Bridgette Salvon, designer and Pinterest pro

Designer Bridgette Salvon is paid on behalf of companies and brands to promote their work on Pinterest.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Globe Staff

Bridgette Salvon is really into Pinterest, but not like you might be a Facebook junkie or a craft-beer connoisseur. It started out in 2012 as a hobby for the Plymouth resident, but her pins and links became so popular that she’s been able to turn her online following of 1.5 million into a steady source of revenue. She’s now paid on behalf of companies and brands to pin everything from movie-inspired crafts projects to milkshake recipes. It’s been such a success that she and her husband, Mike, now split their time between the online venture and their long-running arts and design business.

How did you become one of the world’s top pinners?

We joined Pinterest early — back in 2012 — and we amassed a pretty large following in weeks. We realized this was great, and we could use this for Earmark [her arts business] and really push things off the ground.

On Pinterest, do you only spotlight the things you make or other things, too?

It’s definitely much more than our products. It has helped our business a lot, but it has snowballed into its own thing. We brought on a couple of part-time helpers for Pinterest — actually, my mom and my sister — so we can still keep our business going. They do it from their homes out in Western Massachusetts.

How does pinning work? How long do you work at it?

It’s become 50 percent of my workday. I work with an agency called Hello Society. They work with businesses and coordinate campaigns [matching companies that want to advertise with top pinners]. But I also do a lot of non-paid pins so it’s natural and organic and people stay. I try to keep things natural and fun.

How much does pinning pay?

It can range from high four figures to five [a month]. It varies, it really varies. But we don’t have to work paycheck-to-paycheck. We don’t have the money struggles we once had.

What have you learned?

We’ve definitely learned things; there are things people like to see and don’t like to see. They don’t really like it if it’s a blatant advertisement. If it’s clearly a sales pitch, they don’t like the sales pitch on there. . . . But they like learning things, how to do things. My ‘How-To and DIY’ board has over 1 million followers, and I’ve been steadily gaining 500 to 1,000 followers a day.

JACK NEWSHAM