If you want to make some fast money, check out how you can do it with your phone using Instagram. Also, you don’t need knowledge, only to…
In this Instagram monetization guide I have found out 10 cheap and beautiful ways to earn money with your Instagram account and now I decided to share it with you for free.
Instagram not only helps you connect with people around the world but gives you a unique opportunity to make money.
Table Of Contents
- Build a unique page
- 1. The Niche
- 2. Quality, not quantity
- 3. Page attractiveness
- Choose how to start Instagram monetization model
- 1. Affiliate marketing monetization
- 2. Community monetization
- 3. Sponsored posts as a monetization on Instagram
- 4. Sell photos
- 5. Promote your business
- 6. Place special offers
- 7. Sell your business account
- Why choose Instagram monetization and not other social media platforms
- How to make money on Instagram with 500 followers – case study
- Become a brand ambassador
- Offer services
- Sponsored content
If you want to learn to do Instagram monetization on a business or personal account, this guide is totally for you.
Instagram has quickly become one of the most powerful social media networks, with over 400 million accounts registered last year. A huge number, which sets in motion a real industry based on a simple idea: sharing photos between community members.
No wonder, then, that big brands are trying to make money from Instagram, allocating important resources in promotion strategies on this social network.
And if they make money, who says you can’t make money?
With a little patience, a little time, tenacity, and intelligence, you will reach the position where you can enjoy the fruits of a work that should be done now.
So, I will give you a few suggestions about how you can make money on Instagram in 2021.
But before I start, I need you to understand that the following things are very important for your business:
- Niche
- Quality, not quantity
- Page attractiveness
Build a unique page
Starting from the previous 3 factors for your page’s success, to know how to make money on Instagram you need to know what you want to “offer”, how you want to “offer” and where you want to “offer”.
1. The Niche
It is essential to choose a niche that you know will attract an audience as large as possible. What I recommend is to write about something that you are passionate about because this way you will not even feel that you are working.
Among the most popular niches are fitness, relationships, health, travel, business, and beauty.
If you are attracted to one of these niches, then you will be able to make good money in a relatively short time.
It depends only on you how much you get involved and how much work you put in to achieve the goal.
2. Quality, not quantity
Don’t forget that this is a very important rule. We are not talking about quantity but quality when you want to monetize your Instagram account.
Even if you don’t have too many fans at first, don’t worry.
Micro-influencers are those who have less than 10,000 followers, which means that they are sought after by sponsors and can earn quite a lot of money.
So, with work and perseverance, you will achieve your goals.
You just have to be patient and you will see that in time things will change for the better.
Also, if you know what to sell to make money on Instagram with your Instagram business account, you should be good to go for a stable income. That’s why you should focus on quality for Instagram posts, Instagram stories and, maybe, Instagram Ads.
3. Page attractiveness
You can’t have a large number of followers if your Instagram page is not attractive. To reach several thousand followers, it is very important to choose a certain theme for the Instagram page.
Also, you need to make sure that your pictures stand out. Keep in mind that there are millions of users on this platform, which means that you must give your visitors a very clear reason to follow you.
You don’t have to thank everyone, only to develop a niche. Your posts must fully match the chosen “theme” so you can start your Instagram monetization “journey”
Choose how to start Instagram monetization model
You can choose how to make money on Instagram by choosing which of the following methods would be the best for your business account:
- Affiliate marketing
- Community
- Sponsored posts
- Sell photos
- Promote your business
- Place special offers
- Sell your business account
1. Affiliate marketing monetization
As you already know, through affiliate marketing you get paid based on how many sales you make for a specific company, product or service.
On Instagram, though, you have to be very careful when promoting a brand/ product/ service to your audience.
For those who don’t know what affiliate marketing is, I will resume its definition.
This is a simple and effective marketing technique, through which you can promote products or services and get a commission for every sale you make, using a URL generated by the affiliate program.
Instagram allows you to post beautiful images and highlight products, generating sales through affiliate URLs.
Research the internet a bit: you will find many companies you can work with, such as Shareasale, CJ Affiliate, Clickbank, Amazon Associates, etc.
If you want to know more about affiliate marketing, which is the best affiliate marketing networks, and what particular services or products you should promote, check out this article:
Affiliate Marketing: Definition, Networks, Products
Overall, in my opinion, affiliate marketing is one of the best monetization methods of a social media account. In other words, it’s a unique and long-lasting way on how to make money on social media nowadays, including Instagram.
The affiliate way for the Instagram monetization is great!
2. Community monetization
The first thing you need to keep in mind is to create a community, so you should think about what to do to form the group you need.
You need to build a strong, targeted Instagram account to be followed by real people. Choose your domain and niche wisely.
Then, it is essential to include in the biography the appropriate information, such as the contact address, the nature of the account, possibly the web address (if any), plus some hashtags that define your activity.
Think about the essence of your brand and add it briefly in the description in the biography.
Increasing your account requires a certain amount of time and a decent number of very good posts.
It’s not enough to post twice a week, but you need to set a daily posting routine, then see what is the most appropriate time for your posts to generate engagement.
