“How can I make some money on Instagram?”

This is one of the most frequently asked questions influencers and content creators ask themselves at some point, regardless of their niche or industry. The good news is with a viable strategy and pure dedication, you can build your professional network and, eventually, monetize your Instagram account.

People are making tons of money producing content on Instagram every day. If you want to learn how to make money off your Instagram account, then you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, you’ll find tips for success that will help you monetize your Instagram account and turn the platform into a legitimate money-making machine.

How Much Do Instagram Influencers Make?

While there are incredibly popular influencers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Ariana Grande, or Kim Kardashian who earn thousands per month of Instagram income, the income regular creators who aren’t celebrities can make is not necessarily chump change.

On average, Instagram influencers with under 10k followers can make $90.00 per post.

At the same time, if you have under 100k followers you can make on average $250.00-$400.00 per post.

You should also keep in mind that it’s not so straightforward to start earning money on Instagram.

The amount you make depends on the number of Instagram followers, engagement rates, and your niche, to name a few.

Generally, content creators rely on sponsored content, which, in the end, takes on many different shapes.

If you are in the beginning brands may also reach you out with gifts, free products, or discounts for posting.

To successfully monetize your Instagram account you need to learn the following rule: the more real and engaged followers you have, the more money you’ll make.

What is Instagram Monetization

Making money on Instagram means doing something that gives users value and then leveraging your engaged fan-following to promote brands in exchange for cash.

Depending on your niche you could promote relevant products or services that might bring additional value to your followers.

Alternatively, you may want to generate sales by promoting your own products.

In this case, you need to know how to take great photos of your products, bring them to market, and effectively promote them.

How Long Does it Take to Monetize an Instagram Account

The time it takes to monetize an Instagram account depends on several factors.

First, you need a loyal and entertained fan following to engage with. Users should trust you and like what you do. They must be sure you’re going to keep posting high-quality content under any circumstances.

Second, people should sincerely like your content. Make it unique. To actually stand out from the crowd provide users with information and products worth their time and attention.

How does Monetization Work on Instagram

To make money on Instagram there are a lot of different ways. For example:

  • Make money for promoting products is through affiliate marketing;
  • Integrations with direct advertisers;
  • Find sponsorship opportunities.

 
These ways are quite effective and can be achieved by posting on Reels, Stories, and videos.

Do Instagram Users Get Paid

Creators who want to monetize their Instagram accounts shouldn’t rely on the platform itself. It doesn’t pay anything to its users, but if you have a large and engaging following in a particular niche, relevant brands may want to collaborate with you.

If promoting products is something you’re into, we have a number of great tools for saving your time. Go check them right now!

Can you Make Money on Instagram With 1000 Followers

The short answer is yes. You can monetize your Instagram account while having only 1000 followers.

The easiest way is to find relevant brands to collaborate with.

Although most brands will only provide free products or services instead of money, check the ConvertSocial platform where you find popular brands from around the world that are ready to pay creators with dedicated fan bases.

When Should I Monetize My Instagram Account

To start making money on Instagram you need first build a loyal fanbase and have enough content to entertain people.

Your next step would be to measure your engagement rates and make sure followers like what you do.

Then you can find a brand to collaborate with. Since brands care about how engaged your audience is, you need to ensure that your content delivers the highest likelihood of conversion.

5 Proven Ways to Make Money Off Your Instagram Account

Now that we’ve covered these frequently asked questions about making money on Instagram, let’s get more specific and look at the various techniques you can utilize to achieve your goals.

1. Sponsored Posts and Shoutouts

Once you have enough followers on Instagram and become a trusted expert in your niche, you could choose to leverage your influence to promote brands.

Partnering with brands is one of the most common ways for influencers to monetize their Instagram accounts.

In other words, brands will pay you for spreading the word about their offerings in your photo captions, Reels, or Stories.

As a rule, sponsored posts revolve around the product itself, with a small review from the content creator.

At the same time, such posts should be relevant to your other content so as to not seem overly promotional.

How to Get Sponsored on Instagram

So how do you get a paid Instagram sponsorship? In some cases, brands with relevant products or services will reach out to you.

