Introduction: how to earn money from Instagram

You’ve probably seen the hashtag #HowToMakeMoneyOnInstagram. It’s been trending on Twitter, so it must be good. But what does it really mean? Who is using it? Is it a scam?

Have you noticed how many indie developers create a website long before the public release of their app and offer to notify you when it becomes available?

 This is no coincidence. Having little to no traction on launch day can profoundly affect future engagement, especially if you are dependent on a third-party distribution channel such as Apple’s App Store (that uses engagement as one of the parameters to determine which apps it suggests to users). Developers send out mailers on launch day to all those who signed up, in the hope to have a high volume of downloads on day one, and ideally in the first hour itself.

The above is just one way of doing it. Other methods of generating traction include: beta programs (which is a great way to test your product as well as build a user base before launch); video or live product unveils (a common practice with established enterprises who give product sneak peeks months in advance); and more recently (but hard to do well), the method of creating viral campaigns on social media to hype the product.

But whatever method you choose, you should strongly consider some form of paid promotion to supplement it (and accordingly budget for it in advance). Paid doesn’t necessarily mean print or online ads, it can also be sponsored reviews.

The YouTube channel MacRumors often does sponsored reviews. They clearly title them as such and are generally neutral in their descriptions. This and other kinds of promotions get your product the attention it organically may not receive; and if done wisely can bright great ROI.

Use relevant and popular hashtags

 

If you have a large Instagram following, you should likely consider publishing content based on that community. If your following is small, you can still do it and make some money, but it will be more difficult.

 

I won’t go into too much detail here, since this is more of a general guide and not a specific piece of advice (like this post’s title suggests). But I will mention that getting sponsored by brands and publications is an option if you can find them.

 If not, then try posting something relevant to your product in the hopes that they may follow-up or write about it. You can also get paid to do some research for them or help out with data analysis.

Post interesting and engaging content

 

Now, I’m going to make a much bolder claim:

Instagram is the best place to get paid to write a blog.

Whether you are a writer, designer or content creator, Instagram is the best place to sell your services or products. There’s a reason why many of the most popular brands are on the platform.

Not only can they sell stuff, but they can also sell their brand and brand awareness too!

So, if you want your audience to visit your site more often or use your service or product more often, become an Instagram Guru! When it comes to writing blogs though, I think there’s no better way than Instagram because of its scope and reach. That’s why if you have an account on Instagram and have over 100k followers it could pay for itself in just a couple of months. It will help build up your followers (which in turn will help with engagement and likes), get new followers (which helps with organic traffic) and so on.

Monetize your account

 

This is a simple but, at the same time, a very powerful technique that many of you use effectively. But it’s easy to forget about, especially if you’ve been focusing on getting your product into the hands of users. One way to do this is to get in touch with your customers and ask them what they think of your app. We do this with our email newsletter, and we’ve even done it with live chats, so it can be done without having a product at all (e.g., if you have a great idea for an app, go write it up).

This has two benefits:

1. It gets your user base more engaged (they get a chance to tell you their thoughts on your app);.
2. It gives you something valuable to say when they purchase your product (or don’t).