Did you know that some of the top influencers on Instagram have over 200 million followers?
There’s no doubt that many successful people have learned how to make money with Instagram–a lot of money.
Would you like to be one of them?
Using social media to grow your brand is a great place to start. But how can you focus in on Instagram and turn it into a money-making machine for your business?
In this post, we’ll narrow down the choices to the five best options for generating income from Instagram. We’ll also provide some valuable tips to maximize your earning potential.
Let’s get to it!
1. Become an Influencer
You can never have too many followers, especially when you’re trying to become an influencer.
Influencers are the rock stars of the digital world. They boast thousands (or even millions) of adoring fans who look to them for advice, inspiration, and entertainment.
If you want to make money with Instagram, your first step is to grow your following and work towards becoming an influencer.
Even micro-influencers (with 10,000-50,000 followers) can earn very good money from Instagram. They can charge several thousand dollars for a sponsored post and earn up to $100,000 a year.
Influencers with 100,000 followers can expect $5,000 for sponsored posts and between $20,000 and $100,000 for campaigns.
Sounds great, right? So how can you build your following and become an influencer yourself?
The first step is to tap into your audience and learn what makes them tick. Once you have a loyal following, you can seek opportunities to partner with companies who want to use your influence to promote their brand.
Remember: You won’t become an influencer overnight. It takes a lot of time and dedication to build your following and gain their trust.
The most successful influencers use the best Instagram growth service for quicker results.
2. Become an Affiliate
While influencers work to create awareness, affiliates sell other people’s products for a commission.
How does it work? You include a link to a specific product from your website, blog, and/or social media account. If someone clicks that link and ends up buying the product, you get paid a pre-set percentage of the sale.
On Instagram, this happens through a trackable link or promotional code. This ensures that you get the credit (and the cash) for any sales that result from your efforts.
The idea is to create engaging posts without sounding too salesy or pushy. It’s best to choose products you’re familiar with and passionate about–people can spot “fake” enthusiasm a mile away!
Once you’re signed up with an affiliate program, be sure to include a link to your landing page that contains the affiliate link. Somewhere in each post, be sure to inform your followers that they can buy the product via the link in your bio.
In time, you can expand the idea further through your own blog or other social media channels.
3. Sell Your Own Product or Service
Why promote another business when you could be promoting your own?
Another way to make money with Instagram is by selling your own products or services. If you’ve got that entrepreneurial spirit, this could be a great way to get your business off the ground.
What will it take? First, you’ll need high-quality photos and videos of your products. These could be products you make yourself or products you purchase wholesale from suppliers.
The next step is getting your product in front of as many eyes as possible. A large following helps, but you might also try paid ads to get the ball rolling.
As always, creating a strong brand image and spreading that awareness is the key to building a sustainable online business. The more people like you and can relate to you, the more likely they are to buy from you.
4. Sell Your Photographs or Artwork
Visual marketing is the way of the future–and no platform focuses more on visuals than Instagram.
If you have high-quality photos, paintings, drawings, or videos, Instagram is the perfect place to show them to the world.
You can offer to sell them to your followers for a fee. You can also display them on Instagram and include a link to your Etsy page or Shopify site.
Want to take your artwork a step further? Try printing it on t-shirts, coffee mugs, or posters, and sell those products through Instagram.
5. Sell Dropshipped Products
Want to sell products but don’t have the space to store them (or the desire to ship them)?
Dropshipping could be a great solution for you. Through your online “store,” customers order products. You then place the order with a wholesale distributor who ships the item on your behalf.
Although this requires a little more effort than affiliate sales, you can make more profit. It also allows you to jump right into an online business with little or no startup costs.
Selling dropshipped items through Instagram works the same way as other types of sales. Include a link in your bio to drive customers to your online store.
Other Helpful Tips
To make money with Instagram, here are three key points to keep in mind:
- Produce high-quality, engaging, and valuable content.
- Post regularly–every other day or even every day.
- Use specific hashtags to get your posts in front of the right audience.
Remember that success won’t happen overnight. But if you put these tips into practice and stick with it, you’ll be on your way to earning money with Instagram.
How to Make Money with Instagram: Now You Know
So, which of these tips is best for your Instagram endeavors?
Whether it’s becoming an affiliate marketer or advertising your own products, there are plenty of options out there.
Now that you know how to make money with Instagram, it’s time to think about other social media channels too.
Check out our recent post for more insightful ways to use social media in your marketing efforts.