My First Pinterest Creator Rewards Paycheck | What You Should Know

Recently, I received the good news that I was accepted into the Pinterest Creator Rewards program, and would now be getting paid to pin on the site. 

As you can imagine, I was pumped to add this extra revenue stream to my business, and I can now report that I’ve received my first Pinterest paycheck! 

Now before I spill the beans on how much Pinterest paid me as a creator, I wanted to share details on how you can also join the program. Since the program is fairly new, there’s very little information out there on it and some may not be accurate.

Though to be fair, the Creator Rewards program has been evolving from month to month, so just keep that in mind as you read this.

What is the Pinterest Creator Rewards Program

The Pinterest Creator Rewards program was released in October 2021, and is currently in beta testing to select users. It’s a new monetization tool for creators, and one way to get paid directly from Pinterest for creating original content on the platform.

More specifically, the program will pay eligible creators towards monthly reward goals for their most inspiring and engaging Idea pins. 

Pinterest Creator Rewards Eligibility 

Before you can join the program, you must first meet the below eligibility requirements.

• Have a Pinterest Business Account

• Download and use the Pinterest app on your mobile phone

• Be at least 18 years of age or older

• Be a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or the District of Columbia

• Have at least 250 followers on Pinterest (this was previously 1,000 followers, but it has since dropped!)

• Have created at least 3 Idea Pins in the last 30 days

• Have 150 saves of your published pins in the last 30 days (this includes all of the content you create on Pinterest or the content you save from your claimed website)

• Create original content

If you’re eligible to apply, you’ll see a red ‘Get Started’ tab on your Pinterest mobile app. Make sure you have your app updated to version 9.33 or higher, otherwise you may miss this!

You won’t be able to find this button on desktop, so don’t be alarmed if you don’t see it there. Currently, it’s only available on mobile.

Additionally, you’ll also have to agree to the Creator Rewards Terms and Conditions.

Once approved, your account must be kept in good standing and maintain certain eligibility criteria throughout your time in the program. I was instantly approved after agreeing to all Creator terms, and immediately got access to the ‘Earn’ tab in the Pinterest Creator Hub portal.

Pinterest Creator Hub 

In the Creator Hub tab you’ll find a variety of tools and features to enable you to create and earn on the Pinterest site. These include:

• Inspiration – This section shows current top creators, trending pins, and creation ideas from various niches.

• Creation – This tab will take you directly to creating a new Idea Pin to post.

• Analytics –  Here you’ll get an overview of the performance of your account, as well as gain insight into the overall demographics of your audience.

• Earn – Here you’ll find your lifetime Creator Rewards earnings and current monthly reward goals available to you.

• Branded Content – This program is a service that connects creators with brands for sponsorship and other opportunities on Pinterest. By opting in, you’re telling Pinterest that you are open to them helping you get brand deals on Pinterest.

Not long ago, I recorded a video on my YouTube channel about the Pinterest Creator Rewards program.

In the comments section, some creators reported seeing the Creator Hub button on their profile, even though they hadn’t applied to the rewards program. Despite this, many are saying they do not have access to the ‘Earn’ tab that shows the current monthly goal rewards. 

Pinterest has stated that once the program is open again for applications, eligible creators will see an application button within the Creator hub in the Pinterest app. So check back often to see if you received an invitation to apply!

Branded Content

The Pinterest Branded Content program is a new feature that recently showed up in my Creator Hub. I opted-into the program and agreed to share some of my information and that of my audience with potential sponsors.

Here are the types of information Pinterest would share:

1. Profile and account information, such as your name, username, email, country and languages.

2. Information about how your content performs, such as your engagement rate, follower count, and your interest.

3. Aggregate demographics about your audience.

Pinterest will share this information with advertisers so they can consider you for paid opportunities.

This doesn’t guarantee that Pinterest will connect you with brand sponsorship deals. Though it at least opens the door for the opportunity should it come around.

How Much Does Creator Rewards Pay

The program pays Pinterest creators anywhere from $25 to $700 per Idea pin depending on the reward goals that month. This at least, is what I’ve noticed from my personal experience with the program. 

Other creators have previously reported being uncapped in the amount they could earn per pin and per month. This was mainly the case when the program first launched.

Since then, Pinterest has capped the amount you can earn towards monthly goals. While that’s a bit of a bummer, it’s still a lucrative program if you’re able to hit all your monthly goals! 

Monthly Reward Goals Example

Reward goals will change from month to month. But to give you an idea of how this looks like, below is a rundown of the goals I was given in my first month monetized.

Month One Goal Rewards:

• $50 – For one inspiring Idea Pin

• $250 – For creating one Idea Pin each week in June

• $150 – For each Idea Pin that receives 50 saves

• $25 – For each Idea Pin + $2 for each save

• $275 – For each Idea Pin that receives 100 saves

Each goal will show a capped amount you can earn towards that reward. For example, this month, I can earn up to $700 for the $25 for each Idea Pin + $2 for each save goal reward.

At the end of each month, you’ll be given your new monthly goals.

As I write this, I’m in my third month of the Pinterest Creator Rewards program. Below are the reward goals I was given this month, along with my earning cap.

Month Three Goal Rewards:

• $250 – For creating one Idea Pin each week in August

• $25 – For each Idea Pin + $2 for each save (up to $700)

• $200 – For each Idea Pin that receives 100 saves (up to $400)

• $400 – For each Idea Pin that receives 200 saves (up to $800)

• $500 – For reaching an aggregate of 250 saves across pins, up to 15 pins

If I hit all my goals, I will earn a total of $2,650 with the Pinterest Creator Rewards program this month. Though, this is highly unlikely to happen since I’m halfway into the month and have not reached 100 or 200 saves on any of my new Idea pins yet! 

