How To Make Money On Instagram
Let’s get real for a minute. Yes, I make money on Instagram. Do I make money off of all of my Instagram posts? No way… that would be overkill and my feed would look like a giant advertisement. I also don’t endorse any products that I wouldn’t write about naturally. For example a monthly subscription box reached out to me wanting me to post about their October box which was full of items focused around tailgating & football. Sure I would have loved the money, but I don’t watch football. Accepting money and posting about something that I wouldn’t use myself is dishonest in my opinion.
I wanted to write this post about how to make money on Instagram, because I’m all about helping others. I don’t see the point of having fabulous information and keeping it to yourself. I also love the fact that anyone can do this. All you need is a phone, an eye for photography, and a willingness to work hard. So whether you are a blogger who uses Instagram as a social media outlet to promote your blog or you consider yourself a social media influencer, this post will be really helpful in helping you find ways to make money on Instagram. Let’s dive right in!
- Sign up for Instagram-focused agency platforms– there are specific platforms whose sole purpose is to connect brands and Instagram influencers. One of my favorites is Popular Pays. Popular Pays is an app that provides local and national gigs. I think they are working on expanding into more cities as they only have a few cities that offer local gigs for the time being. They also work with some awesome national brands like Dunkin Donuts, ZICO Coconut Water, Favor, Diamond Candles, and more. I’ve listed some other great agencies to check out that either I have worked with before, or that my friends have worked with before. A lot of these agencies want to work with bloggers on packages that include a blog post and social media posts, so the more active you are on your blog and all of your other social channels, the easier it will be to make money on Instagram.
- IZEA
- Find Your Influence
- Collectively
- FameBit
- SheKnows/ Blog Her
- Clever Girls Collective
- Silkworm Social
- Megan Media
- Collective Bias
- Linqia
- Use affiliate networks that are compatible with Instagram– You still can’t add links in your Instagram comments, but you can utilize affiliate networks who have taken the work out of this for you. Two that I know of are Liketoknow.it and Shopstyle.it. If someone is signed up with either Shopstyle.it or Liketoknow.it and they like your Instagram photo that you’ve linked they will receive ready-to-shop links in their email inbox. This is still something I’m educating my followers on because I think a lot of normal Instagram users have no idea what these things are still and how to use them. If you’re using these platforms make sure to really dive in headfirst and learn the ins and outs of them. Studying best practices, emailing your rep questions, and making a consistent effort to educate your followers will pay off.
- Reach out to brands directly- If there is a brand out there that you love and want to work with send them an email! It’s really that simple. They may turn you down, but it’s worth a shot. When it comes to reaching out to brands it’s all about the pitch. Make sure you know how you would incorporate the product into a post, what you would say about it, and why you love it so much. Don’t know their contact email? Send them a direct message on Instagram! You’re reaching out to them on the native platform you will be posting on so this is a great way to start the process. They are then able to go directly to your profile and see if they would be interested in working with you. Normally if they respond with an email for you to reach them at it’s a good sign.
Have any questions for me? Is there something you’ve been doing to make money on Instagram that I should know about? Leave it for me in the comments (and stop by my Instagram profile HERE and say hi!)
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Any ideas on how to make money with the food blog on Instagram??
Thanks for sharing!! This is very helpful!
Partner with food brands 🙂
There are some great food gigs on Popular Pays!
Try out a scheduling app, Karen. I use Plann app and it’s just awesome 🙂
Love these tips! I’m new to insta (I know, I’ve been living under a rock) so this is super helpful. Thanks for your insight!
You’re welcome!
Thanks for sharing this! I have Instagram options in my media kit/sponsorship packages, but I hadn’t considered Instagram platforms! Thanks!
You’re welcome! Hope it helped!
Just curious how many followers one would need to be considered an influencer that brands want to work with?
Hi Sally- I would say 10k… but it just depends on the company or agency! Having an engaged audience can really help if your followers are lower.
I saved this post to refer back to at a later date.
I love Instagram and I really need to start making more time for the platform.
xoxo, Jenny
Such great tips! I had no idea there were networks out there just for Instagram – definitely will check those out! Love your first pic, by the way.
This is so awesome! I have been trying to get in with Liketoknowit for a while now but they haven’t accepted me yet. :/ I have not heard of Popular Pays but I am definitely going to check them out!
Awesome! I’m glad it helped!
What a helpful post! Thank you for sharing!
I’m also new to Instagram, and I didn’t realize you could make money off it. =) Thanks for sharing this, I need to check it out!
So interesting! I have recently started monetizeing my blog but hadnt thought of IG! I only have around 700 followers right now, but hope to grow! If you have tips on growing, I’d love to know! Thanks! Lauren
I LOVE THis…and thank you so much, for sharing your knowledge!! I have tried several times to get accepted my rewards style, and no dice. I know you have to be a member of that first before you can do liketoknowit. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong….I saw they like clean editorial style, consistency etc, not sure what all that entails, but I do strive for that. Also this is crazy, but I cannot find on Insta where to DM someone..Yes I am techy challenged..LOL! I have over 1500 followers and so I need to start monetizing on that!
Thank you again, you are so awesome!!
Valerie
Fashion and Travel
You’re so welcome Valerie. Glad I could help! 1500 is an awesome start!
Great tips! I have always wondered how people made money off Instagram when I heard them talking about it. I’ll have to find out if there are any Instagram agencies in my area, because those sound really cool!
