Instagram is one of the largest social platforms in the world, with over 1 billion users worldwide.
Your target audience isn’t just browsing the app – they’re also Shopping.
This means you have a huge opportunity to get your products or services in front of the people who need and want them – all thanks to the creative opportunities offered by visual platforms like Instagram.
I’ve made over $32,500 on Instagram over the past five years.
This is not my main selling platform. However, it’s a great source of income and a place where I can have fun and give it a try.
That being said, because it’s so popular, Instagram can also be crowded.
Here are some tips to help you get noticed on Instagram and sell more successfully.
1. Make sure your account is a “Business” account
Before you can expect to make money on Instagram, you must have some basics.
First: make sure your account is a “business” account.
This may seem obvious, but it’s important.
business account Has specific features that make marketing easier, such as:
- Insights about your audience.
- More options to add valuable information to your profile to help people find/contact you outside of the app.
- The ability to promote a post to reach more people.
2. Double check your brand
Next, double-check that your brand is consistent across channels, including Instagram.
This makes your presence recognizable and memorable.
Your avatar, the style of your posts, and even your resume should all match your existing brand image.
For inspiration, check out the accounts below @magnolia and @teachable.
3. Be consistent and deliver value
Once you have a presence there, how do you sell on Instagram?
Like the rest of your content, focus on consistency and delivering value — not just sales.
For many people, selling accounts is a huge hurdle.
If everything you post is product features with buy links, you won’t have an engaged audience for long.
And, as you probably know, an engaged audience is better for convert.
People who know, like and trust you are more likely to buy.
Consistent, high-quality Instagram content is critical to the sales equation.
Posting regularly — not just in reels or stories — helps build trust over time through the foundation of high-value, static posts, Carousel posts.
4. Create high-quality posts to sell more products on Instagram
High-quality posts help build your presence on Instagram and attract new followers who may eventually become customers.
What does a high-quality post look like?
- high quality images Incorporate into your overall brand vibe.
- valuable relevant information – Whether in the post image itself or in the title – prove your expertise, be relevant to your industry topic, and give your audience something to chew on (for less serious accounts, entertainment value is also important! ).
- reliable release Your audience can trust (That means you won’t disappear for days or weeks at a time without notice).
- part of the planned content schedule Make plans weeks in advance as part of a master plan content strategy.
4. Use smart tools
Managing your Instagram account manually can be a headache.
Posting daily, sometimes multiple times a day, in various formats can be exhausting.
Fortunately, there are plenty of tools to help you plan your Instagram grid so it looks cohesive and consistent.
A good tool can also help you schedule posts and create relevant headlines Label.
Some tools to consider:
- MeetEdgar – Lots of great features, including an automatic content scheduler that pulls posts from your library.
- after – All-in-one tool with a range of flexible plans.
- Bazaar Pulse – Tools for managing all your social accounts, not just Instagram.
5. Post Reels Solve Pain Points
For best results, use all the features at your disposal to sell on Instagram.
A good strategy is to publish reel A thorny pain point is solved specifically for your audience.
The solution you offer should be your product/service, which you can link to in your bio and mention in the reel itself or in the title.
6. Use ‘biolinks’ strategically
To sell more on Instagram, don’t link to your homepage in your bio.
Instead, link to a targeted landing page where customers from the platform can make a purchase.
You can change the links to point to various landing pages related to specific products, and then add CTAs to “links in bio” on static posts featuring those products.
Since you can’t link static posts directly, this is a great way to fix this.
E.g, Check out this article From VSCO, and notice where they direct you to “Discover more with the link in our bio.”
7. Link to the product/service in the story
Joining Stories and sharing products or services is another great way to sell on Instagram – especially since you can use stickers to link directly to products.
It doesn’t have to be fancy either – talk about the product directly to the camera and show it off, tell a story of a customer’s success with the service, etc.
You can add link stickers directly to product pages to your stories.
By the way, this feature used to be locked for certain types of users, but Instagram recently opened it give everyone.
8. Save Product Featured Stories to Highlights
Are some of your product stories well done? No need to let them disappear into the ether – save them to your story collection!
Make sure to only create specific highlights for stories that feature products so customers can easily find them.see how Mulan Already did it on their profile – they kept it simple and named their product highlights “shop”.
You can also create different highlights for different product types etc.
9. Promote posts featuring products/services
Promoting (or “boosting”) product posts is one of the easiest ways to create an Instagram ad.
This will make your post more visible and engaging, which will draw you more attention to your product or service.
Specifically, promoting posts that are already doing fairly well in terms of engagement.
These posts are more likely to perform in front of new people because you know they will appeal to your existing audience.
Check out Instagram short visual guide Increase the post for more good tips.
10. Use tags wisely
Using hashtags with many selling tips in this guide can give your product/service an even bigger boost.
The right labels can make a huge difference in how easy it is for new customers to find you, your business, and your products.
Take some time to research these and tag posts, stories and scrolls accordingly.
Also don’t forget the brand label.
These are the tags you create for your brand and products that help customers who are already shopping with you find exactly what they’re looking for.
For example, Magnolia has a “#MagnoliaHomeRugs” tag so customers can find posts with this product type.
11. Sell with Instagram Shopping
Finally, don’t forget that Instagram has introduced a feature that allows you to sell directly within the app: Instagram Shopping.
Once registered and connected to your online store, you can create a “store” on the app and link directly to products in your store in posts, scrolls and stories.
Start selling on Instagram
It’s easy to start selling on Instagram, whether you’re a well-known brand with a website or just starting to sell online.
That said, a good content strategy will help you sell better.
After all, online selling today is as much about brand trust as it is about cleverly presenting products.
Once you nail both, the sky is the limit.
More resources:
Featured Image: Look Studio/Shutterstock
