There is a lot of money to be made with affiliate marketing, and Instagram is the perfect platform on which to do it. With over 2 billion active users, Instagram offers an unparalleled opportunity for affiliate marketers to reach a vast and engaged audience.
But how do you get started? And what are the best ways to make money with affiliate marketing on Instagram?
In this guide, we will answer all your questions and teach you everything you need to know about how to make money with affiliate marketing on Instagram in 2023.
How Does Instagram Affiliate Marketing Work?
Affiliate marketing on Instagram is all about connecting companies with potential customers through creative posts. By adding an affiliate link, you can help promote products and services in a visually appealing way that will grab attention and drive traffic.
You can create effective affiliate marketing campaigns that benefit everyone involved with the right approach. The key is to find products or services and a good affiliate marketing program that fits well with your brand and then create content that highlights the value of those products in a way that resonates with your audience.
How to Do Affiliate Marketing on Instagram in 2023
Achieving success with affiliate marketing on Instagram requires a mix of strategy, creative content, and hard work. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, it can be a great way to make money.
Here is the best Instagram affiliate marketing strategy in 2023:
Switch to a Creator or Business Account
If you want to make money with affiliate marketing on Instagram, you need to have a Creator or Business account. This will give you access to essential features, such as insights and the ability to add links to your Instagram stories.
This designation on your account verifies your reliability to followers and businesses. You’ll be viewed as a dependable source interested in something other than conducting a scheme or making money rapidly.
Find Affiliate Partners or Businesses That You Want to Work With
To affiliate market on Instagram, you need to find an affiliate program. Amazon Associates is an excellent example of this; with them, you can gain a commission of 1-10% of every sale you generate.
For businesses, it’s a good idea to find companies in your niche that complement your brand. For example, teaming up with a jewelry company would make sense if you’re a fashion blogger.
Your affiliate partner should have an attractive product, a generous commission structure, and a brand that meshes well with yours.
In addition, companies might approach you to begin an affiliate partnership, which is why it’s important to have a business profile or creator account so that you appear legitimate.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have any businesses in mind, try searching Instagram for relevant hashtags, such as #affiliatemarketing or #ad.
Choose Products Relevant to Your Niche and the Type of Content You Create
Ensure the products or services you partner with tie to your niche, target audience, and existing content. For example, if you produce technology-based content, partnering with a beauty company would be different from what influence and content you already have established.
The products you select to promote should be high-quality and something you would use or recommend regardless of whether or not you’re getting paid. This way, you can avoid any potential legal issues and maintain a good relationship with your followers.
Here’s a professional tip: Test out their products or services before partnering with anyone to ensure they benefit everyone involved.
Build Your Influence
You can cash in on your influence in a number of ways, but affiliate marketing is one of the most popular.
As your influence grows, more businesses and brands will take notice. They’ll be interested in working with you because you have a captive audience that trusts your opinion.
The number of followers you have isn’t as important as your engagement level with them. A small group of highly engaged followers is worth more than a large group of unengaged followers.
To increase your influence, we did a little research and found some key methods:
- Share mostly non-promotional content: Content that’s useful, inspiring, or entertaining
- Be personal and relatable: Let your personality shine through
- Post frequently and consistently: Keep your followers engaged
- Encourage engagement: Ask questions, run contests, and post-behind-the-scenes content
- Post when your audience is active: Use insights to determine when the majority of your followers are online
- Pick a niche: Focus on a specific topic or industry
Share Your Unique Links or Codes
Who doesn’t love a good discount? Your followers will definitely appreciate it if you share exclusive deals with them, and you can get paid for them.
Linking to products in your Instagram feed or stories is easy; add a swipe-up link in your Instagram bio and include the URL of the product you’re promoting. When followers click the link, they’ll be taken directly to the product page.
Some brands also give you a unique code to share with your followers. When they use the code at checkout, you’ll get a commission.
Pro Tip: Not only is it best to be clear with your audience about affiliate partners when you add affiliate links but it’s also considered a good business practice.
Instagram Affiliate Marketing Best Practices
Isn’t it a good feeling when you find a new hack that makes your life easier? And that too from experienced people in the same field? We’ve got some tips to help make your affiliate marketing journey as seamless as possible.
