How to Make Money on Instagram With 500 Followers (25 Ways)

If you’re someone whose made money before on social media, you may wonder if Instagram is a possibility.

The problem with Instagram, is they do praise people who are already well-established, and they are usually pushing them.

Can you make money with a 500-follower fanbase?

You sure can!

Here are some great tips to help you get started with this.

 

25 Strategies to Help You Make Money on Instagram With 500 Followers

Here are 25 different ways you can make money on Instagram despite being a growing influencer.

 

1. Be Vocal With Local

Some people like to hear about the local things.

While it may not seem like much, promoting the businesses around with Instagram posts is actually super great.

Brands will see this, and they may also consider sponsorships.

Plus, you’re going to get some serious followers with this way, since it’s a good way to build lifestyle content.

 

2. Sponsored Posts

One new feature that Instagram differs from the others is that they are actually offering sponsored posts.

If you can get a sponsorship, then you’ll be able to also get some money with each post.

Many people also trust the people that release these, so it’s  a surefire way to get people to actually pay for your stuff, and then later pay you.

Read this article for more tips on making money with Sponsorship!

 

3. Affiliate Content

One of the best ways to really make money via Instagram, is affiliate programs.

This is where you show off sponsored content, you post a link in your bio, and pull attention to it.

This can be done through all sort of Instagram content, including:

• Reels
• Posts
• Stories
• And so much more.

GiddyUp has some great marketing affiliate programs.

Check to see if it fits your brand!

 

4. Make Sure It Fits Your Direction

Make sure that if you’re going for affiliate, I fits the direction of your brand.

For example, if you’re a musician, Sam Ash has a wonderful affiliate program for you to join.

If you’re a fashion influencer, this isn’t a recommended branded program, as it doesn’t fit your needs.

This can make or break your ability to make money, so be mindful of how you do it.

 

5. Pull Traffic to Affiliate Content

Some people also use Instagram as a place where traffic goes to.

Some people find the affiliate link through a video or blog post, with Instagram being the lure.

This is a good way to pull people, but you need to make sure that it offers value to the readers and pulls them to content.

You want to make sure that it’s a good type of content too that’ll get people to buy.

Your Instagram post should get people there, but the blog post is what makes it sell.

 

6. Make Sure Your Affiliate Posts Sell Them

If you’re using Instagram as a way to link to affiliate content, you need the affiliate post to sell them.

When building affiliate content, there are certain types that get people excited.

The best types of affiliate guides include:

• How-to guides
• Comparison posts
• Review posts

This will help them make a decision that’s pertinent to their interests before they purchase, so keep these in mind when building them.

Whether you are new to Affiliate marketing or not, the following articles right on this Kingged.com website will help a lot:

• Click here for Affiliate Marketing Tips For Beginners
• Click here for How To Be Successful In Affiliate Marketing Without a Website
• Click here for How To Earn Money Online With Affiliate Marketing
• Click here for Top Affiliate Marketing Programs For Beginners

 

7. Charge for Your Posts When They Are Good Quality

Sometimes the reason why your posts don’t do well, is because you’re struggling with the algorithm.

But you can start sponsoring posts and charge for them so long as they’re good.

This is also good for building portfolios and confidence.

This is something you need to be ready to invest in, because it takes a long time.

Ideally, you want to be monetized, but if you want to start knowing your content will shine, definitely consider this.

 

8. Brand Deals Just for Content

This is basically where you create content such as videos, phots, and reals, sell them to a brand, and they use it to market.

You don’t even have to post this.

This is actually something lots of people can consider, and it’s good for a lot of branding for small businesses.

This is great for those brands that are kind of small.

You basically want the photos to really sell the content for the brands so that they are using this.

 

9. Use Influencer Apps for Branded Deals

One way to start out, is to use influencer apps to help you find brand deals.

This is a much better way than just shooting your shot and pitching it to the brand directly, since there is more chance of it getting used.

Again, this is not a really easy task, but if you’re up for the challenge and want to build your presence, this is how you do it.

 

10. Go for Brand Ambassador

If you’re looking to really get a place in the Instagram world, you want the brand ambassadors.

You basically promote the business, and this is the best place to collaborate business posts.

If you know of brands that are hiring based on the influencer apps that you use, you can from there, pitch it, and if they like your stuff, you can be a brand ambassador easily!

Social Ladder is one that is great for those brands looking to pay ambassadors or pay for influencer marketing.

 

 

11. Digital Good Selling

This is something that some people are actually considering with their Instagram account.

Digital goods such as store buttons, item tagging, and even stickers form your brand is definitely good.

Remember, people use Instagram to shop, and Instagram does help people actually stand out.

You can sell various digital goods on your other platforms, using the bio link to get the most that you can, and you’ll be able to make the most of this too.

