Affiliate/Sheet

How to Use Pinterest Affiliate Programs and Links

How to place links from affiliate programs you join on your Pins, what Pinterest's guidelines say, and how to disclose the links.

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You Pin recipes, home ideas or travel spots. You want to add affiliate links to those Pins. That is what people mean by Pinterest affiliate programs. The phrase covers two things, the programs you join and how you use their links on Pinterest.

What the phrase really means

You join affiliate programs or networks yourself. Then you place the links those programs give you on your Pins. Pinterest is the place you promote. The programs are where the links and the payouts come from.

So the work splits in two. First, pick programs to join. Second, use their links on Pinterest in a way that follows both Pinterest's rules and the FTC's disclosure rules.

When a reader follows an affiliate link, they land on the linked page. With an affiliate link, that address carries a marker that tells the program who sent the reader. The cookie window on the program's page says how long that marker counts.

The page you send readers to matters as much as the link itself. Pinterest's guidelines say linked websites should have original content that adds unique value for Pinners.

Choosing programs and networks

Pick programs that match what you already Pin about. This site has pages on these programs and networks.

Read each program's own page for its rates and rules. Do not assume one program's terms match another's.

Pinterest's own rules

Pinterest's community guidelines set limits on monetized content. Its own words cover most of what can go wrong.

  • Pins saved only for gain must not be repetitive, deceptive or off topic.
  • Any gain from Pinners must not mislead them or add nothing for them.
  • Pinterest's guidelines say not to link to unsafe, deceptive, unoriginal, or spam sites. Linked sites should have original content that adds unique value for Pinners.
  • Pinterest's guidelines say not to use automation that Pinterest has not approved.
  • Pinterest's guidelines say not to buy or sell engagement or generate inauthentic traffic.

Pinterest also says links with excessive or deceptive redirection may be blocked.

The FTC says the duty to disclose is yours. Its influencer guide says not to rely on others to make the disclosure for you.

Place the disclosure with the endorsement itself. The FTC says a disclosure is likely to be missed on an About Me page or after a click on More. On a Pin, that means putting the disclosure with the Pin itself, not on your profile page.

The FTC says words like ad, advertisement, and sponsored are clear. A hashtag such as #ad is fine but not necessary. Avoid vague terms like sp, spon, or collab.

For affiliate links there is one more layer. FTC staff say consumers might not understand that affiliate link means the poster gets paid. FTC staff say paid link right next to an affiliate link should be an adequate disclosure. FTC staff say commissionable link is probably not clear enough.

FTC staff also say the closer a disclosure is to your recommendation, the better. A disclosure buried in a long post or mixed with hashtags is easier to miss. And they say it is best to add your own disclosure even if a platform offers a tool.

What to avoid

  • A vague disclosure like collab or affiliate link alone.
  • A disclosure buried at the end of a long description or lost among hashtags.
  • A link that lands somewhere other than what the Pin shows.
  • Repetitive Pins that exist only for profit.
  • Redirects that hide the true destination.

None of these are worth the risk.

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