Have you ever wondered how people make money on Instagram? I am often asked, “How in the world do you make money posting photos of your home on Instagram?!”
This blog post is a departure from my typical design post BUT I know there are people out there sharing photos of their home on Instagram and questioning how they can make side income from it.
There are many ways to make money on Instagram … from paid retailer sponsorships to affiliate marketing to promoting your own products and services. One of my primary sources of income is affiliate marketing. More specifically I use rewardStyle, the premium affiliate marketing platform for fashion and home bloggers. RewardStyle’s Instagram component is called LikeToKnow.It.
Although this blog post focuses specifically on the home décor niche, the general affiliate marketing principles below can be generalized to ANY and ALL niches on Instagram!
One other important note (added 10/3/19) – I make most of my rewardStyle affiliate income via promoting products on my blog/website. RewardStyle makes it EASY to do affiliate marketing on three platforms: (1) the LikeToKnow.it app, (2) Instagram, and (3) your Blog/Website.
Photo Credit: www.ciaraodoherty.com
WHAT IS AFFILIATE MARKETING?
According to Wikipedia, Affiliate Marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts.
In layman’s terms, affiliate marketing is simply an individual promoting retailer products to her followers on a blog or social media platform.
Here is an example of how I use affiliate marketing on my website: SHOP MY INSTAGRAM POSTS.
WHY YOU SHOULD TRY AFFILIATE MARKETING
If you are like me, you started your home decor Instagram feed as simply a creative outlet. There is nothing wrong with this; I did it for a full year before I realized I was leaving money on the table!
Do you realize that you are marketing for a retailer EVERY time you answer questions about a product in an Instagram post, or EVERY time you tag a retailer in a photo?! You are driving potential business to the retailer, and you SHOULD be compensated! In essence, you are already doing affiliate marketing!
I refrained from affiliate marketing for many months because I was skeptical that I would make any money and that if I did, it would merely be pocket change and not worth my time. Let me tell you … IT’S WORTH THE TIME!
I have earned commissions ranging from 5 cents (yep, that’s CENTS!) to several hundred dollars on a single sale. I make a little side income for my family simply by posting photos of my home on Instagram … photos that I would have posted anyway! No brainer, right?!
There are many affiliate programs available but RewardStyle is a fabulous choice for home décor bloggers.
REWARD STYLE AFFILIATE PROGRAM
* I updated this blog post on 10/3/19 with new information re: the rewardStyle application process.
RewardStyle is the premium affiliate marketing platform for the home décor and fashion niches. It used to be an invitation-only program; therefore, you had to be referred by a current rewardStyle Influencer in order to complete the application process. I say process but it is quick and easy! NOW you have the opportunity apply on your own at rewardStyle.com! Yippee!
Once accepted as an Influencer (a.k.a. Affiliate Marketer), you are assigned an advisor who teaches you everything you need to know about using RewardStyle. She remains your point person any time you have questions about the program and she also checks in with you periodically!
RewardStyle partners with hundreds of home décor and fashion retailers. When you post a photo on Instagram, you can link products in your photo through LikeToKnow.It. Here is my LikeToKnow.It account as an example. These linked products send your reader to the retailer website. Your reader purchases directly from the retailer and incurs no extra cost.
When someone clicks a product link and purchases ANYTHING from that retailer, you earn a commission! They don’t need to purchase the specific product you linked. Even better, you earn a commission on ALL items they purchase after clicking through to the retailer from your LikeToKnow.It link.
Commission percentages via rewardStyle vary based on the retailer but the average is roughly 8%. Commissions take 2-5 months (depending on retailer) to close. You won’t transfer income to your bank account immediately BUT once you hit the four-month mark, you will have a steady stream of commission income each month!
CONCLUSION
There you have it … an overall explanation of how affiliate marketing and, more specifically rewardStyle, allows me to make money on Instagram by posting photos of my home décor! I would love to hear from YOU … please comment below with any questions, or let me know how YOU generate income on Instagram!
Thank you for blogging about this!! My question is…. how can I find a current social media influencer that would invite me so I can complete the process and start making money?! Thank you in advance!!:).
You just need to ask a friend or a fellow instagrammer that is part of the program! You know they are part of the program because they add the liketoknow.it links in their Instagram posts!
