Yes, You Can Actually Make Money on Instagram—Here’s How I Did It

Photo: Color Joy Stock

How do people actually make money on Instagram? 

It’s a question you’ve probably asked yourself as you scroll through your feed. The bad news is that there is no one way, the good news is that there are so many options and you don’t have to be a model or celebrity to make it work. You may think that making money on Instagram is reserved for the rich and famous, the Kardashians of the world, or those fashion bloggers who get millions in commission each year, but there is space for you too!

I wanted to have a side hustle beyond real estate, I wanted to bring in extra income and feel more in control of my finances. I built a large Instagram following by that time teaching women about personal finance and real estate. People asked me all the time how I monetized my Instagram, so I launched a product to teach people just that.

There are many factors to consider when you want to make money via Instagram. However, there are a few things you can focus on to get yourself in the right place to start creating revenue from your account and allow your audience and engagement to grow. Here’s how I did it—and how you can too.

1. Remember, First Impressions Are Everything

You may think that your images and content are what get people’s attention (which has some truth to it), but the true first impression is your bio and profile picture. When you are putting your bio together, make it concise and have a clear call-to-action pointing to your website. When anyone visits your page it should be crystal clear who you are and what you do. Make sure your link goes directly to your sales page so it’s beyond easy for your audience to make the decision to buy what you offer. Additionally, after your bio description is squared away, make sure you have a professional photo or a high-quality logo as your profile picture.

2. Bring Value

Your content is everything! If you aren’t giving thought to what you post about or share on your stories, you aren’t doing your audience or yourself any favors. But what is valuable is content that not only provides information to your niche but also is entertaining, educational, or brand-oriented. Find what resonates with your audience and showcase your expertise in order to brand yourself as an expert. If you need help coming up with content, study the popular pages of your niche. Take note of what goes viral and upcoming trends and use it for inspiration, but make sure it’s true to you. The last thing you want is for your content to be a carbon copy of someone else’s.

3. Focus on Client Conversion

Your audience is just an audience at the end of the day. While the number of followers you have is important, your biggest priority should be turning your followers into paying clients or customers. But how? It’s about the choices you make when it comes to your content. This content should provide details of what you're selling, social proof, and testimonials in order to build trust with your audience. When your following sees real people having real results from something you offer, that creates trust. Your following needs to know the details of your product or service and you need the reviews to back up your claims. It’s all about credibility and trust when it comes to Instagram. 

4. Be Careful When It Comes to Partnerships

Not all brand partnerships are a good fit. You may get caught up with the dollar signs, but a partnership that isn’t aligned with your brand can impact your reputation and can cause followers to lose trust in you. You can never make everyone happy, but if you do decide to take on brand partnerships, particularly paid ones #ad, make sure you carefully consider the pros and cons of that specific company and the timing. 

Any person or company that tells you that you can pay your way to a lucrative Instagram presence is scamming you. I made $100k in 90 days on Instagram with only one product. That’s not typical, but it also wasn’t handed to me. I found a hole, I created a solution, and people came running. That’s what it takes to monetize your Instagram, instead of thinking of it as the answer to your problems consider it as a tool to let people know how capable you are and why they need your service or product.

I’m not special, I didn’t do anything miraculous. I just showed up and shared my story and my expertise and people started following along. If you are passionate about learning more about personal finance and taking control of your financial story, I’d love for you to follow along. 

“While the number of followers you have is important, your biggest priority should be turning your followers into paying clients or customers.”

—Ariel Adams, Digital Selling Expert

About the Expert: Entrepreneur Ariel Adams is a dynamic 26-year-old social media expert and realtor who uses her online presence to encourage financial literacy. Known as “The Money Realtor,” this Virginia-based businesswoman launched several online courses and e-books that focus on helping budding entrepreneurs monetize their Instagram. It only took her 90 days to generate over $100,000 in sales through social media alone.

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This Entrepreneur Walked Away From a Scholarship at a Top University

Written by: Karin Eldor

Whether Jasmine Star waxes poetic about entrepreneurship on a podcast, offers up social media engagement tips in her Facebook Live workshops or talks about her dog Polo in her Insta Stories, one thing is clear: she speaks as she is. The wedding photographer and social media strategist has blazed a trail of authenticity, guts and determination.

