10 Instagram Monetization Features All Brands Should Know

Instagram is a business owner’s dream because it allows you to promote your products in a variety of ways and make sales directly through the app.

Learn how to monetize Instagram content through reels, posts, and more.

10 ways to monetize Instagram content

Whether you’re a solopreneur or a larger brand, here are 10 ways to monetize Instagram content, as well as features worth considering in your overall content and sales strategies.

1. Instagram Shop

Instagram Shopping creates an in-app shopping experience for consumers that eliminates purchase barriers and gives business owners another avenue to increase revenue and brand visibility.

Through Instagram Shopping, consumers can be directed to your website or have a fully immersive in-app shopping checkout experience. Both can be highly effective ways to leverage product sales, but it’s essential to determine which is best for you since you cannot mix these options.

To streamline and improve the process for orders and shipping, Instagram has partnered with great third-party platforms like Shopify, which is a premier partner with Instagram Shopping. Through these platforms, you’re able to streamline your shopping experience for customers.

2. Shopping Stickers for Instagram Stories

As you’re sharing content with your audience in Instagram Stories, you can also tag products for direct checkouts or conversions for purchase by adding shopping stickers.

Be sure your Stories have the product noted in the photo or video clearly, and add a sticker (or copy) to encourage your audience to click the products for purchase.

3. Shop Tags for Reels

If you’ve already been approved for Instagram Shopping, tagging products in Reels is a great way to monetize content on Instagram. In fact, you can tag up to 30 products in each Reel you create.

This is a great way to reach new customers since scrolling Reels is a popular pastime for many.

4. Tag Products in Instagram Videos

Very similar to shop tags for Reels, you can also tag products in Instagram Videos (formally IGTV).

When creating long-form content, be strategic with product placement in your videos. By doing so, you can create a subtle call-to-action with your tags to your brand’s shop.

While people watch your video, they’ll be able to tap a shopping bag icon to learn more about your products and make a purchase. This is another fantastic way to monetize content on Instagram and maximize exposure for your brand.

5. Badges

While Instagram badges are another way to monetize Instagram content, it’s probably best used by individual creators or solopreneurs rather than a brand.

It’s an interesting Instagram content monetization feature that allows fans to support your business or initiative by buying a badge. It’s similar to a donation process, but it requires you to have at least 10,000 followers. You can turn on this feature by going to your dashboard on your profile.

6. Create Content Subscriptions

If you have built a loyal audience, an interesting way to monetize Instagram content is through subscriptions. This is a way to give followers who pay for your subscription service access to exclusive content they can only receive by subscribing.

You set the fee, create premium content for subscribers using Reels, Live, Stories, and more, and get paid through Instagram.

7. Instagram Live Rooms

Previously, you could only go live by yourself — but now you can invite your friends! Instagram allows Lives to have up to three people at a time.

This can be incorporated into your live content strategies, and you can also tag products and pin them during the Live experience to help your audience discover the products. This is a great way to monetize Instagram content while connecting with your audience. If you use badges, viewers can also send money through Live Rooms.

8. Branded Content Feature

Are you influential on the platform with your audience? If you can mention a product or person, and your audience flocks to support that brand or individual — you’re an influencer or a thought leader in your industry.

Now, platform influencers for both Facebook and Instagram can include themselves in a platform database that helps brands discover, build partnerships, and oversee content management all in one place. It’s called Branded Content.

Influencers can join for brand partnership opportunities, and brands can join in seeking potential influencers.

You’ll need to apply for access, but if accepted, this is an excellent way to make money on Instagram.

9. Page Manager Through Meta’s Business Manager

Did you know you can manage all of your comments and private messages for both Facebook and Instagram in one place within Business Manager? This is a powerful secret weapon for content creators and business owners with either a creator or business page on the Instagram platform. For many, your highest converting clients reside in your DMs or comments.

Yes, content creation is essential, but what you do after that content goes live makes a difference between having a basic social media presence and having a highly engaged community that converts into revenue for your business.

Do not ignore the power of your community. Through Page Manager, you can connect your Instagram pages and manage all of your comments and private messages here versus through the app natively.

Managing comments through Page manager allows admins to create notes for contacts, assign comments or private messages to team members, or create labels for important initiatives or follow-up reminders. The possibilities of detail are endless. By leveraging this feature, you can turn social media advocates into your clients with ease. Additionally, you can create auto-replies to help you with proactive communication on the platform.

10. Paid Partnership Labels

Partnerships are powerful ways to increase audience engagement and cross-promotional relationships. Previously, brand partnerships required the hashtags #ad or #sponsored to ensure transparency with the audience.

Now, Instagram has updated the platform to include a more natural way to highlight partnerships by labeling the actual post as a paid partnership.

The brand can approve the content by using this feature, which links their profile to the post. It creates a natural experience for both audiences and a win-win scenario for both brand profiles.  You can still use the label if it’s not a paid partnership, but it’s ideal for showcasing transparency in a value exchange.

Make more sales on Instagram

Explore Instagram’s many content monetization features to find the right ones for your brand. Eventually, you will have a solid understanding of the respective features that fit your needs and a new way to monetize your content and marketing efforts.

Need help creating engaging content for social media platforms like Instagram? Talk to a content specialist at ClearVoice today.