Gone are the days when Instagram was only about sharing moments with your friends and family. Now, it’s a platform where you can also make some serious money and turn it into a profitable business! While selling products or services is a popular approach, there are other ways to monetize your Instagram account without being salesy.

In this article, we’ll dive into various strategies to make money on Instagram, and share practical tips to help you succeed. So, let’s get started on your journey to Instagram success and financial gain! Before we jump into the strategies, let’s first focus on building a solid following on Instagram.

How to build A solid following on Instagram

Having a larger following means more people will see your content, engage with it, and ultimately, provide you with more opportunities to make money. Here are a few tips to help you build your following:

1. Pick a niche:

Identify your passions, expertise, or unique interests. By focusing on a specific niche, you can establish yourself as an authority and attract a dedicated following rather than random people with random interests. Whether it’s fitness, fashion, travel, food, or personal development, select a niche that aligns with your interests and has a potential audience.

2. Create High-Quality Content:

Make sure your posts are not only visually appealing but also informative and interesting to your target audience. Spend time crafting captivating captions that grab attention and use Instagram’s features like Stories, Reels, carousels, etc. to diversify your content and keep things fresh.

3. Use Relevant Hashtags:

Research and include hashtags that are related to your niche. This will increase your visibility and attract an audience who is interested in the type of content you’re sharing. Experiment with a mix of popular and niche-specific hashtags to reach a broader audience.

4. Engage with Your Audience:

Take the time to respond to comments and direct messages, and actively engage in conversations with your followers. Building a loyal and engaged community creates trust and makes brands more likely to want to collaborate with you. Remember, having an engaged community of 1,000 followers is more valuable than having a stagnant community of 20,000 followers.

8 Strategies to Make Money on Instagram Without Selling Anything Directly

1. Freelancing Services

Now, you might be thinking how is it making money without selling anything? The point here is you don’t have to be pushy or reach out to people directly about your services. Instead, you can attract clients automatically by creating high-quality content and establishing yourself as an expert in your niche.

I’ve personally experienced this strategy’s effectiveness by closing a client deal with less than 100 followers (It was an inbound client request). Yes, you heard it right! In this approach, all you need to do is create high-quality, relevant content related to your niche and establish yourself as an expert in your field. By actively engaging in the community and consistently sharing valuable content, you can capture the attention of potential clients.

The best part about this strategy is that it’s not about the number of followers you have. What truly matters is creating exceptional content, actively connecting with your community, and maintaining consistency. Let your expertise shine, and you’ll witness clients naturally gravitating towards you.

2. Brand Collaborations

Brand collaborations are partnerships between influencers or content creators and brands to promote products, services, or campaigns on Instagram. And here’s a friendly reminder that be mindful when taking up sponsored posts for brands. Remember, your audience comes first! So, only go with brands that your audience will love or find helpful and keep a balance between the valuable content you post and the sponsored content.

3. Paid Shout-outs

By doing paid shout-outs, you can monetize your influence and reach on Instagram. It allows you to earn income while maintaining authenticity since you’re promoting products or services you genuinely believe in.

Paid shout-outs are a win-win situation as brands and individuals get exposure to your audience, while you get compensated for your endorsement. However, it is important to choose partners/brands that align with your niche and brand values. This ensures a natural fit and higher engagement from your followers.

4. Becoming a Brand Ambassador

A brand ambassador is someone who represents a company or brand and promotes their products or services to their audience. They have a close relationship with the brand, working together to create engaging content and participate in marketing campaigns. The goal is to establish a strong connection between the brand and its audience, building trust and loyalty.

So, being a brand ambassador is a long-term game that can help you to make money on Instagram without selling anything. All you have to do this, work on your content, branding, and building a strong and engaged follower base.

5. Instagram Coach or Consultant

If you have made a good following on Instagram for yourself or your brand, why not help other do the same?

As an Instagram coach, you provide guidance, advice, and strategies to help individuals or businesses grow their presence and achieve their goals on Instagram. If you have a massive following on Instagram, you can add a CTA (Call To Action) in your Instagram bio to let people know that you can help them with growing their Instagram brand. And, because you already have a massive following, there is no question about trust.

Here’s a CTA Example:

Want to level up your Instagram game? Discover the secrets to massive growth, captivating content, and unwavering influence. DM me to transform your Instagram presence today!

6. Instagram ads

Ads in the Instagram profile feed show up as you scroll through an Instagram profile. As you browse a profile and view its content, you may come across ads placed between the posts.

Note: This feature is currently being tested and is available to the creators in the US region. Check out this article for more information on Instagram Ads.

7. Live Badges

When you go live on Instagram, your viewers have the opportunity to show their support by purchasing badges. These badges provide them with extra recognition during the live stream, while you, as the content creator, earn money from the badges received. It’s a way for your audience to support you while you continue creating engaging content.

Note: This monetization feature is available in some specific regions at the moment and there is an eligibility criteria attached to it. Visit this page for more details.

8. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing basically means that you partner with brands, promote their products using unique links, and earn a commission when your followers make purchases. And like any other strategy discussed here, it is important to stay authentic by choosing products/services you genuinely believe in, so that your audience doesn’t feel cheated. If you like a product/service, you can create relevant content around it and then add a short CTA like “For more details, check out the link in my bio.”

The best part is that there was a new update recently, where Instagram allows you to add multiple links to your bio. For more details and a step-by-step guide, check out this post on how to add multiple links to your Instagram bio.

Keep in mind that growing your Instagram account takes time and dedication. Stay patient, stay true to yourself, keep experimenting, and prioritize creating content that truly connects with your audience. By implementing these strategies and tips, you can generate income on Instagram without being salesy, transforming your passion into a profitable journey. Most importantly, enjoy the process and let your authentic brand personality shine through!