Quick Answer: Instagram allows affiliate links. You just need to be open about your affiliations (you can do this by marking content as “Eligible For A Commission“) and avoid making any misleading claims to comply with Instagram’s content monetization policies.
Affiliate marketing is a very lucrative way to monetise your social media accounts.
For example, let’s say you’re an influencer with a large following on Instagram. You could join a men’s clothing affiliate program and post photos of their latest collection in exchange for a commission on every sale that you generate.
Or if you’re a fitness influencer, you could recommend a protein powder affiliate program and monetise your account by adding affiliate links to supplements in your bio and posts.
You can make a lot of money doing this, especially if you have a large following…
But are affiliate links allowed on Instagram?
Are Affiliate Links Allowed on Instagram?
The short answer is yes, but there are some guidelines you need to follow.
First and foremost, any post that contains an affiliate link must be clearly labelled as such.
This means using either the “eligible for commission” label in your caption so that your followers know that you’re making money from the product recommendation.
Additionally, if you’re including affiliate products in content which is also “branded content” (meaning it’s sponsored by the brand), you will need to use the paid partnership label in addition to the affiliate label.
Instagram Guidelines For Promoting Affiliate Links
Here are a few guidelines you should follow to ensure that your posts are in compliance with the platform’s policies.
Affiliate Tool Terms
The first thing you need to be aware of is that Instagram has specific terms and conditions surrounding the use of affiliate links. According to the platform’s affiliate tool terms, you can only post affiliate links in connection with content that promotes “products, services, schemes, offers, discounts, or campaigns.”
In other words, your posts must provide value to your followers and cannot simply be ads for the products or services you’re promoting.
Partner Monetization Policies
In addition to the affiliate tool terms, you also need to familiarize yourself with Instagram’s partner monetization policies.
These policies outline what types of content are not allowed on the platform, including anything that is sexually suggestive, violent or promotes illegal activity.
Community Guidelines
It’s also important to note that all posts on Instagram must comply with the community guidelines.
These guidelines prohibit content that is hate speech, bullying, or harassment. Additionally, posts must not contain nudity or graphic violence.
Content Monetization Policies
Finally, keep in mind that all posts containing affiliate links must comply with Instagram’s content monetization policies.
These policies state that posts cannot be misleading or deceptive and must clearly disclose any material connections between the influencer and the brand they are promoting.
How Affiliate Marketing Works On Instagram
If you’re an influencer or creator on Instagram, you can start making money through affiliate marketing.
The most successful affiliates on Instagram use a link in bio tool like Linktree to insert affiliate links.
You can check out our Ultimate Guide To Using Linktree For Affiliate Marketing but for now, here’s a quick overview of how it works:
Start Making Affiliate Commissions In 3 Steps
Step 1: Find Products To Recommend
The way to find products to recommend is by finding relevant affiliate programs.
There are a few different ways to find affiliate programs to join but the easiest way is to do a quick Google search for “sports affiliate programs“, “travel affiliate programs“ and so on.
That’ll give you a whole list of product monetisation ideas and you’ll see just how many products are out there you can recommend to your audience as an affiliate.
Step 2: Create Content To Generate Sales
Now that you have everything set up, it’s time to start promoting products!
There are a few different ways to do this.
First, you can create feed posts, Reels, or Stories featuring the products you’re promoting.
Make sure to include your affiliate link in the post so people can click through and purchase the product if they’re interested.
You can also add product tags with stickers to your existing content (including Stories), or run promotions on your affiliate posts to boost your earnings potential.
And last but not least, if you have a shop on Instagram, you can create collections of your favorite products to share with your followers.
Step 3: Get Paid
Once someone clicks on your affiliate link and makes a purchase, you’ll earn a commission from each sale.
Commissions vary from program to program and they can range anywhere from 3% to 90% depending on what type of product it is.
11 Tips For Sharing Affiliate Links On Instagram
Instagram is a popular social media platform with over 500 million daily active users.
The platform is a great way to connect with friends and family, and for many businesses, Instagram is a powerful marketing tool.
If you’re an affiliate marketer, you can use Instagram to promote your affiliate links and make some extra income if you do it in a way that doesn’t violate the platform’s terms of service or alienate your followers.
