Updated October 22, 2026 · 6 min read
1. No disclosure, or a hidden one
The rule. Pinterest's affiliate guidelines: "Be transparent about the commercial nature of your content and about your links and their behavior." Pinterest's paid partnership guidelines: "All paid partnerships must disclose the commercial nature of their content." The FTC guidance: a disclosure "should be placed with the endorsement message itself", and "Disclosures are likely to be missed if they appear only on an ABOUT ME or profile page".
The mistake. A profile-only disclosure, a disclosure buried after the fold of a long description, or "#sp" and "#collab" style tags the FTC calls "vague or confusing".
The fix. First sentence of the description, plain words: "Affiliate link: I earn a commission if you buy." Add the FTC-acceptable "#ad" if you like, but not instead. For Amazon, add Amazon's own wording to your bio and landing pages.
2. Shortened, cloaked or redirecting links
The rule. Pinterest: "Pinners should be able to reasonably anticipate where your link will take them", and "don't use redirection to attempt to link to a site that is not permitted on Pinterest". Amazon: "You will not cloak, hide, spoof, or otherwise obscure the URL of your Site containing Special Links", and no link shortening "in a manner that makes it unclear that you are linking to an Amazon Site".
The mistake. Pretty links, tracking domains and shorteners on every affiliate pin.
The fix. The full affiliate link, or a link to your own page that holds the affiliate links. If you need click tracking, use the program's tracking IDs.
3. The same link, over and over
The rule. Pinterest's affiliate guidelines prohibit "Creating affiliate Pins repetitively or in large volumes" and ask you to "use affiliate links in moderation". The community guidelines: "Don't create or save content that is repetitive, deceptive, or irrelevant in an attempt to make money."
The mistake. Twenty pins a day pointing at the same product, or the same image re-saved to every board.
The fix. A few original pins a day across different products and angles, each saved first to the one board that fits.
4. Pins that are not yours to make
The rule. Pinterest's affiliate guidelines prohibit "Using fake accounts to create or save your affiliate links", "Asking other users to save your affiliate Pins in a quid pro quo", and "Asking other users to create Pins with links that include your affiliate identifier". The community guidelines add: "Don't operate multiple accounts or coordinate with other people with the purpose of manipulating the Pinterest platform."
The mistake. Save-for-save groups, a second account to repin your own affiliate pins, or paying people per pin.
The fix. One account, your own pins, saves earned from people who wanted the pin. Pinterest's paid partnership guidelines also say not to "incentivize or pay people to distribute content in large volumes, in spammy ways or for each Pin they save".
5. Misleading pins and landing pages
The rule. Pinterest: "In general, don't attempt to make money from Pinners or Pinner web traffic in ways that are misleading", and "Don't link to websites that are unsafe, deceptive, untrustworthy, unoriginal, or that facilitate or encourage spam."
The mistake. An image of one product linking to another, a "free printable" pin that leads to a sales page, a before-and-after that was never real.
The fix. The pin shows what the link delivers, in the first screen. Run the landing page through the rich pins validator so the page's own title and image match the pin.
6. Bought followers and engagement
The rule. Pinterest's community guidelines prohibit "buying or selling engagement" and "automation that hasn't been explicitly approved by Pinterest".
The mistake. Follower packages, engagement pods, and bots that repin or follow on your behalf.
The fix. Nothing to buy. Fresh pins on a schedule, keyworded for search, to boards with real topics. Use the engagement calculator to track whether real engagement is rising month over month.
7. Copied images and copied copy
The rule. Pinterest's affiliate guidelines: "Affiliate content should be original and add unique value for Pinners." Amazon's policies: "You will not add to, delete from, or otherwise alter any Program Content in any way" (resizing excepted) and "You will not store or cache Product Advertising Content consisting of an image". The community guidelines treat "unoriginal" sites as spam.
The mistake. Product photos downloaded from the retailer with a text overlay, descriptions pasted from the listing.
The fix. Your own photos or text-led designs, and descriptions in your own words. A round-up on your site adds the "unique value" the guideline asks for.
