In today’s post, I will tell you how you can do Affiliate Marketing on Instagram.
But first, I will tell you what Affiliate Marketing is and how it works. Then, I will tell you why you should do Affiliate Marketing on Instagram.
So, let’s jump in!
Affiliate Disclosure: I, Shubhamjeet Kumar, participate in various affiliate programs, and I will earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through the links on this page at no extra cost to you. I have worked hard to put together items that are high-end and helpful.
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
In simple words, Affiliate Marketing is the process of promoting other people’s products or products that are already there in the market through your unique affiliate link. And, if you make sales (through your unique affiliate link), you will make a commission.
Let me give you an example of how Affiliate Marketing works so you will understand the business model.
Suppose, you are an affiliate and promote a laptop. The cost of the laptop is, let’s say, ₹1,00,000. (Yes! Yes! I Indirectly mean MacBook.)
The commission rate – decided and specified by the seller/vendor – for each sale is, suppose, 5%.
Now, you grab your unique affiliate link and promote it to your audience.
Let’s say, 3 people buy the product, the laptop, through your unique affiliate link.
Now, let’s do some calculations:
The cost of the product is ₹1,00,000.
The commission rate is 5%.
So, for each sale, you will make a commission of:
5% of ₹1,00,000
= ₹5,000
Since you made 3 sales, you made a total commission of:
3 x ₹5,000
= ₹15,000
Suppose, you had generated 7 sales. How much will be your total commission in that case? Let me know in the comments box below.
So, that was a bit about Affiliate Marketing and how it works.
If you’d like to learn how you can start and establish your Affiliate Marketing business, click the below button and join my community!
Now, I will tell you why you should choose to do Affiliate Marketing on Instagram.
Why Should You Do Affiliate Marketing On Instagram?
Instagram in 2023 is growing rapidly, not only in terms of revenue and monthly visitors but also in terms of features and user experience.
Here’s why Instagram could be a potent platform for Affiliate Marketing:
(1) Instagram Is The 5th Most Visited Website (As On April 1, 2023)
According to SimilarWeb, Instagram is the 5th most visited website in the world with around 6 billion visits every month.
(2) Instagram Is Used By More Males Than Females
According to SimilarWeb, Instagram is used by 56.64% of males and 43.36% of females. This means that the platform isn’t only better for reaching the male audience but you can also reach a large pool of females.
(3) Instagram Is GenZ’s Favourite Social Media Platform
According to SimilarWeb, 26.65% of Instagram’s users are aged between 18 and 24.
So, if this is your target age group or target audience, Instagram is the platform for you!
(4) Instagram Users Love “Video Games Consoles and Accessories”
SimilarWeb’s, audience interests reveal that Instagram’s users or visitors are interested the most in Video Games Consoles and Accessories.
The other interests of Instagram users are:
- Adult Content
- Programming and Developer Software
- Computer Electronics and Technology
- News and Media
(5) 99.88% Of Instagram’s Traffic Is Organic
According to SimilarWeb, a staggering 99.88% of Instagram’s traffic is generated organically!
(6) India Has The Most Instagram Users
According to Hootsuite, India has the most number of Instagram users with 249 million users visiting the platform.
The United States of America has 147 million users. In third place, you will find Brazil with 117 million users.
Therefore, it is crucial to consider this stat while thinking about defining your target audience and the kind of content you should create.
So, those were a few stats addressing why you should utilise the power of Instagram for Affiliate Marketing.
Now, I will tell you how you can do Affiliate Marketing on Instagram.
If you’d like to know how your favourite influencer can generate traffic for you, you’d love this post!
How To Do Affiliate Marketing On Instagram?
Step 1: Switch To A Creator Or Business Account
The first step to doing Affiliate Marketing on Instagram is to have a creator or business account.
Please note that this is an important step, but having a business account is not mandatory.
To start a business account on the Instagram app, follow the below steps:
Note: At the time of writing this post, you had to follow the below steps to create a business account. Instagram can modify them anytime.
- Log in to the Instagram app.
- Click your profile image at the bottom-right of the screen.
- Tap the Menu icon (3-line menu/Hamburger menu) at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
- Tap Settings and Privacy.
- Once the Settings and Privacy screen is loaded, scroll down to For Professionals and tap Account Type and Tools.
- Now, click Switch to Professional Account.
- Click Continue.
- Select a Category for your business and tap Done.
- Tap OK to confirm.
- Tap Business.
- Tap Next.
- Add contact details and tap Next. To skip this step, tap Don’t use my contact info.
- (Optional) If you wish, you can connect your business account to a Facebook Page associated with your business. If you connect to the Facebook Page, you will be able to use all of the features available for businesses across Meta.
