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10 Ways Creators Can Monetize Instagram

10 min read

Long gone are the days when Instagram was only good for sharing pictures of food and selfies. Nowadays, the platform is a multi-million dollar social media giant with over 2 billion monthly users from all over the world.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you should be asking yourself: why aren’t you leveraging this platform to make money?

If you’re anything like most people, chances are you don’t know where to start when it comes to monetizing Instagram. Don’t worry — we have your back. Keep reading for ten easy ways you can start using Instagram to generate cash flow.

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Tips from e-commerce experts for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
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1. Generate a Following

One of the most important things you need to do if you want to make money on Instagram is to generate a following. Your follower count helps your business gain traction, reliability, and trust in the market. In other words, the more Instagram users that follow you, the more authority you will have in your industry.

But how many Instagram followers do you need? You can start making money with anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 followers; the key is engagement. Use your account to share engaging information that customers in your space are interested in to drive up your engagement.

2. Teach Your Followers Something

Did you know that you can use your Instagram to distribute a paid service that you offer? Small business owners use the platform to promote and distribute high-quality content like webinars and online courses.

If you have a knack for teaching, this might be the perfect gig for you to earn some extra cash online.

Online course content can offer learning experiences about everything from gardening to motorcycling and everything in between. If you have a passion, you can turn it into an income by sharing it with followers on Instagram.

3. Find a Sponsor

Work with brands, sponsored posts, sponsored content, creating sponsored posts,

If you have a large following that is at least moderately engaged in what you post, you can work with brands to promote their products in exchange for cash.

These sponsored posts revolve around creating posts that encourage your following to purchase a product or service from your sponsor.

To get a sponsor, you must post consistently and engage your audience to build your brand. Then, you can reach out to brands to solicit sponsorship. You can also use hashtags and geotags on Instagram to get brands’ attention.

4. Use Instagram as a Promotion Tool

The sheer amount of users on Instagram makes it a perfect place to promote yourself. Instagram marketing allows business owners to leverage the platform to grow their businesses and ultimately make more money.

When you’re crafting your Instagram marketing strategy, consider these questions:

  • What are your goals on Instagram?
  • Who is your target audience?
  • Who are your competitors and how are they marketing?

Use the answers to these questions to make decisions about what you should post, how you connect with your followers, and what you can offer that the competition lacks. Developing your personal brand is the most important part since that’s what makes you stand out from the crowd.

Follow these steps and before you know it, you’ll be an Instagram marketing expert with a marketing channel that converts followers into sales.

5. Consider Running Ads

IGTV, social media platforms, Instagram lives,

Running advertisements on social media platforms like Instagram is a great way to generate cash flow on the platform. When you run ads on your Instagram page, you can create your own ads for products and services that you offer or you can team up with an established brand.

Either way, you want to make sure the content on your page helps you connect with your followers. Whatever you’re promoting, it should be something that your followers find useful or helpful.

IGTV is another exciting way creators can convert their high-quality Instagram content into cash. IGTV, or Instagram TV, is a service offered by Instagram that allows creators to make videos and insert ads into their content for pay-per-view compensation. It’s one of the easiest ways to make money on Instagram.

Remaining thoughtful about how the ads you run connect with your followers’ lives is the best way to foster engagement with your followers. Remember: the more engaged your following is, the more money you can make on Instagram.

6. Become a Social Media Content Creator

Do you have a way with words? If so, you can start getting paid to create content for Instagram accounts.

This might include writing attention-grabbing captions, conducting research about which hashtags make posts stand out, and even writing Instagram bios. There’s a big market out there for writers who know what they’re doing on Instagram. If you’re willing to put the work in to learn the platform, there’s no limit to how much money you can earn.

Even if you don’t choose to write for others’ profiles, you should know that the captions and hashtags that you use can give your bank account a serious boost.

A picture says a thousand words, but your caption can attract a million. Be thoughtful in choosing the words carefully — remember, they represent your brand.

7. Become an Instagram Influencer

Perhaps one of the most well-known ways to make money on Instagram involves becoming an influencer. Instagram influencers are individuals who gain large followings by sharing their lives with their fans.

As an influencer, your Instagram account should be curated around a specific niche. The niche that you choose determines what your account should be centered around. Here are some examples of popular Instagram niches:

  • Beauty
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion
  • Family

The best Instagram influencers make money sharing content that they are passionate about. Use the platform to spotlight the things that bring you joy in life and your content will resonate with like-minded people.

8. Try Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing on Instagram remains one of the most profitable ways to make money online. Affiliate marketers team up with companies to help them sell products. To get started, choose the products you want to promote and share them with your followers. Each time one of the products sells, you receive a commission in exchange for your promotion.

If you’re looking for a foolproof way to start affiliate marketing, try connecting with affiliate networks. These networks act as middlemen between companies and Instagrammers who want to help them market their products. Their services are helpful because they offer user-friendly portals where you can find the perfect affiliate marketing opportunity for you with minimal effort.

9. Monetize Instagram Photography

If you have a knack for capturing beautiful moments in the form of photography, you can use your Instagram account to create an income stream. Posting photos is the cornerstone of Instagram.

Why not use the photo-sharing app to sell your work?

The easiest way to sell your photos on Instagram is to post them on your page. You can use your stories to promote the images and direct followers to the shop tab on your profile or you can even include a link in your bio to any 3rd party website where your work can be purchased.

10. Create an Online Store

Creating an online store that syncs up perfectly with all of your social media platforms makes the process easier than ever. You can use your ecommerce store to sell physical or digital products and with Ecwid, the setup is a breeze.

If you’re looking for the easiest way to sell online where you can sell anywhere, Ecwid can help. Why wait? Get started today!

You need all the support you can get to help you reach your dreams of being successful. Ecwid has a top-tier support team available to guide you through the entire process.

 

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About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.

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