Profitable Instagram Accounts
Top 11 Highly Profitable Instagram Niches for 2021 – Sellfy Blog
Are you looking for an easy way to sell your digital products? Or who else wants to make money on the side?
With the growing popularity of social media, it’s no longer a problem. Over the last few years, social media usage has grown significantly: 3. 48 billion people use social media platforms. When done right, using social media for business can help you earn money, promote products, and gain popularity. If you are going to choose one social media platform to promote your products, make it Instagram.
The days when only big brands like Nike and GoPro could monetize Instagram are far behind us. With over one billion active users, Instagram has become a powerful sales machine for brands, influencers, solopreneurs, creators, etc.
Today, consumer buying behavior has changed, and people discover and buy products on Instagram. The numbers speak for themselves:
90% of accounts follow at least one brand on Instagram
83% of users discover new products and services on the platform
200 million Instagrammers visit at least one Business profile daily
Want to know the best part? There’s no need to create and sell your products to earn money with Instagram.
Who can make money on Instagram?
Influencers: There’s no need to be a popular celebrity like Kylie Jenner to affect your Instagram following. Since modern users crave authenticity, they trust peer recommendations and they follow opinion leaders who can suggest products and services. For influencers, this means a great opportunity to make money on Instagram.
Brands: More and more people discover and buy products in-app, so it’s no wonder that more than 25 million businesses use Instagram to reach their potential customers, promote their products, and sell on the platform.
Digital creators: No matter how many followers you have, using Instagram is a proven way to connect with your potential customers and spread the word about your product. Moreover, everyone can set up shopping on Instagram, so this platform offers more opportunities for digital creators to sell their products in-app.
Instagram experts: Since the platform attracts more and more people who want to make money on Instagram, it’s getting harder to cut through the noise. Thus, it’s no wonder that many people seek out professionals who can help them create a winning Instagram profile, develop a strategy, write captions, monitor brand mentions, etc. Simply put, Instagram experts are in demand.
No matter how many followers you have, there are some proven ways to monetize your Instagram account. If you don’t use Instagram to make money, you’re missing out a lot.
To start making money on Instagram, it’s important to pick a popular and profitable niche that helps to attract followers, boost user engagement, and grow your revenue with ease.
Let’s find out the top 11 Instagram niches that are highly profitable.
The most profitable Instagram niches
1. Traveling
The travel industry is one of the world’s largest industries. Not only do modern travelers love to travel, but they also want to share their experiences on social media.
Just imagine: 60% of travelers (and 97% of Millennial travelers) share their travel photos on social media, 87% use social media for travel inspiration, 40% of consumers under 33 prioritize ‘Instagrammability’ of the potential destination when choosing holiday decisions.
In other words, Instagram offers more opportunities for people who want to become travel bloggers. If you’re fond of traveling, there are many ways for you to make money on Instagram.
Let’s take Salt In Our Hair blog, for example. This couple travels the world together and makes a living by writing travel blogs, creating travel photos for brands, and making travel videos on their YouTube channel.
Source: @saltinourhair on Instagram
With a cohesive and eye-catching Instagram feed, it’s no doubt that the couple knows how to take beautiful photos. To monetize their Instagram, Hannah and Nick promote their photo filters on the platform:
2. Beauty
Social media has a great influence on the beauty industry: Today, 65% of teens discover and buy beauty products through social media and influencers, so it’s no wonder that 96% of beauty brands are on Instagram.
Modern users search for beauty tutorials, makeup hacks, and product reviews before making purchase decisions. Thus, this niche offers many ways for brands and influencers to spread the word about their products, connect with the target audience, and boost eCommerce sales.
Influencers like Huda Kattan have an army of loyal followers on the platform. This Iraqi-American makeup artist, beauty blogger, and entrepreneur has 39. 3 million followers on Instagram, so Huda promotes her beauty brand on the platform:
Source: @hudabeauty on Instagram
In 2018, when Instagram launched its new IGTV feature, users got another option to create and watch long-form videos in-app. It also gave another opportunity for the beauty industry to share makeup tutorials and product reviews on the platform. Huda Kattan also uses IGTV for sharing her reviews and beauty hacks, and her views get up to 3. 7 million views:
3. Fashion
As a photo-sharing app, Instagram has become a powerful tool for world-renowned designers, fashion editors, and bloggers to bring the fashion industry to the next level. People use this platform to discover new products, follow fashion trends, and boost fashion inspiration. Moreover, the fashion niche is getting more and more popular: According to Statista, revenue in the fashion segment is expected to reach $689, 884M in 2021.
The popularity of the fashion niche is on its rise. Any proof needed? Let’s take Camila Coelho, for example. Her Instagram community has over 8. 4 million followers. Pretty great, huh? Coelho has a great influence on her followers, so it’s no wonder various fashion brands want to collaborate with this fashion blogger to promote their products.
Source: @camilacoelho on Instagram
With an Instagram creator account, Camila Coelho can add shoppable tags that help her followers discover and buy featured products with ease. Here’s how it looks like:
When Coelho tags the brands she is wearing, both the creator and the brand have access to Instagram insights that make it easier to understand the performance of shopping posts. This feature encourages brands to team up with niche influencers, so creators get more offers from companies.
4. Health and Fitness
Today, people are concerned about their health. The fitness industry is booming: its total revenue achieved $94B in 2018. When it comes to Instagram, users are looking for health and fitness products, workouts, and tools. Thus, this niche is another great way to promote products and services, and therefore make money on the platform.
Let’s take the fitness tracker tool Whoop, for example. The company shares useful tips on reaching athletic peak performance, and it helps to prove its niche expertise, promote the tool, and attract new customers.
