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How to make money on Instagram with less than 10K followers

. 5 min read . Written by Vanshika Goenka
How to make money on Instagram with less than 10K followers

"Money, get away                                                                                                                 Get a good job with more pay and you're O.K.             Money, it's a gas                           Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash             New car, caviar, four star daydream,                  Think I'll buy me a football team…"
Money - Pink Floyd

Making money online is not easy, but making money on Instagram is easier than several other methods. Everything changed when Instagram stormed into the social media scene. Instagram is probably your favourite social media channel as it’s a fantastic way to share your life moments with family and friends.

But for many Instagrammers, this is their favourite channel because they are doing the same thing as you are and laughing all the way to the bank. Yes, you got that right mate! Apart from connecting with your loved ones and promoting your business, you can also make a lot of money on Instagram. You don’t even need a lot of followers to do this. Let us tell you how to do it using these 7 ways or strategies!  

  1. Get paid for sponsored posts.
  2. Promote affiliate links.
  3. Start an Instagram shop.
  4. Generate revenue from your content.
  5. Become an Instagram coach.
  6. Advertise your brand.
  7. Earn money by teaching your audience.

But before we dive into the sevenfold path, let’s understand why Instagram is a good option to make money. We mean, there are so many other apps, right? So why Instagram? Here’s the real deal.

  • Instagram accounts with over one million followers can make more than $1000 per post, according to influence.co.
  • Instagram surpassed more than a billion global users by the end of 2020. In the beginning of the year, it was the second most downloaded app.
  • If the popularity of Instagram hasn’t convinced you, maybe the words of Mark Zuckerberg will. Here’s what he had to say about Instagram: “Our goal is to be the best platform for creators like you to make a living.”

Show me the money!

The best part is that you don’t need to be a celebrity to make money on Instagram. Regardless of whether you are a bricklayer in Iran by day and a filmmaker by night (yes, he exists) or a talented content creator in New Jersey who couldn’t raise enough funds to go to film school, or a bored Indian housewife with a hidden talent for designing jewellery, Instagram could make all your dreams come true! Many micro-influencers with a tiny following of a few thousands on Instagram now make a sizable income using these 7 strategies.    

What do you need to make money on Instagram?

  • Reach
  • Influence
  • Engaged followers

The sole reason that Instagram receives money from businesses is the exposure businesses get from the audiences for the same, only to make more money from them. Logically, these brands would be interested to invest their money only in influencers with large followings. So, having a few hundred Instagram followers won’t help your cause as your content wouldn’t have the Reach. It wouldn’t be seen by a lot of people. Hence, to make money, you will need a few thousand followers to begin with.

But keep in mind that just having a big follower count won’t translate always into high engagement. On the other hand, if there is active engagement on your posts even with a thousand followers, brands will be keen to invest in you.    

The sevenfold path to make money on the ‘Gram

1. Get paid for sponsored posts

This is what the majority of people do to earn money on Instagram. They become influencers and are paid to advertise products. This needs you to have approximately 5000 followers and a high engagement rate. What one does is post pictures that highlight their personality according to their interests.

Gradually, a personal brand is created as you organically build your influence. Brands will then approach you to create a sponsored Instagram post. Once the deal is cracked, you include a branded hashtag, link, or mention that would promote the brand you’ve tied up with.    

This one is not very different from the above. The only difference is that you receive the money only if people buy the product you are endorsing or promoting. You do not receive the money just by posting. Bit of a quid pro quo this!

3. Start an Instagram shop

An Instagram Shop is when you merge your e-commerce store with your Instagram profile. You can then promote your products directly to your followers on Instagram by posting about them.

4. Generate revenue from your content

You can monetise your content through IGTV ads, Live Badges, and third-party sites like Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee.

5. Become an Instagram coach

Anyone with a large following can do this! If you have tasted success on Instagram, get paid by sharing your expertise and methods with others who are keen to do the same. All you have to do is show them how to create a following on Instagram and make money. Déjà vu?  

6. Advertise your brand

Many smart entrepreneurs have used Instagram to sell their products. It doesn’t matter what your product is as long as you can sell it to your followers. Instagram is the platform that you need to advertise your brand. Travel agents, for example, have aced this concept on Instagram.  

7. Earn money by teaching your audience

You can use your Instagram account to sell info products. This is basically teaching your followers to do something and make money in the process. Examples could be practicing meditation or yoga techniques, learning Spanish, or baking cakes, etc.  

FAQs

1. How do beginners make money on Instagram?

You can make money from Instagram using the following ways:

  1. Brand partnerships - By creating your exclusive content, you can tie up with brands to promote their products and services and receive money in return.
  2. Shopping
  3. Fan membership and exclusive content
  4. Promote affiliate links
  5. Sponsored content
  6. License photographs and videos
  7. Consulting
  8. IGTV ads

2. How many followers do you need to get paid on Instagram?
Making money on Instagram is possible now with only 1000 followers. The main requisite is engagement. As long as your thousand followers are actively engaged, by liking, sharing and commenting on your posts, you can make money on Instagram.

3. How many views do you need to get paid on Instagram?
Normally, influencers can hope to be paid 10 dollars for every 1000 followers after they reach the 100,000 mark. Before reaching this mark on Instagram, you are likely to be paid less.  

4. What kind of Instagram accounts get the most followers?
The following content is the most followed on Instagram and generates maximum interest: