Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social networking sites in the world. It’s a visually simulating site similar to Tumblr, but with a different sort of appeal. The site is primarily used by women, but that doesn’t mean men are excluded from the site – there are plenty of them there, too.

Pinterest is a site where users create boards and “pin” favorite items to it. Those items come in the form of an image that links off the site to the item they’re pinning. Here are some tips for maximizing your affiliate success on Pinterest:

1. Pick products and niches that do well on the site. You can scroll through and see what’s popular. The two biggest categories are probably fitness and cooking. There are many jokes about thanking Pinterest for teaching people how to exercise off the calories the other pins just taught them how to cook. There are many other categories that are popular, too. You just have to scroll through and look at the opportunities.

2. Use great images that reflect the niche. You can use images from sites like Amazon, or use a stock photo from a site like istockphoto.com or depositphotos.com. The site is all about visual appeal.

3. Try infographics to get a viral element going. Infographics are long scrolling visuals that cover a concept in completion. It could be How to Organize Your Closet, with a dozen tips on cleaning the mess. On the infographic, you’ll want to have your URL back to your site – and link it to your site when you “pin it.”

4. Decide whether you want to link to your site or directly to the products. You can pin your actual blog post where you’re reviewing something, or pin the product directly with your affiliate link. Just make sure you test it after pinning it to see if your link went to the right place.

5. Write a personalized blurb that helps with conversions. Whenever you pin something, it gives you a space to write something about it. Talk about why you love the item, or who you’d buy it for as a gift – and why.

6. Follow like-minded people in your niche. Go on Pinterest and start following the boards of people interested in the things you’re promoting. They will get a notification and then often follow you back.

7. Have a mix of items in your Pinterest account. If you’re doing nothing but selling, then people won’t follow you. Look at many other users’ accounts and you’ll notice they pin things like memes and sayings, funny pictures, and more. You want to be human – not a spammer.