Source: @whoop on Instagram
For Whoop, Instagram marketing is a great way to grow the subscriber base. However, the company also gives its fans an opportunity to use the tool for free. In partnership with Talkable, Whoop has developed a referral program that now drives more than 10% of new subscription signs ups. This offer is beneficial for all customers: advocates get a free month of service and referred friends receive $30 off the first-month subscription.
And here’s how cyclist Phil Cook promotes his referral link on Instagram:
Source: on Instagram
The fitness industry is flourishing on Instagram, so this platform gives all users an opportunity to make money: from selling fitness programs and equipment to promoting referral links.
5. Lifestyle
Believe it or not, we love talking about ourselves: 80% of social media posts are dedicated to our lives, thoughts, and opinions. It’s in our nature to compare our lives with other people, so it’s no wonder that an average Instagram user spends 53 minutes per day on the platform.
The good news? There’s no need to put much effort into your lifestyle profile – just show off your life in an interesting way. Check out how Oliver Proudlock does it:
Source: @proudlock on Instagram
Oliver showcases his lifestyle, and it grabs the attention of Instagrammers – the influencer has over 716k followers. With a solid following, it’s no wonder brands of all sizes and shapes want to collaborate with Oliver. Here’s how he promotes products on his profile:
Although Instagram is not just about selfies and food photos, people have been always interested in other people’s lives, so the lifestyle niche is popular and profitable.
6. Parenting
Modern parents are more connected than ever. According to Business Instagram, 68% of Millennial moms use Instagram daily, the average mom checks Instagram six times every day, and 78% of moms take action after seeing inspiring content on Instagram. What is more, dads are also active on the platform: almost half of the dads on the platform follow businesses and 69% take action from the content they see.
Simply put, the parenting niche is gaining in popularity. For parents, this means a great opportunity to connect with other moms and dads, share their parenting tips, and make money on Instagram.
Naomi Davis, also known as Taza on Instagram, is a great example of a parenting blogger who celebrates family and motherhood on the platform. Raising her 5 kids, Naomi shows off her life, shares her tips, and inspires parents around the globe.
Source: @taza on Instagram
7. Business
Today, people have various business opportunities at their fingertips. It’s easier than ever to make money online or start your home-based business. Thus, people are looking for business tips, tricks, hacks, and how-tos; they also follow successful entrepreneurs and businessmen to draw inspiration from them.
When it comes to business accounts, no matter what you choose, whether you promote public speaking tips, online marketing tools, or startup ideas and failures, the main idea is to share valuable tips and tricks on how to make money. Here’s how Gary Vaynerchuk uses his Instagram account to promote his personal businesses:
Source: @garyvee on Instagram
Gary creates massive pillar content (videos, IG stories, posts), sharing tips and tricks on running a business. But if you’re not one of the world’s most well-known fashion entrepreneurs, you may have trouble posting high-quality visuals of your business activity. However, you can use business stock photos in your marketing content to grab the attention of your followers and share your expert thoughts on niche topics.
8. Music
Who else loves music? Most people are fond of music, and 20% of the population claim that music can literally feel like a friend. Thus, people love listening to music and playing musical instruments.
Ariana Grande (167m), Selena Gomez (161), and Beyoncé (135m) are among the top 10 most-followed Instagram accounts of all the time. With the popularity of the music industry, there are many ways for musicians to monetize their Instagram accounts.
Here’s how Sellfy’s user, Adam McInnis, makes money as a music industry entrepreneur. Being one of the top Sellfy sellers in the music niche, he has earned 20K in two months, and Instagram helps him promote his products:
Source: @musicindustrycontact on Instagram
9. Photography
As a photo-sharing tool, it’s no wonder that Instagram is all about photography. Today, users upload 95 million photos and videos daily. Whether you’re a brand or influencer, you need to take eye-catching photos to create a cohesive Instagram feed and therefore stand out from the crowd. Thus, the photography industry is so popular (and profitable) on the platform.
For example, Keydrin Keylo Franklin is experienced at photography, so he uses Instagram to promote his tutorials:
Source: @924photography on Instagram
And here’s another example from Depositphotos. As a large library of stock images and videos, the company uses Instagram to promote its products among 25 million businesses that need to create eye-catching and coherent Instagram feeds.
Source: @depositphotos on Instagram
10. Food
Here comes the ugly truth: food is an important element of our lives. Most people are obsessed with food, and half of US Millennials call themselves “foodies”.
Instagram has influenced the food industry, so it’s a perfect place for food bloggers, restaurants, and chefs to attract new fans. Take a look at Melissa Hie’s Instagram profile. With a love for eating and traveling, she runs her food & travel blog that has 384k followers on Instagram:
Source: @girleatworld on Instagram
When it comes to Instagram, we take photos of our delicious dishes and read yummy recipes. People even use special food hashtags to make it easier for other users to find relevant images on the platform. Top 5 Instagram food hashtags include:
#food
#foodporn
#instafood
#foodphotography
#yummy
11. Animals
Today, there’s no need to be a world-renowned celebrity (or even a human) to attract an army of followers on Instagram: It’s the rise of pet influencers. The pet industry has reached $75. 38b in 2019, and people can’t help liking cute images of cats, dogs, hedgehogs, foxes, etc. Pet celebrities like Jiffpom have millions of followers on Instagram:
Source: @jiffpom on Instagram
JiffPom sells its collectible plush toys, books, and calendars. In collaboration with Target, Jiffpom has developed a puzzle collection that can be found in all Target stores across the U. S. :
We all love pets, so Instagram is a perfect place to share cute animals to promote grooming products, breed tips, pet toys, pet insurance, animal clothing and costumes, treats, etc.
Conclusion
As one of the fastest-growing social media networks with the most engaged users, Instagram has become a powerful sales machine that offers various ways for all people to make money on the platform. With a variety of profitable Instagram niches, it’s no longer a problem to turn your passion into a business, so don’t miss your chance to monetize your Instagram account.
