How to Sell Products on Instagram: Set Up and Best Practices

With 3 billion monthly active users, Instagram is undoubtedly one of the best platforms for businesses looking to reach new audiences and boost brand awareness.

But that’s not all the platform is great for. Instagram has also become a shopping destination, with people using it not only to discover products but also to make purchases. It’s so popular that 44% of US consumers report using it to check product reviews. Further, the platform has over 130 million people making purchases every month.

With proper product positioning and a well-thought-out Instagram marketing strategy, the visual platform might be your ticket to growing your business’s sales, revenue, and ultimately, profits.

This guide walks you through Instagram selling. We look at how to sell products on Instagram, what products to sell, and how to position your page to maximize sales.

Can You Really Sell Products on Instagram?

Yes. While Instagram may have started out as a social platform for connecting with friends, it has evolved into so much more over the years. Today, Instagram is one of the most powerful shopping tools, connecting millions of businesses and customers.

It doesn’t just offer access to a broad audience; the platform also provides sales-driven features such as shoppable posts and product tags, delivering a seamless buying and selling experience.

What Can You Sell on Instagram?

You can sell anything, provided it doesn’t violate Meta’s Community Standards. Whether you sell physical items such as fashion accessories or intangible products like courses, the platform offers the tools you need to reach your target audience.

As a visual platform, Instagram is especially well-suited for products that photograph well. Some popular options include clothing, shoes, jewelry, skin products, makeup, décor, furniture, and home appliances.

How to Start Selling Products on Instagram

The first step is to set up your Instagram shop. The good news is that this process is relatively straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Create a Business Profile

Instagram’s selling features are only available to business accounts. So, your first step is to create a business profile.

Usually, all Instagram accounts start out as personal profiles. Once you create your account, you can then switch to business. Here’s how:

1. Go to your profile.
2. Tap the hamburger icon to open Settings and activity.
3. Go to the For professionals section, then tap Account type and tools.
4. Select Switch to professional account.
5. Choose a category that best describes your business.
6. Link the account to your Facebook Page. This is an essential step since Instagram pulls product data from Facebook’s Commerce Manager.

Step 2: Set Up Your Product Catalog

Once your business page is up and running, create a catalog that lists all your items and includes relevant details, such as product information. There are two ways to do this:

• Upload items manually: Go to Commerce Manager, create an account, and upload your products to the platform one at a time. For each item, you’ll need to provide a pixel image, price, SKU, and a link to its landing page. This method may work if you have a small inventory.
• Connect your online store: If you already have an eCommerce store, such as WooCommerce or Shopify, integrate it with your Instagram account. For example, if you have a Shopify store, install the Instagram app in your Shopify admin and link your accounts. This works well for large inventories because it automatically syncs products (and their pertinent details), saving you the hassle of manual uploads and data entry.

Step 3: Activate Instagram Shopping

When your catalog is ready, activate Shopping. To do this:

1. Open your Instagram app and head to Settings.
2. Tap Business.
3. Tap Shopping.
4. Follow the prompts to connect your product catalog.

Instagram will review your submission and notify you once your account is approved. This process typically takes a few days.

How to Grow Product Sales on Instagram

Creating an Instagram shop is just the first step in your selling journey. To register sales, you also need to implement effective Instagram selling strategies. Here are our top recommendations:

Optimize Your Profile

Your Instagram profile will be your digital storefront once you shop goes live. As with a physical store, you need to make sure it makes a good impression to get potential customers to engage.

Here are some ways to optimize your profile:

• Use a high-quality profile photo. Ideally, it should reflect your brand and align with profile photos on other platforms to promote brand recognition.
• Include a link to your website or eCommerce store in your bio to streamline access for users who want to browse your shop.
• Write a brief bio that breaks down your products and value proposition so visitors know what to expect from you.
• Get verified to boost audience trust and protect customers from pages that may try to impersonate you.

Create Collections

Organize related products into collections to make it easier for your target audience to find the items they need.

Depending on your products, you can categorize items by factors such as season, popularity, theme, or price. If you’re in fashion, for example, create season-based collections to help customers find seasonal clothing quickly.

To create collections:

1. Open Commerce Manager and select your catalog or commerce account.
2. Head to the Shops tab.
3. Tap Edit shop on the shop you want to add a collection to.
4. Click + Add new, then select Collection.
5. Choose a layout for your collection.
6. Tap + Create new collection and add the items you want to appear in your new product category.
7. Tap Confirm.
8. Customize your collection’s appearance (everything from its cover image to its description).
9. Click Publish updates when you’re done.

Use Product Tags

Product tags allow users to make purchases directly from posts. They’re a valuable asset for your business because they reduce friction in the buying journey — all potential customers have to do is tap them to open desired products’ landing pages for purchase. This can help you capitalize on impulse buying.