Here are some tips for promoting affiliate links on Instagram successfully.
1. Upgrade Your Link-in-Bio
The first thing you can do is upgrade your link in bio.
Many people use the link in the bio to simply list their website URL.
But you can do better than that!
Use our list of the best link in bio tools to create a custom landing page for your link in bio. This way, you can include multiple affiliate links as well as links to your website, social media profiles, and more.
2. Add Links To Instagram Stories
Another great way to promote your affiliate links is through Instagram Stories.
You can include a swipe-up link in your Stories if you have over 10,000 followers.
If you don’t have that many followers yet, don’t worry – you can still promote your affiliate links in Stories by using the link tool.
Just add a call to action in your Story telling people to swipe up or click the link in your bio to check out your affiliate links.
3. Use Descriptive Captions
When you’re promoting your affiliate links on Instagram, make sure to use descriptive captions and tell people what they’ll find if they click on your link.
For example, if you’re promoting a course on how to start a business, tell people that’s what they’ll find if they click the link in your bio.
Be clear and specific so people know exactly what they’re getting.
4. Find The Right Affiliate Program
Not all affiliate programs are created equal.
When choosing an affiliate program, make sure it’s a reputable program that offers high-quality products or services because promoting a low-quality product will only reflect poorly on you and your brand.
5. Create Great Content
Your Instagram followers will only engage with your content if it’s interesting and informative.
So, make sure to put some thought into the images and videos you post. Use relevant hashtags so your content can be discovered by new followers.
6. Use Beautiful Images
If you want people to click on your affiliate links, you need to grab their attention with attractive visuals. This means using high-quality photos and videos that are visually appealing.
Avoid using stock photos whenever possible. Instead, use original photos and videos that are relevant to your niche and will resonate with your target audience.
Remember, people are visual creatures, so make sure your visuals are top-notch if you want them to take notice of your affiliate links.
7. Don’t Be Too Salesy
No one likes feeling like they’re being sold to, so avoid coming across as too aggressive in your promotions. Instead, focus on providing value to your followers and building trust with them first.
Once you’ve established a rapport with them, they’ll be more likely to take notice of and click on your affiliate links when you do share them.
Just don’t go overboard with your promotions or push too hard for people to buy things through your links.
8. Be Open About Your Affiliations
If you’re going to be promoting affiliate links on Instagram, you need to be transparent about your affiliations with the brands you’re promoting. This means disclosure in both your profile bio and in the captions of each post where you include an affiliate link.
Something as simple as “Affiliate link” or “Promotional partner” in the caption will suffice.
This way, people will know that you’re promoting something because you’re being paid to do so and they can make an informed decision about whether or not they want to click on the link and purchase the product or service being promoted.
9. Use Hashtags And Geotags
When sharing posts that include affiliate links on Instagram, be sure to use relevant hashtags so that people who are interested in what you’re promoting can find your posts easily.
Geotagging can also help increase the reach of your posts if you’re targeting a specific location with your promotions (such as if you’re promoting a local business).
The more exposure potential customers have to your posts, the greater the chance they’ll click on your affiliate links and make a purchase from the brand you’re promoting.
10. Partner With Influencers
Teaming up with influencers is a great way to get your affiliate links in front of a larger audience.
When partnering with influencers, make sure they align with your brand and that their followers match your target audience.
11. Post At Optimal Times
To maximize the exposure of your posts containing affiliate links, it’s important to post at times when people are most likely to see them (and be online themselves).
For most businesses, this means posting during peak hours like early morning or late night when people are scrolling through their feed mindlessly looking for something interesting to look at between work or school commitments during the day.
Test out different posting times yourself until you find what works best for your business, as every account is different. Once you’ve found the best times for you, stick to those days/times moving forward for optimal results.
Affiliate Links Are Allowed On Insta If You Do It Right
Applying these strategies will help you get started with affiliate marketing on Instagram and make sure you are doing it correctly.
Just be smart about it and use your common sense:
Don’t try to hide your affiliate partnerships, label your posts as Eligible For Commission, promote wholesome family products and you’ll do just fine.
Happy earning! 😎