TOP-12 Instagram Niches for Growth and Making Money in 2021
Still planning to invest in a gorgeous website to promote your personal brand or your business? I’ve got bad news and good news for you.
First, personal websites as tools for building and marketing your brand are quite a time, effort, and money-consuming. It’s not easy to make a decent website and it’s even harder to make traffic flow to it.
Second, social networks like Instagram become the most efficient platforms in terms of making money. So you better don’t fret about that money-consuming website and start thinking of the best Instagram niches you could use for your advantage.
Don’t believe me? Here are some Hootsuite stats to consider:
Instagram is the fastest-growing social platform. It has over a billion active users now, with half a billion people using it every day
In 2021, people will spend around half an hour browsing Instagram daily
One in three most viewed Stories are created by brands and companies
The platform’s potential ad reach is estimated at around 950 ml users
200 ml people visit at least one business profile every day
Over 10% of American users purchase services and/or products on Instagram
Today, Instagram has become one of the most profitable platforms for businesses and personal brands. This is where you have every opportunity to monetize your ideas and business endeavors with minimal investments.
“So what’s the catch? ” I can almost hear you ask.
The catch is you need to know the right niche to operate in and use it to its full potential. It’s extremely difficult to stand out when your profile is just one in a million similar profiles. So before you choose your niche, think of what kind of monetization you are after:
Selling ads for other brands
Directing traffic to products and getting a commission (partnership marketing)
Selling your own product (via direct shipping or digitally)
Even before you start your own Instagram account, you have to know what your final goal is and work towards it. And in case you are still struggling to choose the most profitable Instagram niche, here is a list of niches that work best in 2021.
What is Instagram niche?
Let’s say you are a blogger, an influencer, or just a person who happens to have an Instagram account. Chances are you post content under a certain topic or category that might seem interesting to a certain part of the platform’s audience.
I’m not saying that your content can’t be all over the place. But let’s admit it: no one has time and energy for covering all the topics for a long period of time. Besides, catering to all audiences at once is catering to no one.
This particular category or topic within which you plan and post your content is what they call a niche. And this kind of niche content is extremely attractive to brands and businesses as a platform for native advertising. And considering the latest social network trends, native advertising is much more preferable to annoying “in-your-face” ads (and subsequently, much more profitable).
What’s an Instagram niche that brings money?
There are over a thousand niches on Instagram at the moment. This means that it’s highly unlikely that you can choose a unique niche no one has thought of before. So whatever you want your content to be about, you must always be ready for competition.
Make sure there is a target audience for your niche. No, this audience doesn’t have to be massive. But if your niche is so obscure it’s known to a thousand people in the entire world, it’s unlikely you’ll get any profit from it.
Don’t choose a niche just because you think it’s high-paying. Unless you are deeply invested in the topic you are going to post about, it won’t work out. The best solution is finding a happy middle ground between what you enjoy and what will bring money.
Post as often as you can, but don’t let your content turn into annoying spam. Your audience must feel you have a genuine interest in what you do.
Competitors in the niche
If you want to check the level of competition in the niche – use influencer marketing tools like trendHERO. Nevertheless it’s created for search and analysis, we could use it to discover the number of influencers in the niche.
For example, you want to create content in the automotive niche. Use trendHERO and search by category ’ll see the list of creators writing about cars. In this way you could understand if the niche is ‘overpopulated’.
Also check the content of influencers with the highest Engagement Rate. It helps you to stand out from the crowd. Try it for free
Best Instagram niches for growing your profile in 2021
1. Health & Fitness
With the growing number of global health and environmental issues, no wonder many people decide to take special care of their health and lifestyle. People want to look good, feel good, and enjoy the high quality of life. What’s wrong with that?
The fitness industry caters to this demand; it has been rapidly growing during the past few years and doesn’t show any intent to slow down. And Health & fitness niche on Instagram remains hugely popular and attracts a massive amount of attention from users.
Are you a nutritionist, fitness trainer or just a person who enjoys a healthy and active lifestyle? Do you think that your advice could really help people? Well, then you have a good chance to grow your audience and monetize your expertise.
Just make sure that you really believe in what you convey to others. Be genuine, share your own experience.
Take it from the people who have already built a decent following by giving honest and genuine advice on how to be healthier and happier:
Tally Rye
Tally Rye, an experienced fitness trainer insists that physical health is impossible without mental well-being. She speaks out against dieting and uses a body-positive approach. No wonder why her followers love her sincere and honest attitude.
Susan Niebergall
Susan Niebergall is not your typical fitness trainer. She is older than most fitness enthusiasts and pros you’ll find on Instagram. However, she is living proof of the fact that age is just a number and not an obstacle on your way to physical perfection. And it’s definitely not an obstacle to building a dedicated audience.
2. Beauty
Did you know that 96% of all beauty brands have firmly established their presence on Instagram (according to Statista)? This social platform offers opportunities for businesses operating in the beauty industry like none other. Not surprising at all, as the majority of teenagers learn about new beauty products and purchase them on social networks and thanks to them (according to Meltwater report).
What are users looking for? Product reviews, tutorials, beauty tips, and tricks. This kind of content has been consistently popular over the past years and keeps remaining very attractive to Instagram users.
So if you think that’s right up your lane, go on and try this niche. Just don’t forget one of the hottest trends in social marketing this year – authenticity.
Here are a couple of examples of successful influences operating in this niche:
Alexa
Alexa is all about beauty products and sharing her opinion on them with her audience. If you want to know about all the new goodies that have just hit the market, this is where you should go.
Note that this beauty influencer’s following is far from massive (compared to some stars with multimillion followings). But don’t think of that as a disadvantage. Beauty industry marketers prefer working with micro-influencers now! So you definitely have your chance to shine.
