There are so many ways you can make money on the internet. Social media is one of the most prominent places where this is possible. With every new social media platform, there always comes a way to profit from it.
I want to talk to you about how you can make money with Instagram right now, regardless of how many followers you have.
Be Consistent With Your Posts
While the number of followers you have does not matter much, the consistency of your posts does. Before you start monetizing your Instagram account, you need to focus on posting content at least once a day.
This strategy is the best way to keep your audience active and engaged. An engaged audience is a buying audience.
It also helps to pick a specific niche for your posts. This will help you solicit brands for sponsored posts and start doing affiliate marketing.
You will grow your account faster as you become consistent with your posts. The catch is that you absolutely must post at least once daily for it to happen.
Then, you can increase your number of loyal, engaged followers and watch your income rise with them! Remember, even micro-influencers are earning cash.
Create Sponsored Posts
Once you hit a certain number of followers (5,000 or more), you can start soliciting brands for ad space. Of course, you want your followers to be real Instagram users—no bots! This will also help your engagement rate.
To make yourself even more legit, switch your profile to a business account to unlock more features. For example, if brands are interested in sharing their products with your audience, you can charge them a fee to post about them there. And it’s not only big brands that are interested in doing this—small businesses will too.
Find Sponsors
If you are not sure where to go to find sponsors, there are plenty of places. A few of my favorite sites to find sponsorship opportunities are IZEA, Cooperatize, and Massive Sway.
Try these steps if you are unsure how to approach or find brands you use.
First, find the PR agent for that company online. Next, send them an email letting them know who you are and what your blog is about.
Then tell them why you love a product of theirs. Include your media kit or marketing one-pager so they can see your mean business. Then, click send and wait for their response.
If you don’t hear from them in about a week, it’s worth sending a follow-up email to pursue the opportunity further. However, it probably makes sense to move on if you’ve emailed them a couple of times and gotten no response.
Send Your Media Kit
It’s essential to keep a media kit handy that includes your social stats, bio, and the prices for an ad on your Instagram account.
Professionalism in this business goes a long way, so don’t underestimate the power of having these tools! If you don’t already have a media kit, you can create one for free on Canva.
Update your media kit
It’s essential to keep a media kit handy that includes your social stats, bio, and the prices for an ad on your Instagram account. Professionalism in this business goes a long way, so don’t underestimate the power of having these tools!
If you don’t already have a media kit, you can create one for free on Canva.
Advertise Clothes on Instagram
One way to make money is by selling stuff on your Instagram account. I have found that the more fashionable choose to sell clothing on Instagram.
It’s as simple as getting a new outfit and posting about it on your account with a link in your bio for others to buy it. This method is how many Stella & Dot agents make a good portion of their income.
Instead of going door to door or bugging their friends, they post their favorite outfits on Insta, include some links, and keep it moving. While I’ve never tried this side hustle myself, I will admit I was pretty impressed with what a great idea it is.
The best part about this is that you do not need a huge audience to make money. It only takes a couple of sales to make up for the work of taking a great photo and selling the items.
Stella and Dot
Stella and Dot: If you like fashion and want to make some extra cash each month, you should consider becoming a Stella and Dot Stylist. The best part is that when you become a stylist, you get $650 in free products!
Many stylists make a full-time living with Stella and Dot. But it makes for a great side gig if you are social and enjoys posting selfies on Instagram.
Promote Products with Affiliate Marketing
If you are in the mood to sell but not interested in fashion, there are other ways! Affiliate marketing earns you a commission for selling someone else’s stuff right on your Instagram account.
To make money with Instagram through affiliate marketing, it’s as simple as including an affiliate link in your Instagram stories or bio! If you are looking for brands with affiliate programs, go to sites like Affiliate Window, ShareASale, and MaxBounty.
They do not cost anything to join, and you pretty much have unlimited potential to make as much money as you want. The first step is to sign up for one or more of the listed sites. Once you have an account, you can search for brands and apply to affiliate with them.
If you’re accepted, you will include their links in your posts and wait to see the cash flow. Another great thing about affiliate marketing is that you can sometimes get a unique promo code that gives your audience a special discount.
That makes them more willing to purchase from you. So not only do they save money, but you earn some too. A word of caution when it comes to affiliates: I would only sell things you have used yourself; that way, you know you are promoting a quality item that your audience will enjoy.
Sell Your Service or Product
Once you get a handle selling clothes and other people’s stuff, I encourage you to develop and promote your product on Instagram. The benefit of creating a product yourself and selling it is that you make way more money.
Even if you hire other people to promote your product and pay them a commission, you will still be making a higher percentage of your product than you would on someone else’s. I bet that right now, you’re thinking: What could I create? There is a lot of information on products you can create and sell.
Digital Product or Service
You could write an ebook, create an online course, make a spreadsheet template, put together a worksheet, or do whatever else you can come up with. Or you can sell a service.
Are you a good coach? Or do you want to help someone get their Pinterest account on point? Then, selling it to your Instagram followers could be the ticket. The format of your product is not as important as how much it will help someone.
As a blogger, you have probably been looking for ways to get the attention of brands.
I know that creating a blog is only the beginning of the journey.
The real battle is getting noticed by brands and collaborating with them so you can finally become a full-time blogger like you always imagined.
Like any other business, approaching brands as a professional blogger requires a strategy.
Physical Product
You could also go the route of creating a physical product to sell through Instagram marketing. This is an excellent platform for entrepreneurs who sell things they make on Etsy.
Why not advertise your handmade items on Insta? This option is exceptionally viable if you have professional photos of your products.
Sell Your Photos
Lastly, you can sell your photos and video to make money on Instagram. So if you love great photography and posting high-quality images, it may be worth seeing if you could sell some of them.
When you post on Instagram, include your caption that the photo is for sale and state the price. Another way to sell your incredible photography skills is by posting your work on stock photo websites.
A few good sites to sign up to start selling your work are Shutterstock, BigStock Photos, Deposit Photos, and Fotolia, to name a few.
Start Making Money on Instagram Right Now!
There are so many ways to make money on Instagram. Watch the video above to learn more! (And while we’re at it, starting a YouTube channel is another great way to make money on Insta!)
If you are looking for a nice convenient side hustle, this is something you can do from home. You don’t need a massive online presence to do it either. More and more people are becoming Instagram influencers lately, so jump on the bandwagon and begin earning cash right now!
Very informative post!