Pinterest for affiliate marketing is the talk of the town right now—but unfortunately, there’s a ton of misinformation out there. In this post, we’re clearing up the 5 most common myths about making money with affiliate links on Pinterest.
Myth #1: You can fill your entire profile with affiliate links
Many Believe They Can Fill Their Entire Pinterest Presence Exclusively with Affiliate Links. Let’s bust this one right away: No, you can’t just turn your Pinterest profile into a link farm.
Yes, Pinterest allows affiliate links—but only in moderation. If you post nothing but affiliate content, the platform may flag your activity as spam, and that can lead to account suspension.
The key? Diversify your content. Share valuable, engaging pins without affiliate links too—ideally, these should make up the majority of your content. This helps you build trust and stay within Pinterest’s guideline
Myth #2: Affiliate marketing on Pinterest is a quick way to get rich
While this sounds tempting, quick money on Pinterest is unrealistic. While affiliate marketing can generate revenue, it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme—especially if you’re not running ads.
On Pinterest, it often takes months for a pin to gain traction The average pin has a “half-life” of 4 months—that’s when it reaches 50% of its lifetime engagement. That means slow growth, but also long-lasting results. Bottom line: Earning with affiliate links on Pinterest is possible—but don’t expect instant success.
Myth #3: You don’t need a website for affiliate marketing on pinterest
This is not only not recommended, but simply incorrect. Any time you use a social platform for business purposes, you’re expected to provide legal information, like an imprint or disclosure.
Pinterest only allows you to add an imprint via an external link—which means you need your own website. Period. Not having one isn’t just unprofessional—it can also get you into legal trouble.
Myth #4: You don’t need your own images
Surprisingly Many YouTube Videos on the Topic of “Affiliate Marketing on Pinterest” Recommend Simply Posting Product Images and Linking Them There. Some Even Go So Far as to Claim You Should Use an Existing Pin, Repost It, and Replace the Original URL with the Affiliate Link. Please don’t do this. It’s not only a bad marketing move—it’s illegal.
Third-party images are protected by copyright. You are not allowed to use them just like that. In addition, larger platforms that work with affiliates, such as Amazon, clearly state in their terms and conditions that the use of product photos for affiliate marketing is not permitted. Plus, product shots alone rarely perform well on Pinterest anyway.
If you want to promote affiliate products on a visual platform like Pinterest, you’ll need your own images—content you either created or have the full legal rights to use. Everything else is also morally extremely questionable.
Myth #5: You don’t need a strategy
Many people assume that they can simply upload a few pins on Pinterest and that’s it. However, this rarely leads to any significant success.
Pinterest is not a channel that works passively for you, it is a tool that you can and should actively use. Because the algorithm is good – but only as good as you allow it to be.
And if you randomly upload any affiliate pins without a plan or strategy, the algorithm will in most cases not understand exactly who it should show what to.
A clear strategy is essential for Pinterest marketing. This includes posting regularly, using suitable keywords, understanding the target group and creating relevant content to match their needs.
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