How to Make Money on Instagram: The Complete Guide

As you’re reading this, a social media user like you has found a way to make money on Instagram from the comfort of their home, without lifting a finger but you’ve most likely spent most of your time on that platform without earning any income.

Yes! Like you, a number of people hoping to earn from the social media have found Instagram, a platform with over 2 billion users as the number one place to achieve this dream.

Although majority of these people have not been able to find a way to actually earn from Instagram, a few have done just that.

And in this guide, I’ll be sharing you the realistic steps you can also start earning from Instagram, regardless of your location, using the following strategies…

Affiliate Marketing

There are many ways to make money on Instagram but as a beginner or a user outside Europe and America, one of the easiest ways to get started is using Affiliate Marketing as a starting point.

Affiliate Marketing provides you the opportunity to promote products or services from companies or businesses relevant to users in your niche.

When users buy the product through your affiliate link or code, you get paid a certain fee as your commission.

The good thing about using Affiliate Marketing to earn from Instagram is that it has low entry requirements. Meaning that you can get started while still building up your follower base.

This also means that you don’t have to wait until you garner a very large number of followers before getting started if you choose to use Affiliate marketing as your strategy.

Also, as an affiliate marketer, you don’t have to go through the stress and hassle of creating, packaging or shipping the products yourself. That work will be done by the product owners.

All you’ll have to do is to promote the product or services and get the sales coming in via your link or special codes. Makes it far easier for you.

Yes. And this is one of the key strategies used by some of your major influencers.

Use Sponsored Post

Sponsored post or paid partnership provides an opportunity for brands to create and share content on your handle.

It is another great opportunity to make money on Instagram, regardless of your location. And even with a fewer number of followers.

With a sponsored post, you get to create and post a one time content on your platform, on behalf of another brand.

The good thing about sponsored posting is like you don’t necessarily have to keep a long term relationship with the client.

You can make it a one time offer where you get paid on a per content basis. And you don’t have to create a repeat posting unless that is the arrangement.

Also, it gives you leverage to either create the content yourself or allow the client to create it while you post it directly on your handle.

PS: To use the paid partnership feature on Instagram, your account has to be set to creator mode and the partnership feature must be enabled.

Influencer Marketing

Over the years, influencer marketing has turned out to be the icing on the cake for Instagram users with a large follower base.

Not only is it a very well known visibility strategy for brands, it has become one of the most popular ways to make money on Instagram.

Used by both celebrities and non celebrities alike, influencer marketing has provided an opportunity for people of all kinds to make a living off social media platforms.

As a social Media user aspiring to make money online, influencer marketing gives you the option to monetize your social media platforms using different strategies.

For example, as an influencer, you can partner with brands to promote their products or services either on a long term, short term or one time basis.

From skin care to beauty products, clothes and electronics, there’s a wide array of product options to choose from.

As an influencer with a decent number of followers, usually, brands can meet you directly to partner with you in promoting their products but you can also contact these brands directly and convince them to work with you.

Influencer marketing gives you the option to choose brands to work with, how long you want to work with them and the payment model that works for both you and the brand.

Sell Own Products

Selling your own products or services is another interesting way to make money on Instagram that’s being explored by a lot of users.

Many people who started off on the social media platforms without any plans to sell or create products have ended up selling their own products after building a decent audience.

One of the ways to get started with this is to build an audience first. After creating your audience and building a decent connection with them, it gets easier to create a product based on the needs of these audience and sell it to them.

The good thing about this strategy is that since you already have a decent rapport with your audience, it’s easier to gain their trust and patronage especially where the product is built around their core needs or existing demand.

Also, you can decide how or where you’ll sell your own products thus being totally in charge of your own payment options and channels.

Outside that, you can also open and or connect your e-commerce store to your Instagram account thus introducing your audience to your offline business.

In any case, outside the product creation, shipment and logistics, this can always be a win win option for both you and your followers.

Offer Your own Services

Over the years, social media platforms like Instagram have become a part and parcel of our lives.

Owing to its growth and popularity, a large number of businesses have started off the social media handles of their founders. This is how some of us started.

If you have a special skill, you can start offering your services on the platform and get paid for it.

Even if you don’t have any specific skills, you can start learning some on demand digital skills one, grow through it and start making money off the skills.

I have seen quite a number of service based businesses that started off this way. In particular during our formation stages, this is how we started.

Be it graphics design, web design or mobile application development, one of the best ways to make money on Instagram is to offer these services and get paid for it.

Sell ebooks & Digital Products

As a professional with a specialized skill, the social media platforms like Instagram offers you a ready made audience to not only share your skills but turn them into electronic books and valuable digital products that people can learn from.

To make money on Instagram with this strategy, you have to start with promoting and positioning yourself not just as someone with these skills but someone worth listening to.

This means you must start with building thought leadership, sharing your own stories, the results you’ve achieved and the possibilities that it can be applicable to others.

Over time as you continue to build and grow your audience, you can start writing and publishing books and then selling those books to your audience within and outside the social media.

One outstanding thing about this strategy is that you can start right from the scratch, even with a few followers and then build your way to the top.

Another interesting thing is that it allows you to partner with other established thought leaders in the niche in such a way that their influence can easily run off on your brand.

Done well, this strategy provides a very good starting point, to build a long term income and eventually a business off the social media.

Offer Trainings & Consulting

Again, as someone with a specialized skill, you can make money on Instagram by offering some specialized training or consulting services for businesses and brands.

There are a number of top in demand skills like web design, digital marketing, content writing, advertising etc.

If you’re well knowledgeable in any of these areas, offer it as a boutique service either on a freelance level or put up a training if you’re well rooted in the skill.

Good thing is, even when you’re not really versatile in any of the top in demand skills, you can learn any of them and get over to your social media to offer it as a service when you’ve gained a better knowledge and experience in the field.

I’ve known quite a number of people who used this specific strategy to get started while building their brand.

Final Words

Instagram provides a great opportunity for people to reach out and connect with family and friends but beyond that it also provides a platform for users to earn online.

The good thing about these strategies you just learned today is that you don’t need to have millions of followers. With just a decent number of followers, you can get started and build your audience along the way.

As someone aspiring to make money on Instagram, using the strategies you just learned today can get you to realistically achieve your goals, irrespective of your location.

What’s more? Beyond achieving your temporal goal of making money online, you can also get to add real value to other people while fulfilling your life’s purpose in the long run.

But one thing you must keep in mind is that you’ll have to put in the work, create content, build the audience and promote your brand before thinking about monetization.

And of course if you’re finding it hard to get started on your own, signing up to our social media training program can make a great starting point for you.

And the best part? We’ll not only get you started, we’ll show you the way and walk with you all the way. Sign up here.

So, it’s your turn now! What are your biggest challenges when it comes to monetizing your social media? Drop your comments below.