Instagram attracts more than two billion active users, who spend an average of 16 hours on the app each month. That’s a selling opportunity your brand can’t afford to ignore.
To sell on Instagram, businesses and creators use Instagram Shopping, the platform’s social selling solution. It turns your profile into a branded shopping experience and lets you tag your products in posts, Reels, and Stories.
Learn how to set up Instagram Shopping for your account and boost your IG sales.
What is Instagram Shopping?
Instagram Shopping is a set of features that allow people to buy your products on Instagram. With Instagram Shopping, you can create a store on your profile and tag your products in posts and videos to make money.
Instagram Shopping features include:
- Shopping tags. Tag products in Reels, Stories, and posts to direct viewers to your online store.
- Storefront. Share your brand story and create product pages and collections on Instagram.
- Checkout. Allow shoppers to purchase in-app, instead of having to visit your online store (US only).
How to set up Instagram Shopping for your brand
The easiest way to set up Instagram Shopping and start selling on the platform is to use Shopify. When you set up a Shopify store, you can integrate the Instagram sales channel to sync your product catalog with Instagram.
You can also monetize Instagram without Shopify. To do that, you’ll need to upload your product catalog to Meta Commerce Manager before your items can be tagged or bought on Instagram.
Either way, you’ll need an Instagram business profile to start. Here’s how to set up Instagram Shopping in three simple steps:
1. Create an Instagram business profile
First up, if you want to use Instagram for business, you’ll need an Instagram business profile. You can create a new profile and turn on business features, or convert your existing account. To start a business account on Instagram:
- Go to your profile and tap on the hamburger icon in the upper right corner.
- Tap “Settings and privacy,” then “Account type and tools.”
- Select “Switch to professional account.”
- Pick a category that best describes your business.
This is a good time to make sure your business and products comply with Instagram’s commerce policies.
2. Add or sync your product catalog
Next, it’s time to add your products. You can do this manually or by integrating your Shopify store:
- Manually create your product catalog. To manually upload a product catalog, create a Commerce Manager account. You’ll use Commerce Manager to upload a product catalog, customize your shop, and create product collections. In your Commerce Manager, click “Add catalog” and create an ecommerce catalog, then select “Upload product info” and add the following information for each of your products: 500 by 500 pixel image(s), a product description, a link to your product landing page, the price, and a SKU number.
- Sync your Shopify product catalog. If you already have a catalog of products on a Shopify store, there’s no need to enter them again. Instead, install the Facebook and Instagram app and connect your accounts.
3. Activate shopping on your Instagram account
Once you’ve created a business account and added products to your catalog, you’re ready to enable Instagram Shopping. Simply:
- Go to your Instagram profile settings.
- Tap Business.
- Tap Shopping.
- Connect to your product catalog.
When that’s done, you’re ready to promote your shop, tag products in posts, and create Instagram Shopping ads.
How to sell on Instagram: 9 effective tips
- Partner with influencers
- Run Instagram ads
- Use product tags
- Publish reels
- Curate user-generated content
- Use the right hashtags
- Use video to showcase your product
- Leverage Instagram Stories for sales
- Engage with your audience
With your Instagram shop set up, harness these Instagram marketing tips to start bringing in sales:
1. Partner with influencers
In recent years, many businesses have turned to TikTok in search of personalities to promote their products. But Instagram is where the phenomenon of social media influencers took off, and influencer activity on the platform remains high.
Instagram influencers work as your brand ambassador, attaching their reach and reputation to your products, and boosting your visibility among their target audience. Influencers can impact buying habits because of their authority in a particular industry.
Alex Kereszti promotes Aventon Bikes in Instagram posts to her 27,000 followers.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that every influencer charges Kim Kardashian money to promote products and brands. Accounts with smaller followings, who are nonetheless influential in a specific niche, often charge reasonable rates and may create content in exchange for free products.
In fact, these micro-influencers (defined as having between 10,000 and 100,000 followers) can be the most impactful when it comes to promoting your goods.
According to Rhiannon Taylor, founder of gardening accessories store RT1home, which sells products on Instagram, “Nano-influencers and micro-influencers tend to get higher engagement rates. [The] best influencers have been people that are genuinely interested in the product and eager to share it with their followers.”
