Today I read a lot of articles about how to make money online with Instagram. I mean I am always on instagram and have watched some accounts grow from 0 to 1M followers so I couldn’t help but wonder: What if I could make that happen for myself?
All the articles I read showed that I can achieve my dream of making money on instagram through several methods. But the most common theme I see is that the end goal is to sell something.
To sell something you need people's attention. You also need to earn their trust and impress them enough, so that they can take action.
Instagram, like TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube, is a powerful platform to connect with the right audience. But turning followers into customers? That’s where the magic happens—and from what I have gathered, the process is actually simple- well at least on paper.
First you find a product to sell. Whether it’s your own product or someone else’s through affiliate marketing where you can get commission on every sale.
Then, set up a market place. People need an easy way to buy your product. Use platforms like Stan Store, Shopify, or Gumroad for this. These tools make it simple for followers to shop directly from your Instagram profile.
StanStore for direct links in your Instagram bio.
Gumroad for its user-friendly setup.
Shopify if you need more customization.
Now you start posting consistently about your product niche. Content is what draws people in. You need a lot of posts to get people's attentions.
Your posts can be entertainment posts, posts about facts in the niche, or quotes that people can relate to.
The ultimate goal is to create posts that add value so people want to follow you and keep coming back for more.
Grow an email list
Once you have a good number of followers, you need their email addresses to help you promote your product even further. They say, the money is in the list, and I believe it.
So how do you get their emails? Give them something free!
Offer a freebie. Digital products are perfect for this. If your niche is about productivity, give away a free 1-page planner. People enter their email addresses in exchange for the planner.
That's it, you now have email addresses....email addresses of people who are interested in productivity and by extension in any productivity-related product you sell.
Using tools like ConvertKit, will help you organise and build a the email list of people who download your freebie.
Market to the email list
With an email list in place, you can now use email marketing to share tips, exclusive offers, and product recommendations.
Then what next...
Offer more free products. Get more sign ups.
Keep repeating the process, and watch your email list and sales grow.
This is the method I am going to try in 2025. I already know my niche after using this niche finder.
Hopefully I will find success.
What Success Will Look Like
I’m setting realistic goals for the first six months:
Grow my Instagram followers to 5,000.
Build an email list of 1,000 subscribers.
Earn $500/month from digital product sales.
To achieve these goals, I’ll dedicate time every week:
Sunday: Plan and batch content for the week (2-3 hours).
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Post on Instagram (15-30 minutes).
Saturday: Review analytics and adjust my strategy (1 hour).
Here’s the content mix I’ll focus on:
Educational Posts: Quick tips or facts about my niche.
Relatable Quotes: Posts that make people say, “That’s so me!”
Entertaining Reels: Fun, snackable videos that showcase the benefits of my products.
As mentioned earlier, I’ll spend 2-3 hours every Sunday planning and batching my content for the week. This will include creating captions, choosing hashtags, and designing visuals using Canva.
Why I’m Excited About This
This method excites me because it’s simple, scalable, and fun. I already know I love being on Instagram, so turning it into an income stream feels natural. Plus, the idea of connecting with people, helping them solve problems, and earning money while doing it is incredibly motivating.
A Valuable Resource to get you started
I’ve created an Instagram Guide with all the research I’ve done to get started. It includes:
How to find your niche.
Content ideas to post, even if you’re busy.
A step-by-step strategy to grow followers and monetize effectively.
If you want to save time and skip the guesswork, grab the guide and let me know if it helps you!
This is my plan for 2025, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me. Let’s make this journey together! If you are considering this method, let me know in the comments.