon make this stupidly easy.
“But commissions are small…”
True. A 3% commission on a $55 coat gives you about $1.50.
Sounds sad, right?
But multiply that by:
- Dozens of articles
- Hundreds of clicks
- Multiple purchases per day
And suddenly it’s not sad anymore.
Affiliate marketing compounds HARD when you pair it with Pinterest traffic.
FYI: You don’t need to be salesy. Just be helpful. Pinterest users are already halfway to checkout.
Affiliate Marketing + Email Funnels (Next-Level Stuff)
Okay, this one’s a little more advanced—but powerful.
Instead of sending people straight to Amazon, you:
- Offer something free (ebook, template, checklist)
- Collect their email
- Build trust over time
- Promote affiliate offers or your own products later
Why this works
- You don’t rely on one click
- You own the traffic
- You can promote higher-commission offers (hello, ClickBank)
Is it beginner-friendly?
Eh… kinda :/
You need:
- A solid lead magnet
- Email software
- A basic funnel
But once it’s set up?
It runs in the background while you focus on traffic.
And if you’re getting thousands of Pinterest visits per day?
Yeah, that email list grows fast.
Selling Your Own Digital Products (Underrated, IMO)
This is one of my favorite options.
Why?
Because you control everything.
No approval.
No commission cuts.
No third-party drama.
You can sell:
- Ebooks
- Guides
- Meal plans
- Checklists
- Templates
I sell ebooks on my sites, and while one product might only bring in $80 here or $100 there, it’s:
- Passive
- Automated
- Extra money on top of ads + affiliates
And honestly? Those little sales add up faster than you expect.
Pinterest users already love saving and downloading things. Digital products fit naturally into that behavior.
Selling Physical Products (Only If You’re Ready)
Yes, you can sell physical products using Pinterest traffic.
Think:
- Custom posters
- Clothing
- Kitchen accessories
Using:
- Print on demand
- Dropshipping
But here’s my honest take:
👉 Don’t start here if you’re a beginner.
It’s more work.
More logistics.
More things that can go wrong.
Start simple:
- Ads
- Affiliates
- Digital products
Then level up once traffic is steady.
Niche Site Flipping: Build, Grow, Sell, Repeat
Now let’s talk about the sneaky money move most people ignore.
Selling your site.
Once your site has:
- Stable traffic
- Consistent income
You can list it on marketplaces like:
- Flippa
- Motion Invest
Here’s the wild part:
If your site makes $500/month, you can often sell it for $10,000–$15,000.
That’s one lump sum instead of waiting years for ad revenue.
Some people even:
- Buy sites
- Scale Pinterest traffic
- Flip them for profit
Not beginner stuff—but very profitable if you know what you’re doing.
The Smart Monetization Stack (Do This in Order)
If you take nothing else from this article, take this 👇
Don’t try everything at once.
Here’s the order that actually makes sense:
- Start with display ads
- Add affiliate links
- Introduce digital products
- Capture emails
- Consider flipping the site later
Each layer builds on the last.
That’s how small Pinterest sites turn into real online businesses, not just “cute blogs.”
Final Thoughts: Pinterest Gives You Options (That’s the Power)
Pinterest traffic doesn’t lock you into one income stream.
You can:
- Earn from ads
- Promote affiliates
- Sell your own products
- Build an email list
- Sell the entire site
That flexibility is the real advantage.
So start simple.
Get one thing working.
Then stack.
And if you want access to all the tools, workflows, plugins, and strategies I use daily (plus direct feedback), you already know the deal.
Thanks for reading—and yeah, Pinterest can absolutely change the game if you let it 🙂