How to Start a Pinterest Side Hustle

Step-by-Step Pinterest Set up for a New Business Idea

If you want traffic but don’t want to dance on camera, Pinterest for business can feel like a cheat code. Not because it’s easy, but because it works like a library, not a loud party. People search, click, save, and come back later. A good pin can send clicks for months, even when you’re busy with your day job, client work, or family.

Pinterest is a visual search engine. That one idea changes how you show up. You’re not trying to go viral in 24 hours, you’re building a stack of helpful “signs” that point to your offer.

In this guide, you’ll set up a business account, clean up your profile, build boards that match real searches, create a simple pin system, and follow a basic growth plan. It works for Etsy products, printables, blogs, affiliate links, coaching, and even local services.

Disclosure: our content is reader-supported, which means we may earn commissions from links at no cost to you.

Start with the right Pinterest setup so you don’t have to redo it later

Think of your Pinterest account like a shop sign on a busy street. If the sign is messy, people keep walking. If it’s clear, they step in, even if they’ve never heard of you.

Your goal here is simple: look legit, get tracking in place, and set your account up so it can grow without a rebuild later. This takes an hour or two once, then it pays you back every week.

Create (or convert to) a Pinterest Business account and claim your website

A Pinterest Business account is built for growth. It gives you access to analytics, the option to run ads later, and tools that help Pinterest understand your content. If you already have a personal account, you can convert it in settings without starting over.

Do the basics right away:

Choose a business name people can recognize.
Add your website (or your main link destination).
Turn on two-factor login if you use a shared device.

Next, claim your website. Claiming is Pinterest’s way of checking that you own the site you’re pinning from. Once claimed, your profile picture can show up on your pins, which builds trust over time.

How you claim depends on your setup. Many sites use either a Pinterest tag (added to your site) or a DNS record (added through your domain host). If you’re on Shopify, it’s usually a simple field or integration. If you sell on Etsy, you can still claim if you have your own domain or a simple link-in-bio page that you control. If you only have an Etsy shop link and no website, consider adding a basic one-page site so you have something you own.

Build a profile that tells people what you sell in five seconds

Your profile should answer one question fast: “What do you help people do?” If someone has to squint and guess, you lose them.

Start with these profile basics:

Display name: Use plain language and include what you do. Example: “Mia | Budget Printables” beats “Mia’s Corner.”

Profile photo: Use a clean logo or a clear face photo. Tiny icons and busy graphics turn into mush on a phone.

Bio: Write like you’re labeling a folder. Add keywords naturally, but keep it human. Mention what you offer and who it’s for.

Link: Send people to one strong destination, not five options. A home page is fine, but a “start here” page, shop page, or best freebie often converts better.

Quick bio examples you can copy and adjust:

Printables shop: “Printable budget templates and cash-stuffing trackers for beginners. Grab the free starter sheet and start saving this week.”
Budget blog: “Simple money habits, debt payoff tips, and low-stress meal planning. New posts every week, free checklist inside.”
Virtual assistant: “Virtual assistant for coaches and creators, inbox clean-up, scheduling, and customer support. Book a quick call.”

Pick a niche and boards that match how people search

Pinterest rewards clarity. If your account looks like a yard sale table, it’s harder for Pinterest to understand what you’re about. When your boards line up with search terms, your pins have a better shot at showing up when someone is ready to click.

This isn’t about boxing yourself in forever. It’s about starting focused so your early effort actually stacks.

Choose one money goal and one main audience

A side hustle grows faster when the goal is obvious. If your goal changes every week, your pins will feel scattered, and your keywords will too.

Pick one primary goal for the next 60 to 90 days:

Sell a product (Etsy listing, Shopify product, digital download)
Get email sign-ups (freebie, mini course, lead magnet)
Book calls (coaching, services, consulting)
Earn affiliate income (blog posts, resource pages)

Then pick one main audience. “Everyone who wants more money” is too wide. “New budgeters who want a simple cash-stuffing system” is clear.

A quick exercise that works:

Who do you help?
What do you help them do?
Where should the click lead?

Example: “I help busy moms start a $50-a-week grocery plan, the click goes to my free meal plan and shopping list.”

When you know the destination, your pin topics and calls to action get easier.

Create 8 to 12 boards that act like store aisles

Boards are shelves. If the shelf label is cute but confusing, people won’t find what they want. Board names should sound like what someone would type into the Pinterest search bar.

Good board naming rules:

Use plain language: “Small Backyard Ideas” beats “Outdoor Magic.”
Keep it tight: one topic per board.
Write a short board description with a few natural keywords.

Also, put your most important boards near the top of your profile. Pinterest and humans both notice what you feature first.

Sample board set for a budget-printables side hustle:

Printable Budget Templates
Cash Stuffing
Debt Payoff Tips
Sinking Funds
Budgeting for Beginners
No-Spend Challenge Ideas
Side Hustle Ideas
Frugal Meal Planning
Monthly Budget Setup

Start with fewer boards that are strong. Later, expand based on what your analytics says people click and save.

