How To Make Money on Instagram Without Followers in 2024

Instagram is an excellent tool for making extra cash in the UK in 2024. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to have millions of followers to cash in from this popular social media app. There are many ways that a small Instagram account can be monetized to create an extra stream of income. Here, we reveal how to make money on Instagram with no followers in the UK in 2024.

8 Ways To Make Money on Instagram with No Followers

A low-follower Instagram account is an account with less than 10K followers. Whether you’re looking to turn your personal account into a stream of income or you’re interested in monetizing a small business account, here are 8 ways to monetize Instagram with no followers.

Also read: How to create a faceless Instagram account

  1. Become a UGC Creator: UGC creators make content for brands that is posted directly to the brand’s Instagram account. Therefore, it does not matter how many followers you have. This is the best way to make money on Instagram for anyone who has good photo/video editing skills.

  2. Set up an Instagram shop: The best way for small brands to make money on a new Instagram account. Users can purchase products directly from your content.

  3. Become a nano-influencer: nano-influencers are small creators who get paid to promote products or brands. This is the best way to turn your personal Instagram account into a stream of income.

  4. Affiliate marketing: The easiest way to make money on Instagram in 2024. Earn money every time that someone makes a purchase through your link.

  5. Become a social media manager: Use your Instagram skills to make money helping other accounts. Work from the comfort of your own home.

  6. Write captions for brands: Make money as an Instagram copywriter by writing captions for brands that don’t have their own writers.

  7. Sell your photos: The best way for talented photographers to make money on Instagram in the UK 2024.

  8. Start a print-on-demand business with Instagram shop: Sell products that you designed yourself without holding any inventory. This is a great side hustle that could easily turn into passive income.

make money on Instagram in 2023

How To Make Money on Instagram with No Followers in 2024 - Explained

In the following section, we will explain how each method of monetizing your Instagram account works so that you can get started.

Before you start trying to make money on Instagram, it is important to understand that social media side hustles take time to become profitable. If you’re looking to make money quickly, try an alternative side hustle such as matched betting or selling clothes on Depop.

If you’re ready to start making some serious cash on Instagram, keep reading to find out how to start monetizing your Instagram in 8 ways.

1. Become a UGC Creator - Overall best way to make money on Instagram in 2024

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A UGC creator is a person who makes content that is used by brands as part of a wider social media marketing campaign. UGC creators make relatable, amateur content that is then posted onto the brand’s account directly. UGC creators do not need to have a big following of their own because the content is posted to the brand’s Instagram handle. However, it does help to have some experience at creating promotional content in the form of photos or videos.

To become a UGC creator:

  1. Build a portfolio of content that can be used to showcase your skills. You could use your own Instagram account for this or create a new one.

  2. Apply to a UGC creator agency. Agencies make the process of finding work easier by connecting creators directly with brands.

  3. Reach out to small brands directly. Another way to find work is to reach out to small brands directly.

  4. Update your skills and keep on top of current trends: UGC creators should try to stay ahead of trends so that they can create content that is relevant.

UGC creators mainly make video content such as haul, unboxing videos, or tutorials. However, Instagram UGC creators may also be asked to create eye-catching images that can be used to showcase products. It is possible to become a UGC creator without any professional equipment however, it is a good idea to invest in some props and photography equipment as you start to make money from UGC.

2. Set up an Instagram shop - Best way for small business owners to monetize Instagram with no followers

how to monetize instagram

If you’re looking to monetize a business Instagram with low followers, you should consider setting up an Instagram shop.

Instagram shop is a new feature that has recently been added to the app by Meta that allows businesses to set up a storefront within the app. Here, users can browse and save items that they like. The Instagram shop feature allows businesses to tag their products directly to increase their reach and encourage more people to buy.

Instagram shop works even if you have less than 10k followers. As long as your profile is publicly visible, anyone can see your reels or posts on their explore page.

Tips to make money with Instagram shop:

  1. Take aesthetically pleasing images that sell your products to app users.

  2. Don’t forget about value! Your Instagram account should be engaging and not purely promotional.

  3. Use reels to your advantage. Reels can appear on explore pages and can reach a larger audience.

3. Become a nano-influencer - The best way for budding influencers to make money on Instagram

how to make money on Instagram in the UK

A nano-influencer is an Instagram creator with between 100 and 10k followers who makes paid content for brands. Nano-influencers typically interact more with their followers than traditional influencers which can make their promotional content very effective and therefore valuable to brands.

Most nano-influencers specialize in a niche such as fitness, lifestyle, fashion, technology or even cooking. They establish themselves as an expert in this niche which helps to encourage their followers to use the products and brands that they recommend.

Nano-influencing is one of the highest-paid forms of Instagram monetization in the UK 2024. According to Hootsuite, the industry-standard rate for a nano-influencer is £100 per 1000 followers for one post. This can easily turn into a steady income stream by working with multiple brands and creating paid content regularly.

To become a nano-influencer is to engage with small brands and post regularly. Brands look for influencers who have a voice and a clear message. Try creating content that showcases this. Product reviews and vlogs are great opportunities to share your opinion and create a brand identity for yourself.

If you’re passionate about making money on Instagram as a nano-influencer, consider signing up for an agency such as aFluencer. Agencies connect micro-influencers directly with brands to make the process of earning money easier.

4. Promote affiliate links - High-paying Instagram monetization method that works

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Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money from Instagram, and any social media platform, in 2024. This Instagram monetization method involves signing up to an affiliate program, promoting affiliate links through your Instagram content, and earning a commission every time someone purchases a product or service through your link.

You don’t have to have a huge following to sign up to an affiliate program and start sharing links on your Instagram stories or main feed. One of the most popular ways to share links on Instagram is to use a Linktree. This is a tool that allows affiliates to track link engagement and earnings.

