Every day, Instagram users spend a lot of time scrolling through the photos and videos posted on it. And if you are one of them or want to have a role in creating this unique content, the good news is that there are many ways to make money from Instagram. Whether you are a business owner who wants to increase your followers, or you are thinking of starting a store to sell the unique accessories that you make, or you are a professional photographer who knows how to take pictures, or a digital marketer who believes in the power of this platform, this article was written for you.
table of contents:
- Advantages of the Instagram platform, and why are you going to profit from it?
- How many followers do I need to start earning from Instagram?
- Ways to profit from Instagram for business owners
- Ways to profit from Instagram for freelancers
- Ways to withdraw profits from Instagram
Advantages of the Instagram platform, and why are you going to profit from it?
The platform has a number of characteristics over other social media platforms, which make it a better choice than other platforms in achieving profit. Among these features that enhance the chances of making a profit from Instagram:
1. Instagram is a visual platform
The Instagram platform relies on visual content, and provides many effects and modifications to images that make the experience of posting images richer, which prompts many of its users to associate with it. Not a day, or even an hour, goes by without them browsing Instagram and sharing or following photos and videos.
This close connection between users and the Instagram platform resulted in an expansion of areas and ways to profit from it. The more the audience is present on the platform, the more it will want to try products or services offered on it, especially with the attractive photography and presentation method that fascinates the visual personalities of Instagram surfers.
2. An effective marketing and promotional platform
With the growing audience of Instagram, which has reached more than a billion users within just 9 years of its launch, the importance of Instagram marketing and promotion by professional marketers, large and emerging companies, to individuals who promote themselves such as artists, influencers and actors. Through Instagram, they can publish pictures that express their work, in addition to building a growing fan base.
3. Attractive interface and response speed
Perhaps the most prominent features of Instagram are the smoothness and attractiveness of its interface, the speed of downloading and response while browsing the application, despite the large number of photos and videos that flow to it daily, as about 95 million photos and videos are published on it daily . In addition to presenting the personal account in an effective and attractive way, it motivates the browser to interact and take a CTA action . Instagram has maintained this feature and seeks to develop it constantly, as it is the basis for maintaining and multiplying its audience.
4. Privacy
Unlike most other social platforms that invite you to post your content and interact with others, even those you don’t know, Instagram focuses on leaving the amount of privacy you want for you, so if you want to limit your account content to friends, then others cannot browse your content. The application also does not allow uploading personal photos of accounts, although there are some other applications and websites that manipulate and circumvent this feature.
5. Effective additives
Instagram provides a number of effective and obvious additions. In addition to sharing photos on it, you can add videos, run live broadcasts to connect with your audience, and share daily stories that disappear after 24 hours. You can also pin some of them as Highlight Stories and tag them to appear on your profile. Moreover, you can share your content on Facebook also via Instagram.
Featured daily stories appear below the description and bio, as we can see on the Egyptian Trust Makers Instagram page.
6. Post videos on Reels and IGTV
When the Instagram platform added the feature of adding videos for the first time, its duration did not exceed a minute. Then it added a new feature, IGTV, which is a new type of long-form video, up to an hour long. In this way, it becomes an alternative to YouTube, so the Instagram audience does not go to YouTube to watch a long video, as Instagram seeks to maintain the presence of its audience for as long as possible.
There is also another type of video clips, which are reels, which are short videos that can be controlled in length, starting from 15 seconds to 60 seconds, and sometimes reaching 90 seconds. Each type of these videos has different goals, and according to your goal, you choose the most appropriate type to achieve.
How many followers do I need to start earning from Instagram?
Realistically, you do not need a large number of followers to make money on Instagram. Successful Instagram marketing factors depend on creating a strategy and high-quality content that matches your account’s standing among competitors. You also need to post frequently to keep your audience engaged .
There are many ways and means to profit from Instagram, and many of them do not depend on the number of followers on Instagram, and the large number of followers is useless if they are not interactive. But of course, the more followers you have, the better. There are several ways and tips to increase Instagram followers that you can view and follow.
Ways to profit from Instagram for business owners
If you own a business or a business, there is more than one way to profit from Instagram through the products or services you provide, and these methods include:
1. Profit from Instagram by selling through the Instagram store
Whether you provide products such as clothing, shoes, care products, and electronic devices, or intangible services such as CRM software systems , website services, and various applications, you can display them through the Instagram virtual store in an organized form; To make it easier for your followers to order the product or service through your Instagram business account.
Here, the purchase process ends by transferring the customer to your website to complete the payment process, or he can complete the order through application messages, and thus you can easily profit from Instagram through your brand. It is essential to ensure that your products are visible on your store, and that information about your products or services is easy to understand and accessible, so your store will continue to grow, orders will increase and profit from Instagram will increase.
The Instagram store is a direct tool for profit from the platform. Most of the operations and stages with the customer are done through the application, as it has become difficult for some users to exit the application. so that they don’t get distracted.