Make sure your photos are of exceptional quality. Don’t post random photos, edit your posts via smartphone applications like Photoshop.
Do everything to have the perfect picture, because if you are mediocre you will not be successful.
Don’t look at accounts with tens of thousands of followers but with bad pictures: those are a lie, the followers are gathered through meaningless automation and many of them are fake.
A good idea is to compare your profile with that of similar Instagrammers, who have a large number of followers. What is the secret of their success?
Observe their evolution.
Be very careful with hashtags, which are extremely important, and which are an essential key to growth on Instagram.
Do studies related to them, see which are the best hashtags compatible with your community and your target.
3. Sponsored posts as a monetization on Instagram
It is very easy for users with a large number of followers to earn money by creating content sponsored by various companies. What does this mean?
Sponsored content highlights a particular product of that company. Such a post is usually accompanied by a description with hashtags and mentions related to that product.
Many companies partner with influencers who can promote their image, generating higher sales and profits.
However, it is important to associate with companies and brands that have a direct connection with the nature of your Instagram business account.
If you keep in mind all I’ve told you above, your Instagram monetization process and improvement should perform well now and in the future.
4. Sell photos
Instagram bases its success on photo sharing. If you are a professional photographer, you can use this space to advertise your creations and sell them.
If you choose this way to make money on Instagram, be sure you don’t wake up with photos stolen by others: put watermarks to protect your creations.
It may seem strange that in an era of millions of photos circulating, someone should pay to buy this product, but companies, advertising agencies, etc. choose the right path, buying photos to use them further.
There are many sites where you can put your creations, and then you will earn from selling them.
It takes time and patience. And many perfect pictures.
5. Promote your business
Instagram is a great way to promote your business: any marketing strategy should include this social network because more and more people are present here.
Selling products can be done by posting excellent quality photos with them. Good angles, unique poses, interesting explanations – this is how you can attract the attention of potential buyers.
But does Instagram pay you if you promote your business?
Well, it depends on what Instagram monetization method you are currently developing. Promoting your business is more like a good outreach to a certain audience rather than being an Instagram monetization method.
But still, promotions can bring you sales, customers, followers, engagement, comments, and share, etc.
6. Place special offers
Instagram is the place where you can put infographics and other marketing elements to help you grow your business.
Think about how someone can be rewarded with an offer they can’t find anywhere else.
Instagram allows you to promote your business by placing offers that some people find very interesting. Direct your customers to them and be creative.
If you have a large audience, you will generate consistent sales.
7. Sell your business account
It may seem bizarre, but this is a way to earn on Instagram, as long as you managed to grow an account to a decent number of real followers.
And that’s because there are people (or companies) who prefer to buy a ready-made account, and will continue the activity with it (Instagram allows you to change the account name as well).
It is important to have an organic, active audience and a very high engagement. All these things can be checked in advance by the buyers.
Therefore… Yes! You can grow Instagram accounts, in various niches, to sell them later.
There is a market for this, and the prices can go up to tens of thousands of dollars.
Why choose Instagram monetization and not other social media platforms
Instagram tends to become the most popular social media network. More and more accounts, more and more visual content, and a terrible chase for likes and followers, sometimes difficult to understand.
If you already have an account, you will probably want to find out why you should learn how to make money on Instagram.
Here are the most credible reasons you should build a business account and make money on Instagram:
- There are over 1 million advertisers nowadays
- Every day, there are about 80 million posts created
- It is the most used platform for the hashtag #me
- One of the most popular brands present on Instagram is Nike ( so think if you can obtain an affiliate link and start selling. Every single person has at least 1 pair of Nike in his/her house)
- Chances you can become viral are 20% more than on TikTok
- If you link your Instagram account to your blog, the average CTR increases
How to make money on Instagram with 500 followers – case study
First, let’s look at this question and analyze it: Does Instagram pay you if you only have 500 followers?
The answer is “YES”, totally “YES”. It just depends on your income model. If you’re an affiliate, you get commissions. If you own a shop, you make money through sales. There are a lot of different methods which can make you passive income even if you have 500 followers.
Let me show you, though, a few ways on how you can make money on Instagram with that few followers.
Become a brand ambassador
As it sounds, a brand ambassador is dealing with partnerships, collaborating with people. 500 followers is few, but believe me, if out of 500 followers, 400 engage with your content, you are a better option for a brand than an account with 5k followers and only 200 engages.
Offer services
You can do that through an affiliate, but let me tell you that, for instance, if you do artwork you can make quite a lot of money even if you only have half a thousand people following you.
Sponsored content
As I have mentioned above, an account with 500 followers and 400 engagements is way more powerful than an account with 5k followers and 200 engagements. That means you can find sponsors to post for and ask for fees. How awesome is that, right?
And keep in mind that a sponsored post can bring you at least $20/ post. Imagine what 5 or 10 such posts would look like in your bank account:)))
So, how is your business account generating income? How is your Instagram monetization method evolving?
I hope I managed to answer the question “Does Instagram pay you” as clearly as possible.
And if you liked this post, don’t forget to share it.