Making money online has never been easier. You can launch a startup, blog, create an ecommerce site, and the list goes on. But none are as profitable as being a social media influencer. And becoming a social media influencer is easy. Well, if you do it right.
One of the top social media channels to be an influencer on is Instagram. Instagram has over a billion active monthly users. If your target audience is in the U.S. you have over 120 million Instagram users to win over. There’s also every niche on Instagram, from fashion to unboxing videos.
First you need to gain Instagram followers, and then you can build exponential influence. What can you do with this new found influence? Make money! Let’s dive a bit deeper into how you can make money as an Instagram influencer.
Start Making Instagram Influencer Money With Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are a great way to start making Instagram influencer money. But you do have some competition out there. There are over 500,000 influencers on Instagram. If you position yourself right and grow your influence, you can compete.
The first metric you will need is follower count, but don’t go and buy followers. This is a great way to not make money as an influencer, since brands are looking for followers and engagement.
Engagement is the communication you get from each post. For example, if your post gets a lot of comments and is shared heavily, you have a high engagement rate. Make no mistake, brands will ask and/or research this.
How To Get Paid For Instagram Sponsored Posts
- Get your niche right. Your niche is important, as it will be the hallmark for your content. The niche you choose will also guide brands to you as an influencer. If your niche is travel, you will be focused on travel brands for sponsored post cash. But don’t go too broad. Niching down and being a micro-influencer can be pretty profitable.
- Build trust and net more followers. As an influencer, you need to build an audience base that trusts you and the recommendations you make. This means that you need to have sponsored posts that you actually believe in. If you think a product or service isn’t good, so will your followers. Posting consistently will also build trust and grow your followers.
- Get brands to pay you to post. This can be a bit more challenging. However, if you have a decent follower count and engagement per post, this will be easier. To find brands, you can pitch them directly by reaching out to the marketing manager or marketing director. You can also partner with a reputable influencer marketing platform. An influencer marketing platform can simplify the process, teaming you up with brands.
Make Money As An Influencer By Becoming An Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways to make money as an influencer. In fact, you may have helped influencers get paid by clicking on links in Instagram posts from your favorite influencers.
Becoming an affiliate marketer is also pretty easy. If you have an Instagram page with a decent follower count, you can sign up to affiliate marketing platforms like Rakuten, Commission Junction, FlexOffers, and others. You can also become an affiliate marketer as an influencer by partnering with a brand directly.
The beginning part of the process is the same. You need to have a niche to get brands to give you affiliate links to make money on. Once you have this in place, you can get posting.
How to make money as an affiliate marketer on Instagram
- Partner with brands. Partnering with brands is easiest when you are an advertiser on an affiliate marketing platform. For example, once you are approved by Rakuten you can begin requesting approval from brands on the Rakuten network, like Macy’s, Foot Locker, Reebok, and more great brands.
- Get affiliate links. Affiliate links are also called advertiser links. These links contain a unique URL code that only applies to you as an affiliate marketer for brands. Once a brand approves you to be an affiliate, you can access product URLs in the affiliate marketing platform.
- Post using the affiliate link. With your affiliate link ready, create a unique post in Instagram with the link in the post. Be sure to make your post personalized to convert your followers into paying customers. You get a percentage of the sale for every follower that clicks the link and buys a product.
In Conclusion . . .
Build Instagram influence and make money as a social media influencer today. If you already have a decent follower count on Instagram, you can begin posting sponsored posts or become an affiliate marketing influencer in no time. What influencer strategies have been profitable on your influencer journey? We want to hear from you.
