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Pinterest is removing all affiliate links, redirects and trackers from all pins, Business Insider reports. This ban includes affiliate networks like RewardStyle and Pinterest talent agency HelloSociety. It's not good news for bloggers or Pinterest users, who no longer will be able to take a cut of the sales from items they pin on their pages.
A Pinterest spokesperson told Business Insider: "We are removing affiliate links to ensure we’re providing the best possible experience for Pinners. Recently, we observed affiliate links and redirects causing irrelevant Pins in feeds, broken links and other spammy behavior. We believe this change will enable us to keep the high bar of relevancy and quality Pinners expect from Pinterest."
Pinterest has been struggling with gaining advertiser dollars via Promoted Pins, when brands could just as well hire Pinterest stars to do the pinning for them. Now that affiliate links are gone, the only way for Pinterest users to make money is if a brand pays them to curate a board or get involved in a Pinterest campaign on social media. So star Pinterest users might not have a problem, but those opportunities are fewer and far between than the easy cash from affiliate links.