How to Monetize a Travel Instagram Account
A common question I get from people who want to start or grow their online business is how to make money with Instagram - either as a way to grow their brand or as an influencer/blogger.
There are many ways to monetize an Instagram account. Personally, I have made money directly and indirectly with Instagram: through doing sponsored brand influencer collaborations posting on the app, in addition to leveraging the app to connect with my blog audience, and also using it as a portfolio for my marketing agency when talking to potential social media clients.
For travelers, Instagram is the perfect social media platform to monetize. Not only will you be excited to create and share your travel photos anyway, but there are also many opportunities to leverage the app and monetize your account in the travel niche.
Shifting from Consumer to Creator
As any social media user knows, Instagram is a fun platform for sharing our lives - but aside from acting as an online photo journal or helping us document our daily lives, Instagram is also ideal for connecting us with people who share similar interests - particularly those with the same thirst for travel and seeing the world!
Beyond being a platform for sharing photos, Instagram has proven itself to be an incredibly popular marketing tool in this day and age. With more than 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram’s growth rate continues to rise — eclipsing other social media platforms like Snapchat and Facebook.
Because of this, marketers have been choosing to invest their advertising funds in Instagram influencers and bloggers, instead of traditional channels and celebrity endorsers. This creates plenty of opportunities for creatives to make money with their Instagram account.
Sponsored Posts
One way to earn money through your Instagram account is by creating sponsored posts for various companies. While some companies approach accounts with a significant number of followers and high engagement rate, the engagement rate is more important than the number of followers (so don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a massive number of followers yet)!
This can be incredibly lucrative, as you get paid per post or even be signed on to join a company’s marketing campaign. This Petal Card article on Instagram influencers explains the various kinds of influencers and how you can charge accordingly. For instance, having less than 10,000 followers means you fall under the 'micro-influencer' category. Don’t let the term ‘micro’ fool you, as you can still make around $88 per post according to this article. Plus, some brands prefer micro-influencers because their followers tend to be more engaged and invested.
Personally, I’ve done work for free (if I truly loved the product when I was building my experience in the beginning), and have charged up to $425 per post when I hit 20k followers. However, you could earn more, the less, or the same - a lot of this depends on the proposed collaboration, the product, your creative skills, your audience and engagement rate, and how much exposure you are giving the brand!
To find companies who are willing to work with you, visit other travel Instagram accounts. You can usually tell which posts are sponsored by brands, whether they feature travel bags, airlines, or hotels (and will include FTC disclosure such as #ad, #sp, #sponsored).
Don't be afraid to reach out to a brand that could be a good fit and pitch yourself. Communicate your value and how your work can benefit them, too. It helps to send a media kit and include your stats as well as any other collaborations you have done!
Using Affiliate Marketing
To put it simply, affiliate marketing means promoting other products and services through your own page. Usually, you earn a commission every time someone clicks or makes a purchase through your link or unique code.
What’s great about this strategy is that there are a number of affiliate networks that can connect you with different brands and companies. They can then provide you with product links, payouts, and benchmarks to track your performance.
Affiliate marketing is an easy way to boost your travel Instagram account, since it takes care of the legwork of looking for brands to work with. A list on MakeUseOf notes that Rakuten and Amazon Associates are some of the more popular affiliate networks that can help you monetize your travel Instagram account.
You can also choose to personally negotiate an affiliate program with a brand whose products and services you personally trust. This way, you can ensure that what you recommend in your affiliate link is in line with your personal interests and philosophies. You also have a higher chance of negotiating better terms.
If you want to promote products with your affiliate links, as a traveler you might consider linking to the cameras and camera gear you use, to the hotels you stayed at through Booking.com, or other travel gear, clothing, and products you love and genuinely recommend!
Start as a Side Hustle
If you love to create and share travel content on Instagram, you should strongly consider making a side hustle out of it.
Aside from being a potentially lucrative career option, monetizing your travel Instagram account also gives you the opportunity to capitalize on something you genuinely enjoy doing!
Like this post? To find tips on how to navigate social media, be sure to check our post ‘Social Media Tips for Entrepreneurs’.