How to Use Pinterest for Blog Traffic & Affiliate Sales
- MTK Marketing LLC
- Sep 13
- 8 min read
Disclosure: I may earn a small commission for purchases made through affiliate links in this post at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I truly believe in. Thank you for supporting my site!
Imagine a platform where users actively search for ideas, ready to plan, purchase, and click through to learn more. This isn't a fantasy—it's Pinterest.
Unlike traditional social media, Pinterest is a visual discovery engine, and for bloggers, it’s a golden ticket to a steady stream of traffic and passive affiliate income. This guide will show you how to harness its power, even if you're starting from zero.
Why Pinterest is a Secret Weapon for Bloggers
Forget everything you know about social media algorithms. Pinterest operates differently, and that’s your advantage.
The Visual Search Engine Mindset: People don't mindlessly scroll Pinterest. They type in search queries like "easy weeknight dinners" or "best homeschool curriculum." They have intent. This means your content is discovered by users actively looking for solutions you provide, making them highly likely to click through to your blog.
Longevity of Content: A tweet disappears in minutes. An Instagram post lasts a day. A well-optimized Pinterest pin can continue to generate clicks—and income—for years. It’s evergreen, working for you long after you hit publish.
Targeted, High-Intent Audience: The platform is filled with people planning their lives—their next meal, vacation, home project, or purchase. This makes them the perfect audience for helpful blog content and trusted affiliate recommendations. For mom bloggers especially, this is a community actively seeking solutions.
Setting Up Your Pinterest for Success
Before you pin a single image, you need the right foundation. This is the most important step.
Choosing the Right Account Type: If you’re serious about how to drive traffic with Pinterest, you must switch to a free Pinterest Business account. This isn't optional. It gives you access to analytics, advertising features, and rich pins—all critical for growth.
Optimizing Your Profile: Your profile is your storefront. Use a clear, friendly headshot. Write a keyword-rich bio that clearly states who you help and what they will find on your blog and boards. Most importantly, claim your website. This verifies your profile and gives you access to crucial analytics.
The Anatomy of a High-Performing Pin
A great pin is a powerful call to action. It’s designed to stop the scroll and inspire a click.
Design Principles: Pinterest is a visual platform. Use high-quality, vertical images (a 2:3 aspect ratio, like 1000x1500 pixels, is ideal). Use tools like Canva to create eye-catching graphics with legible fonts, appealing color schemes, and a consistent look that makes your pins recognizable.
Writing Compelling Copy:
Keyword-Rich Titles and Descriptions: Your description is your SEO workhorse. Naturally include what people are searching for. Instead of "Check this out," try "10 Best Pinterest Strategies for Organizing a Small Kitchen | DIY Organization Ideas."
Creating a "Click-Worthy" Call-to-Action: Tell users what to do. "Get the free guide," "Read the full tutorial," or "Shop the post" are clear directives that boost click-through rates.
The Critical Importance of Fresh URLs: Here’s a powerful tip for bloggers: don’t just re-pin the same image to the same URL. Create new pins for your best evergreen blog posts. A new image and description sent to the same blog URL can make Pinterest treat it like new content, giving it a fresh chance to be seen by a new audience.
Pinterest SEO: Getting Your Pins Discovered
If you want to master how to drive traffic with Pinterest, you must think like a search engine optimizer.
Keyword Research for Pinterest: This is the cornerstone of your strategy. Use the search bar on Pinterest itself. Type in a broad topic and see what auto-populates—these are popular long-tail keywords. Use them in your pin descriptions and board titles.
Strategic Board Creation: Organize your pins into tidy, keyword-optimized boards. Instead of a board named "Recipes," create one named "Easy Family Dinner Recipes." This helps Pinterest understand your content and helps users find exactly what they need.
Using Rich Pins: Rich Pins are a game-changer. They automatically pull metadata from your website, making your pins more informative. An Article Rich Pin will show your blog post's headline, description, and even your author name, making it look more professional and trustworthy, which increases clicks.
Building a Strategic Pinning Schedule
Consistency is key, but that doesn’t mean you need to be on the app 24/7.
Consistency Over Frequency: Pinning 5-10 times per day, consistently, is far more effective than pinning 50 times in one day and then going silent for a week. A steady drip tells the algorithm your account is active and reliable.
Utilizing Scheduling Tools: Free yourself from daily pinning with a scheduler. Tailwind is the industry favorite because it’s approved by Pinterest and provides smart scheduling times based on when your audience is most active. This is one of the most valuable Pinterest tips for bloggers for maintaining sanity and consistency.
Driving Affiliate Income with Pinterest
Pinterest isn’t just for traffic; it’s a powerful affiliate marketing engine.
Selecting Affiliate Products That Convert: Choose products that are highly visual and solve a specific problem for your audience. Think kitchen gadgets for a food blog, children’s learning toys for a parenting blog, or travel gear for a vacation site. Your recommendations must feel authentic.
Creating "Problem-Solution" Pins: Design pins that speak directly to a pain point. The image should show the problem or the beautiful solution, and the description should hint at the answer, which is found in your blog post featuring the affiliate product. For example, "Tired of messy play? Discover the best washable crayons that make clean-up easy. #ad"
Disclosing Properly: Transparency builds trust and is required by law. Always use #ad, #affiliate, or “Paid partnership” in your pin description when promoting a product you earn a commission from. This maintains your credibility with your audience.
