The Truth about Making a Living on Instagram
Hello! I am about to dive right into all the nitty-gritty! These questions were asked to me through my Instagram page. I recently quit my full-time job to pursue my business and I wanted to share all the dirty little secrets.
You can earn money through Instagram?!
Yes! Absolutely!
Creating content for brands is one way to start making money through Instagram. For example, if a brand needs new professional images of products, they could hire me to shoot their products in my space. Occasionally brands might request that I share this content with my audience in exchange for a fee. This is great for both brands and influencers because it costs brands a fraction of the price to hire influencers than to do the styled shoot themselves. It’s a win/win!
Do influencers make money through sponsored content?
Yes!
As an influencer, I have heard that sponsored content is “annoying” or people don’t want to be “sold.” Think of this perspective… Brands will find a way to advertise to you whether it’s from an influencer’s platform or in a paid advertisement they run through the Instagram app. When you see sponsored content from influencers… that’s like shopping at a small business! When brands work with influencers, their ad budgets are going to a “small business” instead of a big tech company like Instagram!
Booking the occasional ad on my page allows me to create fun and FREE content the rest of the time!
How many followers do you need to start making cash?
Not many! It’s not so much about the number of followers as it is your overall Instagram engagement, photography skills, and the time you have available to reach out to brands and negotiate. I hate to put a number out there but if I had to, I would say 10,000 is when brands start taking your account more seriously.
If you’ve passed that threshold, shouldn’t YOU be making an income?
Not exactly! Having an audience alone doesn’t mean you instantly have opportunities handed to you to make money. Most of that happens behind the scenes and takes a lot of time.
And the truth is… My interest does not lie with “making an income” on Instagram…
Say what?!
My passions and dreams go far beyond that. I want something more than being able to “make a comfortable living.” I already had that. I had a great job that I liked and paid me well.
I want something more. Something with more passion, more creation, more fire. I want to build a community so unique yet so relatable that everyone wants to be at this party and BRING something with them.
I want to build a community of people who love their homes big or small. People who would spend 2 months creating the most EXTRA laundry room closet because they can and want to. I want to build a community of people who lift each other up not tear each other down.
I want our community to be bold. I want our community to do good. I want our community to make a difference in some way. Ripples or waves, I want our community to be seen.
This is what I want.
What changes will you make now that you are doing Blushing Bungalow full time?
Hopefully, my house will be cleaner! (Winky face!) In reality, not much will change. Now that I am focusing on The Blushing Bungalow full-time I am hoping to have a better work-life balance. You will see more consistent content on IG and my blog. You will also see the occasional brand sponsorship on IG. These sponsorships will help me keep our lights on while I continue to grow our community and create content for free!
Have you thought about creating an online course?
Yes!
I have mentioned this before and it is in the making! I am creating “Madison’s Cozy Hygge Home Guide.” This guide/course will give you all the tips and tricks you need to create a cozy, happy home. I am currently working with a course creator on making this course professional and working properly! Stay tuned, coming soon!
How can I support you?
This is a great question! An easy way to support me is by engaging with my content! This is free for you and makes the world’s difference to me. Engagement looks like likes, comments, shares, or saves! This doesn’t take much time and helps me reach my goals.
Thank you for being here and supporting our community of home lovers! Let’s get back to building!