How To Make Money On Instagram: Best & Foolproof Ways

Instagram is one of the largest and most popular social media platforms worldwide, making it an excellent avenue for promoting any personal brand or product you might have.

How Can You Begin Earning Money on Instagram as a Creator?

Most small business owners now have an Instagram shop in addition to their mail-order business or physical location, using free or paid Instagram marketing to boost their sales.

But how can you earn money on Instagram while keeping expenses minimal? And is this practice completely legal? Let’s explore.

How To Make Money On Instagram

While Instagram isn’t a subscription-based platform like Twitch or OnlyFans, it doesn’t mean you can’t earn money from it.

Instagram’s popularity makes it an ideal platform for selling physical products and digital services, offering both micro-influencers and large corporations a way to earn money with minimal investment.

Here are several key factors that will influence your ability to earn money on this platform.

1. You require a significant follower count

The exact number of Instagram followers needed to start earning money on the platform will depend on your business model.

Nonetheless, there is a general consensus that you need at least several thousand to attain any level of success.

That being said, you will gain more followers as your business expands, and it is not unrealistic to anticipate reaching a million followers or even more if you effectively implement a marketing strategy.

2. You need a well-researched business plan

Having many engaged followers is a vital step in transforming Instagram into a source of income, but it is far from the only action you need to take.

The next item on your list should be to develop a stable and realistic business plan. There are many ways to earn money on Instagram, but you should select one or two.

For example, while a prominent Instagram influencer with ten million followers can generate substantial income through affiliate marketing, this strategy may not be lucrative for smaller social media accounts.

Similarly, if you are thinking about starting a dropshipping business model, you will need to consider your location, transportation costs, and the tax implications of running your own online store.

The same is true for other models, such as using Instagram to raise awareness among your target audience and boost the sales of your physical store.

3. You need to have realistic expectations

Although setting up a successful business account is relatively straightforward and requires less financial investment than launching a chain of physical stores, it should not be regarded as a “get rich overnight” scheme.

Realistically, it will take between 6 months to a year for your business account to become profitable, provided you have a skilled social media manager overseeing it.

In fact, many potentially successful Instagram businesses fail due to their owners’ lack of patience. Starting a business, even one that relies on a social media marketing strategy, requires time.

Instagram Business Account Models

Having outlined the key requirements for creating a successful business account on this social media platform, let’s now examine the most popular business models available on the platform.

Becoming an Instagram Influencer

When people think about making money on Instagram, the first thing that often comes to mind is Instagram influencers.

These individuals usually have thousands, if not millions, of followers and generate income through a practice called influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing entails monetizing your Instagram page through an affiliate program, in which a brand aiming to connect with your followers compensates you a specific amount for each sponsored post.

Your earnings will depend on the number of followers you have. Furthermore, as your Instagram account gains popularity, you will receive more offers to promote affiliate links, making it crucial to prioritize increasing your follower count.

Starting an eCommerce Store

Establishing your own eCommerce store does not necessitate as large an Instagram audience as participating in affiliate networks (though having at least several thousand followers is still recommended), and it offers you more control over your income.

On the downside, you will need a pre-existing product or service to sell, as well as some experience in using relevant hashtags for promotion.

Finally, since you will be promoting your own product, it is essential to understand how to create engaging posts.

Marketing a Personal Brand

Finally, this last method of earning money on Instagram combines aspects of the previous two. Instead of using your Instagram account as a shop, you will sell your product on other social media platforms or even through an online store like Amazon, utilizing Instagram to promote your store.

The Instagram bio provides a valuable opportunity to add a link to your online store, greatly simplifying the process for your followers to find it.

Additionally, you can take advantage of the sponsored post option offered by the platform, investing in marketing to increase your visibility to your target audience.

Finally, if your product or service permits, you can create promo codes and organize giveaways on Instagram, including a clickable link to your website where winners can use the code to receive a discount.

How Many Followers Do You Need to Start Making Money on Instagram?

Various studies indicate the minimum number of Instagram followers required to establish a successful career as an influencer, largely due to the rise of micro-influencers in recent years.

That said, most sources agree that you need around 100,000 followers before the income from sponsored posts becomes sufficient for a comfortable living, with each Instagram post generating several hundred USD in revenue.

On the other hand, setting up a store can be accomplished with fewer followers, especially if you have other ways to reach customers that do not depend on your Instagram shop.

5 Tips and Tricks for Making Money on Instagram

1. Buy followers or an account with a significant following

While the most financially responsible way to grow your Instagram business is by creating engaging posts and utilizing the account’s organic growth, there are other strategies to consider.

One option is to create sponsored posts by paying Instagram to promote a specific post that will attract people to follow your account. This choice can be expensive and is therefore not recommended for beginners.

Alternatively, you can use third-party websites that offer free or paid followers, enabling you to spend a considerably smaller amount of money to grow a substantial following for your store.

While this poses the risk of having your account banned, such instances are quite rare and are likely to generate significantly more profit than the amount you invested over the long term.

The third and final option is to purchase an Instagram account that already has a significant following and then tailor it to suit your business.

While it may be the safest option—since Instagram lacks effective means to flag your newly purchased profile for suspicious activity—you might notice that you have fewer followers than expected as people leave your account following the content changes. However, this loss is usually minimal.

2. Maintain Your Account Activity

Regardless of the business model you select, one of the most essential secrets of Instagram marketing is to maintain your account’s activity as much as possible.

If you aim to become an influencer, share engaging and trendy photos, along with Instagram stories. Use relevant hashtags and offer insights into your daily life for your followers.

Furthermore, if you are part of an affiliate program for a specific brand, avoid mentioning other brands within the same industry, even on different social media platforms.

Conversely, when launching an Instagram shop, it is crucial to have multiple clickable links, frequent promotions, and giveaways to attract potential customers.

Finally, as your business grows, you can hire Instagram influencers directly.

3. Utilize All Available Marketing Channels

While Instagram Shop enables you to quickly and easily reach a large audience, it is most effective when integrated into a broader marketing strategy.

You can connect your Instagram account to other social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, and OnlyFans, or add a link to your personal website in your bio.

The other websites you choose will depend on your business model; however, each additional platform you incorporate will enhance both your reach and your sales and advertising revenue, as most Instagram users are also active on these other platforms.

4. Monitor Trends in Instagram Marketing

Like other social media platforms, Instagram is affected by trends that temporarily enhance the popularity of certain types of content.

By monitoring these trends, you can improve the attractiveness of your Instagram account to users, leading to more sponsored posts or a higher number of sales.

You can achieve this either manually by analyzing the competition or by utilizing third-party software that tracks the most popular Instagram posts and the hashtags they contain.

5. Post Only High-Quality Content

While keeping an active account is important, it won’t be beneficial if the content you post is not of high quality.

In simple terms, to gain popularity on Instagram, whether for yourself or your business, you must keep your audience engaged.

This means that your posts must be relevant to the topic of the Instagram account, unique enough to stand out from the others, and, most importantly, not copied or cross-posted from another influencer or store.

Conclusion

Instagram is now one of the most popular platforms for earning money online, providing a range of options for every user.

That said, building a successful Instagram business requires time and effort, as well as an initial financial investment.

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