If you’ve been wondering how all these Insta-famous people are making money on Instagram, you’ve been wondering all wrong. People don’t make money ON Instagram, they make money OFF of Instagram by getting their readers onto their main content platform–off of Instagram. And today, I’m going to show you  3 tips to create content that converts and 3 CTA examples for how you too can get people off those little squares and turned into dollar bills.

Ok so like I mentioned earlier you can’t make money on Instagram so let me explain. If you’re running an online business you’re selling products or services that are hosted on a website. And since Instagram is not where the sale can happen, it’s your job as an online business owner to get people off of the ‘gram and onto your website so the transaction can actually happen.

But how exactly do you do that?

With your content.

3 must-have tips to create Instagram content that converts

In short, your Instagram content needs to do these 3 major things  for people to convert from an Instagram reader to a customer:

✅ Your Instagram content should speak to your ideal client

• • For example, if you’re posting work out selfies and what you ate for lunch every day but your end business goal is to sell web design services… chances are when you pitch people to hire you for your website design you’ll probably get crickets. Your Instagram content should be relevant to and speak to your ideal client.

✅ Your Instagram content should be valuable

• • Your content should be your gift and service to your audience. When you understand your ideal client you can serve them up valuable snippets of content from things like tips, inspiration, education and more.

✅ Your Instagram content needs a call to action (CTA)- a short little blurb used to tell people what to do.

• • Your content needs to inspire your readers to take action and get off of Instagram and onto the platform (your website) that makes you money if you want to make money using Instagram.

 

By doing this, you’ll:

• Build authority in your niche

• Trust and credibility as an expert in your field

• And feel less “bad” or “sleazy” for pitching your next promo or sale (because you’ve served up so much valuable content leading up to it!)

• And you’ll get people onto the actual platform that makes you money, holla😎

Here are 3 CTA examples you can use to get people off of Instagram:

1.Use “Link in bio” to drive traffic to your website.

This is the one must-have example if you truly want your content to convert on Instagram. You can’t just rely on people organically browsing your Instagram profile in hopes that they’ll click your link…you need to tell them when, where, and why to click it.

You need to use these 3 magic words: “LINK IN BIO”.

Or if you’ve already hit 10k followers, you can say “swipe up” in your Instagram stories instead.

Either way, make sure you’re telling people in your both your Instagram stories AND captions to check out whatever site you need them to head over to convert on.

If you have a new blog post, grab an enticing snippet from the blog post and tell them to hit the “link in bio” to read more.

If you have a new sale promo going on, create a new sale graphic for your Instagram stories and tell them to shop the sale with the “link in bio”.

If you have a new freebie/downloadable available, tell them to download it using the “link in bio.”

Creating engaging content both visually and through text will entice people to get off the platform and take the next step in your customer funnel.

2.Use “shop my feed” on Instagram with shoppable links.

If you have a product, use “shop my feed” as a call to action. You’ve probably seen this most commonly used by retailers like Kate Spade and  Crate and Barrel or fashion bloggers, but if you have any type of product for sale, you can easily create a shoppable feed following Instagram’s tutorial right here.

This Instagram feature is perfect because in one single click users can pull up your shop instead of having to go to your link in bio and then clicking your link.

3.Use the Instagram action button “Book” to book more free consult calls.

Do you offer 1-on-1 services in your business? Use the Instagram action button “book” to book more free consult calls. Using this feature in your Instagram profile, you can directly link the button to a free calendar app called Acuity scheduling (and others!) that syncs with your calendar and they can book on the spot without having to go to your website first.

This cool feature is found under the “edit profile” option by selecting “contact options” as seen here.

No one books 1-on-1 services simply by “adding to cart”…they have to speak to you first and get to know you before dropping big bucks on a personalized experience.

So whether you’re offering “Free consult calls” or naming them something smarter and being more strategic with  “free website audits”, “free clarity call”, etc…

You can do a super fun (and relevant!) Instagram story giving a tutorial related to your services and then say “book your free call to chat with me using the book button in my profile” or something along those lines to get them straight onto your calendar. 🤗

The ideas are endless so have fun serving up your audience engaging content and figure out what content and CTA combo works best for you.

And don’t forget, getting people to take action is how you get not just your Instagram content to convert, but ANY content to convert.

So the next time you’re blogging, Youtube-ing, or podcasting… ask yourself what CTA would get your reader to take a next step towards making you a sale.

PS. Using a graphic like this at the end of your blog post is also a great way to grab your readers attention and get them to take action 😉