How to make money on Instagram as a business owner
An excellent way to make money on Instagram is by using your IG account as a storefront to sell physical and digital products. Design and sell trending products or anything else that you’d personally like to buy. Here are several ways to go about it.
1. Get creative with POD (print-on-demand)
Probably one of the easiest ways to start selling products on Instagram is through a print-on-demand provider. Partnering with a service like Printful enables you to print your unique designs on hundreds of different products (like custom hoodies, mugs, shoes, blankets, posters, and hats) without making a large upfront investment.
When someone makes a purchase on your ecommerce store, the POD company will automatically print your design on the product, pack it, and ship it to your customer with your branding. This way, you don’t have to worry about stocking up on inventory that may or may not sell or deal with the logistics of packaging and shipping your products to customers worldwide.
Printful also provides you with product mockups to showcase your items on your Instagram. Use the Instagram Shopping feature to tag products in your stories, reels, and posts.
The Aussie Mom is the perfect example of how to make money on Instagram by selling print-on-demand products. She uses a mix of her own photos and product mockups to create a fun, colorful Instagram page. This helps promote her products to her following and ultimately get sales.
Source: @theaussiemom on Instagram
2. Try dropshipping
The dropshipping business model is very similar to POD in that you’re only responsible for setting up your ecommerce store and handling marketing while the supplier or manufacturer fulfills your customers’ orders. The difference is that you don’t have to design the products you sell. Dropshipping simply means the seller accepts customer orders without having stock on hand, so you can also sell products that someone else has designed.
Some popular products to dropship are clothing, home & living products, accessories, and baby products.
With Instagram’s in-app shopping features, you can streamline the purchasing process, making it easier for Instagram users to buy directly from your Instagram feed. With the right mix of high-quality visuals, targeted Instagram marketing, and engaging content, Instagram can be a powerful platform to drive your dropshipping business forward, turning browsing into buying and followers into customers.
3. Buy inventory in bulk
Buying things in bulk at a low price point, keeping inventory, and selling them one by one is probably the most traditional approach on our list. However, advertise the items in your Instagram store, and voilà, another option to make money on Instagram.
Buying in bulk often means that you get products for a lower (wholesale) price, which may help you save money in the long run. Plus, the manufacturer or distributor will sometimes provide you with product photos to help you get your business rolling.
However, a major downside to this model is that it requires a large upfront investment. You’ll need to buy multiple sizes, colors, etc., of the same product without knowing if and how well they’ll sell. Plus, you’ll need a place to store the stock, which could be an added expense if the products take up a lot of space.
This could be a good idea if you already have strong ecommerce marketing knowledge or experience running a traditional in-person store. But it’s a riskier way to start selling products instead of, say, using the POD model.
4. Sell thrifted or handmade products
Another way to make money on Instagram is to tap into the second-hand market or offer handmade goods. Both have become super popular for customers looking to make more sustainable choices, pay less for brand names, or buy novel hand-crafted items.
To test the waters, you could start by running an online “garage sale” with your own stuff. Create a post for each piece of clothing, furniture, or appliance, make a reel showcasing the items, and post video stories inviting followers to check out your offering.
If you’re ready to take it a step further, you can browse thrift stores in your area or online and flip things you find for a profit.
Audrey Leighton Paris is doing just that. Based in Paris, the brand launches a collection of elegant clothing and accessories each month. It’s made up of quality pieces that are thrifted, sourced from collectors, or made new in her atelier. New or vintage, Audry Leighton creates stunning, coherent visuals for every product.
Source: Audrey Leighton Paris
5. Sell e-books, courses, or tutorials
The market for digital goods is growing twice as fast as the market for physical products. How can you seize this opportunity? Make money on Instagram by selling digital products and services.
E-books: This is an excellent way to share your insight or interests with your IG followers. It could be a recipe book, a financial advice book, a fiction book, or a book on any topic you’re an expert in or passionate about. Create posts with snippets from your book, and go live answering the audience’s questions on the topic. It’ll show your expertise and that your digital product is worth paying for.
Atticus Poetry started off by sharing their poetry on Instagram and has now published their 4th book, which is available both as an e-book and in hardcover. They’re also making money by selling merch with their most beloved quotes.
Source: @atticuspoetry on Instagram
Video courses: E-learning really took off during the pandemic and is expected to continue to grow. So if you have knowledge that others are interested in, create a course! Again, you should show off your expertise on Instagram by posting snippets of the material, but just enough so your audience becomes interested in paying for the complete learning experience.
Karina from Perfect Face without injections is an expert in facial massages and exercises. Her Instagram profile consists of short tutorials, before and after photos of clients, and invitations to join self-care “marathons”—video courses that followers can sign up for.
Source: @karina_na_more on Instagram
6. Sell photos, illustrations, and digital art
Photos: Instagram is an ideal platform for photographers to showcase their work, be it breathtaking landscapes, intimate portraits, or captivating street photography. Your imagery can tell stories, evoke emotions, and, most importantly, attract buyers. Instead of creating beautiful photos of a product, your product is the beautiful photo.
You can sell photos directly on the platform or use Instagram to promote your work on one of many websites for selling photography, where customers can buy prints or digital copies. Engage with your audience through behind-the-scenes content, photo stories, and insights into your creative process, which can add value and context to your work.
Illustrations: For illustrators, Instagram serves as a digital gallery where each post can highlight your unique style and creativity. From detailed sketches to bold graphic designs, your illustrations can capture the attention of potential clients.
Use captions and stories to share the inspiration behind your pieces, upcoming projects, or exclusive offers for your followers. Consider offering custom illustration services or promoting your availability for freelance projects, effectively turning your Instagram page into a portfolio.
Digital Art: Digital artists like Shaun Ryken use Instagram to display their art and sell it in various forms, including NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and printed merch like t-shirts.
By creating visually striking and meaningful digital artwork, you can engage a community of art lovers and collectors interested in owning a piece of your creativity. Highlight the uniqueness of your digital art by sharing the process behind creating each piece, from initial sketches to final touches, and direct followers to platforms where they can buy your art.
Valuable read: Selling on Instagram vs. Etsy: What’s Right for You?
Source: @shaunryken on Instagram
