How to Make Money on Instagram

The app that started primarily as pictures has quickly turned into a great source of money for millions of people. Now you too can tap into the wealth Instagram offers. It’s easy as all it takes is knowledge and a decent audience, and you’re halfway there.

There are three ways to make money on Instagram, two of which don’t require you to have any inventory or even sell a product or service. The third requires a little more work, but if you have dreams of being an entrepreneur, it’s worth it.

The three ways include posting sponsored content, becoming an affiliate, or selling your own items. We dive into each of them more below.

Post Sponsored Content

Do people love to hear what you have to say about products and services? Are you the one always offering advice? If so, it makes sense that you’d post sponsored content then. If you have the audience that’s hungry for what you have to say, business owners are ready to pay you to talk about their products and services.

Another word for an Instagrammer that posts sponsored content is an influencer. People look up to you and trust your opinion and these are the people brands want advertising their products and services. If you have the following, you can make money writing about other companies’ products and services.

On average, you need between 15,000 and 100,000 followers for companies to pay you for sponsored content. You can pitch to the companies directly, or you join an influencer marketing platform and get matched.

Just make sure that any content that you write or share that’s sponsored mentions it in the content. Make it very apparent that you’re getting paid for the post.

Participate in Affiliate Marketing

As an affiliate marketer, you earn a commission every time someone buys a product or service after clicking on a link on your Instagram account. Let’s say you love a specific type of clothing. You may do a post on it, recommending the product and providing a unique link.

If your followers click on the link and make a purchase, you earn a portion of the sale back in commission. Some companies may provide you with a discount link rather than a direct link to the store or products, but the idea is the same as you earn a small commission.

Just like sponsored content, you must disclose that you make money on each sale. It would be best if you were fully transparent with each person who reads your content and clicks your links.

Just like sponsored content, you can appeal to the vendor directly, or you can use an affiliate marketing platform that matches you and companies together based on your niche. Like sponsored content, you must talk about the products and why you think your audience would like them. If your audience feels compelled, they will click on the link and make a purchase.

Sell your Own Products

If you are already an entrepreneur, you can use Instagram to increase your sales. You’ll need a business account with Instagram to make the most out of the features and then like you would for sponsored content or affiliate marketing, you can post about your products.

Make sure you post plenty of pictures and raise awareness of what you’re selling, but don’t spam your audience. Make sure in between each sale post that you include value-added content that doesn’t make your audience think you’re just out to make money.

Find the perfect balance between selling and adding value to your audience’s life. You want them to have trust you in, which takes time. It would help if you built up your reputation to show that you’re here to share your talents and knowledge while making sales when you can, just don’t be ‘salesy;’ be natural.

Making money on Instagram is a lot easier today than before. You don’t have to do the ‘link in bio’ bit anymore if you have a business account. You can create catalogs, run ads, and make sales right from Instagram.

Just make sure you’re transparent throughout the entire process. Don’t push and don’t be fake. When you’re authentically you, the process of making money on Instagram is much easier than ever before. Earn your audience naturally by providing content people want to share and the more people that share your posts, the more exposure you’ll get, and the easier it becomes to make money on Instagram.