2. Run Instagram ads
Instagram is now a mainstream shopping destination. After posting and scrolling, browsing products is the third most popular reason people use the platform.
Shoppable Instagram ads are like your standard Instagram ad but with product tags. When someone is interested in a promoted product, they can go directly to its product detail page or your website to learn more. If you’re a US business, you can also run ads with Instagram checkout, so people can purchase directly in-app.
Insta ads run in feeds or on the Explore page using single images, carousels, or video formats from your product catalog. They work just like regular Instagram ads: You build them in Ads Manager and can show them to a custom audience or lookalike audience to find new potential customers.
3. Use product tags
The path from product discovery to purchase is not linear on Instagram. As your customers are scrolling, tags give them a chance to switch tasks and easily find out more about a product. They can visit your website at the moment of discovery, and even make a purchase from Instagram itself.
Tag products in your posts, Stories, and Reels so people can easily shop wherever they find joy in the app. If you’re a business with checkout-enabled shopping, you can also tag Live feeds.
If your goal is to get your product in front of more customers, it’s worth knowing that tagged products can also appear in users’ Explore feeds.
Users can also tag your products. When your product receives a tag, you’ll get a notification. You can view all tagged content on your profile and control tagging permissions in settings.
According to Instagram, 1.6 million people tag at least one product each week. Using product tags can help expand product awareness and drive potential customers to your products.
Le Creuset uses product tags so its followers can find the products they want quickly and easily.
4. Publish Reels
Reels let your business create and publish videos up to 60 seconds long. It’s easy to get creative with text overlays, AR filters, and popular background music to tell your brand’s story. Reels can also appear on the Explore page, where anyone on Instagram can see them.
The coolest part? You can tag products in your Reels so that when someone views your Reels, they can easily access any products or collections mentioned.
Drunk Elephant uses its Reel to show the difference between its products and answer follower questions.
5. Curate user-generated content
If people are buying and enjoying your product, chances are they’re posting about it on social media. User-generated content (UGC) is a great way to fill your Instagram feed with quality content while still taking advantage of Instagram Shopping features.
For an example of a brand leveraging user-generated content, take a look at the tattoo company Inkbox. It curates and reposts mentions and recommendations to its 1.5 million Instagram followers.
The direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand Vuori also leverages a user-generated Instagram content strategy. Nikki Sakelliou, the company’s chief marketing officer, told Glossy that Vuori initially was hesitant about tagging products and featuring user posts in its feed. But thanks to the success of the approach, about half of Vuori’s posts are now shoppable.
Many brands have come to see social media marketing as the gateway that lets them connect authentically with audience members one-on-one. With UGC, brands give users the opportunity to tell real and relatable stories—something that can be hard to achieve with traditional content.
6. Use the right hashtags
Instagram hashtags make your shoppable content discoverable on Instagram and help your posts reach more people. Hashtags also influence how the Instagram algorithm treats your content when deciding whether to serve your posts in user feeds or the Explore page.
When you add a hashtag to your post, the Instagram algorithm sees it as a hint about your post’s content. It’s another way of telling Instagram, “My post is relevant to this topic.” If your hashtags are on point, Instagram will show your post to people who are interested in similar things.
If you already have a good idea of hashtags that work well for your brand, consider using them on your Shoppable posts. You can go broad with a hashtag like #style or #fashion, or something more specific like #earringsaddict. Either way, you’ll be helping Instagram match your posts with the right people.
Luxy Hair uses a series of hashtags to highlight what its products are about.
7. Use video to showcase your product
Did you know that 84% of people say they’ve bought a product or service after watching a video? Needless to say, video should be an integral part of your Instagram marketing strategy.
The nutritional supplement company Huel uses videos to run Q&A sessions, host giveaways, and introduce new products to followers.
The best product videos tell stories that connect on a deep level with the viewer. The better you tell stories about your brand or product, the more likely your viewers are going to understand what your company is offering and what it can do for them. And, in turn, the more likely they’ll be to buy.
Add product stickers to your Stories to drive sales, and consider pinning videos as highlights below your bio to surface them to new profile visitors.
