Instagram is now a core platform for building a personal brand and the image of a friendly, approachable company. With affiliate links, you can monetize even the smallest amount of traffic.

Earning on Instagram is easy with affiliate links

Affiliate marketing on Instagram is used especially effectively by influencers and creators who add affiliate links to their recommendations. If you describe, discuss, or recommend a product that can be purchased in a selected online store, all you need to do is add your affiliate link to earn a commission on the sale when someone buys that (or another) product through your recommendation.

Earning on Instagram — where to add affiliate links

Link Sticker in Stories

It replaced the old “Swipe Up.” It’s an easy way to send followers directly to a product or offer. It provides better visibility thanks to the sticker being highlighted in the upper part of the screen.

Link in your Bio

Even though you can only have one per profile, it’s often used together with link aggregators (e.g., Linktree, Campsite). With bio-link tools you can create a mini hub with several links: a shop, a blog, a newsletter, or a specific affiliate campaign.

Product tagging (Shoppable Tags)

In posts and reels you can tag products directly on the image/video, which shortens the shopping path. A click takes users to the product page in Instagram Shopping or to the partner’s store.

Discount codes

A personalized coupon using the influencer’s name (e.g., ANIA10) encourages purchases and makes it easy to track conversions within the affiliate program.

How to start earning on Instagram

To start earning on Instagram with affiliate links, you don’t need any additional skills. It’s a very simple and intuitive method. Just go through the registration process in an affiliate network, add a link to your Instagram profile in your account details, and you can start right away!

Earning on Instagram — content formats for affiliate marketing

• Reviews and unboxings — a detailed discussion of product features, pros and cons, and showing it “in use.”

• Tutorials and comparisons — “How to use this cosmetic?”, “Comparison of two headphone models” — builds credibility and educates the audience.

• OOTD styling (Outfit Of The Day) — showcasing outfits or accessories, with each item linked in Stories/Reels.

• Top product lists — “My 5 favorite books” or “10 gadgets that change everyday life” — you can link them all together in your bio.

• Contests and giveaways — requiring users to visit a partner link as a condition of entry, which drives traffic.

Earning on Instagram — what to recommend

https://youtube.com/shorts/Ph6ARpy88gE?si=DQOW2n_2-HX2LgNP

Among influencers, recommendations are dominated by products that combine strong visual aesthetics with a clear emotional message. The most popular are cosmetics — especially “promise-driven” products that claim quick results: retinol creams, hydrating serums with hyaluronic acid, or natural plant oils.

Next come fashion looks: light, youthful boho dresses, oversized blazers, the latest sneaker drops, or designer handbags. Instagram creators present them not only as something to buy, but as part of a lifestyle — an outfit for coffee with friends, a beach walk, or an evening date. Thanks to energetic Reels, followers feel like they can step into that scene right away — and then, with one tap, jump straight to the store.

The better you match the products you recommend to the content on your social media, the higher your earnings will be.

Products in the wellness category are also very popular: dietary supplements, facial massage devices, or jade rollers. The same goes for home and interior décor — handcrafted ceramics, chunky-knit blankets, minimalist coffee tables, or designer-shaped lamps.

You also can’t overlook technology — smart fitness bands, wireless headphones, desk lamps with adjustable brightness, or mobile apps for managing a budget. Presented as short tutorials showing how to unlock all the features of a gadget, they encourage immediate purchases. This is often paired with a discount code offer, which further motivates viewers to act quickly.

Finally, online courses and digital products are gaining popularity: workout plans, recipe e-books for healthy meals, ready-made social media templates, or personal development education programs.

Earning on Instagram — what not to do

If you want to know how to earn on Instagram, you need to remember there are certain things that can make it harder — or even impossible. Not everyone realizes it, but there are many hashtags that have been banned by Instagram because they were overused, making it difficult to filter the latest content. Hashtags that could lead to explicit/obscene content are also prohibited.

Use the potential of niche hashtags; avoid prohibited and banned ones.

This last point about hashtags is worth discussing in detail, because it’s one of the most common mistakes among users of the platform. It often happens that people running niche/theme profiles (e.g., book-related accounts) use the exact same set of hashtags under every post. This can lead to reduced reach, so it’s worth varying them — even if the changes aren’t dramatic. Also, relying only on very popular hashtags is unfavorable, because every day hundreds of thousands of posts appear under them. Using more “niche” tags gives your post a longer lifespan. On the other hand, using only low-popularity hashtags isn’t a good solution either, because it significantly limits reach. That’s why it’s important to find a middle ground — for example, mixing popular tags with lesser-known ones.

Earning on Instagram — don’t spam!

How to earn on Instagram? Honestly! That’s the basic rule, although some users try to take shortcuts. To gain followers, some people decide to “leave a trace” on other profiles. Liking alone isn’t enough, so comments appear too. Who hasn’t seen a situation where their photo was commented on using a few emojis or words like: super, amazing, great photo, etc.? Don’t use this method under any circumstances! Not only will you achieve nothing, but you can get banned for spreading spam. Instagram’s algorithm considers comments valuable if they contain at least three words — and the more, the better. One-word comments or emoji-only comments are no different from bot behavior. Keep that in mind before trying to figure out how to earn on Instagram.

Say “NO” to bots!

Another bad practice for building a community is using bots — tools that like or comment on other users’ photos, reaching them via predefined hashtags or locations. Detecting a bot that likes posts is extremely difficult, but spotting a commenting bot is no problem at all. All empty comments made of emojis or texts like “great profile, check mine out” are obvious use of forbidden tools. Using them can result in your account being blocked, so we strongly discourage such practices. Besides, giving your Instagram credentials to untrusted software can also have unpleasant consequences. There are plenty of fair ways to grow your reach!

Don’t buy followers!

It’s not worth spending money on artificial traffic. Let’s be honest — breaking through with a new profile isn’t the easiest thing, but it’s not impossible. Unfortunately, many new users choose the shortcut and buy followers on platforms such as Allegro. But beyond a seemingly impressive increase in follower count, these transactions bring nothing. These are usually foreign accounts that have no impact on your profile — you won’t get likes or comments from them, and over time they’ll disappear. No relationship or even interaction will form between the Instagram creator and the purchased followers. Additionally, companies willing to work with influencers always verify large accounts in terms of “follower quality.” If a profile has, for example, 10,000 followers, but only a few dozen likes per photo, it indicates dishonest activity. Fake followers can also cause your posts not to reach real fans, because the algorithm may show them mainly to purchased accounts. So it’s not worth taking shortcuts — especially since Instagram actively fights these practices and, more recently, bans accounts that use them.

Earning on Instagram — an e-book for you!

Earning on Instagram — key takeaways

• Think through and plan a consistent Instagram concept: what your mission is, what and who you will show, what color palette you’ll use, how often you’ll post, etc.

• Build relationships with others: reply quickly to comments, comment on other people’s posts, publish Instagram Stories.

• Focus on valuable posts — even though Instagram is mainly about beautiful photos, the caption content is just as important to your audience.

• Don’t keep using the same set of hashtags — try to modify and rotate them.

• Watch out for banned hashtags — using even one can completely cut your post’s reach.

• Don’t buy followers and don’t use bots — it can only harm you.

In summary, above all, respect your time and other users’ time — without this principle, there can be no talk of success on Instagram. Share attractive content not only in the form of photos, but also in your captions, and Instagram’s algorithm will take care of good reach. 🙂 To achieve the best possible results, follow a few proven tips and your efforts will pay off in the future — not only with a growth in followers, but also with greater interest in the products you recommend!