How to Make Money Using Pinterest in 2027 (Without Going Viral)

Every so often, I see someone asking whether it's actually possible to make money using Pinterest...and I get why! There are so many conversations online about growing your Pinterest views, getting more impressions, and creating Pins that go viral.

But here's something I wish more business owners understood. Pinterest doesn't pay you just because your content gets views.

The opportunity to make money comes from what people do after discovering your content, and depending on the type of business you have, that can look a little different.

I've been working in Pinterest management and strategy since 2018, and one of the biggest things I've learned is that there's no single Pinterest strategy that makes sense for every business.

A food blogger, an e-commerce brand, and a service provider might all use Pinterest, but they're not necessarily trying to accomplish the same thing.

So let's talk about some of the ways Pinterest can support your business and help you work toward making money in 2027.

1. Website Traffic and Advertising Revenue

If you're a food blogger or content creator, this is probably one of the first opportunities that comes to mind.

You create a recipe, publish it on your website, and use Pinterest to help people discover it.

When someone clicks through to your website, that visit may contribute to your advertising revenue if you're monetizing your site through display ads. Of course, not every visitor generates the same amount of revenue, and not every click turns into a meaningful visit...but the opportunity is there. And one thing I love about Pinterest for recipe creators is that you can continue creating fresh Pins for content you've already published.

Maybe you have a chicken recipe that's been on your website for two years. You could create a new Pin highlighting that it's a quick weeknight dinner, another featuring the ingredients, and another when it fits an upcoming seasonal search.

You're not necessarily creating an entirely new recipe. You're finding more opportunities for people to discover one you've already made.

2. Selling Physical Products

This is an area I'd love to see more consumer product brands explore.

If you sell physical products, Pinterest can help people discover them while they're looking for ideas, inspiration, or something specific to purchase.

Let's use a food brand as an example. Someone might not open Pinterest and search for a specific barbecue sauce brand. But they might search for chicken marinades, easy rice bowls, or grilling recipes.

If your product is featured in helpful content related to those searches, that's an opportunity to introduce someone to your brand. Pinterest also offers shopping features, including Product Pins and catalog options for eligible merchants.

Depending on your business and setup, those features can help make your products easier to discover and shop.If your products are sold in retail stores, there's another opportunity worth thinking about: brand recognition.

Someone might discover your product on Pinterest and recognize it later when they're walking through the grocery store.That's not always something you can directly attribute to Pinterest, but it can still be part of the bigger marketing picture.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is another way creators can potentially earn money through Pinterest. Instead of selling your own products, you're recommending products and earning a commission when someone makes a qualifying purchase through your affiliate link.

This could include kitchen tools, home products, clothing, or other products that naturally fit your audience. But I wouldn't recommend creating random product Pins just because something offers a commission. The content still needs to be helpful.

For example, a food creator might share their favorite kitchen tools for meal prepping or products they use regularly when filming recipes.

The important thing is making sure you're following Pinterest's commercial content rules, the requirements of your affiliate program, and applicable disclosure guidelines. Remember, affiliate clicks don't automatically equal commissions.

4. Selling Services and Digital Products

You don't need to sell physical products to make money from Pinterest. If you're a coach, service provider, educator, or digital product creator, Pinterest can help people discover the content and offers you already have.

That might include:

• Educational blog posts

• Digital downloads and templates

• Workshops or courses

• Coaching and consulting services

• Free resources that lead to your email list

For example, someone searching for Pinterest marketing tips might discover one of my blog posts.

They read it, explore more of my website, and eventually decide they want help with their own Pinterest strategy. That doesn't mean every blog visitor becomes a client. But Pinterest can introduce your business to people who might not have discovered you otherwise.

5. Email List Growth

This one deserves its own section because I think email marketing and Pinterest can work really well together. Pinterest can help people discover your content, but your email list gives you another opportunity to build a relationship with those people.

Maybe someone finds a recipe and signs up to receive more meal ideas. Maybe they discover a free guide that helps them solve a problem, or maybe they come across a product and subscribe to receive updates, recipes, or other helpful information from the brand.

An email subscriber isn't automatically a sale. But having a way to continue communicating with someone after they leave your website can be valuable. The key is making sure your free resource or signup opportunity actually connects to what that person was searching for.

6. Pinterest Advertising

Pinterest Ads can also play a role in helping businesses reach their goals.

But I wouldn't recommend spending money on ads just because you want to see bigger numbers. Before running a campaign, I'd want to know what you're trying to accomplish.
Are you looking for website traffic?

Email subscribers?

Product sales?

And just as importantly, is the website or landing page you're sending people to ready for that traffic?

Advertising can help you reach more people, but it doesn't automatically fix an offer, website, or strategy that isn't converting.

7. Understanding What's Actually Working

This might be one of the most important parts of the conversation.

If you're using Pinterest to support your business, you need to look beyond impressions.

Impressions can help you understand how often your content is being seen.

Saves can give you an idea of whether people want to come back to your content.

Outbound clicks show when people are taking that next step away from Pinterest.

But none of those numbers tells the entire story.

I'd also want to understand what's happening on your website.

Are visitors reading your recipes? Signing up for emails? Viewing products? Making purchases?

Depending on your website and tracking setup, you may be able to measure some of those actions through your analytics and conversion tools.

The goal is to connect your Pinterest activity to the things that actually matter for your business.

What I'd Focus on Heading Into 2027

If Pinterest is part of your marketing plan for next year, I wouldn't start by trying every monetization method available.

I'd start by looking at your business.

What are you selling? Who are you trying to reach? What content do you already have? And what do you want someone to do when they discover you?

For a food blogger, the priority might be getting more qualified traffic to recipes that are already generating advertising revenue.

For a food or consumer product brand, it might be product discovery and building brand recognition.

For a service provider, it might be driving people toward educational content and relevant offers.

Once you know what you're trying to accomplish, you can start building a Pinterest strategy around those goals.

And you don't need to wait until January to start thinking about it.

If Pinterest is something you want to take more seriously in 2027, I'd love to help you build a strategy that makes sense for your business.

My Pinterest Strategy Intensive is designed to help you get clearer on your Pinterest keywords, account organization, content opportunities, and direction for the next 90 days.

Explore my Pinterest Strategy Intensive

Because making money from Pinterest isn't about chasing every trend or hoping something goes viral. It's about connecting the right content with the right audience and giving them a reason to take the next step.