Best practices for video content include:
- Keep it short. If you’re creating a video ad, make it between six and 10 seconds long for maximum impact.
- Design for Sound Off. Don’t assume viewers have their volume turned up. Use text and clear visuals to get the message across.
- Frame your story. Use a vertical aspect ratio to fit phone screens.
8. Leverage Instagram Stories for sales
Stories are an interactive way to connect with your audience, showcase your products, and use visual storytelling to drive purchases. With features like product tags, swipe-up links, and shoppable stickers, Instagram Stories make it easy for customers to engage and shop right from the content they’re already enjoying.
You can build an extra layer of trust by showing your products in action, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how your products are made, or featuring user-generated content.
Using Stories also lets you tap into urgency and exclusivity, as each Story lasts only 24 hours. The time-sensitive nature of it is perfect for promoting limited-time offers, flash sales, or “last chance” notifications. No one likes to feel like they’re missing out, and Stories really lean into that. Try sharing sneak peeks of new products and countdowns to build excitement.
Rugged Auto links to its entire product range and individual products in its Stories.
9. Engage with your audience
Your audience is the most important part of the Instagram shopping puzzle—they’re the ones who are actually going to buy from you. Start by making your followers feel seen and valued by responding to comments, acknowledging mentions, and creating opportunities for two-way communication.
This could be as simple as hosting Q&A sessions in Stories or dropping a poll to gauge interest in new arrivals. Instagram has a ton of interactive features—like polls, question stickers, and quizzes—which are perfect for drumming up engagement. They also offer a great opportunity to learn more about your audience’s preferences and interests.
To take engagement even further, spotlight user-generated content in your feed and Stories. Sharing UGC posts or testimonials shows you value their loyalty and builds social proof at the same time. You might also consider using Instagram Live to interact with your audience in real time, whether for product demonstrations or live shopping events.
For example, the home d´cor company Letterfolk uses Instagram Stories to suss out its followers’ product preferences.
Read more
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- How to Build a Business Website for Beginners
- AliExpress Dropshipping- How to Dropship From AliExpress
- What is Shopify and How Does it Work?
- Amazon Dropshipping Guide- How To Dropship on Amazon (2024)
- How to Sell Pre-Orders on Shopify
- 8 Time-Consuming Business Tasks—and How to Automate Them Using Bots
How to sell on Instagram FAQ
What types of products can I sell on Instagram?
You can sell a wide variety of products on Instagram, from fashion and beauty items to home décor, art, and tech gadgets. Essentially, anything with a strong visual appeal—like handcrafted goods, fitness products, or even digital products like ebooks—can do really well on the platform, as long as it resonates with your target audience.
How do you get approved for selling on Instagram?
To get approved for selling on Instagram, you need to have a business account, comply with Instagram’s commerce policies, and be in a supported market. Make sure you have a connected Facebook page and product catalog, then apply for Instagram Shopping in your account settings; Instagram will review your account to ensure it meets its guidelines before approving.
Can you sell directly on Instagram?
Yes. With Instagram Shopping, you can sell directly on Instagram by tagging products in posts, Reels, and Stories, as well as converting your profile to a Shop with product pages and collections. If you’re a US business or creator, your customers can also check out directly on Instagram.
How do beginners sell on Instagram?
The main ways for beginners to sell on Instagram include:
- Product tags
- Instagram ads
- Influencer partnerships
- Hashtags
What are the rules for selling on Instagram?
Instagram allows businesses and creators to sell products directly through the platform using features like Instagram Shops and product tags. To sell on Instagram, you need to set up a shop, connect it to a Facebook catalog, and ensure you comply with Instagram's commerce policies and eligibility requirements.
Does it cost to sell things on Instagram?
There is no cost to tag products on Instagram and send users to your online store. However, Instagram charges a processing fee of 2.9% when users check out directly on Instagram. This fee does not apply to Shopify merchants using the Facebook and Instagram app, who are charged payment processing fees by Shopify directly.
How do I accept payment on Instagram?
You can accept payments on Instagram if you are a US-based business or creator with a US bank account and address. You can enable payment features through your Meta Commerce Manager or Business Manager accounts. Everyone else can use Instagram Shopping to direct customers to your online store.