Aaron Storms
Aaron is a makeup artist who, as he himself says in his Instagram profile, “creates art with makeup”. And it’s not an exaggeration; you can easily make sure of that just by having a glimpse of his Instagram photos. Aaron focuses on eye makeup and uses some pretty unexpected but always dramatic and impressive color combinations.
3. Fashion
Along with Beauty, Fashion niche is thriving on Instagram. As Digiday reports, user engagement with fashion-related content is at the highest level on this social platform. As the fashion industry revenues will rise up to nearly $700 million this year (Statista), no wonder brands enhance their presence on Instagram where they are loved the most.
People care about how they look. They want to know what other people are wearing – and it’s not just celebrities they are interested in seeing. So if fashion is your greatest passion, go for it! Chances are they want to see what you have to offer.
Here’s an example of an Instagram blogger making this niche work:
Daria Andronescu
Daria believes in you. She doesn’t focus on famous brands and consumerism. She wants you to have a Wonder Wardrobe – a sustainable wardrobe with clothing that fits you personally. In her profile, you’ll find lots of very useful tips as to how to achieve that level of sustainability that will allow you to feel comfortable any time, anywhere.
4. Lifestyle
Here’s the truth #1: people love making themselves the heroes of their own stories. And here’s the truth #2: people love listening to amazing stories and envisioning themselves as a part of those stories. This is what this Lifestyle niche is all about: showcasing your life, your ideas, and your opinions for your audience.
Do you have something to tell and to show? Something that could really wow your followers and perhaps make them wish they were in your shoes? Something that could motivate them to grow, to come out of their bubble and think out of the box? If your answer is yes, this niche is for you.
Have a look at influencers who have already chosen this niche and are rocking it:
KB Abode
This Instagram profile isn’t just aesthetically pleasing. It’s all about low-waste home interior and eco-friendly solutions you can easily implement at your residence. Although, home decor isn’t all you can find here. Shopping, decoration, cooking – all the simple things that matter in your everyday life – find a refreshingly simple and sincere reflection here.
Dune’s Life
This influencer promotes a positive attitude to life without alcohol, meat or caffeine. Her photos radiate with joy and love for life at all times. Dune’s Life offers a great deal of motivation to her followers: to make changes in their lives, to try something new, to try and be happy with what they’ve got.
5. Business (making money online)
God bless the world wide web and how it can bring people from different corners of the world together. Thanks to this we now have more business opportunities than ever. What’s even more awesome, there are lots of business opportunities that let you earn some money without leaving the comfort of your home.
Now, who’s not interested to hear more about that? You can hardly call it surprising that a niche like this is well-liked by people.
It’s all about making money. Methods, ideas, tips, whatever can motivate people to try and increase their wealth and/or business acumen.
Peter Voogd
Peter Voogd is, as he describes himself, a “leading authority for Millenials”. He uses his profile to motivate younger businessmen and share his business wisdom with them. So if you would like to learn tips and tricks on startups or know more about productivity – you can learn all that here.
6. Animals (pets)
People love all creatures great and small and this love gets only stronger. There is a reason why the pet industry sales are expected to reach the whopping $99 billion in 2021. Accounts dedicated to animals (including pets) are getting so popular they outshine human celebrities.
Sure, these days you’ll need more than a cute pet and a camera to attract a large audience of loyal followers. You’ll have to be more creative than that to stand out among other animal lovers on the platform. But if you have original ideas and a four-legged friend that has all it takes to be a star, you’ve got potential.
Here are some Instagram accounts that can give you some ideas and keep you motivated:
Lionel the Hog
Lionel the Hog is an incredibly cute hedgehog that has a taste for scenic backdrops and exquisite interior design. No wonder brands like Wayfair want to choose the spiky Instablogger to market their products!
Tito the Raccoon
This furry influencer loves an active lifestyle and, above all, eating. He will melt your heart with his charisma, undeniable charm and clever antics. Tito the raccoon might not have a huge following but he sure has those sweet, sweet brand deals.
7. Food & Cooking
People love eating. That’s something that is not going to change, no matter the times, political turmoil or economy. And maybe not all people love cooking but there are definitely lots and lots of those who like to watch someone cook.
Cooking and foodie blogs are at the rise on Instagram. So if you’d like to jump on the bandwagon and can share some awesome recipes and cooking tips with the world, it’s the right time to do so.
Here is someone you might want to get ideas from:
Naturally Ella
Erin Alderson is a vegetarian chef and educator. She will tell you everything about natural cooking and veganism you always wanted to know but wasn’t sure who to ask. Even if you are a dedicated meat-eater, you will find lots of useful ideas in her profile. Vegan food has never looked to mouth-watering.
8. Traveling
Are there any people who don’t like traveling at all? Even if you can’t afford the luxury of traveling to the most amazing parts of the world, there are Instagram travel bloggers. They will bring the world to you, wherever you are. Most impressive destinations, mind-blowing sights, rea-life adventures.
And if you are the one who loves traveling and does that a lot, it’s only natural to start an Instagram blog about your travels and experiences, right?
Here’s someone who can inspire you by example:
Francesca Murray
Francesca Murray has been sharing her passion for traveling ever since 2014. She enjoys all the things traveling to new destinations brings: exploring new cultures, learning new languages, trying new foods.
9. Parenting
According to IPSOS study, 68% of young moms use Instagram on a daily basis. eMarketer says that young moms take a look at their Instagram account 15 times per day. And trust me, dads are not less active.
Instagram is a great way to stay in touch with other parents, share your experience and useful advice. And since there is such a great opportunity, why don’t you use it to make some money?
Here’s a parent who learned how to do it right:
Susie Verrill
Susie is a former Look magazine editor and a mother of two beautiful kids. Her profile mirrors her everyday life with all the joys of married life and parenting. Simple but incredibly heart-warming things made special thanks to Susie’s positive energy.
