How to make money from Instagram - Ultimate Guide

Instagrammers are ruling digitally. They are no less than celluloid celebrities, especially moneywise. It may come as a surprise that the most popular ones merely existed as a non-entity when they first started using the app. Right now they not only have built their loyal rank of viewers-turned-followers but have also mastered the art of making money from Instagram.

Among the infinite heap of hacks, they have picked only the ones that have helped them understand how to earn from Instagram.

This is something we shall explore today. Learn the best tricks here!

How to build a strong follower base?

When it comes to a platform as competitive as Instagram, you don’t mint money from the very first day. Below are a few tips as to how to build your follower base who you can convert to potential customers in future.

Curate your bio with detailed information:

This must necessarily include where you hail from, your detailed contact information and mainly what genre of content you like to post. Adding the right and relevant hashtags is a must. This will help you build your follower base, and eventually your tribe. Eg: Travel blogger from Virginia with a flair for penning down my waking thoughts. Business inquiry: business@travelblogger.com

Regular posts:

The right kind and “amount” of presence is the deciding factor for your success as an Instagrammer. Post one quality picture with the relevant hashtags every day. It is important that your followers keep receiving posts and updates every time.

Use the right set of hashtags:

Only the relevant hashtags are the bridge to your prospective audience. Carry out a thorough hashtag analysis and acquaint yourself with the hashtags in your field of interest.

Focus on engagement:

This works both ways. While it is necessary to increase engagement with your followers, equally important is to like and comment on the posts by the Instagram influencers.

Next step: How to start making money on Instagram?

Now that you have successfully built your army of followers, it is time to make some money. The following sections will cover the breadth and depth of how to earn money through Instagram.

How to earn money from Instagram with “Affiliate marketing”?

This is one surefire way to make money on Instagram. By definition, affiliate marketing is the money you obtain by promoting a product and getting paid per sale.

On Instagram, you can post catchy images of the products you wish to promote. You can funnel sales and generate revenue overnight through the affiliate URL.

Listed below are the names of a few companies that can help you achieve the above.

Shareasale: Through Shareasale, you can find companies you want to work with, sign up for their affiliate program and start promoting upon getting approval. Note that for certain programs, the approval process becomes easier and simplified if you already have your website or blog.

Ebates: Ebates lets you get commission by referring people who like deals and promotions.

Stylinity: Leverage innumerable fashion bloggers’ love for shopping to earn money from Instagram. You get a commission every time someone makes a purchase using your link.

Let us take an example. If you are a food blogger, you can engage in writing reviews for popular restaurants You can direct your followers to check the menu or reserve a table in those restaurants.

How to earn money from Instagram through sponsored posts?

As the name implies, your first step is to find a sponsor. Simply put, a sponsored content is one where a photo or video highlights a brand or a product. These posts typically come with the following-

Catchy captions
Branded hashtags
Links
@ mentions

If you are an Instagrammer with an enormous follower base, here is your chance to rake in a pretty penny.

Be somewhat aware though, your followers aren’t blind followers. They only follow what they connect with. Therefore in order to build the “trust” factor, the brand or product you are promoting should someway or the other blend with your lifestyle.

Here are two tools that can come in handy-

TapInfuence: An easy-to-use tool, TapInfluence lets you create a profile that explicitly describes you and the type of content you promote. Thereafter, you will receive invitations from brands that are willing to work with you.

Ifluenz: Here you can skim through the available campaigns that are already created by some existing brands and promote the ones of your choice.

How to make money on Instagram by selling your photographs?

Are you a passionate photographer? Doesn’t matter if you are not a photography professional yet because Instagram is here to make you one.

Still the most popular photo-sharing app, Instagram provides you a unique platform to sell your photographs to the potential buyers. They can either be individuals or agencies. Do not forget to add a watermark to your photographs and also make sure that all the selling details are neatly condensed in the caption.

Yes, you must be an Instagram frequenter posting snaps regularly and pulling the right crowd through appropriate hashtags. It is equally important to engage in meaningful conversations with photography agencies that are influential in the first place.

Promote your business, products, and services:

Presenting some of the unique ways to promote your business, product, and services through Instagram-

Exclusive discounts and use of infographics: Instagram has a plethora of options to feature special offers to your prospects. If you can combine it with attractive infographics, wait and watch your follower count going up overnight.
Customers’ photos: Make the most of the user-generated content linked to your account. Get customers to share their images of your products and re-gram. You need to download the “Repost for Instagram” app to repost the photos shared by your customers. This might also need you to generate your own unique hashtag and get your followers-turned-customers use the same in their photos.

Winding up:

Instagram has, by and large, helped business owners generate ample revenue in a very short span, albeit through some of the proven tactics. With a current user base of over 700 million, the app is sure to unfold a lot more business potential in the years to come.