- Tap X on the top-left corner to return to your profile.
- If you want to display (or hide) your business information on your profile, go to your profile and tap Edit profile. Go to Profile display under Public business information to choose whether you want to hide or display your category label and contact info. Then, tap Done.
If you want how you can create a business account on a DESKTOP, please refer to this link.
Why Do You Need An Instagram Business Account?
You need a business account to establish your legitimacy with your followers and the businesses you choose to work with. With a business account, you will be considered to be a trusted person.
Step 2: Find Affiliate Partners Or Businesses
Once you have created a business account, you can start promoting your affiliate products to your audience/followers.
To promote products, you need to find a program or business whose products you would promote.
I’d suggest you promote the products of your niche only as that will establish your credibility and authority.
If you’d like to know how can find your niche, you will love this post!
The amazing part about being an Affiliate Marketer on Instagram is that businesses can also reach out to you for a partnership!
This will only happen when you have a creator or business account on Instagram.
If you’d like to know the best platforms for Affiliate Marketing, you may read this post.
Step 3: Choose Products Related To Your Niche
As I said in Step 2, when you choose a product and affiliate program or business to partner with, choose something related to your niche.
For instance, if your niche is fitness and you promote products related to business, your audience or followers will be confused about what you actually stand for.
So, it is a must for everyone reading this to choose a product related to your niche only!
It is also important to ensure that the product you promote is of high quality. Because if your audience buys the product and has a horrible experience, they will lose faith in you! And believe, building trust in the market takes a lot of effort and time.
It is, therefore, recommended to try the product(s) yourself, if possible, before promoting them to your audience.
How Can You Promote Affiliate Products On Instagram?
Now, I know you will say, “Shubhamjeet, I know how I can create a business account, find partners, and choose products. But where can I promote my products on Instagram?”
Well, I have got your back! Now, I will share the “places” where you can promote your affiliate products on Instagram.
(1) In Your Bio
Method 1: If You Promote Only Product Or Brand
The simplest way to do Affiliate Marketing is in your bio. “Bio” will work for you if you promote products of the same brand.
You can tell your audience or followers to click the link in your bio and go ahead with the purchase.
This is an ideal approach especially if you are the brand ambassador or an exclusive affiliate of that particular brand.
Method 2: If You Promote Multiple Products Or Brands
If you promote a different product in each post or reel, you can still use the link in your “bio”, but you need to update it to the new product.
For example, if you promote a belly fat loss product in post 1, place the belly fat loss product affiliate link in the bio.
If you promote a muscle-building product in post 2, place the muscle-building product affiliate link in the bio.
You will have to be extra careful here because if you forget to update the link and someone clicks it, they will land on a different product than they expected.
This could make things worse for you, people will lose trust, and you will start seeing the engagement rates dropping!
(2) Include The Affiliate Link In Instagram Stories
Before October 2021, you needed to have at least 10,000 followers to be able to put links in stories. But Instagram announced that all users will be able to place links in their stories.
Many influencers have been using clickable link stickers in their stories since then to promote products.
According to my experience, you will generate the most clicks to your affiliate products through Instagram Stories!
(3) Try Including The Link In Your Post Description
This is the least effective strategy! However, if you’d like to give it a shot, you are free to do so.
When you post a picture, place your affiliate link in the description. If your affiliate link is a long one, you can use link shorteners like Bitly or TinyURL to create a short, easy-to-read, and easy-to-type link.
So, when you place your affiliate link, you can tell your audience or followers to type that URL in a browser and purchase the product(s).
Since this strategy will require the effort of typing out the entire URL character-by-character, hardly anyone will do it.
(4) You Could Run An Ad (Boost Post)
Yes! Ads! You can run ads on Instagram to promote your affiliate product(s). For running ads, you need to have a creator or business account.
When you have a business account, you can see the “Boost Post” option below each post. Once you have selected the post you want to boost or promote, specify the schedule, define your target audience, define your budget, and you are good to go!
Conclusion
So that’s how you can do Affiliate Marketing on Instagram.
To do Affiliate Marketing on Instagram, you need to:
Step 1: Switch To A Creator Or Business Account
Step 2: Find Affiliate Partners Or Businesses
Step 3: Choose Products Related To Your Niche
Once you have selected the affiliate product, you can promote it:
- In Your Bio
- By Including Affiliate Link In Instagram Stories
- By Including The Link In Your Post Description
- By Running Ads (Boost Post)
Now, I am curious to know how you will promote your affiliate product.
Will you include your affiliate link in your bio?
Or
Will you boost the post?
Either way, let me know in the comments box below.
As a bonus, I would love to give you my premium Affiliate Marketing membership worth ₹4,999 for absolutely FREE!
Click the below button and grab the membership, now!
