Instagram is mostly known as a social network. It’s one of the fastest growing in fact, with 800 million active users each month.
But did you know it’s also an excellent platform to make money?
That’s the reason why so many brands are staking their claim on the service. Instagram’s incredible engagement rates ensure an equally high amount of conversions compared to most other networks.
You don’t even have to be a big business to find success. Even a regular Instagram user can turn their account into a lucrative investment.
Here are five tips on how to gain some revenue through Instagram.
1. Sell your Instagram account
This is perhaps the most obvious answer you’re going to get. Believe it or not, there are plenty of people around that will buy your Instagram account from you. Although, you’re probably not going to sell just any old account.
The most desired accounts are the ones that have tons of followers. By this, I mean it should at least be in the tens of thousands if you want to attract any decent offers. Over a million followers would be even better. That’s because the people who buy these accounts tend to be businesses and marketers looking for a readily available, built-in audience.
So if you’re willing to do the work of cultivating a following and handing the reins over, this is a great opportunity to make a lot of money. There are even some premium Instagram growth service such as ViralUpgrade that could help you build your presence in a short amount of time.
Some online marketplaces where you can sell your account are FameSwap, Viral Accounts, and PlayerUp.
2. Land a sponsorship deal
There are businesses out there who will pay you to make sponsored posts. Usually these posts involve promoting their brand or featuring a product. You might also receive specifications about using certain branded hashtags, including website links, or mentioning their Instagram account.
The first step in landing this kind of deal is solidifying yourself as an influencer. Brands are always looking for people with sizable followings to spread awareness about them.
If you’re not sure where to start with being an influencer, take a moment to reflect upon what you have to offer as an individual. Perhaps there is some area that you have expertise in, or maybe there’s a hobby that you enjoy and could share with fellow enthusiasts. Whatever your talents or interests, you should look for a niche audience that you could target and win over.
Getting lots of likes and comments is a vital part of gaining visibility as an influencer. The best way to do this is by interacting with other users. You can also buy real Instagram likes with tools like ViralRace.
Once you become an established and respected voice on the platform, then you can begin looking for sponsors. Try checking out websites like Revfluence or Fluenz to find brands to connect with.
3. Sign up with an affiliate program
A good method to make cash on Instagram is through affiliate marketing. That’s where you advertise a product and get a commission for every sale made through your referral. Typically this is done with a special link or code that you instruct your followers to use. There might also be some hashtags for you to include as well.
Affiliate marketing is especially popular with fashion and beauty influencers. All they have to do is incorporate the products into their posts, with photos showing them off in appealing ways. Then they use the captions to mention their referral code and direct users to the brand’s shop through a link in their bio.
As long as you are passionate about the brands you’re promoting, and they’re relevant to your audience’s interests, then it should be easy to organically integrate these promotions into your posts.
There is a multitude of platforms for affiliate marketing. Some of the most notable ones include ClickBank, Reward Style, Ebates, and the Amazon Associates Program.
4. Get paid for shoutouts
One of the quickest ways to earn money is through paid shoutouts. A shoutout is when an Instagram user draws attention to another account with the intent of guiding followers to their profile. There are a bunch of hashtags where people trade hashtags for free, like #s4s or #shoutoutforshoutout, but it’s also possible to make a profit from doing them.
ShoutCart is the largest marketplace for shoutouts around. It has a reach of over 400 million users. The platform also boasts advanced analytics and metrics in order to track engagement rates. With their affiliate program, you can earn up to 30% commission on each shoutout sold.
BuySellShoutouts is another solid option. If you have an Instagram page with over 50,000 followers, you can sign up to become a partner and earn $100 per shoutout. Its system is rapid and automatic, and you get paid in advance. That means no waiting around for your payment afterwards.
5. Sell your photo content
Are you a photographer with a good eye and an Instagram page full of your work? If your content is fairly high in quality, then it shouldn’t be too hard to sell them.
Take a look around some sites like Twenty20, where you can create a personal gallery to showcase your photos and make money with every sale. There’s also 500px, where you can network with a community of photographers and find people willing to hire you.
