How to Sell on Instagram – 5 Steps to Set Up Shop on Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular websites and mobile applications in the world nowadays, making it an excellent way to make money. One of the easiest ways to do so is through Instagram shopping, allowing you to set up shop on Instagram itself.

These shops, if set up properly, can be incredibly lucrative, making the knowledge of how to sell on Instagram an essential part of any business plan.

With that said, here is everything you need to know about making sales on Instagram.

How to Sell on Instagram

There are several ways in which one can set up a shop on Instagram, most of which don’t actually sell through a system directly authorized by the platform.

That doesn’t mean that the other two options are illegal or against TOS: in fact, most shops simply use Instagram advertising while keeping their money transactions off-site.

Let’s explore each of the main methods of Instagram selling in more detail.

Selling Through Individual Posts

This is something anyone can do: even a personal account with a large enough follower count can be used for this method.

Instead of setting up a professional account and making a shop on the Instagram platform itself, you will simply share various products and services you offer as individual posts, showing them to new customers directly on this social media platform.

This method is usually used by amateur and beginner sellers that sell physical goods through a dropshipping strategy, as it provides more sales while greatly reducing marketing costs.

With this kind of strategy, your products are your content, so there will be no need to create content to attract more people to your account.

Finally, you can save your interactions and communication with your customers and share them on your Instagram page as a sort of social proof.

This is one of the simplest social media strategies when it comes to sales and can be extremely effective as it doesn’t require you to have a registered business address, nor it limits you on how many posts you can put up.

These shoppable Instagram posts don’t break the TOS either and are thus a great way to start selling your products or services, especially when coupled with other social media platforms.

Using an Instagram Ad Campaign to Reach Your Target Audience

Another efficient way of selling on Instagram revolves around making an Instagram business account, gathering a lot of followers, then using it to make a successful marketing scheme.

This is done through sponsored posts, both on your own page and by financing others, as well as creating stories with shopping tags to your outside website.

Unlike selling on Instagram via individual posts, this method is somewhat more costly to implement, as it will require you to set up and maintain an online store of your own.

Still, it is a great way to boost your sales, as your Instagram page will generate a lot of interest if managed correctly, allowing you to sell products much faster than you would otherwise.

The best way to use this kind of Instagram shopping is by putting a link to your landing page in your Instagram bio, as well as several links across various Instagram stories and featured posts.

In addition to that, if you have a dedicated store on another platform such as your Facebook business page, you can leave a link to that as well.

Setting Up an Instagram Shop

Finally, the best way to sell on Instagram is to use the platform itself as your shop. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

1. Make a Creator or a Business Account

You cannot have an Instagram shop connected to a personal Instagram account. Luckily, creating an Instagram business profile or a creator account is quick and easy, as well as completely free.

First, you will need to navigate to the account settings of your already existing account. Now, choose whether you want a creator or a business account. The differences are negligible, so just pick the one you like.

2. Continue Setting Up Your New Account

Depending on whether you selected a creator or a business profile, you will be presented with different options and possibilities. Still, if your main goal is to sell on Instagram through an on-site online store, you can largely disregard most of this information and just click next.

After you click “next” the Instagram app or website will offer you the following options:

Use the textbox to find the description that suits your newly made creator or business account the best. You can also have said description show up in your bio by simply clicking on the checkbox. You will have a final prompt to switch to a professional account.

3. Put Your Business Contact Information

To have a business account, you will have to give Instagram some additional information, such as your address, phone number, etc.

This information will be publicly shown on your profile, giving your online store extra credibility with any customers.

4. Check if You Are Eligible for Instagram Shopping

Before you create your shop, you will first need to check if you are even eligible to have one. Instagram shopping has a set of prerequisites. Some of them are geographic, as the option isn’t available globally, while others have to do with your products. Check the Instagram website for full information before you start making your shop.

If everything is in order, begin setting up your shop.

5. Connect Your Instagram to Your Facebook Page

One of the most important things to remember about Instagram shopping is that you can connect your Instagram profile to a similar one on Facebook in order to increase your visibility and make use of the Facebook business manager tool.

Furthermore, you can also add a link to your Facebook catalog if you have one so that people can browse your overall offer more easily.

6. Make a Product Catalog

Finally, before your Instagram live shopping platform can begin generating revenue, you will need to upload all the products you have to offer, complete with links and payment options.

You will have access to all the tools Instagram has to offer, and if you selected a business profile, you can also use third-party apps to boost Instagram insights and look for ways to generate even more traffic.

Once everything is completed, your Instagram profile will feature a shopping bag icon leading anyone who taps it to the online store.

How Many Followers Do You Need to Make Money on Instagram?

This question is not so simple to answer since there isn’t one single answer, though you are usually not going to make any money until you hit 10k Instagram followers, with figures getting much larger after you cross the 100k threshold.

As a result, you will need a fairly popular Instagram profile to use as a base for your Instagram shop.

Why Am I Not Making Sales on Instagram?

A lot of people ask themselves this question when the business isn’t going according to their expectations. Instagram selling can be difficult, especially if you don’t have a lot of followers or your product tags aren’t up to scratch.

If you aren’t making a profit, redesign your store, invest in getting more followers, and add some new products to your Instagram live shopping. All of these things will help boost your income.

Conclusion

There are several ways to sell on Instagram, from adding an Instagram shopping link leading to a third-party website, to making a store that will allow people to use the app itself to buy your products.

Each of them has its pros and cons, and all should be taken into consideration regardless of what you plan on selling on this platform.

FAQ