If past monthly goal rewards are any indication of future creator rewards, then you can expect these rewards to change even more over time. But for now, this is what it looks like when you get started.

How It Works

In a nutshell, this is the process for earning with the Creator Rewards program:

• Create Idea Pins and pin on Pinterest

• Go to the ‘Earn’ tab through the Creator Hub portal to learn about your available reward goals for the month

• Tap on any reward goal to read the eligibility details of each

• Then click on ‘Add Idea Pins’ on the lower bottom of the screen

• Choose an Idea Pin and press ‘submit’ to enter it for review towards a monthly goal reward

• Get paid on eligible Idea Pins.

Submitted Idea Pins will be ‘In review’ for up to 48hrs from submission. As part of the review process, Pinterest will filter out ‘saves’ they consider to be spam or fraud.

If your pin meets the reward eligibility requirements, it will show as ‘Accepted’ with a green checkmark next to it. If not, it will show as ‘Rejected’ with a red ‘x’ next to it.

As a quick reminder, only original Idea Pins are eligible for payment. Video or images from previously published pins are not eligible. And if you’re using music in your pin, make sure it’s content you have the right to distribute. 

Also, pins that include watermarks from other social media channels, such as TikTok, aren’t eligible for payment. There are plenty of websites and apps you can use to remove these watermarks from your videos if you want to upload them to Pinterest. 

Hootsuite recently shared 4 easy ways to remove the TikTok watermark.

Lastly, each Idea Pin is only eligible for 1 reward goal. So if you have an Idea Pin that is doing well, do some quick math and see which reward goal will earn you the most money to submit that pin.

How You Get Paid

Pinterest will pay you directly for eligible Idea Pins that meet goal requirements. In order to get paid, you must first connect your U.S. bank account to the third-party platform called Adyen.

You’ll also be asked to provide documentation to verify your identity.

Pinterest loosely states that you’ll be paid within 30 days of the reward goal ending. As I soon found out, it really is anyone’s guess as to when your Pinterest paycheck will enter your bank account.

My First Pinterest Creator Paycheck

In my first month with the Pinterest Creator Rewards program, I earned $624! 

It was slightly lower than how much I got paid as a YouTuber creator my first month monetized. Though I’m by no means complaining! The extra income will go right back into building my affiliate marketing business.

Plus, It’s exciting to get paid for doing something I was already doing on Pinterest.

As you’ll notice from the image above, I received my June reward goals direct deposit on July 22nd. This was 2 days after the Pinterest Creator Hub marked these rewards as ‘Paid’ in my account. 

I know the discrepancy in when the rewards are marked as ‘Paid’ and when the money actually hits your account has caused some confusion. Do note, it can take up to 5 days for your direct deposit to reach your bank account.

My Second Pinterest Creator Paycheck

I earned more money during my second month mainly thanks to this one Idea pin that received 131 ‘saves.’ In total, I was paid $950 in reward goals.

I received my July reward goals pay deposit on August 17th, which is the same day it was marked as ‘Paid’ in my Creator Hub portal. This one arrived 4 days earlier than my first Pinterest paycheck, which was a nice surprise.

Pinterest Creator Rewards vs. Creator Fund

When I was first accepted into the Pinterest Creator Rewards program, I had no idea that a separate Creator Fund program existed. I used both terms interchangeably, until one day I realized they weren’t the same.

So to spare you the confusion, I’m clueing you in to a few details of this other creator program. 

The Creator Fund program is for creators in underrepresented groups such as LGBTQ+, people of color, and disability-owned. The application process opens up every quarter to niche specific creators. Those creators are encouraged to apply for a chance to earn $25,000 in the form of cash grants, ad credits, and equipment stipend.

For more information, check out my Pinterest Creator Fund post.

Other Ways to Make Money on Pinterest

There are things you can do right now to earn money on Pinterest, while you wait for the Creator Rewards program to open up once again.

Pinterest Virtual Assistant  – If you’re killing it on Pinterest, then there’s a good chance other Pinterest Creators are wanting to hire you to do the same for them! 

As a PVA, you’ll help your clients start, manage and grow their brand on the Pinterest platform. Tasks include designing Pinterest pins, and writing Pinterest SEO pin descriptions among other things.

Pin Affiliate Links on Idea Pins – Affiliate marketing is the business of referring people to someone else’s product or service, and earning a cut of the sale on each successful transaction.

The business can be done from anywhere in the world with little to no money, and with virtually no customer service involved on your part. And now, you can make money pinning affiliate links for free on Pinterest Idea Pins. 

High Ticket Affiliate Marketing on Pinterest – This method of doing affiliate marketing on Pinterest will earn you higher ticket commission sales. So instead of earning say $50 per day pinning on Pinterest, you could be earning $100, $500 or even $1,000+ per day.

Sales Funnels are used to achieve these higher ticket sales. The best part is that it can be done without having a blog or website.

Next Steps 

The Pinterest Creator Rewards program is currently only open to U.S. creators, but will soon be expanding to other countries. 

If you want to stay ahead of the pack and position yourself for an early invite, then you’ll want to start creating Idea Pins that inspire, engage and get ‘saves.’

If you need help designing and creating these, then make sure to nab Nadalie’s Idea Pin Starter Kit to shortcut your way to Pinterest success!

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