Pinterest review: Pinterest profits from creators while blocking their revenue

I have thousands of impressions, high engagement… but my small businesses isn't earning a cent.
Across Pinterest, affiliate marketers and small business creators are facing a systemic problem: content is being promoted heavily, but outbound traffic is deliberately suppressed.
Recent analytics from active creators highlight the problem clearly:
17,570 impressions — content is widely recommended
203 engagements — users interact with pins
26 saves — users want to revisit content
Only 11 outbound clicks — the clicks that generate actual revenue
Seventeen thousand views. Eleven clicks. That is not a coincidence. It is algorithmic suppression.
What’s Really Happening
Pinterest is designed to keep users on the platform, not send them to affiliate links. Even compliant, high-quality Pins with optimized titles and strong call-to-action overlays are being throttled.
This creates a situation where:
Pinterest benefits from every impression through ad revenue
Creators get no meaningful traffic to ...to Action
Creators: Track your analytics closely. High impressions do not guarantee income.
Regulators and watchdogs: Pinterest is systematically profiting from unpaid creator content while blocking real commerce traffic — this warrants review.
Consumers: Be aware that affiliate-driven posts are not being fairly rewarded; the algorithm is designed to benefit Pinterest first.
Until Pinterest provides transparent policies and fair link distribution, creators and small businesses are effectively being exploited.
Evidence:
Recent 30-day analytics (10/30/2025 – 11/29/2025) show 17,570 impressions, 203 engagements, 26 saves, and only 11 outbound clicks.
Engagement and impressions are growing, but revenue-generating traffic is nearly zero.
Conclusion:
Pinterest cannot continue profiting from creators while suppressing outbound traffic. This is systemic, intentional, and unfair.
Creators deserve transparency. Small businesses deserve a level playing field. Platforms must be held accountable.