Jasmine’s star rose to fame as a wedding photographer when she was 25 years old. But here’s the clincher: when she first picked up her camera, she was actually a UCLA law student who didn’t know the first thing about photography. Luckily, she’s into shots in the dark.

Talk about a pivot: Star took a life-changing leap of faith, without even knowing if photography was her passion. 

“That's the crazy thing,” she admits. “I didn't know if photography was my passion... I believed it was my passion, I hoped it was my passion, but I didn't know it was my passion.  However, I had to at least try to figure it out. I owed it to myself.”

Star explains: “When I was 25 years old, doctors said my mom was dying of brain cancer.  She was only 50.  In that moment, I thought I was having a midlife crisis.  I was literally half the age of my dying mother… I understood how fast life flies by and I promised to do everything I could to ensure I didn't look back on my life from a hospital bed and wonder, What if…”

So she walked away from her UCLA law school scholarship to follow her heart.

“I believe entrepreneurs owe themselves the chance to try to pursue their curiosity,” Star continues. “Curiosity is the thing that leads to passion, so I'm hell-bent on chasing my interests to determine if they'll morph into my wildest passions.”

“Entrepreneurs owe themselves the chance to try to pursue their curiosity.” 

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That Christmas, her husband JD gifted her with a camera, and the rest is her-story. Jasmine pursued her (then TBD) passion and clicked her way to become one of the world’s premier wedding photographers. Four years in, she became one of the most sought-after photographers in Cali and was voted “Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World” and “Top 10 Most Socially Influential Photographer.”  

Her advice to others also considering a pivot? “Release yourself from people's expectations of your decisions. If you're looking for people to ‘get’ you or applaud your career-switching decisions, you may be searching for a long time.  The vast majority of people are afraid of trying something new, but -- more so -- afraid of failing publicly.  Most people don't want to be vulnerable and run the risk of closing the doors to a dream.”

Star adds, “Your responsibility isn't to handle the naysayers, nor is it to convince others that your decision is right. Your only job is to do what you've been created to do.  You must stand in the rightness of your vision and let your success silence their doubts.” (And, mic drop.)

But everything has its purpose and Star’s law school experience has impacted the businesswoman she is today:

“I firmly believe every experience helps me as an entrepreneur.  For example… Being a waitress taught me how to hustle and smile when dealing with rude customers. Working in retail taught me how to dress for the job you want, not the job you have (and properly fold a T-shirt). Volunteering for a janitorial union in L.A. taught me to treat everyone with utmost respect, even if they're cleaning toilets. Law school taught me to think in non-emotional terms and see every situation in black and white.”

Amazingly, Star evolved from wedding photog to branding & social media strategist, helping other entrepreneurs and creatives build a brand and pursue their vision, with her Path to Profitability business summits and workshops. Her evolution from creative to consultant is proof that some of the best career transitions happen organically.

"Stand in the rightness of your vision and let your success silence their doubts.”

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“It was natural. Totally. I built my brand from scratch and used social media to buttress it.  Shortly thereafter I taught other photographers how to do it for their businesses and soon a variety of business owners asked for my help.  I began consulting with creative entrepreneurs and saw their business explode with growth and entrepreneurial flair.”

Star explains: “The Path to Profitability was a labor of love and resulted with 12 hours of teaching content to entrepreneurs on how to build a brand and use social media to market it effectively. We hosted the workshop and recorded it to share it digitally with entrepreneurs.  When I was creating it, I set aside two hours every day for four months to write and assemble the content.”  

Star’s advice on how to maintain your voice as a brand?

“Write your copy like you're talking to a friend.  There aren't rules for good writing. Actually, there are lots of rules.  But ignore them. In today's digital world, the main goal is to get your point across as quickly as possible, in the strongest fashion… and write it the way you'd send an email to a good friend.  Make jokes.  Add smiley faces.  Talk to, not down to, people.  This makes a world of difference.”

Amazingly, with everything Star has on her plate, she still manages to answer all the emails to her website within 48 hours, all the while engaging with her over 160K Instagram followers.

And interaction and engagement seem to be what makes Jasmine Star the brand tick. Not only are her posts authentic, but she loves sharing nuggets of truth and wisdom for those who scroll her social media feeds. This is likely why her INSTA180 free 7-day challenge resonated with people.