8. Price and claim drift
The rule. The FTC guidance treats endorsements as advertising; claims must be truthful. Pinterest's misleading-content rules apply to pins that no longer say something true.
The mistake. "Under $20" on a pin for a product that now costs $34, or "best seller" with nothing behind it.
The fix. Keep prices off the image and out of the title unless you will update the pin. Put specifics on the landing page, where you can change them.
9. Paid partnerships without the label
The rule. Pinterest's paid partnership guidelines define a paid partnership as any sponsored or branded content made in an exchange of value, and say disclosure methods include "the use of #ad" or "applying a label to your content using Pinterest's paid partnership tool". Pinterest's help center says the tool is used from the app, tags one brand, and the brand approves or declines the tag.
The mistake. Treating a brand deal like an affiliate link: a gifted product or a flat fee with no label and no #ad.
The fix. Use the paid partnership tool for brand deals, and write #ad or "sponsored" in the description as well. Affiliate commissions alone are not a paid partnership, but the disclosure rule in mistake 1 still applies.
10. Breaking the program's own rules
The rule. Every program has terms that sit on top of Pinterest's. Amazon requires its exact disclosure wording, bans shorteners and cloaking, credits purchases within a 24-hour session, and from April 14, 2026 requires products to ship and be paid for within 180 days. Etsy's Creator Collective requires 500 followers on an authorized channel. Networks require you to list the channels you use.
The mistake. Assuming a Pinterest-safe pin is program-safe.
The fix. Read the operating agreement of each program once, write the three or four rules that affect pins on a card, and check new pins against it. The Amazon guide does this for Amazon.
The short version
| Mistake | Rule it breaks | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Hidden disclosure | Pinterest affiliate and paid partnership guidelines, FTC | First sentence, plain words |
| Shortened or cloaked link | Pinterest spam rules, Amazon policies | Full link or your own page |
| Same link in volume | Pinterest affiliate guidelines | Few, original, varied pins |
| Fake accounts, save swaps | Pinterest affiliate guidelines | One account, earned saves |
| Misleading pin or page | Pinterest spam rules | Pin matches the page |
| Bought engagement | Pinterest community guidelines | Fresh keyworded pins |
| Copied images or text | Pinterest affiliate guidelines, program content rules | Your own photos and words |
| Stale prices | FTC truthfulness, Pinterest misleading content | Specifics on the page, not the pin |
| Brand deal without a label | Pinterest paid partnership guidelines | Paid partnership tool plus #ad |
| Program terms ignored | The program's agreement | Read it once, check every pin |
Where to go next
- Pinterest affiliate marketing: the complete guide
- Pinterest affiliate disclosure: what to write and where
- Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest
Frequently asked questions
- Does Pinterest ban affiliate links?
- No. Pinterest's affiliate guidelines say affiliate programs help creators earn from their work, and set conditions: content should be original and add value, you should be transparent about the commercial nature of your links, and you should use affiliate links in moderation.
- What happens if I break the rules?
- Pinterest's guidelines say it may remove, limit or block content or accounts that violate them. In practice that ranges from a single pin removed to an account whose pins stop being distributed. Fix the pins, then appeal through the help center if an action was a mistake.
- Are link shorteners banned?
- Pinterest's community guidelines say shortener services that are abused for spam may be blocked, and that people should be able to anticipate where a link takes them. Amazon's policies forbid shorteners that make it unclear you are linking to Amazon, and any cloaking of your links. Use full, honest links.
- How many affiliate pins a day is too many?
- Pinterest does not give a number. Its affiliate guidelines prohibit creating affiliate pins repetitively or in large volumes and ask for moderation. A few original pins a day, each different, is the pattern that stays safe.
- Do I need to disclose if the pin links to my blog and the affiliate links are on the page?
- Disclose on the page for certain, and it is wise to disclose on the pin too. The FTC guidance wants disclosures with the endorsement itself, and if the pin recommends the product the pin is the endorsement.