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While I share money-making strategies, nothing is "typical", and outcomes are based on each individual. There are no guarantees.
Pinterest is not social media.
It’s a search engine.
And that’s the first mindset shift most people miss.
If you treat Pinterest like Instagram, you’ll get bored.
If you treat Pinterest like Google, you’ll make money.
Before I go deeper, let me say this clearly.
My income is not typical.
It reflects years of building, testing, refining, and stacking skills.
Your results will depend on your experience, your consistency, and your execution.
Also, some of the tools I mention are tools I personally use and love. If you choose to use them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend what I actually pay for inside my own business.
Now here’s what Pinterest actually is.
It’s long-term traffic.
It’s evergreen discovery.
It’s search intent.
And when you understand that, it becomes one of the most underrated side hustles online.
Step One: I Start With Search, Not Aesthetic
Pretty pins don’t make money.
Search-driven pins do.
Before I create anything, I validate demand.
I use Pinclicks for keyword research.
Not guesses.
Actual search volume.
Competition scores.
Trend direction.
If people aren’t searching for it, I don’t build it.
Pinterest rewards relevance.
Step Two: I Create the Asset First
I don’t create pins for nothing.
Every pin leads somewhere.
A blog post.
An affiliate product.
An e-book.
A YouTube video.
Pinterest is traffic.
Traffic must have a destination.
If you’re sending traffic to nowhere, you don’t have a side hustle.
You have a hobby.
Step Three: I Monetize the Destination
Here’s where it becomes a side hustle.
That blog post includes:
• Affiliate links
• Digital products
• Ad revenue
• Email opt-ins
Affiliate links are powerful here.
If I’m writing about home office setup, I link tools I use.
If I’m writing about blogging tools, I link the platforms I actually pay for.
Many of those are recurring.
That’s compounding.
Step Four: I Build the Pins Strategically
I create multiple pins for the same page.
Different angles.
Different titles.
Same URL.
I use Ideogram to generate quick AI images when needed.
I design fast.
Not perfection.
Then I schedule everything inside Tailwind.
Why?
Because Pinterest can flag repetitive URL posting.
Tailwind allows me to space the same link weeks apart.
Sometimes months apart.
It protects my account.
And it lets me schedule far in advance.
Remember — I run this alone.
Software replaces staff.
Step Five: I Track What Ranks
Pinterest is not “post and pray.”
I monitor rankings.
Again, Pinclicks shows me:
• Which pins are ranking
• Which keywords are moving
• Which pages are getting traction
Then I build more around what’s already working.
That’s stacking.
What Most People Get Wrong
They post randomly.
They don’t research.
They don’t optimize the destination.
They treat Pinterest like content.
It’s traffic infrastructure.
And traffic infrastructure can turn into real money.
Some of my blog posts earn for years.
Not because I went viral.
Because I ranked.
Why Pinterest Is a Powerful Side Hustle
It doesn’t require you to be on camera.
It doesn’t require daily posting.
It doesn’t require performance energy.
It requires structure.
And patience.
Pinterest is slow money.
But slow money compounds.
You build once.
You optimize.
You let search do the work.
I don’t build side hustles.
I build leverage.
Pinterest is not a separate business for me.
It’s a layer.
It feeds my blog.
My blog feeds affiliate income.
Affiliate income feeds recurring revenue.
That’s how a “side hustle” becomes meaningful.
Not through hustle.
Through stacking.
If you want to learn how to turn Pinterest into a traffic engine that actually converts — not just a place to post pretty graphics — that’s something we go deep on inside my coaching program.
Real strategy.
Real keyword research.
Real monetization.
Discover more from Lori Ballen Digital Marketing
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