But if you want a specific brand to be featured on your Instagram account, we’ve got you covered.

With a ConvertSocial content monetization platform, you can choose a relevant brand for your account.

You don’t have to wait or open a contract negotiation, just pick a specific product, add your affiliate link in your caption, Stories, or Reels, and you’re all set.

Once someone purchases something through your link, you’ll get a commission.

Be Authentic

If you choose to find a brand to collaborate with, keep in mind that aiming for products you and your following would actually use is the key.

For example, you have an account where you share travel tips for backpacking. Your followers are more likely to trust your opinion about a sleeping bag than makeup mirrors.

Don’t promote products you wouldn’t use yourself.

If your new hiking boots at some point start to crumble, you don’t want to recommend these things to your followers.

Collaborate only with relevant brands. Your fans may look for many opinions on outdoor stuff in general but will really trust you to know which hiking boots work best for the particular area.

Another important thing you should keep in mind is to mark every sponsored post with a tag and include a disclosure. This is required to maintain a standard of truth and ensure your followers exactly know which of your posts on their feeds are sponsored posts.

2. Partner Marketing

Arguably, one of the easiest ways to monetize Instagram is to create an affiliate marketing campaign.

As someone who knows a thing or two about your audience, you could easily find a brand with a relevant product or service that your followers might find useful.

How Partner Marketing Works In a Nutshell:

 
If you’re looking for ways to monetize an Instagram account, affiliate marketing could be your best bet, especially if you’re just starting out.

Why?

Primarily because the entry threshold is low and there are thousands of global brands that are ready to collaborate with content creators.

It only takes a few minutes to begin creating affiliate links and adding them to your posts.

The great thing about partner marketing is that it could complement your existing content. Make it better by providing a link to a product you know that your audience may find helpful.

But, how can you join an affiliate program?

To create affiliate links from scratch, consider joining Partner Network.

With a number of comprehensive tools onboard, you can choose any that best suits your needs. Partner Network connects global brands with publishers and influencers around the world. So why not give it a try?

You can create links for social media, and websites alike using these tools. The content monetization platform will also help track your earnings, and figure out how your campaign is performing.

Here’s some food for thought before you start.

Join Partner Network Now!

3. Sell Your Own Products

Another way to make money off your Instagram account is to sell your own products. There are several options available:

  • Market your own products via Instagram Shopping;
  • Use dropshipping;
  • Link your Etsy shop to your Instagram.

Let’s take a closer look at each option.

Market Your Own Products

Selling digital and physical products on your Instagram page can go a long way in promoting strong brand identity.

If you have a product or service that is visually appealing, then chances are it might become popular on IG.

Creating products/services as your main source of content requires time and effort, so you can expect to deal not only with the logistics of manufacturing it but also with marketing it on social media.

When it comes to selling your own products it is important to make them findable.

Create a hashtag for your brand that you’ll be adding to your well-lit photos.

Check which hashtags are used by your competitors.

Promote your hashtag wherever you can and encourage your followers to post photos with your stuff and tag you in them.

Consider using Instagram’s insights to learn about your audience and understand the content your community cares about.

While all these steps imply a lot of work, this venture can be well worth the effort because you can:

  • Build a unique and memorable brand image for your business;
  • Thrive in a commission-based job;
  • Increase collaborations with other content creators.

Start a Dropshipping Business

If you’re promoting a physical product that does not require your niche expertise, you can enlist another online store or manufacturer itself.

Basically, dropshipping business is a setup where an online store or influencer arranges for the manufacturer to ship directly to the customer.

In other words, the seller completely bypasses production, inventory storage, and shipping hassles. With a number of dropshipping apps coordinating the process becomes as easy as it gets.

A great way to generate new ideas for your online store is to take a look at your competitors and your audience. What products they use, wear, consume or interact with on a daily basis.

When in doubt, take a look around you!

When it comes to selling your own branded products, aka merchandise, the options are endless:

  • T-shirts and Hoodies;
  • Pens;
  • Stickers and Magnets;
  • Flash Drives;
  • Illustrations;
  • Mugs, Glasses, and Tumblers;
  • Phone covers;
  • Calendars;
  • Sports equipment.

