As an independent musician, you are well aware of the many hats you must wear to keep everything running smoothly. One of these include the hat of the social media extraordinaire. If you aren’t already, you should be monetizing your efforts on Instagram to earn that well-deserved extra money you can use on things like touring, new gear or whatever else your musical heart desires.
Influencer Marketing
As an artist with a distinct style, you are in a great position for sponsored posts or collaboration opportunities. Consider reaching out to brands who have a similar vibe or mission as you do, and spark up a conversation about how you can mutually benefit one another. This can range from either promoting their product in a post, reviewing said product or even doing a full sponsored post for them.
Alternatively, you can do a version of this with other musicians in your community. From promoting each others merch to hyping up their upcoming show, this industry thrives of collaboration! And Instagram is no stranger to nurturing that community.
Affiliate Marketing
Another great way to earn some extra money is to sign up for affiliate programs related to your niche. With these, you can share unique affiliate links in your Instagram posts or stories. When your followers make a purchase through your link, you earn a commission.
For example, brands like StubHub, Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster all have pretty good affiliate programs. So whether your fans are buying tickets to your shows or other artists’, as long as they use your code, you get a cut. Doesn’t get much easier than that.
Merch Shop
This is no secret, but selling merch is one of the OG ways to make money as an artist. Odds are you already have some merch available online. If that’s the case, go ahead and set up an Instagram merch shop! This feature is a great tool for driving merch sales right from your profile, in your feed or through IG Stories.
Instagram Subscriptions
Back in 2020, Instagram launched a feature called Subscriptions. With it, you can earn consistent income by offering exclusive content and benefits to your most engaged followers at a monthly fee. These subscribers not only get exclusive content, but also the opportunity to connect with you on a deeper level through a plethora of unique features. Some of these include:
Exclusive Tab: This is a dedicated tab on your profile to save all that exclusive content like subscriber lives, feed posts, and Reels, giving your subscribers a hub to find everything in one easy access spot.
Subscriber Chats: With Subscriber Chats, you can add up to 30 people to connect and mingle with you through Messenger. This chat only lasts 24 hours, and you can let your fans ask whatever they want to know, share thoughtful comments, or even ask for advice. All you have to do is use the “join chat” sticker on your story and your subscribers can tap to join.