Hi Ariana- They actually don’t have to be in your area 🙂 You can sign up online for them!
This is such a helpful post! I have an IG promoting an international travel destination. It now has more than 24K followers and I’m just beginning to think about monetizing it. So your post came at the right time and has put that focus back on my radar. Thank you again for your kindness in sharing your knowledge with us. I really appreciate it. 🙂
Glad I could help! 24k followers is a lot and you should be thinking of ways to monetize for sure!
Great post and tips! I’ve reached out to brands before about doing something on my blog, but never specifically Instagram! Thank you!
Shannon
Clothes & Quotes
Lovely post! I’m already using liketoknow.it, but I haven’t made a sale yet. Any advice? I’m looking into popular pays and hype market now! And checking you out on Insta 🙂
Thanks Jenna! I would say for liketoknow.it consistency is key! Glad you’re checking out Popular Pays and Hypemarket! They are awesome!
My blog is blondewelltraveled.com, by the way. If you ever need travel advice, let me know! 🙂
Thanks for the helpful post! I’m awful at Instagram, but this helps
I’ve never thought much about making money on Instagram, though I should really check it out. Thanks for the post!
Thanks for schooling us on how to make money on IG. I was wondering how this all worked. Do you have any suggestions for the best way to directly approach sponsors?
Via email or even on Instagram direct message!
This is great! I have to admit I haven’t put much thought into making money from Instagram, but it’s definitely something I should investigate!
This post is extremely helpful!! Question though, how many followers did you have on instagram before earning $?? I’m wanting to know WHEN is a good time to do some of these tips. Thanks!
Danielle Greco
AccordingtoD.com
Hi Danielle- It just depends. I think I waited till I was around 15k
Thank you so much for sharing- I found some great tips here and hope to implement them. I always appreciate when people share these types of things 🙂
Like many readers, even I had no idea you could make money off of Instagram. Thanks for these awesome tips. Bookmarked for now, I will def refer to your post in the near future.
love these tips! I don’t have a large following yet, but these are so helpful!
Love all of these tips!! I have a smallish following on Instagram, but working on it. I did just get my first IG paid post. Looking forward to using these tips to get more. Thanks!
Love the tips—thanks for sharing!
Such GREAT info! Thanks!
Great post! My only question is this, how do I become a LIKEtoKNOW.it or SHOPSTYLE.it blogger? I’ve signed up to receive the emails from liketoknow.it after liking a relevant IG photo, but don’t see anywhere where I can get what I need to have the people that like my photos sent emails. HELP!
Thanks in advance,
Roxy
Hi Roxy! There should be an area on both of their sites where you can apply as an influencer!
When it comes to Popular Pay, what would you suggest a person “charge” per post when applying for a ‘job’? I wouldnt even know where to start when it comes to that. Obviously the post (and setup) needs to be worth my time, but i also dont want to request something that may be considered outrageous in terms of what others are asking. Is there a ‘norm’?
Hey Whitney! I’m thinking this would be a good blog post idea, ha! That’s a good question and it’s different for everyone and each brand. I would say to just go with what you think you deserve. I’ve gone too high and too low on multiple occasions. It’s kind of a guessing game!
Do you also have tips on how to gain followers? 🙂
Consistency and Engagement!
Great post!
If you try to monetize your instagram accounts with Affiliate programs then you need to see new service from Befuy.com
Posting clickable links on comments are not enabled on Instagram. Also you can put only one link in your Instagram profile. So, when you publish new post with new link to product in profile, the previous post loses its link. That means that your visitors can buy only the last item in your affiliate program.
With one link to Befuy storefront they can see and buy previous products too. Just tell them that Link in Profile.
one link example: petshopfuns.befuy.com
– storefront for Instagram account @petshopfuns
You can add products into one storefront from different affiliate programs.
Usually I’m using automated import of hundreds products from Amazon by specific keywords.
Check results of import and delete not interesting products or change keywords and do new import.
You can lock most interesting products to not loose them during next reimport.
You can move best them to storefront top.
Also there are searches inside site by product name and by product code.
Within the BETA phase (est. until mid April 2016) all services offered by Befuy.com are completely free of charge
Hello Lee Anne,
Great post. Inspired me to e-mail you some ideas. Would be very happy if you can check it (sent today by Can Kalelioglu)
All the best,
Can
I will be bookmarking your blog 🙂
Hi there,I’m new on instagram, not sure how to monetize it. I’m always on instagram and I think I should make something meaningful of it…Please help
Thank you for this useful post. New people like me are really helped by posts like these which show us the way. Love from India
This was so helpfull! Thank you! KISSES
Thanks for this awesome post!! XO
Thanks for the info, this is just what I needed! http://www.supersimpleways.com
Hi, I make friendship bracelets how do I market it, please and thank you ?
Hi there! I would find your target audience on Instagram and go after them 🙂
I would love to make money off of instagram by posting things I love and use! However, in order to make money you have to have a fairly large following….something I do not have. How do you gain a large following???
Great tips Lee-Anne! Just discovered your blog and LOVE it! Read a few of your posts now 🙂 Can’t wait for more xx- Mitra
http://leopardcouture.com/
Thanks so much!! Glad to have you 🙂
Hi, I have just started ig account for my arts. Would you give some ideas what should I do next for more influencive?