If you’re currently a micro-influencer, or you’re thinking of becoming one, then you’re on the right track to earn money from Instagram!
This is a great opportunity to create an online community and earn some cash while you’re at it.
But what exactly is a micro-influencer?
There are various categorizations that influencers fall into based on the size of their accounts. Nano-influencers are typically considered to be those who have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers, while micro-influencers land in the range of 10,000 to 100,000 followers. Going up in size, there are macro-influencers and mega-influencers who have 500,000 to a million followers or more.
Being a micro-influencer is a great opportunity to target a specific niche and build relationships with your followers. You’ll make an impact on your following and create a lively online community.
And, to top it all off, you can definitely earn some money from this gig – let’s talk about how.
How to Start Earning on Instagram
Before you can effectively make money from your role as a micro-influencer, you’ll want to make sure that your Instagram account is optimized for success. We’ll start by addressing some ways that you can prepare your account to begin making money on Instagram.
Build a Strong Profile
Part of being a micro-influencer is having a loyal following. In order to attract users to your account and get them to stick around as followers, you’ll want to make sure that your profile is looking and performing at its best.
One way to attract followers to your account is by ensuring that your profile has a good look overall. You can do this by keeping a consistent aesthetic among your posts, optimizing your bio and profile picture, and creating story highlight covers that match the theme of your account.
Another way to build up a steady following is to establish the most effective days and times to post on your account and then stick to a consistent posting schedule. Once users recognize your regular posting times, they’ll be inclined to keep an eye out for your content.
Use an Instagram Growth Service
If you’re looking to build your Instagram account, it could be a good idea to consider using an Instagram growth service. There’s a variety of options available to you, so you’ll need to determine, through research and possibly some trial-and-error, which tool best aligns with your account and its goals.
Something important to keep in mind with this option is that you’ll want to use a service that provides natural growth, rather than opting to purchase followers.
Organic growth services, like Kicksta, will help you to achieve follower growth without violating any Instagram guidelines.
Choose a Niche
As we mentioned, micro-influencers typically operate within specific niches. Due to the size of your account as a micro-influencer, you’ll have the opportunity to target an audience that falls within a specific category of Instagram users.
And the best part is that your niche can – and should – completely align with your own interests!
You should target an audience that shares your passions, as these are the users who will be most interested in what you have to say and the products that you’ll promote.
So, consider what niche seems to define where your account is now or where you’d like it to be.
Are you strongly family-oriented? Religious? Passionate about health and wellness? Interested in fashion and beauty? Skilled at baking? The world is your oyster – it’s up to you to decide what type of content you want to create, and interested users will be drawn to your account!
Start Creating Quality Content
Something that’s fairly consistent across the accounts of most influencers is that they all tend to create quality content. But, if you don’t have the fanciest camera or the most advanced editing software, don’t be intimidated – there are plenty of ways to create quality content with the tools that you have access to.
Creating quality content is about taking your time to ensure that your photos are clear and intentional, as well as being edited to match your aesthetic – regardless of your camera equipment (it can be a smartphone!) or editing software (it can be something low-cost or even free!). It’s all about the intention.
Your followers will recognize that you took time to put effort into your photos, rather than judging the quality of your camera.
Another way to create quality content is to carefully create your captions. Be intentional with your hashtag use, and make sure that your caption portrays your intended message in a voice that is consistent with your account – people want to read captions that feel authentic.
Finally, we encourage you to develop dynamic content. Switch it up by creating Stories, Reels, IGTV videos, and still posts that include both photos and graphics. Your followers will appreciate the variety on your account.
Ways to Monetize as a Micro-Influencer
Once your account has been optimized to attract and retain a significant following, it’s time to consider how you can make money as a micro-influencer on Instagram.
Here are some of the top ways that micro-influencers monetize their accounts.
Sponsored Posts
Oftentimes, influencers partner with brands to promote products or services in exchange for a fee, and this is commonly paid per post. So, if you partner with an athletic wear company, for example, they’d sponsor a set quantity of posts in which you would promote their products. If you were to create three separate posts promoting the brand’s leggings, then these posts would be sponsored as the brand paid you to create each one.
Once you determine your niche, spend some time considering which brands within that niche would be ideal for you to work with. It’s important to take into account the size of brands that would be likely to partner with you, based on the size of your account.
After you have some ideal brands in mind, start reaching out to them to see if they’d be interested in partnering with you!
This can be as simple as a direct message on Instagram to make initial contact, or you can reach out via email if there’s an email address listed on the company’s account or website.
Affiliate Marketing
By working in affiliate marketing, you’ll promote products on social media and then make a commission based on the sales of those products. Affiliate marketing is a great way to get your account active, as you can promote various products through this method.
On Instagram, you can use the link-in-bio tool to provide affiliate links to various products, which can be an effective way to engage your Instagram followers. You can also tag affiliate products as paid partnerships, which helps to establish your account as an influencer.
Affiliate marketing can be a fun and effective way to earn money from Instagram. You can create tutorials and other promotional posts to engage your followers and encourage them to purchase various products – which will, in turn, make you more money!
Direct Selling of Products or Services
While working with brands and promoting products through affiliate marketing are great ways to monetize your Instagram account through partnerships, you can also sell products and services directly, as a micro-influencer.
If you’re looking to start a small business, Instagram might just be the place to do that. You can use your account to create awareness of the goods and services that you’re selling, and you can even make sales directly through the app.
Instagram users are often on the lookout for new products or services to buy, especially when they’re produced by small businesses. Once you’ve targeted your niche on the app, take advantage of this to sell products or services to the audience who would be most interested!
Micro-Influencer Monetization
Are you feeling excited to start building and monetizing your account as a micro-influencer?
Take these suggestions to get inspired and start building your account. Once you’ve optimized it to be as successful as possible, get ready to start making money!
We hope these tips and ideas have been helpful in getting you ready to monetize your Instagram account and grow as a micro-influencer.
And, we just know that you’ll find great success in whatever niche your account belongs to!