 

12. Social Media Marketing

If you can’t beat em’ help em’, that’s what lots of Instagram accounts are doing.

Social media marketing services are becoming so much more popular, and tons of brands are using this.

Brands needs advice, and if you’re looking to make money with a smaller following, provide services.

The better the service, the bigger you will grow, which is something lots of people are looking into these days.

 

13. Consider Instagram Affiliation

This is something that some people actually can get, if they have an Instagram account that’s professional.

To go to this, you need to see your professional dashboard, and then put affiliate links there to begin.

While this isn’t available to everyone, fi you have the opportunity, it’s worth taking.

After all, people do like this, and it can help you monetize the account.

 

14. Posting Multiple Links

One problem with Instagram is that you can only put links one at a time in there.

If you want to set up affiliate programs, you need to use a service.

Shorby is one of the best, and it lets you manage the links, and also helps you create landing pages with different links.

 

15.  Tip Jars

Tip Jars are becoming super popular, and lots of people like to use them.

While you may not like PayPal, you can use Ko-Fi to give people an option to set tips.

Lots of creatives like to use tip jars as it’s a way to make money with it, and it can help you grow while also making some money for your content.

 

16. Make Captions for Businesses

Some brands don’t’ have the time to make and create cool captions.

Brands want to use this to help improve their business, and with more and more looking to put the time and effort in, lots of brands are looking to see if small freelancers can help with this.

You can be a creative that helps make captions without charging a ton.

 

17. Offer Physical Goods

If you have an Instagram account that’s growing, but you’re also selling products, consider selling physical goods.

You can of course, sell via Etsy and whatnot by linking it in your bio.

When you get enough followers, you can actually create links going out to it, so people can buy directly off the post.

Related: How to Make Money on Etsy Without Making Anything.

 

18. Go Niche

If you’re looking to stand out, consider offering niche services.

Some niche services are great if you’re looking to outsource a bit of this.

You do need a website of course, but if you want to take on new clients, and also build your clientele base, this is a great way to utilize Instagram as a beginner too.

 

19. Create an Email List

Email lists are huge for conversions.

The best way for you to do this is to make sure that they directly connect.

You should’ immediately demand email lists, but instead, build an email list by having them go to a landing page.

If you lose your account for one reason or whatnot, this is a good way for you to prevent those people from being truly gone.

This is also good for selling services that are there too.

 

20. Display Ads

Display ads to your blogs via Instagram are a good way to do this.

Your Instagram account can link to the blog, giving them the answer, and then, they get driven there, and then, you make money off the ads.

Remember, the more traffic you build, the better, and it can help improve your income.

Keep it consistent and obviously not spammy, and you’ll make some good money with this.

Read this article for more ways of making money from just displaying ads.

 

21. Make Filters

One thing that Instagram totally stole from Snapchat, was the stories feature.

This is something that people use to promote products and their niche.

Some brands like them, but others may want something specifically that fit the type of content that they offer.

If you have good graphic design experience, you can make unique filters and masks for their content.

 

22. Be Consistent

One thing that lots of people struggle with on Instagram specifically, is for course being consistent

But you have to be, or else people will move on.

They have short attention spans.

You want to make sure that you advertise around the same time each day, and you’ll definitely want to keep it consistent.

Look at your audience and build your brand from there.

 

23. Engage With Followers

If you’re someone who just posts and dips, you’re not going to get any response.

Try to engage with everyone as much as you can.

Engagement not only boosts you in the algorithm, but it can also build strong relationships.

Answering comments, saying “thanks” and moving on, or even linking is very important.

You want to make sure that you keep up with this, because this is what sells you.

 

24. Sell Via DMS

Yes, you can actually sell in this way.

Don’t cold message people, since that’s automatically spam, and is wasting time.

Connect with people, engage with them, and when they reply, you’re then able to DM them officially.

This is much more professional than mere cold messaging, and you’re not being an annoying spammer.

Instead, it’s basically a response to people who are interested, which is pretty cool.

 

25. Offer Discounts

Some people are enticed by discounts, and Instagram is no exception.

For local posts, or even as a promotion for your services and goods, consider offering discounts to people.

This can be a good way for local businesses to grow, and of course, this boosts your following too.

You can help local businesses, while also making some serious cash, a win-win situation in most regards.

Lots of people like to work with business owners, and they may even offer incentives for you too, so again, a win-win situation for everyone.

 

Conclusion

Boosting your business through Instagram is vital, and you’ll be able to, with this, create the best services possible.

It’s also a great way to improve your business relationship, and everything that goes into this.

If you’re someone who is curious about boosting your Instagram account, then try these ways today, and even if your following is small, it has lots of room to grow!