 
However, you should always remember that the merch you offer must be relevant to your content. It must bring value and complement your posts.

You won’t see any link clicks if you only promote your stuff.

Make it a viable addition to your content and you’ll increase your click-through rate.

Run an Etsy Shop

If you’re into creating artisan or handmade goods then you’ve probably heard about Etsy online marketplace.

The platform is a direct competitor of Shopify, Big Cartel, and Amazon Handmade, and a great place for independent crafters, artists, and collectors to sell their vintage, handmade, or custom-made jewelry, clothing, and home décor, art, to name a few.

To increase sales for your small business, you can link your IG page to your Etsy or highlight one specific product in your bio section to promote it.

Consider turning on Instagram Shopping to tag products you want to promote directly.

How to Link Your Etsy Shop to IG Page:

  • Click “Settings” in your Instagram profile;
  • Then find Business > Shopping > Website;
  • Enter your domain (yourshopname.etsy.com) and tap Select;
  • You then will see ‘In Review’ under your domain name.

 

4. Teach Others

Another way to create value for your followers is to teach them what you know.

Often people are eager to learn something new from influencers and follow them for a reason.

Creating information products to make money off your Instagram account can be very rewarding and doesn’t involve much effort.

By providing helpful information you solve a specific problem that people face. You could educate your followers by covering topics ranging from gardening to self-discovery to cooking and everything in between.

Types of Info Products:

  • Online training courses;
  • Live webinars;
  • E-books;
  • Downloads;
  • Interviews;
  • Quizzes and surveys.

 
If you’re a recognized expert in your niche you can utilize your skills to create an info product format that is easy to understand, and simple to digest.

Instagram is a great tool to promote info products and establish yourself as a marketing guru.

Alternatively, you can use your expertise to help other influencers or brands to improve their capabilities.

5. Product Placement Videos

This technique is a powerful tool for advertising and there’s no reason why you can’t use it to make money off your Instagram account.

Essentially, you create a video that features the brand’s product but without any intention to sell it. You first show it off, explain why it is so good and how it could make people’s lives easier.

It could be done in a form of explainer videos, DIYs, testimonials, or even quirky shorts. Brands will pay you if you can introduce their products/services in an unobtrusive and confidential way.

As long as you don’t directly promote it, your advertising message does not cause rejection from the audience.

There are three types of videos where you can use product placements:

  • Instagram Reels: short-form videos up to 60 seconds;
  • Instagram Stories: videos that last 24 hours;
  • IG Live: stream video where you can interact with the audience, and save it on your IG page.

 

Does Product Placement Work?

In certain cases, product placements are very effective. Content creators put the product in the shot and often do not mention it at all.

At the same time, viewers still notice it and consider it something worth paying attention to.

Since product placement is all about your persona, your reputation as an influencer does matter.

Depending on your style, manner of communication, and credibility, people will evaluate you as a trusted source, and eventually, will impact the entire campaign.

Product placement could be a double-edged sword, though.

If viewers find out the inappropriateness of a product, or worse, fraud and dishonesty, they might accuse you and the entire situation could negatively impact your reputation.

To avoid this scenario, study the experience of other influencers, especially their brand collaborations, assess the audience, and create as natural product placement as possible not to turn it into a dummy.

To start with product placement, you could directly approach brands with your pitch and prepare your proposal in detail.

Please note, that you should sound natural when creating videos, people will quickly switch to other videos if they feel dishonesty or direct advertising.

Wrapping Up. How To Make Money Off Your Instagram Account

While it’s easier than ever to start a blog on Instagram, most content creators have trouble monetizing it. Creating content alone doesn’t generate revenue unless you can find a monetization strategy that works for you.

And as most of the examples have proved, you don’t need that many followers to start making money off your Instagram account. And while focusing on a specific niche does matter, it’s not the most important factor of success.

We’ve seen bloggers make money with beauty, fashion, gadgets, and even gardening.

What you do need is positioning yourself as a thought-leader in a niche field and the determination to work hard to promote what you have to offer.

Getting engaged viewers is the first step, we hope you now have the monetization strategies to start making money on Instagram.

Have any other thoughts on how to make money off your Instagram account? If so, share them below.