10. Crafts & DIY
Being able to make something with your own hands is incredibly fulfilling. Being able to teach others how to do something with their own hands is also rewarding. It’s definitely true for those DIY accounts on Instagram that managed to build some hefty followings. So why don’t you try and make some money by doing what you love?
Tator Tots and Jello
Jen is a mother of five who manages to design all kinds of amazing crafts on a regular basis. You can only envy the energy and amount of inspiration she no doubt draws from her loving family.
11. Memes
Memes are all the rage now. Any social network is full of them, and Instagram is no exception. Memes are entertaining and don’t take much of your time – a perfect recipe for Instagram popularity.
If you think you can create memes that your friends and friends of your friends will share over and over again, why don’t you try this niche?
That’s what this influencer did:
Bored?
Have you ever had too much time on your hands and didn’t know how to kill it? Here’s a perfect cure for boredom. Most relevant memes and jokes you could find on the Internet, gathered in one place for your convenience.
12. Motivational (quotes)
When you don’t have time to read all the inspirational works of literature but really need that motivational wisdom in your life, reading quotes is a great solution. Here is a reason why quotes are hugely popular on Instagram.
Maybe you can generate your own motivational quotes on an industrial scale? Then this is just the right niche for you.
Addicted 2 Success
This motivational account might not have the largest following, but it’s definitely one of the most viewed. No surprise there: here you can find all kinds of inspirational captions and quotes for any life’s situation.
List of Instagram niches
Is that all? What if none of the above-mentioned hottest niches appeals to you so much it makes you want to start a profitable Instagram account? No worries, there are plenty of other niches to choose from. Here’s a list of other niches (and sub-niches) you might find interesting:
Pregnancy
Weight loss/gain
Haircare/hair loss treatment
Yoga
Online dating
Relationship advice
Sex and sexuality
Blogging
Writing/copywriting
Social Media Marketing
Language learning
Learning to play a musical instrument
Astrology
Tarot
Religion
Photography
Video editing
Life coaching
Cryptocurrency
Time management/productivity
Psychology
Interior design
Baking
Music
Gaming
Of course, this is not a full list of all the niches. As I mentioned earlier, there are over a thousand of them. This means that you can always choose what you really like. Choose a popular niche or a smaller one. Combine two or more sub-niches to fit your area of interest. Do whatever you like to create your own, original, unique content that will help you grow and make money.
How to find your niche
Let’s face it: you can’t be good at everything. And when it comes to a successful Instagram account, no one wants to be the proverbial “Jack of all trades, master of none”.
So the first step you want to make as a beginner Instagrammer is answering these questions:
What do you enjoy doing?
What can you do well?
What can you do that people need?
What can you do that people are willing to pay for?
Let’s say, for example, that cryptocurrency is a very popular niche and quite a profitable one too. But you know next to nothing about it. And to be honest, you are not too interested in the subject. Do you have to go through a cryptocurrency crash course hoping that one day it will bring you money? Of course not.
By forcing yourself to do what you are not an expert in and, what’s even worse, you don’t enjoy, you are preparing yourself for failure.
Here are a few simple rules for beginners:
You have to be well-versed in the topic of your choice. Make sure you are so good at it you can easily explain why you are the best to anyone.
Always rely on your passion and experience.
Create a brand they’ll love.
Always keep up with the latest trends.
9 easy steps to make money on Instagram
So how do you make your Instagram account grow? How can you build a dedicated audience? Here are nine easy steps for you:
1. Fill in the “Bio” section in your profile properly
It doesn’t matter if you are a business owner or just a user who wants to monetize their account. Strategic thinking always works. Bio is an extremely important section of your profile. It’s your visit card, something that introduces you to users who look at your profile for the first time.
Don’t forget to use links to your other social network profiles.
2. Post regularly
You do remember that Instagram is a social network, don’t you? This means that you have to give your audience what they are interested in consistently and regularly. Otherwise, they’ll just use interest. And there is nothing worse than the disinterested Instagram following.
Besides, if you post your content regularly, your audience grows faster.
3. Always answer the comments
Never leave your followers’ comments without an answer. Create a special hashtag, if you have to, so that your followers could send you content. And this kind of content significantly increases your brand’s reliability and your audience’s loyalty.
4. Use hashtags each time you post your content
Hashtags are one of the most efficient tools on Instagram. You can add up to 30 hashtags, the optimal number would be up to 15. Always remember that the most popular hashtags are also the most competitive ones. If you only use them, your content might get lost in the ocean of other posts. Before choosing the hashtags for your posts, do a little research and see how many posts are under each hashtag. Feel free to create your own unique hashtags.
5. Pay special attention to your text content
You’ve got a limit of 2000 characters to tell your story and show how unique your brand is. There are no rules here really. Just know your audience well and don’t be afraid to experiment. Ask your followers to share your content, tag a friend, to like your post.
6. Constantly work to improve the quality of your content.
The competition on this platform is massive. Since your posts don’t show on the feed page chronologically, they must be very, very good.
7. Don’t forget about video content
Video is the best format for visual communication and one of the best ways to boost engagement. Besides, Video content is one of the hottest Instagram trends in 2021.
8. Get in touch with other influencers
If you want to grow fast, you’ll need some help to attract attention to your profile. Establish mutually beneficial relationships with other influencers and use their influence to your advantage.
There are a few ways to do that. The first one is mutual advertising. Find other profiles operating within your niche and ask them to share your content while you share theirs. The second one is buying ads. Buy an ad that an influencer with a larger following will post in their profile.
But before establishing this business relationship with other influencers, make sure that their level of engagement suits your purpose. It would also be useful to check how authentic their following is and whether they have a lot of fake accounts following them. This is rather easy to do using trendHERO tools.
