Why Pinterest Referral Links Often Fail – Even If You Do Everything Right

[HoBiNi]

Hi everyone,

I want to share my experience after testing four of my own products and over 6,000 pins, including both my own and third-party designs. Despite following all the Ambassador Program rules, I have never received a single referral commission.

During my tests, I found that Pinterest often modifies referral links. This happens even if I manually create the pins, use the correct referral ID or tracking code, or post my own product. Pinterest often replaces the links with elements like "epik=", "pin.it" is from Pinterest, or "zazzle.campaign" is from Zazzle, which turns Pinterest into the official referrer. In that case, they receive the referral credit – not the artist who shared the link.

Even when I used a clean browser and created new Zazzle test accounts with separate email addresses and payment details, the result was always the same. I clicked on my own pins and made real purchases. Three of the products were mine, and one was from another designer. None of them generated a referral commission for me. Instead, all of them were listed under "3rd Party Referrer" in my reports. One of the items didn’t show up in the report at all.

This issue does not seem to be directly Zazzle’s fault. If Pinterest rewrites or strips out referral data, Zazzle cannot track the sale correctly. Unfortunately, it makes Pinterest referrals unreliable and unpredictable.

In my case, I have tried everything – using clean links, test purchases, different tracking formats, and over 6,000 pins. Still, I have never seen a single valid referral in my reports. Everything is marked as 3rd Party, no matter what I do.

If anyone has had a different experience, I would love to hear it. I still love designing, even if I earn almost nothing. But I will now focus more on the creative side and less on chasing referral income.

Stay smart and informed,
Holmer

[Thunes_Designs]

It’s possible that you’re right in what you wrote, but I don’t have the knowledge to know if it’s correct. I saw your name and thought that you probably weren’t American 😀  When you check your Pinterest statistics, are at least 70–80% of your visitors from the U.S.?
For me, coming from Norway, it’s important to be registered on Pinterest as living in the U.S., otherwise my pins are primarily shown in the Nordic countries. And that’s just completely useless.

[HoBiNi]

Yes, mostly in the US. But it is also a good tip anyway. I come from Germany. Thanks for your answer

[Martin]

Interesting. I need to investigate as I am UK based.

[MOM]

@HoBiNi Vielen Dank Holmer!! This is a well written (but sobering) post. Definitely foods for thoughts. 

[Susang6]

The referral sales are off since April 1st but prior to that I did receive quite a few referrals from Pinterest.  Also I can see I got a referral for "other designers wedding invitations" the end of May.  So I don't know about Pinterest changing the referral link. 

[HoBiNi]

How nice that it is going to work for you.  How do you post , directly from your product page, does it matter how you post mayby? Zazzle offers a variety,  how to post directly.  Or do you open your product and post than? Do you put the ending of your ref id. Or do you make the pins on your own.  How do you post other people's products.  I am really looking,  what might be missing at pinterest or zazzle. Would be great,  if you tell me, how you post? 

[Susang6]

Found on shopify > “Pinterest allows users to share affiliate links to earn commissions, but it has strict guidelines to prevent spammy or misleading practices. While Pinterest does not automatically replace referral links to take earnings away from the original sharer, it does enforce policies that require transparency and compliance with affiliate marketing rules. If a link violates Pinterest’s guidelines, it may be removed or altered to ensure a better user experience.”

Then from TOS Pinterest > “Pinterest encourages visually appealing and engaging Pins, especially for niche boards. However, it does have guidelines regarding commercial content. Pins that look overly promotional—such as those with text like "Buy Here" or "Shop Now"—may not perform well organically and could be flagged if they violate Pinterest’s policies on transparency and user experience.”

I’ve long understood that Pinterest thrives on high-quality, inspirational content—especially when it seamlessly incorporates shopping elements. The key to success lies in clear branding, eye-catching visuals, and well-crafted descriptions that enhance engagement without feeling overly promotional.
Every pin I share is thoughtfully curated to maintain a polished, non-spammy aesthetic, and I ensure that my groups remain free of spam pins. I focus on sharing beautifully designed product pins tailored to my niche wedding boards. By using Zazzle’s share buttons, I continue to earn through the referral links I share on Pinterest.   

[katkat1959]

For me too.

[katkat1959]

Tested as well with failures. They are making it to hard for us designers. Algorithm's really come in to play. It has to be a direct order with the link and no wavering from the order or coming back later.

[ColsCreations]

During my tests, I found that Pinterest often modifies referral links. This happens even if I manually create the pins, use the correct referral ID or tracking code, or post my own product. Pinterest often replaces the links with elements like "epik=", "pin.it" is from Pinterest, or "zazzle.campaign" is from Zazzle, which turns Pinterest into the official referrer. In that case, they receive the referral credit – not the artist who shared the link.

This is not true.

Adding tracking data to a URL does not turn it into an affiliate link. For many of us with Zazzle being our only frame of reference we conflate tracking with referral credit but one doesn't equal the other. On Zazzle, to get credit as Referrer one needs their RF# (Ambassador/Affiliate ID) included as a parameter in the URL. Even Benable needs one.

Here's a URL from following an auto-affiliate link from Benable to a Zazzle product:

zazzle.com/product title ....
?utm_source=pepperjam
&utm_medium=affiliate
&utm_campaign=21181
&rf=238006443102052622
&tc=5115916543%7C21181

That's Benable's referrer ID. 

URL following one of my Rf links from Pinterest:
zazzle.com/product title ...
?rf=238499276722080691
&tc=MY_NOTE
&epik=dj0yJnU9bXdTSVUyT0hQdG5UaDF2Mj...

URL following one of my Rf links from Facebook:
zazzle.com/product title ...
?rf=238499276722080691
&tc=MY_NOTE
&fbclid=kX04cRQBrUFUyVH0NEXH82RPdghbw...

Both Pinterest and Facebook add tracking stuff to links, but as you can see, MY RF# is still included. It's not being stripped out and/or replaced by one belonging to Pinterest or Facebook. 

Zazzle has said in the post-April 1st FAQs that with "clean" self-promotion links, the additional parameters added by social media sites might interfere with Zazzle's ability to properly assign referral credit. Even if you don't get the ref credit, Pinterest/Facebook is not getting it either because it's not their product and there's no RF# included identifying them as the affiliate. 

[Monet]

I hope those additional parameters added by social media can be “fixed” so Z can properly assign the referral credit. With all the third party sales, I can’t help but wonder some of those might actually be self-referrals. 

[ColsCreations]