Make pins that earn clicks, even when you’re asleep

A pin is a tiny billboard. You have about one second to make the promise clear. The best pins don’t try to be art. They try to be understood.

Your job is to match three things: the pin, the keyword, and the page it leads to. When those line up, Pinterest can test your content with the right people.

Design simple pin templates that look good on a phone

Most people scroll Pinterest on a phone. If your text is small or your colors blend together, it’s dead on arrival.

A strong beginner template usually has:

A tall image (Pinterest favors vertical pins)
Big text you can read at arm’s length
High contrast (dark text on light background, or the reverse)
One clear promise (not three)
A clean brand look (2 fonts, 2 to 3 colors)

Canva is a common choice for fast designs, and it’s fine for beginners. Build a tiny template system you can reuse:

Title pin: One bold headline, simple background.
List pin: “7 ideas” style, with a clean layout.
Before-after pin: “Messy budget vs simple budget” style, great for transformations.

Quick checklist before you publish:

Can you read it on a phone?
Is there one main benefit?
Does the image match the topic?
Does it look like your brand (even lightly)?

Write pin titles and descriptions that match real searches

Pinterest SEO starts inside Pinterest. Type a word in the search bar and watch the suggestions. Those are common searches. After you search, the guided bubbles under the bar hint at related terms people use.

Use those words naturally in four places:

Pin title
Pin description
The board you save it to
The page title on your website (or product listing title)

Don’t cram keywords like a bad resume. If it reads weird, it won’t help.

Simple title formulas that fit side hustles:

“How to start a ___ in 10 minutes”
“Free checklist: ___”
“Beginner guide to ___”
“___ template (printable)”
“What I wish I knew about ___”

Examples:

“Free checklist: Start cash stuffing this weekend”
“How to write an Etsy listing that gets clicks”
“Beginner budget binder setup (printable pages)”
“Virtual assistant pricing guide for new VAs”

Write descriptions like a helpful shop assistant. One or two sentences, clear benefit, light keywords, and a direct next step.

Post consistently with a lightweight schedule you can keep

Pinterest rewards steady activity. Not perfection, not hustle until midnight.

A realistic plan for busy people: 3 to 5 fresh pins per week.

Fresh pins means a new image or design, even if it links to the same blog post or product. Re-pins are saves of existing pins, and they matter less for growth when you’re building momentum.

A simple weekly workflow:

One day: batch write 5 pin titles and descriptions.
One day: batch design 5 pins using templates.
Schedule them using the Pinterest scheduler (built in) or an approved scheduling tool.

Avoid spammy behavior. Don’t blast the same pin to 20 boards in five minutes. Save each pin to the most relevant board first. You can add it to another closely related board later, but keep it reasonable.

Track what works and grow without burning out

Pinterest growth is quiet. It looks like nothing for a while, then one pin starts pulling. That’s why tracking matters. It helps you stop guessing and start repeating what already works.

Keep it simple. You’re running a side hustle, not a full-time media company.

Use Pinterest Analytics to spot winners and double down

Pinterest Analytics can feel like a cockpit, but beginners only need a few gauges.

Watch these metrics:

Outbound clicks: the money metric for most side hustles
Impressions: how often a pin shows up
Saves: a sign the idea has long-term value
Top pins: what your audience responds to
Top boards: where Pinterest understands you best

Do a quick monthly review. Pick your top 5 pins and sort them into three buckets:

Keep: strong clicks, keep making similar pins.
Tweak: good impressions, low clicks, adjust the headline or design.
Drop: no traction after a fair test, stop spending time on it.

If a pin gets clicks, make two more versions of it. Change the headline angle, photo, or format, then post them over the next few weeks.

Turn traffic into money with simple next steps

Pinterest traffic is only helpful if the click leads somewhere that converts. Your landing page should load fast and match the promise on the pin.

If your pin says “Free budget template,” the page headline should say the same thing. Not “Welcome to my site.”

Simple ways side hustlers turn clicks into income:

Blog post with affiliate links (tools, courses, supplies)
Etsy listing or Shopify product page
Digital download landing page
Service page with a booking form
Email opt-in that leads to a low-priced offer later

Easy upgrades once the basics work:

Turn on Rich Pins if your site supports it (it can pull extra page info into pins).
Test Pinterest ads only on pins that already get clicks.
Create seasonal pins for what you sell (tax season, back-to-school, holidays) if it fits your niche.

Final Thought

Pinterest can be the quiet worker in your business, the one that keeps pointing people to your offer while you’re doing something else. Start simple and stay consistent, then let the data guide your next moves.

Use this 30-day mini roadmap: Week 1, set up your business account and claim your site. Week 2, build boards and a short keyword list. Week 3, make templates and schedule your first batch of pins. Week 4, check analytics, then repeat what got clicks.

Set up the business account today, clean up your profile, and publish your first 3 pins. A month from now, you’ll be glad you started when it still felt small.