Get complete information on how to earn money from Instagram

  

Get complete information on how to earn money from Instagram

You've probably heard the stories of Instagrammers who are cashing in on the photos they snap and share every day.  Maybe you've looked at your own huge following and thought, "Maybe I can do that too".

Just like bloggers, YouTubers, and anyone else who has built an audience around the content they produce, Instagrammers find reach and impact—two things many companies struggle with.

Together, these two things give Instagram creators an opportunity to explore multiple streams of potential income, whether they want to build an empire or just earn some extra cash and free stuff.

Need a quick guide?  Read our post - Sell on Instagram: How to optimize your Instagram bio, hashtags and posts to increase sales

How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram

If by now you are wondering how many followers you need to accomplish this, the short answer is "not as many as you think".
The long answer depends on factors that range from:

What niche are you in and how easily you can link it directly to the product category (fashion, food, beauty and fitness are popular niches based on top Instagram hashtags)

How busy are your followers (100K fake followers won't be much).

Which revenue channels do you explore?
Naturally, the more followers you have, the better.  Check out our tips on how to get followers on Instagram.

While top Instagram users make thousands per post on the photo-sharing platform, even those who have fewer than 1000 but engaged followers have the potential to start making money.

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How do you make money on Instagram

Depending on your unique brand of Instagram content, your audience, and your level of commitment, you can make money on Instagram in the following ways:

Doing sponsored posts for brands that want to be exposed to your audience.
Becoming an affiliate and making commissions for selling other brands' products.

Creating and selling physical or digital products, or providing a paid service.
Selling a license for your photography or video.

The beauty here is that chasing one revenue stream doesn't necessarily rule out the other.

So let's start with the most common approach to Instagram monetization: partnering with brands as an influencer.

How do I work with brands on sponsored posts?

The word influencer is in the news a lot these days.

An influencer is basically anyone who has built themselves an online reputation by doing and sharing awesome things online.  To their audience, influencers are tastemakers, trendsetters and trusted experts whose opinions about certain topics are respected.

Many brands simply cannot compete with this and hence they partner with influencers instead of sponsored posts which help to get the word out about their products.

But it's not just the size and reach of your Instagram account that brands want.  This is your audience's trust and engagement with your content.

It can be hard to balance your income as an influencer and your integrity as a creator, but if you're not dependent on your Instagram income to make a living, you'll always need to be picky about the brands you love.  There is freedom in who you work with, such that brands will be selective about the Instagrammers they work with.

All kinds of brands are using influencer marketing to get their products out there (via the Fohr card).

How do you decide what to charge as an influencer

These influencer deals typically involve the creation of content—an Instagram post, video or story—and sometimes include allowing brands to use this content on their site or in an ad.

Most of these deals are negotiable and may include a single post or an entire campaign in exchange for a fee, a free product, a service, a gift, a promise of exposure, or some combination of these.

Keep in mind when negotiating that you are not only offering content, but giving your audience access, with potentially huge reach and usage rights on one of the most popular social platforms around.

 In a survey of 5,000 influencers, almost 42% said they charged $200 to $400 per post—just to give you an idea of ​​what some brands are willing to pay, and the cards you have.  How to negotiate based on them.

Lastly, as an influencer it is important that you know your own audience as well.

What is the makeup of your audience and what is your engagement rate (total engagement divided by your number of followers)?  If you've switched to a business account, you can dig up the numbers in your Instagram Analytics reports to back it up.  This will help you be prepared when the time comes for the conversation.

Want to learn how to grow and monetize your Instagram account?  Gretta van Riel, Instagram marketing expert, shows you how to grow your business with Instagram, a free course inside the Shopify Academy.

How do I find a brand to work for

If you're big enough, chances are brands will find you.  But you can look for brands that operate on a similar level in terms of personality and values, so your audience won't feel like you're selling out.

You can contact them directly to try to work out a deal, but you can also list yourself on one of several influential marketplaces to increase your chances of being discovered:

Fohr Cards: Connect to your Instagram, blog, YouTube channel and other social platforms to create an impressive "card" that shows the total reach of brands shopping for your different profiles and partnerships.  You also get access to brands and their wish lists, so that you can take the initiative to reach them.

Grapevine: If you have 5000 or more followers, you can list yourself on the Grape Wine Marketplace for an opportunity to work with like-minded brands.

Crowd Tap: Perform small content creation tasks to earn rewards.  This is great if you have a small audience.  US only  Available in.

indaHash: Brands run campaigns that you can participate in.  Post a picture with the specified hashtag on Instagram and get paid.  You need 700 engaged followers to be eligible.

Rules vary when it comes to sponsored content, but to be on the safe side and respect your audience's trust, consider adding a sponsored hashtag to indicate sponsored posts.  In case you need reassurance, nearly 69% of influencers said in a report that being transparent about sponsorships didn't affect their recommendation to consumers.

You can find examples of sponsored posts and how Instagrammers integrate brands into their story or caption by doing a sponsored search on Instagram, such as How She Asked, an account that shares marriage proposal stories and an ornament.  Business Partners with:

Instagram also has a paid partnership tag that prominently identifies sponsored posts, which some brands may require for you to disclose your relationship with them.

Become an Affiliate
Unlike an influencer, an affiliate is more invested in making sales for the partner brand – not just creating awareness – in exchange for a commission.
This is usually done with a trackable link or unique promo code to ensure that the clicks actually translate into sales.  Since Instagram doesn't yet allow links anywhere

outside your bio, you can only focus on one product at a time if you choose to rely on affiliate links, making promo codes a better alternative to Instagram.  Because you can actually include them in your posts.  .
Note: Instagram plans to roll out links for Instagram Stories, which will open up new opportunities for you as an influencer.
Consider reaching out to one of the many

online merchants that offer affiliate programs that you can participate in.  Or you can also check out popular marketplaces like:
ClickBank: An affiliate platform with tier-based commissions that is open to all.
Reward Style: An invitation-only fashion and lifestyle influencer network that offers 20% commission.

Amazon Affiliate Program: A popular option that gives 10% commission.

While it sounds like a numbers game, affiliate marketing is also an art, and you'll have a better chance of success if you have a plan to go into it and expand your online presence to include websites and other marketing channels.  Expand.
Tip: Affiliate links can be long and ugly, so I recommend a URL shortener like Bit.ly, especially if they're going in your Instagram bio.

Open your own online store

So far it may seem that the only way for an Instagrammer to make money is by selling to other brands and working with them.

But manufacturers of all kinds are in a good position to sell with their own products: physical goods, services, or digital items that can be an extension of their brand, building a business with an audience at its center.  .