Increase your Instagram following
A larger following will make promoting your affiliate marketing endeavors easier and add credibility and social proof to your Instagram account. But keep in mind that you need to add value to your audience, so don’t just add any old affiliate link and hope for the best. Instead, focus on creating content that will appeal to your target audience and add value to their lives.
The process of gathering a following on Instagram is similar to that of other social media sites–by interacting with others. A simple way to do this and make friends in your niche is to comment, like, and follow people who post content related to your interests.
If you’re just starting out, aim to leave 5-10 comments per day. This way, people will start taking notice of your affiliate profile, and you’ll slowly but surely build up a following.
Use Instagram Hashtags Appropriately
When you use hashtags, make sure they are relevant to your photo and caption. If you spam hashtags, not only will you look desperate, but you’ll also be less likely to get likes and comments from real people.
The best way to find popular hashtags to use is to do a simple Google search. For example, try searching for “#health” or “#fitness” if you’re in the fitness niche.
Another great way to find popular hashtags is to use a service like Hashtagify.me. This website allows you to enter a keyword and see related hashtags as well as how popular they are.
Create Your Own Visual Style
Which photos get the most likes? The ones that are visually appealing, of course. So if you want to make your photos stand out, never post a photo that looks like everyone else’s.
To develop your own visual style:
- Start by analyzing other people’s photos in your niche.
- Take note of the colors, filters, angles, and compositions that they use.
- Start experimenting with your own photos until you find a style that works.
It might take some time to find your niche, but once you do, stick with it. Consistency is key on Instagram, and your followers will come to expect a certain aesthetic from you.
Leverage Instagram Reels
Reels are a great way to show off your personality and give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your life. Due to the short time span of Instagram users, you need to make a video that quickly grabs attention and keeps viewers hooked throughout.
While filming your reel, always keep in view the interests of your target audience. If you need help deciding what type of content to post, look at the reels of other people in your niche and see what’s working for them. Also, don’t forget to use relevant hashtags so that your reel can be easily found by interested people.
Contests and Giveaways
Whether it is influencer marketing or affiliate, organizing contests and giveaways is a strategy you cannot afford to miss. By hosting competitions that your followers can participate in, you’re promoting the brands you work with and giving them a chance to be rewarded.
What’s more, these contests could generate hashtags that would help boost affiliate marketing and get more attention for the brand. Of course, this method is only effective once you’ve built up some following first.
Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are a great way to increase your followers and engagement on Instagram, especially when starting with affiliate marketing. With sponsored ads, you can target specific demographics and interests that you want to reach.
You need a business profile to promote your posts on Instagram, but you can still advertise on the Instagram app with your personal profile if it is connected to a Facebook Business Page. You would just have to use the Facebook Ads platform.
Note that affiliate marketing sales are more likely to happen when the influencer has a good relationship with their audience.
The best way to get started with sponsored posts is to find a brand in your niche that you want to work with and contact them directly. If they’re not open to the idea of sponsoring your posts, you could also try partnering with an influencer marketing agency.
FAQs
Is Instagram good for affiliate marketing?
Yes, Instagram is ideal for affiliate marketing because it boasts high engagement rates between 2% and 7%. This is significantly higher than Twitter, Snapchat, and other social media platforms. Additionally, Instagram has an impressive 928 million advertising reach which is why so many brands prefer to market on the platform.
How many followers do you need for affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing has a low number of followers, but having 5,000 to 15,000 is a good start. To be on the safe side, aim for an engagement rate of 100 likes per post and at least 1% to 3% engagement on each post. This will give you a fair idea of how much reach and engagement your posts are getting.
Why is affiliate marketing important?
Affiliate marketing is necessary because it’s how brands reach new customers and create sales. By partnering with influencers, affiliate marketers help brands tap into new markets and create a following. Additionally, affiliate marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise.
Let Your Instagram Account Work For You
You can turn your Instagram feed into a powerful affiliate marketing tool by following the tips we’ve outlined. Just remember to focus on creating quality content, building relationships with your followers, and partnering with the right brands. With a little effort, you’ll be on your way to success in no time.