When you post a purchasable item, a mini shop icon will appear in the post, letting your followers know it’s available for purchase. You can also provide fast customer service, even if you do not have a large team, you can use the Chatbot service.
The Browse your store tab appears in your personal account once it is added, and you can add an Instagram store from your account settings.
Then choose the Business tab.
Then you add pictures and details of your products from setting up your Instagram Shopping store.
And you will decide whether you will sell from Instagram messages or add links to your website. After creating your store, it will appear in your account as follows:
By clicking on the store, the products will appear for you to navigate among them, as shown in the image below.
After you choose a specific product, its details will appear to you.
By clicking on “View on Website”, you will see its full details and the procedures for completing the purchase process.
2. Profit from Instagram by marketing your products
Even if you do not create a store on Instagram, you can still make a profit from the platform by marketing your products or services, as follows:
Increase awareness of your business
If you have a website for your project, Instagram can be an effective marketing tool to promote this activity or business, by spreading awareness of your brand, products, and services. Post stunning images that give your business a unique identity, then direct your account followers to visit your website.
When your content on your social accounts resonates with your followers, your target audience will want to know more about the nature of your business and how they receive your service or purchase your products. Also, be sure to link your website or blog in your Instagram account description, as this increases your conversion rate over time.
Submit offers
Another effective method is the policy of discounts and offers, as the exclusive offers you provide not only benefit in increasing the conversion, but can also increase the number of followers of your account on Instagram, which leads to the overall growth of your business.
Collaborate with influencers
You can send gifts to some Instagram influencers who are interested in your business and ask them to rate your products and mention you. In this case, you must ensure the quality of what you offer; To ensure that the evaluation achieves the results you desire and does not achieve counterproductive results that negatively affect your brand.
Make sure to choose a reputable influencer or influencer who has a great deal of trust with their audience, as the reputation of your products that they display will also be affected by their reputation, as some influencers have become known for not being honest with their ratings in order to make more profit from Instagram. Do not overlook this point, as it is capable of eliminating the reputation of your brand if you do not choose it well.
Funded ads
The field of advertising on Instagram is expanding and the money spent is multiplying from time to time. Despite the free means, the importance and necessity of advertising cannot be underestimated. If done correctly and by a professional, you will achieve a return that exceeds what was spent on it and bring huge profits to the owners of companies and brands.
Whatever the size of your business, perhaps the best, least expensive, and easiest way to reach your audience is social media advertising. Including Instagram ads, as it is an advertising medium whose cost cannot be compared to television, radio and newspaper ads.
Instagram ads also provide you with ease in reaching your target audience by defining the customer persona and choosing the demographic characteristics, preferences, and interests that are compatible with your audience. And the ads administrator can manage your ads on Instagram , and you will find many providers of this service on Fiverr.
Advertisements about your products or services appear in the videos and photos of the target audience and are referred to as Sponsored. Ads appear in daily stories as well.
Ways to profit from Instagram for freelancers
1. Profit from Instagram with Influencer Marketing
Being an influencer means being able to influence your audience and their opinions in choosing products and services; Because of the state of trust you’ve created with them through your online presence and audience-generated content. Entrepreneurs and companies can cooperate with influencers and market their products and services through them, and choose the most appropriate influencer according to the nature and interests of the audience they follow.
Most brands prefer to work with influencers to advertise their products through sponsored posts rather than direct or alongside social media ads. This is because influencer sponsorship campaigns usually include their different accounts on social platforms and do not stop at one platform, and the brand gains trust from its influencer advertisers.
Small and medium businesses can try this type of marketing and collaborate with influencers in order to increase profit from Instagram. Some influencers who have a small audience and a small budget or rely on gifts and their evaluation may make you more profitable compared to others who have hundreds of thousands of followers and who are not your target audience, or who do not have confidence and a positive influence on their audience.
If you initially struggle to find sponsors, there are many Arabic online communities and influencer marketing sites that you can join; Such as: Dolphinus and Almowafir . In order to encourage sponsors for your request, you can start offering useful services and products to your audience after trying them and evaluating them for free, and then companies will start sending you gifts for evaluation, and then the matter will turn into a fee.
What is the average earnings of influencers on Instagram?
Some statistics mentioned that the average profit of influencers from Instagram was approximately $ 900 , with a number of followers from 1,000 to 10,000 followers of the post only. The work of influencers is not limited to those who have hundreds of thousands and millions of followers, certainly the number of followers affects the amount of profit from Instagram in the work of influencers specifically, but it can start from only a thousand followers.
