Why Most People Struggle to Monetize Pinterest (And How to Fix It)

Soft Girl Income

May 27

Written By admin

You’ve probably pinned your dream life a hundred times by now—beautiful morning routines, aesthetic home inspo, cute side hustle tips—but when it comes to actually making money from Pinterest? Crickets.

Pinterest is full of dreamy images, perfectly curated aesthetics, and endless ideas — yet most people treat it like Instagram with links.
That’s the problem.

If you’ve been trying to make money on Pinterest and feel like you’re pinning into the void, it’s not your fault. You’re just using the wrong strategy for the platform.

When I first started using Pinterest for business, I thought:
“Just make it cute and post consistently.”
I’d spend hours designing pretty pins, but they weren’t going anywhere, and my shop was still quiet.

The turning point?

Realizing Pinterest isn’t social media. It’s a search engine.
Once I started treating Pinterest like Google (and my pins like tiny digital storefronts), everything changed.
My traffic increased, my products got seen, and I finally started earning from content I created months ago.

The Real Reason You’re Not Monetizing Pinterest:

You're skipping the system — and Pinterest rewards systems, not spontaneity.

Here’s what I mean:

Most people are doing this:

Random pinning without a content plan
Using aesthetic quotes or viral-looking pins without a strategy
Linking only to sales pages (no blog content, no warm-up)
Not using keyword-rich pin titles or descriptions
Thinking more followers = more traffic (spoiler: it doesn’t)

What actually works:
Create evergreen, searchable blog content (that solves a problem or inspires action)
Design multiple pins per post, using keywords in the text overlay and pin description
Pin with purpose — align every pin to a soft funnel: value → trust → sale
Focus on helping, not hyping — Pinterest users search with intent. Speak to that.
Stay consistent — Pinterest rewards age + consistency over virality

The Fix: A Soft Funnel Strategy That Converts

Start with your ideal client’s search bar moment – What are they typing into Pinterest when they’re stuck or inspired?
Create a blog post that solves that need – Teach or show something they care about.
Design 3–5 pins per post – Use different imagery, titles, and vibes to multiply reach.
Link to your product gently – Use a lead magnet or offer that aligns with the blog topic.
Let Pinterest do the heavy lifting – Traffic grows over time (not instantly like TikTok), but the compounding effect is unmatched.

Takeaway

Pinterest isn’t for the loud, the viral, or the constantly online.
It’s for the soft, strategic, and long-term girls.
Once you learn how to treat it like the search engine it is — not a social app — your results shift.

✨ Want to skip the guesswork and build your own Pinterest income system from scratch — the soft, sustainable way?
[Grab my Pinterest roadmap here] for a step-by-step guide to monetizing with Pinterest.