How to start affiliate marketing on Instagram:

  1. Sign up for an affiliate program. Choose a program that provides products that you actually use so that you can promote them authentically.

  2. Create promotional content. When you have found a product or brand to promote, create a series of promotional content that will attract users can spark their interest.

  3. Add the affiliate link to your bio and in your stories. You can add affiliate links in your Instagram bio (‘link in my bio!’) or add links directly to your Instagram stories.

5. Become a social media manager - Best way to get paid on Instagram without a big following of your own

Instagram monetization

If you’re looking to make money from Instagram without showing your face, you could try becoming a social media manager. This side hustle involves managing the Instagram accounts of brands and influencers so that they have more time to focus on other tasks.

Social media managers create content schedules, engage with followers, optimize content, and work with a growth strategy to grow accounts. Social media managers work behind the scenes to create successful Instagram accounts.

The best way to become a social media manager in the UK in 2024 is to advertise your services on Fiverr. Fiverr is an online freelance marketplace on which freelancers advertise their services and accept paid jobs from clients. The average social media manager on Fiverr charges £30 per hour in the UK.

It is also possible to find freelance social media manager jobs through LinkedIn or job boards such as Indeed. It is a good idea to build your own Instagram account that you can use to showcase your skills and knowledge. You could also invest in a social media management online course that will help you to stand out from other freelancers and secure jobs faster.

6. Write captions for brands - Easy way to make money from Instagram in 2024

how to make money on instagram in the UK

One of the easiest ways to make money on Instagram in 2024 is to get paid to write captions. This is an easy side hustle idea that virtually anyone can start. It involves getting paid to write short post captions for brands or influencers that do not have time to do it themselves.

Social media copywriters earn around £25 per hour in the UK but some writers report earnings of up to £70 per hour if they land jobs with big brands.

There are several ways to start getting paid to write Instagram captions:

  1. Create a caption writing gig on Fiverr.

  2. Sign up to Upwork as a copywriter.

  3. Reach out to brands directly on through Instagram DM.

If you choose the last option, create an Instagram account that is dedicated to your caption-writing services. This will help you to appear legit and encourage the brands that you approach to consider your offer.

7. Sell your photos - Best way for talented photographers to make money on Instagram in 2024

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If you’re a talented photographer, you could easily make money on Instagram by selling your photos. This is a great way to use Instagram as a stream of income if you already have good photography skills.

To start selling your photos on Instagram:

  1. Create an Instagram business profile. You will need to create a business profile to be able to sell photos through Instagram. This means that you will have to make your Instagram profile public.

  2. Set up an Instagram shop. This will be your business storefront and will allow you to link directly from your Instagram account to your photos.

  3. Take stunning images. Take images that could be sold as canvases, wall art, graphic designs or phone backgrounds. Try to specialize in one niche to attract the right audience to your profile.

  4. Post your photos to your Instagram account and link to your shop. Upload Instagram content that showcases your photos. Include links to products that are available in your shop. You could sell canvases, prints, digital backgrounds or you could print your photos onto products such as mugs or t-shirts.

Also read: How to make money selling photos online.

If you’re a new photographer, selling photos on Instagram could be a great way to start your own business. It may take some time for your account to gain traffic. You should try to post every day and use reels and stories to increase engagement.

8. Start a print-on-demand business with Instagram shop - Best way to make passive income with Instagram

how to earn money from Instagram

Print-on-demand is a popular e-commerce business model that involves creating digital designs, uploading the designs onto products, and selling the products through an online store. When products are purchased, the printing and shipping process is handled entirely by the printing provider. This means that you can sell your own designs without buying any inventory or dealing with fulfillment.

The new Instagram Shop feature makes it possible to sell print-on-demand products directly through the Instagram app. Simply post shoppable images of your products with a direct link to your storefront. To successfully sell products on Instagram, create designs that are trendy or novel. A good idea is to create products that could be given as gifts or worn for themed parties/occasions.

Slogan t-shirts and graphic hoodies are two very popular print-on-demand products that you could easily sell through Instagram. When you have created some designs, purchase sample products that can be used to take photos for your Instagram.

Once you have designed your products and created your Instagram account, selling print-on-demand products is a relatively passive form of Instagram monetization. You can schedule posts automatically and even hire a freelancer to take care of Instagram account management. This means that you could earn money from Instagram while travelling the world or spending time with family.

Conclusion

In this article, we have revealed 8 ways to make money on Instagram in 2024. To be successful, you should post every day, invest in courses to improve your skills, and be patient. It usually takes several weeks to start making money from a new side hustle. Spend at least 1 hour a day for 3 months on your Instagram monetization strategy before deciding whether or not it will be successful.

FAQs

  • Instagram users get paid if they employ monetization methods such as affiliate marketing sponsored posts, brand partnerships and selling products through the Instagram shop. However, regular Instagram users do not get paid.

  • Technically, you do not need any followers to make money on Instagram as long as your content reaches engaged users. For example, you can make money by promoting affiliate links without any followers so long as people who view your content on the explore page click through your links. However, accounts should aim to grow to around 1000 followers to start making a steady stream of income through Instagram.

  • The three most popular ways that beginners make money on Instagram include UGC creation, micro-influencing and affiliate marketing. These monetization methods do not have large follower requirements and are easy to start.

  • In 2023, TikTok is the highest-paying social media platform followed by YouTube and then Instagram.

About The Author

Ruby is the founder of The Rich Girl Guide and has been writing content around personal finance, side hustles and wellbeing for over 3 years. You can find some of Ruby’s published articles on The Motley Fool UK, Tradingplatforms.com and Buyshares.co.uk.