The price of influencers and the extent of their influence is determined according to the number of followers, rates of interaction and participation with them, and their method of determining their percentage in marketing. There are five types of influencers, and they are:
1. Nano influencer: has 1-10k followers and usually receives $10-$100 per post.
2. A small influencer: has 10,000 to 50,000 followers and receives $100 to $500 per post.
3. Medium influencer: has 50,000 to 500,000 followers, and receives $500 to $5,000 per post.
4. A major influencer: 500,000 to 1 million followers, and receives $5,000 to $10,000 per post.
5. Mega Influencer: Over 1 million followers and receives $10,000 to $1 million or more per post.
2. Profit from Instagram through affiliate marketing
In this type of marketing, marketers are committed to the goal of making sales; In the end, they get a specific percentage or commission agreed upon for each sale that comes through. It focuses on the brand, its spread and direct marketing. Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular types of profit from Instagram. It depends on establishing a continuous or long-term relationship with companies and brands, and guarantees a more regular profit.
This type does not depend on influencers only, but it can be performed by any user on Instagram, regardless of the number of his followers, as all this is ineffective in return for achieving the goal of selling, which may be achieved regardless of the number of followers.
There are online affiliate marketing communities and networks that provide this type of partnership with different brands; To sell anything to anyone by assigning you a link and once the sale is complete, the predetermined percentage will go straight to your balance. Here, you should ensure that the products and services you advertise are compatible with your values and the values of your audience and do not conflict with them. These sites include: ArabClicky and ShareASale .
With regard to clicking on links, Instagram does not allow this feature in publications, but to overcome this problem, you can add links in the description of your personal page or through daily stories. And you can adopt the method of custom codes, which once entered into the purchase site by the customer gets a discount, and thus increases the likelihood of using the code, and you get your commission once you use it.
3. Profit from Instagram by selling visual content
One of the most extensive areas of profit from Instagram, as the platform relies on visual content of all kinds and forms, including simple artistic illustrations, videos, animations, paintings, personal photos, and any other form of visual content; Thus, there are earning opportunities for many photographers, graphic designers and video editors.
All Instagram users post photos and videos, especially businesses and marketers who need photo and video editing services. The appearance of visual content is one of the main factors for achieving success and the desired goal of this content, and if you want to specialize in this part, you can start selling your services in safe self-employment communities that guarantee your rights, such as Fiverr .
Also, if photography is one of your hobbies that you are good at, you can post your work on Instagram with clear and direct titles on the subject and story of each photo and its full details. And don’t forget to add custom watermarks to your photos. You can form an integrated marketing team that includes a content writer, graphic designer, and advertising marketer; To provide integrated marketing services to those interested in your customers.
4. Profit from Instagram by providing marketing advice
One of the services that demand is increasing with the rapid development in the field of e-marketing, and for this, choosing to profit from Instagram by providing marketing consulting for companies and various commercial projects is a distinct choice for a promising field. Marketing consultations can be provided on various social media platforms, but specialization will give you more weight and price on the platform.
And if you falter at first, you can start by creating a professional account on Instagram and offering free marketing tips or advice to some companies, in order to achieve success that can be mentioned in your resume. You can also offer your services on Fiverr, as there is a great demand for Instagram marketing consulting .
You need to constantly learn and train to develop your consulting skills, and you must follow the new updates and developments offered by the Instagram developers from time to time. What distinguishes you from your competitors in the field of marketing consulting is that you constantly develop yourself and your clients, and record the successes you achieve with your clients in numbers, proofs, and evidence.
5. Profit by advertising on Instagram
The field of advertising via Instagram is a promising field for those looking for work via the Internet, as you can choose the specialization that suits you, from creating advertising campaigns through Instagram, managing these campaigns, or following up and analyzing their results.
And if you have mastered your skills and experience in the field of Instagram ads, you can announce the provision of training courses to teach trainees how to manage their ads themselves. It is common to provide some useful information for free in a short video, and then advertise the course to anyone who wants more.
Ways to withdraw profits from Instagram
Active accounts that are allowed to make direct profit from Instagram can withdraw their profits from the platform account through more than one means from the Payout section of the Professional Dashboard interface of their account. The most appropriate method is determined according to its availability in your place of residence and the percentage of commission that the method takes to withdraw your money, and the most prominent of these methods are:
1. Bank account: This method is the safest and lowest in commission, as there is no intermediary between you and the Instagram platform. However, one of its drawbacks is that it takes many days for the transfer to reach you.
2. Paypal: One of the advantages of this method is that it is available on most freelance platforms and electronic payment sites , with ease of use and the possibility of linking it to your bank account. One of its drawbacks is that you will need to link to a Visa card supported by the country in which you reside.
3. Western Union: It is a method that is widespread in most parts of the world, and you receive your money through offices spread in several cities, so that you visit the branch closest to you and prove your personal identity and transfer data to them, then you get your money easily. One of the disadvantages of this method is that it is not supported in some Arab countries, and you cannot benefit from the money by purchasing online, and you also need to go to the office yourself.
As we have seen, there are many ways to profit from Instagram, and you will certainly find one or two methods that suit you. So, start converting your time spent on Instagram into making money from this platform. Among the entertainment tools, you can achieve an appropriate financial return, especially if you are a fan of social networking sites and those who spend most of the hours of the day browsing them.