Thanks for sharing this heads-up, Maria! I’ve seen similar issues before — Pinterest seems to be getting stricter with link shorteners. Might be safer to use the direct affiliate link or create a dedicated landing page on your site. Looking forward to hearing what the experts say too!

Hi Maria, thank you so much for sharing your experience — I can imagine how frustrating that must have been after taking the time to schedule and set everything up properly.

Pinterest can sometimes be quite strict when it comes to shortened or cloaked links like Pretty Links or Bitly. They often flag them as spam because they hide the final destination URL, which can raise red flags with their spam detection systems. Even if the destination is safe, the platform may still block it.

Here are a few suggestions that might help:

Try using your full URL — especially if it's a clean, branded link from your own domain. Sometimes even a longer URL is better than a shortened one in Pinterest’s eyes.

Use direct links to your site pages rather than cloaking affiliate links. Once users land on your blog post or product review, you can include affiliate links there, following compliance guidelines.

Test different formats — Pinterest may flag certain patterns, so it’s worth experimenting with how the link is placed (in the pin vs. the description).

Use rich pins — These can provide more context and trust to your pins, which may help reduce the chances of links being blocked.

I’d also love to hear what Jay and Vitaliy say, as their experience with Pinterest strategy is always insightful.

Wishing you better luck with your next pin! Keep going — these moments are all part of the learning curve. 😊

Best regards
Portia

Cheers Maria!!!

I just tried to verify my website with them, and they rejected that as well. They said they don't allow affiliate sites, so I appreciate the landing page solution that @BorisRoman suggested.

It will be interesting to test the theory!

Hello Maria,

Here’s a simple move that can keep the Pinterest fairies happy and your clicks flowing: create a dedicated landing page—or a tidy post/listicle—for the products you’re promoting. Link your Pins to that page instead of pointing them straight at individual products through shortened URLs; Pinterest tends to give those the side-eye.

Make sure each Pin’s design, title, and description harmonize with the landing page’s content. When the message and the destination sing the same tune, Pinterest rewards you; if they’re off-key, it may hide your link in the Pin’s overflow menu where few will ever notice.

For extra backup, this help article is worth a skim:
https://help.pinterest.com/en-gb/article/fix-a-broken-link

All the best,

Boris