I am interested in becoming an influencer but I’m not sure how to get referred. Do you know how to go about the process? Thanks in advance!
You just need a referral from someone who is already part of the program. If you have friends or fellow instagrammers that are affiliated with rewardStyle, then you can ask them!
How does one go about getting an invitation to join RewardStyle? Thanks
You just need to ask for a referral from someone who is currently part of the rewardStyle program. Hope that helps!
But what if you don’t know anyone that can recommend you ? Thanks 🙏
Hi Sita! This is an old blog post that hasn’t been updated. I believe that now you don’t need a recommendation.
Thank you for your information. Your home is gorgeous. My question is do you have to keep purchasing new items to show in your pictures, or do you just keep showing your same items month after month?
That is entirely up to you! Some people do purchase little new things (e.g., new pillows), but I rarely purchase new items. Only a very small percentage of your followers actually see your posts every single time, so you can post the same items and new people will see them each time. Does that makes sense?!
Hi Carrie! Thanks for this informative post. I’ve been able to meet some many helpful supportive individuals like you through instagram.
Although I’m relatively a new comer and I am thankful for people like you who continue to share and collaborate! I have filled out the application! Check me out: Westcoasthouseandhome!
Thank you so much for all the information! I’ve thought about starting a blog and site for some time now. Your post really put things into perspective. Love your house! Thanks again.
I am SO happy to hear that this blog post inspired you! You made my day!
Hi
So I have started up my home decor account. How do I get someone to recommend me for the like to know it app? I would love to start doing this and have a little extra income to do more decorating! ????
Hi Erin! I can recommend you if you provide me with your website address and instagram handle. I also need your full name and email address. You can email all of this info to me if you don’t want to share here! hello@carolineondesign.com
Hi Caroline,
Thanks for sharing this information! Your home is absolutely beautiful! Just gorgeous.
I know you made this post some time ago, but I am also interested in joining the like to know it community as I have in recent months just began my own interior design practice and would love to have this feature on my Instagram. Would you be able to provide me a recommendation? Thank you for all that you share! Your blog is absolutely fun!
Hi Joelle! I have to be honest … I haven’t looked at the rewardStyle joining requirements in a long time, but it appears that individuals are able to apply on their own now. You could see if that works first … go to rewardstyle.com and hit ‘APPLY NOW’. That should be all you need to do. If not, then please email me and let me know your Instagram handle? I see your website here, but I’ll need to peek at your IG feed too. Good luck :)!
With the constant instability and audience fluctuations that came from Instagram’s frequent algorithm changes, how much money I could make from my account began to depend more on having a deeper understanding of how the platform worked and how well I was able to execute the activities that grew my audience and engagement faster than the average account (here’s a simple explanation of the essential activities to grow your Instagram fast).
I agree the algorithm changes make the platform a little more difficult to extend your reach than in previous years.
How can a person build up IG followers in order to qualify to become a like to know it influencer. Just set up a ‘blank slate’ IG for home design, and am wondering the best marketing strategy to build followers. Pinterest?
Until accepted as an influencer, are there other ways to make commissions? TIA!
Hi Bekah! There are certainly other programs that allow you to earn commissions. The only one I am familiar with is Shop Your Likes … and I’m not sure of their requirements. I don’t typically blog about Instagram, so I encourage you to Google your questions and find answers from others who know WAY more about Instagram than I do! It’s harder now to gain a following than when I started my home decor feed four years ago. It takes A LOT of time on the app to gain a following, but is a great platform if you have the time to put into it! Again, I’m sure there are hundreds of blog posts on tips to gain an IG following :)! Best of luck to you!
Thanks a lot, I enjoy decorating homes, I decorate for family and friends, for a small fee. I’m seeking, to make more money and explore my talent, in decorating homes. Thanks for this ad. I greatly appreciate it
LaShonda
Hi there, lovely blog and extremely informative. I was wondering how I could get involved and invited, is there any way that you can invite me to this program? My insta page is relatively new, started it up just last month, it’s called Sabs.home.at.73.
Thabk you
Hi Sab! Actually, this post is quite old and I believe that now you are able to apply to RewardStyle on your own. You don’t need to be invited. I’m not positive about that, but pretty sure :).
This was super helpful! Thank you!
Yay!