“I love social media.  Like, love it. I've been able to grow my social platforms with concentrated effort and dedication.  Most of my marketing efforts are bolstered by social media, so I love teaching others how to use it.  INSTA180 was created to teach entrepreneurs how to use Instagram for their businesses. I've learned being popular isn't as important as being profitable.  Can I get an amen?!?”

"I've learned being popular isn't as important as being profitable."

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But it’s not all roses, right? So how does Star deal with the thorns and keep viewing the world with rose-colored filters?

“You are enough. You have enough. You need to give yourself grace, in spite of your mistakes. Abundance flows through you. You need to celebrate others' successes as happily as you do your own.” This is Star’s own mantra. 

As for the entrepreneur' mom:

“Here's some good news:  my mother miraculously recovered from brain cancer… and she's the first person I call when I'm ready to make yet another pivot.” Which, happens to be her advice for surviving the daily hustle: “When you're down, get up. Take breaks when you need them. Call your mom. Invest in good coffee.”

Amen number two. 

###

Karin Eldor is a coffee-addicted copywriter, with a long-time love for all things pop culture, fashion and tech. Ever since she got her first issues of YM (remember that one?) and Seventeen in the mail, she was hooked on the world of editorial content. After earning her Communications degree, she spent 6 years honing her craft as a Senior Editor for AskMen.com. More recently, Karin enjoyed gramming and strategizing as Social Media Manager at ALDO. Today, she is Chief Content Writer at 818 Agency and a social media consultant.

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Why You Need To Tap Into User-Generated Content Now

@planoly

Every brand has their own social media strategy. If you’ve nailed yours by now, then awesome - you’ve crafted your secret sauce to your digital success.

However, every now and then, you have to try moving outside of your box and add a few more ingredients that not only will make your social strategy better but will open the doors to tons of more content that you can work with without you even having to create any of it.

If you have yet to tap into integrating user-generated content into your social strategy, then it’s time that you do. There are many reasons why brands can be a little hesitant to share content that isn’t produced in-house, but as long as it aligns with your brand, aesthetic, and messaging, you’re in the clear. Here are the three reasons why you need to get on user-generated content STAT.

Trusted More Than OG Content

User-generated content is authentic - plain and simple. When your audience sees people that are just like them and they can relate to sharing content than a staged post directly from the brand, they will instantly feel that they can trust your brand more. While original content is always great, it’s never a bad idea to sprinkle in user-generated content to ensure that your audience can be shown as an integral part of your content.

Don’t believe us? In a study done by Crowdtap, millennials trust user-generated content 50% more than any other media and is 35% more memorable. The numbers show it’s time to switch up your strategy.

User generated content is trusted 50% than any other media and is 35% more memorable.

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Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward

When we say minimal effort, we say that loosely because, in order to make sure that your audience engages with you and creates content for you to share, you have to put just as much effort to engage with them so they can reciprocate the love.

A great way to get started is to regram content from people who follow you that are posting photos that are on brand, and encourage other followers to share their photos with a specific hashtag for a chance to be featured from there on. Once you build traction, you will see more and more people will tag you and use your hashtag, and you will have more user-generated content to work with (none of which required any production from your end to create.) Also, you start building an online community this way, so double whammy. 

Encourage your community to share their photos with a hashtag for a chance to be regrammed. 

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An easy way to keep track of those who use your hashtag on Instagram and regram it without a watermark is using PLANOLY, which will allow you to see how the image will look on your feed even before you post it live.

When developing PLANOLY, founder and Create & Cultivate Dallas alumni Brandy Pham kept the importance of user-generated content in its interface. “Since the launch of PLANOLY’s Discover feature, it’s been so much easier for our users to discover user-generated content from their audience and customers and working regrams into their grids effortlessly. They’ve been utilizing it on the go on our app and also on the web dashboard."

Builds Brand Loyalty

Sharing user-generated content shows your followers that you’re paying attention to them and have created a two-way connection in what is often seen as a one-way connection with a lot of other brands online. The minute that you can turn your brand into a personality and actually connect and engage with your audience, their loyalty towards your brand will grow exponentially.

Have you used user-generated content, and how have you integrated it into your social media strategy? If you haven’t started, are you planning on doing it now? Let us know in the comments below.