9. Make use of Instagram Stories
Stories have an advantage compared to regular posts and so they should become one of the essential instruments in your Instagram marketing. The main advantage is they are always the first thing other users see in your profile, right on top. Another thing is active users always check Stories even when they don’t read any posts.
Feel free to use all the new Stories features like animation, games, masks, text, etc.
Conclusion
Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social platforms. This is where the most active users are. And as such, it has become a powerful instrument for marketing and money-making, whether you are an entrepreneur or an aspiring blogger.
There is definitely no lack of profitable niches. There is nothing that can keep you from monetizing your skills, ideas, and passions. So don’t waste this great chance to make some money on what you really love.
9 Proven Ways How to Make Money on Instagram (2021)
As one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, Instagram has quickly gained over one billion active users.
Over the past few years, it’s evolved from a simple photo-sharing app to a powerful marketing tool that influencers and businesses of all sizes are using to reach their target audiences.
According to Instagram Business, 60% of people use this platform to discover new products, 80% of them follow at least one brand, 200 million accounts check out a business profile each day, and 66% of profile visits are from non-followers.
Much like Google and Facebook, Instagram is a place where potential customers are every single day.
If you want to learn how to make money on Instagram, you need the right business model.
Where do you start?
In this article, we’ll cover the top strategies to start making money on Instagram this year.
Let’s get started.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links that I may receive a small commission for at no cost to you if you purchase a plan. However, these are the tools I have vetted and fully recommend when it comes to making money on Instagram. You can read my full affiliate disclosure in my privacy policy.
How to Make Money on Instagram.
People can make big money on Instagram: The recent Hopper HQ report claims that Kylie Jenner is paid around $1. 2 million for a single post on Instagram. Obviously, if you’re not one of the world’s most well-known celebrities, your estimated earnings may vary depending on the following count, engagement, reputation, and more.
In this article, we’ll cover the top ways to make money on Instagram:
Table of Contents
1. Promote Affiliate Links. 2. Sell Physical and Digital Products. 3. Publish Sponsored Posts. 4. Become a Brand Ambassador. 5. Create Visual Content for Sale. 6. Provide Social Media Marketing Services. 7. Write Captions for Businesses. 8. Make Instagram Stories Masks and Filters. 9. Find Freelance Clients.
1. Promote Affiliate Links.
To make money with affiliate marketing, you need to join high paying affiliate programs so that you can add affiliate links to your Instagram and make a commission on the sales you generate.
When done right, affiliate links can bring in big money.
As you can see from this site’s Blog Income Reports, I bring in over $80k/month, mostly from affiliate programs.
To do this, look into joining affiliate networks like Shareasale, Clickbank, Awin, and Impact. You can also join individual affiliate programs right from a company’s website or by searching: “COMPANY + affiliate program. ”
Since Instagram has a solid user base of engaged people, it’s a perfect place to promote affiliate links.
No matter how many followers you have, you can insert a clickable link in your Instagram bio. For instance, a fashion blogger Sophie Shohet uses this feature to promote affiliate links:
Since Sophie has more than 10k followers, she can also create clickable Instagram Stories. And here’s how she promotes affiliate links within her posts and on her profile:
Instagram followers pay close attention to Instagram posts, so using captions to tell about affiliate marketing links is a great way to grab the attention.
However, all links in Instagram posts are non-clickable, so adding a URL isn’t the best idea as readers have to copy the link manually from your text.
Thus, it’s better to write a call to action, inviting your readers to click on the link in your bio. One note is that it’s important to disclose affiliate links since you get a commission on each sale.
2. Sell Physical and Digital Products.
Over the last few years, Instagram has turned into a strong sales generator for ecommerce brands.
Since people actually do use Instagram to discover and buy products, they rolled out more business account features like in-app checkout, the shop button, product tags, and shoppable stickers to make the shopping process easier.
One brand new tool you can use to sell products from Instagram is Square Online.
This tool takes Instagram posts from your feed, and turns them into a fully-shoppable website in 3 simple steps:
Connect your Instagram account to items in your Instagram posts you want to sell. Click “Publish” and launch your own website.
As it’s tough to sell products online from Instagram alone, it’s a great idea to also have a website. And this new tool from Square Online makes this super easy.
You can get started with Square Online for free and just pay transaction fees. Then you can upgrade to a paid plan when you’re ready to build a website with your own custom domain.
For other options, you can look into choosing an ecommerce platform or website builder to launch an ecommerce website, then use Instagram as another marketing channel.
If you’re a beginner, you could also start a dropshipping business so you don’t have to ship your own products or handle returns.
Another option is to learn how to sell on Amazon and promote your products on Instagram that way.
Either way, you need to add links to your content in your Instagram account.
Just write a call to action and include a website link so that interested followers can learn more about your offer.
And if you have switched to an Instagram creator account, you can create shoppable posts to sell physical products in-app. Check out how Katie Sturino did it:
From cheap cosmetics and second-hand clothes to luxurious apartments and expensive cars, people buy all kinds of products on Instagram.
No matter what you sell, your potential customer is probably there. However, it’s important to find your niche and look at the competition by searching for hashtags and keywords you want to target.
3. Publish Sponsored Posts.
Influencer marketing is on its rise, according to Social Toaster: 92% of individuals trust word-of-mouth recommendations, 76% of people say that they’re more likely to trust content shared by common people than brands, and 82% of customers want to get referrals from friends before making a purchasing decision.
Simply put, people seek out peers’ recommendations, so it’s no wonder more and more brands reach out to influencers to get shoutouts for their brands.
Since users crave transparency on Instagram, all influencers need to disclose sponsored posts, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines for online advertising. And here’s how a sponsored post may look like on Instagram:
Daphne Nur Oz is a popular TV host with over 387k followers, so it’s no wonder that big brands like reach out to her for a chance to enter an already-established community of engaged Instagrammers.
