Christine Martinez & Miles

We recently chatted with Martinez and another popular pinner, Kate Arends, whose blog “Wit & Delight” has spawned a Tumblr, Twitter feed, and Pinterest account that’s almost 700,000 followers strong. They both have design backgrounds—Martinez in interior design and Arends in graphic design—so it’s not surprising that they’ve been successful on Pinterest, which is a very visual platform. All of their boards are beautifully curated (this is a popular word when talking about Pinterest) and visually appealing. And brands have noticed their reach and popularity.

At this point Martinez can be classified as a professional pinner—it’s primarily how she makes her living. She manages Pinterest accounts behind-the-scenes for two different brands—a small shoe company and a home décor company–in addition to the “sponsored” pins she puts on her own boards. Having been on Pinterest since its inception (she is friends with one of the founders), she has also managed to monetize her expertise. She teaches Pinterest courses via Skill Share, and is currently writing a book about the platform for the “Complete Idiot’s Guide” franchise. Arends has a day job (which she loves) as a graphic designer, and while she said she is close to being able to pin and blog professionally, she admitted, “I’m a little bit more conservative with my willingness to give up my steady paycheck.”

How Brands Pay…