Analyzing Your Performance: Pinterest Analytics
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Your Pinterest Analytics dashboard is your best friend.
Key Metrics to Track: Stop focusing only on saves and follows. The most important metric is Outbound Clicks or Link Clicks. This tells you how many people are actually visiting your blog. Also, check your top-performing pins to see what’s working.
How to Refine Your Strategy: See a pin getting lots of clicks? Create more pins just like it! See a pin with a high impression count but no clicks? The design or description might need work. Let data guide your content strategy.
Advanced Strategies: Idea Pins and Trends
Once you've mastered the foundation of creating static pins and maintaining a consistent schedule, it's time to leverage Pinterest's native features to build deeper authority and ride the wave of what users are actively seeking. These advanced tactics can significantly amplify your reach and engagement.
Leveraging Idea Pins: Beyond the Static Pin
Think of Idea Pins as mini-blog posts or visual stories that live directly on Pinterest. They are a powerful tool for building community and showcasing your expertise without requiring a click away from the platform.
What They Are: Multi-page video or image formats, similar to Instagram Stories, but with crucial differences: they are evergreen (they don't disappear after 24 hours) and are fully discoverable in Pinterest search.
Strategic Uses for Bloggers:
Micro-Tutorials: Break down a complex tip from your blog post into a step-by-step visual guide. For example, a food blogger can show the key steps of a recipe, or a DIY blogger can demonstrate a simple craft.
Problem-Solution Demonstrations: Perfect for affiliate marketing. Show a common problem on the first page, and then use the subsequent pages to demonstrate how the affiliate product provides the solution.
Listicles & Tips: "5 Ways to Style a Summer Scarf" or "3 Quick Homeschooling Tips." This format is highly digestible and shareable.
Sneak Peeks & Behind-the-Scenes: Build connection by showing your workspace, your creative process, or a sneak peek of an upcoming blog post or printable.
Key Benefits:
Builds Authority: By providing immediate value on Pinterest, you position yourself as an expert, making users more likely to trust your recommendations and click through to your blog later.
Engages a Different Audience: Some users prefer quick, visual stories over long-form blog posts. This allows you to capture their attention and direct them to your profile and, ultimately, your website.
Ideal for Less-Visual Niches: If you think your niche isn't visual, Idea Pins are your answer. You can create engaging, text-based tips, motivational quotes, or quick data points in a visually appealing way.
Participating in Trends and Seasonal Content: Strategic Timing
Pinterest is a planning platform. Users flock to it during specific times of the year to search for ideas. Aligning your content with these trends is one of the fastest ways to gain massive visibility.
The Power of Seasonal Planning: People's search intent shifts with the calendar. They search for "back-to-school lunch ideas" in August, "cozy fall decor" in September, and "New Year's resolution planners" in December. Creating content ahead of these spikes is crucial.
How to Find Trends:
Pinterest Trends Tool: This is your secret weapon. It's a free tool that shows you the popularity of search terms over the past year. You can see exactly when interest for a keyword starts to peak. For example, you can see that searches for "Mother's Day brunch ideas" begin rising in early April.
Pinterest's Seasonal Guides: Pinterest often releases guides and press materials highlighting predicted trends for the upcoming season. Keep an eye on their business blog.
Execution Strategy: Don't just create a pin the week of the holiday. Pin your seasonal content 4-6 weeks before the peak search volume. This gives the Pinterest algorithm time to index your pin and start showing it as searches begin to rise.
The table below summarizes the key differences and strategic applications of these two advanced approaches:
By strategically integrating both Idea Pins for community building and trend-focused static pins for traffic generation, you create a powerful, multi-faceted Pinterest strategy that drives both engagement and sustainable affiliate income..
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many times a day should I pin to see results?
A consistent schedule of 5-10 pins per day is a great starting point for seeing steady growth.
Can I use Pinterest if my blog niche isn't traditionally "visual"?
Absolutely! Any niche can be visual. Finance bloggers can create pins about budgeting worksheets. SaaS bloggers can use infographics. Think about how to represent your topic visually with graphics, text-based quotes, or process images.
What's the difference between a save and a click, and which is more important?
A save means someone saved your pin to their board. A click means they clicked through to your website. The click is infinitely more important for blog traffic and affiliate income, as that’s where the conversion happens.
How long does it typically take to start seeing significant traffic from Pinterest?
Pinterest is a long-game strategy. It typically takes 3-6 months of consistent, strategic pinning to see significant, steady traffic. Patience and consistency are key.
Should I join group boards, and how do I find good ones?
Group boards were once essential but are less critical now with smart feeds. Focus on creating great content and your own boards. If you join a group board, ensure it is highly active and relevant to your niche.
Is Tailwind worth the investment for a beginner?
The free version is a great way to start. If you find yourself pinning consistently and want to scale, the paid scheduler is absolutely worth the investment for its analytics and automation features.
How can I make my older blog posts get seen on Pinterest?
Create fresh, new pins for them! Use a new image and write a new keyword-rich description, but link it to the same old blog post URL. This is the best way to breathe new life into old content.
Conclusion
Pinterest offers a unique and powerful path to growing a blog that thrives on helpful, evergreen content. By shifting your mindset from social media to visual search, you can attract a targeted audience ready to engage and purchase.
Remember, success comes from a blend of stunning visuals, smart keyword research, and unwavering consistency. Start by optimizing your profile, create your first batch of keyword-rich pins, and begin connecting with an audience actively searching for what you offer.
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