Want to know the best part? There’s no need to have a solid following to start making money with sponsored posts. When choosing the right influencer, most brands pay close attention to the engagement rate, so even big brands like Dunkin’ want to work with nano- and micro-influencers.
Since these influencers have in-person interactions with the majority of their subscribers, they deliver better results, which means you can get an offer even if you have less than 1, 000 followers count on Instagram.
4. Become a Brand Ambassador.
Sponsored posts work well on Instagram, but most companies want to establish long-term relationships with influencers, so they seek out brand ambassadors who can promote a company in a positive light on a regular basis.
Since Instagram is the most preferred channel for influencer marketing, it’s a perfect place for users to find brand ambassador programs and collaborate with companies to promote their products. Large brands also frequently send free products to influencers so they can review and promote them.
For example, Jay Alvarrez is a lifestyle blogger who posts photos and videos on his Instagram and YouTube channels. With a highly-engaged community of over 6 million loyal followers, brands are eager to build a long-term partnership with him.
Not only do brands invite Jay to become a brand ambassador, but they also offer him to create capsule collections and co-branded products. In 2018, he designed a travel and luggage bag line for the Norwegian company Douchebags.
Most brand ambassadors sign contracts with brands to promote their products. And to get better results, brands need to find an influencer who has a following that represents the target audience. For ambassadors, this means a great opportunity to make money as the standard salary for a brand ambassador is somewhere in the $40-50, 000 range.
Micro-influencers in a specific niche are often more valuable to brands than major celebrities as they have a more engaged audience.
5. Create Visual Content for Sale.
It’s no secret that Instagram is a visual platform: People upload 100 million+ of photos & videos daily. However, it’s not enough for brands to upload overly polished professional photos of their product to stand out from the crowd.
Modern customers crave authenticity, so they pay close attention to user-generated content.
In fact, most consumers believe that UGC is 35% more memorable than other media, so businesses of all sizes want to publish content created by their customers. Simply put, it’s your opportunity to sell photos and videos you create.
When it comes to the travel industry, companies of all sizes invite real travelers to take photos showcasing their experiences while staying at brand properties in exchange for free accommodation and payment.
Here’s an example:
And here’s how the company uses the same photo on their Instagram profile:
Publishing user-generated content in the travel industry gives great results.
For example, a small town in New Zealand, Wanaka, achieved a 14% increase in tourism after working with Instagram influencers who shared the images of the city on their profiles.
However, I don’t recommend this approach unless you have a huge following. There’s nothing more annoying to hotel owners than a fake influencer asking for a free stay.
6. Provide Social Media Marketing Services.
It’s no secret that Instagram has strong sales potential, so more and more brands want to use this platform to promote products, reach out to the target audience, and increase sales. According to Business Instagram, over 25 million businesses and 2 million advertisers are on the platform.
The competition is growing, so brands need professional assistance if they want to cut through the noise. In other words, social media marketing services are in great demand.
Case in point:
Jenn Herman is an Instagram expert who has proved her niche expertise – she writes for Social Media Examiner and she has worked with big brands. Today, Jenn Herman offers a great variety of services, including social media strategies, consultations, and training. Guess what? Jenn uses Instagram to promote her social media marketing services:
Brands crave different social media marketing services – from training and guidance to monthly support. This means social media experts have many opportunities to find freelance gigs and make the most out of their knowledge on Instagram.
7. Write Captions for Businesses.
The days when only big brands could afford Instagram marketing are far behind us. Today, brands of all sizes want to use this platform to promote their products and services, and 92% of small businesses plan to invest more time and effort in social media marketing.
While big brands have a great in-house content creation staff, small business owners often seek out freelance talent to reduce social media marketing costs. Thus, they often want to find creative specialists who write captions for their businesses at a low cost.
Take a look at the most popular online workplaces like Freelancer and Upwork, and you’ll find hundreds of offers like the one below:
Image Source
To get a full-time job offer, you need to prove that your application stands out from the crowd, and the best way to do it is to show your social media marketing writing portfolio. Plus, you need to run your Instagram page creatively so that interested employers can see examples of captions you write. The more creative and engaging your captions are, the more potential clients you can hook.
8. Make Instagram Stories Masks and Filters.
Back in 2016, when Instagram copied Snapchat’s short-lived content and launched Instagram Stories, no one could have predicted the booming popularity of this content format.
Today, over 500 million people watch or create Instagram Stories daily. Since this type of content is available for a limited period of time, people are highly engaged, and it gives brands more opportunities to hook their target audience.
What is more, companies create Instagram Stories masks and filters to prove their niche expertise and promote their products. While some companies have in-house designers who create filters for their brand, other brands want to collaborate with talents who specialize in Instagram masks and filters.
And if you’re interested in creativity, you can build an income stream on Instagram as the Spark AR Studio allows all users to create AR filters for Instagram Stories. For example, Brend Cardenas uses her Instagram to promote Instagram filters she creates:
With the growing popularity of Instagram Stories, there’s no doubt that ephemeral content is the future of social media. Thus, making Instagram masks and filters is a great way to showcase your creativity and earn money on the platform.
9. Find Freelance Clients.
Instagram is not just about posting cute photos of your puppy. Since we’ve hit the 1 billion active Instagram users milestone, it has become a wonderful platform for networking, especially for people in the creative fields. Today, more and more professionals use this platform as an online portfolio.
No matter what you do for a living, whether you’re a filmmaker, ghostwriter, or public speaker, you can utilize Instagram to find clients.
