Have you ever wondered how you can make money online without owning a business? The answer to that is to become a content creator. But how will you start when social media platforms like Instagram and Youtube are already oversaturated?
Well, have you tried Pinterest? Did you know they just released a creator fund and are now paying creators on Pinterest to make inspiring content?
Sure, you can make money by posting affiliate link on your pins, but if that is not your cup of tea, then why not try earning money by simply making content?
With that said, I will be talking about how you can use Pinterest to earn money and monetize your original content for free using their creator hub.
HOW TO BECOME A PINTEREST CREATOR AND JOIN THE CREATOR REWARDS PROGRAM
What Is A Pinterest Creator?
A Pinterest creator is no different from an Instagram creator or Youtube creator. As Pinterest’s creator, you will have to create content within the Pinterest platform. You will have to create quality content through pins and focus on building your community and following.
Through consistent posting, Pinterest will then pay you and help you earn money for creating original ideas and content.
What Is The Pinterest Creator Rewards Program?
According to Pinterest, the Pinterest Creator Rewards is a program for creators to earn money for creating original Idea Pins in response to monthly reward goals created by Pinterest.
This in turn will make Pinterest pay their creators directly for their most inspiring, quality content and organic engagement.
If you are interested, they have another program called the Creator Fund which is a new initiative that is focused on the growth and success of underrepresented creators: people of color, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Creator Fund’s goal is to improve creator talent through financial and educational support while aiming to make Pinterest an increasingly inclusive and diverse platform.
On average, Fund creators saw 2.9x more Idea Pin impressions and 72% more monthly viewers compared to their previous performance.
How To Become A Pinterest Creator
If creating Pinterest pins, growing your Pinterest account, and getting paid for it sounds interesting to you, then this could be a good time to become a Pinterest influencer or Pinterest Creator!
Aside from getting paid, you will be able to grow your audience and build a community which is a huge plus if you want to start a business, get brand partnerships and affiliate partners, drive traffic to your site, or promote products you own.
The good thing about Pinterest is that you can use the platform anywhere as it is accessible on mobile devices through their app.
Create a Pinterest business account
- Use the Pinterest app on your mobile phone
- Be 18 years or over
- Be a legal resident of, and located in, the United States or the District of Columbia
- Have at least 250 followers
- Have created at least 3 Idea Pins in the last 30 days
- Have 150 saves of your published Pins in the last 30 days
- Create original content
The beauty of having a Pinterest business account than a personal account is that you can also see the analytics of your pins and account and see how well your content is doing and see what content needs improvement.
You can also have access to Pinterest ads, a hub dashboard, and more!
Apply for Creator Rewards
You can apply for Creator Rewards through the Pinterest app. If you’re eligible, you’ll be able to tap Get started. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria yet, you will not have the ability to apply.
Note: Creator Rewards is currently in testing to select early access users in the US.
Create Original Content
To be a Pinterest Creator, you cannot just publish any content. First, your content should of course follow Pinterest’s Community Guidelines. Aside from this, here are more requirements to be able to post content and start monetization as of 2023.
- Be original content
- Align with our creative best practices
- Not violate our Community Guidelines
- Meet the reward goal engagement requirements*
- Meet the reward goal editorial guidelines
- Meet the terms and conditions of the program
- Not be paid or promoted content
Link your bank account
Pinterest will pay you by transferring money to your bank account. But first, you will need to provide documentation verifying your identity. You will also need to link to a United States bank account in order to get paid by Pinterest for your content.
You can link your bank account before or after you participate in a reward goal.
How To Create Idea Pins
Note: As of June 2023, Pinterest has started removing the Idea Pins feature on most accounts. Currently existing Idea Pins are now transformed into Video Pins. Read more about it here.
If you want to be part of the Pinterest creator program, creators can participate by creating an idea pin. If you do not know what an Idea pin is, it is a type of pin you can use to record multiple videos, add images, lists and custom text in a single Pin.
According to Pinterest, you can use Idea Pins to:
- Create a step-by-step guide, project, or recipe
- Upload multiple short videos with additional descriptive text or text overlay
- Customize the colors and fonts in your Pin
- Improve your targeting with topic tagging
- Curate a collection of products
- Tell a story in a brand-new way
Pinterest actually encourages users to create their Idea Pins on their Pinterest mobile app to have access to their different design tools.
To create an Idea Pin, click on the “+” sign at the bottom of the screen and select “Idea Pin”. Choose your photos and videos from your gallery and click publish!
Here’s a quick rundown and more in-depth tutorial on how to create an Idea Pin from Pinterest.
Tools To Help In Having A Successful Content on Pinterest
You do not need to possess certain advanced skills to become a successful content creator on Pinterest. Instead, you just need some effective tools to help you grow your account quicker and easier. Here are some tools that I recommend and personally use:
Tailwind
Tailwind is one of my must-haves when it comes to my Pinterest marketing strategy. Tailwind is the officially authorized Pinterest scheduler. It’s quite handy for scheduling pins of other users in bulk.
With this, you don’t have to manually upload and schedule your pins each time. I also actively use Tailwind to check Pinterest analytics.
Canva
When you are having a hard time whenever you’re creating pins, then make sure you’re using apps or websites that can help you design your pins without needing any graphic design skills.
Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool where you can create your pins with their free, beautiful templates. You do not need to learn how to use any advanced design tools because their work station is very straightforward.
But aside from image pins, you can also easily make video pins through Canva.
Pinterest SEO Traffic Secrets Course
If you want to become more successful in Pinterest, then I highly suggest you implement keyword research or Search Engine Optimization in your Pinterest marketing strategy. Keywords can help users find your account easily. I suggest using keywords on your Pinterest profile bio, Pinterest boards, and Pinterest pin descriptions and title.
And if SEO sounds overwhelming to you, then you do not need to worry because you can check out my Pinterest SEO Traffic Secrets where I talk about the best practices on Pinterest, how to do keyword research, and how to grow your Pinterest account from scratch.
I’m Anastasia and I’m a full-time blogger, online entrepreneur, and Pinterest marketing strategist. I help digital entrepreneurs and bloggers drive targeted traffic from Pinterest either through my online courses or through Pinterest consultancy.