Jing Wei is an illustrator who has worked with Etsy, Panda Express, New York Times, etc. With over 20k followers, Jing uses her Instagram profile to share her latest works. In collaboration with Shake Shack, Jing Wei created the mural and she posted the result of her work on her profile:
When people dedicate their Instagram accounts to work stuff as Jing Wei does, it’s easy to understand that they can be interested in finding new clients. Moreover, you can always use your Instagram bio to tell your visitors that you’re open to finding gig jobs. Here’s a good example:
Furthermore, you can stay proactive and offer your services – just find an Instagram account that must be interested in working with you and slide in their DMs.
For example, Al Falk is a web designer who uses this technique to find freelance clients, and it gives results.
All in all, the key to success is to stay credible in your niche, so it’s important to showcase your work on Instagram and tell your visitors that you’re open to new freelance opportunities.
How Much Money Can You Make on Instagram?
Celebrities can earn a lot of money by posting on Instagram. In fact, the highest paid social media influencers get anywhere from $8, 400 to $1. 2 million per post. Obviously, your income depends on your reputation, your number of followings, and your ability to grow your Instagram over time.
To calculate your estimated earnings from your online presence and social accounts, it’s important to calculate your engagement rate. Why? Engagement shows that your audience is active, so it’s no wonder that influencer prices and costs depend heavily on this metric.
Views and clicks don’t mean anything unless users take action.
The formula is pretty simple: Combine the number of likes and comments per one post and divide it by the number of followers, then multiply by 100:
No matter what your engagement rate is, there is always room for improvement. The main idea is to find your niche and promote your services so that your income can also grow.
How to Make Money on Instagram FAQ
Can I sell products on Instagram? Yes, you can sell products on Instagram with Shoppable Posts. However, it’s best to use an ecommerce platform in unison with Instagram to increase your sales channels. Here are the steps to get started:1. Create an Instagram account and convert it to a business profile. Make sure that you have a Facebook Page with an active product catalog. Ensure that you are selling physical products, as services aren’t allowed. Once eligible, you can add product tags to your individual posts. To do this, select a photo you want to tag, tap on the product in the photo, enter your product name from your catalog, and click done. Can I make money with 1, 000 Instagram followers? You probably won’t make a lot of money with 1, 000 followers, but it’s still possible. Brands typically pay anywhere from $10 per 1, 000 followers to $500 for every 1, 000 followers depending on your niche and engagement. If you have around 1, 000 followers and want to make money, you should look into coupling your Instagram with other marketing channels. For example, you could learn how to start a blog and link to your digital products or affiliate marketing articles from Instagram. Additionally, you could sell products on your own website with an ecommerce platform. While you won’t make much money with 1, 000 followers, omnichannel marketing strategies can boost your income from other channels. How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram? The amount of followers you need to make money on Instagram varies depending on your industry. While you can make money with 1, 000 followers or 1 million followers, make sure to focus on engagement. Micro-influencers with a highly-engaged audience can be more valuable to brands than huge celebrities with millions of followers. Remember, brands don’t just want impressions and views, they want users to take actions – leads, email sign-ups, and sales. How do I get Instagram followers fast? In order to quickly grow your Instagram and build up your follower count, there are many different strategies. Here are some of the top ones to try:1. Plan an Instagram strategy based on your target audience. Create a well-planned bio and profile. Have consistent branding and color schemes. Start sharing high-quality content and promote via other social channels. Use a hashtag tool to find relevant hashtags and add up to 30 to each post. Schedule and post on a consistent basis. Run contests, giveaways, sweepstakes, and provide promo codes to entice users to follow you. Use influencer marketing tools to connect with other influencers in your niche and work to get featured on their accounts. Use Instagram advertising to pay for more followers. 10. Join Instagram communities in your niche and be an active member of the community. How many Instagram followers is considered average? While the number of followers vary widely by account, the average number of followers is considered to be around 150. There are many profiles with 100 followers or less all the way up to millions of followers. If you are an individual with a personal account or a small business, you may have a lower follower count. The key is to maintain an engaged and active audience rather than focusing on vanity metrics. How do you get sponsored on Instagram? Getting sponsored on Instagram requires a lot of work and a consistent approach to growing your follower count. Most of the time, you’ll have to pitch for paid sponsorships rather than brands coming to you. Here are some tips to get sponsored:1. Define your brand and deeply know your audience. Post consistently with hashtags and geotags. Tag brands in your posts that are in your niche. Include contact information and links in your bio. Start reaching out and pitching paid sponsorships.
The Bottom Line.
Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms with the highest engagement, so it’s easy to make money on the platform if you use it the right way. From sponsored posts to social media marketing services, there are many creative ways for anyone to make money on Instagram.
Ultimately, putting time and effort into Instagram is a great investment that builds over time. And it’s never too late to jump on the bandwagon and start to monetize your Instagram account.
Check out my reviews of the best social media management software to accelerate your growth this year.
****
Guest Post: By Hugh Beaulac, Content Manager behind MC2 blog.
Frequently Asked Questions about profitable instagram accounts
Which is the most profitable niche on Instagram?
Best Instagram niches for growing your profile in 2021Health & Fitness. With the growing number of global health and environmental issues, no wonder many people decide to take special care of their health and lifestyle. … Beauty. … Fashion. … Lifestyle. … Business (making money online) … Animals (pets) … Food & Cooking. … Traveling.More items…•Apr 16, 2020
How much money does 1000 Instagram followers make?
Brands typically pay anywhere from $10 per 1,000 followers to $500 for every 1,000 followers depending on your niche and engagement. If you have around 1,000 followers and want to make money, you should look into coupling your Instagram with other marketing channels.
How can I make a profitable Instagram account?
How to Make Money on Instagram 4 Ways (Tips for 2021)Work as an influencer to post content sponsored by brands.Be an affiliate marketer selling other people’s products.Earn money for your content through tips and ads.Become an entrepreneur and sell your own products.