Pro tip: If you feature multiple items in a single post, position each product’s tag directly over its image. For example, if you publish an image of different cat food versions, place each tag directly over its corresponding product.

Work With Influencers

In a recent study, 74% of consumers reported buying an item because of an influencer recommendation. So, if your budget allows, work with established content creators. Such partnerships allow you to tap into their audiences, potentially boosting sales.

However, not all influencer partnerships work. For optimal results, find someone in your niche whose values and audience align with your brand’s. If you’re a fashion brand targeting 18- to 45-year-olds, for example, work with a fashion influencer whose audience includes people in this age group.

Repost User-Generated Content (UGC)

Shoppers view UGC as more authentic than other content types, with 8 in 10 considering it a crucial part of their buying journeys. It provides social proof for your products, which can encourage potential customers to buy from you.

So, you definitely don’t want to skip it. Use social media monitoring tools to find people who are posting about your products and repost their feedback or content on your page — with permission, of course.

Alternatively, ask your audience to share their experiences with your products on their pages and to tag your account. This not only gives you UGC but also expands your reach to new audiences.

Create Shoppable Reels, Stories, and Lives

While posting to the feed is great, focusing solely on this Instagram feature may limit your account. Make use of other features as well, to expand your reach and sales potential.

Reels, Stories, and Lives are especially valuable because they attract significant engagement. What’s more, they let you showcase items in more detail than static posts do. For example, you can post tutorials and demonstrate your products in real-world use.

As with regular posts, add relevant product tags and link stickers to these features to streamline the buying experience. The more convenient the experience, the more likely you are to close sales.

Use Hashtags

Hashtags help the Instagram algorithm understand your content. This can result in not only more appearances in targeted audiences’ Explore tabs but also search results.

To optimize your shop for visibility and discoverability, use both broad and niche hashtags. For example, if you’re in the beauty industry, use a broad option like #makeup to reach a wide audience, and a niche option like #XBrandConcealer to reach people specifically looking for concealers.

Start a Broadcast Channel

An Instagram broadcast channel is like a chat group that gives you direct access to your audience. It helps foster deeper connections between creators and followers, making it a valuable asset for driving purchases.

The key to maximizing sales via broadcast channels is making audiences feel special. Share information or content you don’t typically post on your account to make participants feel like they’re part of an exclusive group. For example, you can send behind-the-scenes videos of your production process.

A broadcast channel can also help you gather customer feedback on your products. Collecting feedback not only facilitates well-informed improvements but also makes broadcast members feel valued, which can foster loyalty.

Engage With your Audience

Instagram is more than a sales channel. So, don’t treat it as just that; use it as a community-building tool by regularly interacting with your audience.

There are various ways to engage your audience, including:

• Run polls to involve them in decision-making. For example, you can ask them to help you choose between different types of packaging.
• Host Q&A sessions in Stories to help them better understand your brand.
• Answer DMs.
• Like and respond to comments on your posts.
• Acknowledge mentions and tags by reposting content.

Such interactions foster stronger brand connections, helping you secure loyal customers. They also encourage more engagement, which can prompt the algorithm to show more of your shoppable posts to broader audiences.

Run Ads

Can you sell products on Instagram organically? Sure. However, it may take time for your page to garner enough attention.

That’s why Instagram ads are important. They get your products in front of fresh eyes, widening your reach beyond your current following.

That’s not all. You can target audiences most likely to convert by defining who Instagram shows your ads to. For example, if women in their 30s in city X are your most frequent customers, you can target Instagram users in this demographic to increase your chances of conversions.

To maximize sales without breaking the bank, allocate a small budget to ads at the beginning, and test different content formats (videos vs. carousels vs. single-image posts), tones, and target audience demographics. Once you identify the highest-converting combinations, increase your budget.

Post Consistently

The more consistent you are, the likelier Instagram is to show your content to new audiences. Further, consistency helps you stay top of mind with target audiences, increasing their likelihood of buying from you when the need arises. That means you should avoid creating an account and then going inactive or posting only once in a while. Instead, commit to a regular posting schedule that keeps your brand visible and active.

If you’re running multiple Instagram accounts (which is common when selling products in different niches or locations), leverage automation tools like GeeLark to help you maintain consistency.

GeeLark is an antidetect platform that not only helps you isolate different accounts but also automates Instagram post publishing. The best part? GeeLark doesn’t rely on APIs, so you don’t have to worry about raising automation flags with Instagram’s system. Instead, the platform uses cloud phones to post content, making it appear as though you’re posting from your standard device.

To automate product posting with GeeLark:

1. Download and install the GeeLark app.
2. Sign up for GeeLark.
3. Set up cloud phone profiles for your Instagram accounts. Create a unique profile for each account to ensure isolation.
4. Head to the Applications section and install the Instagram app.
5. After installation, log in to your accounts.
6. Go to Automation and open the GeeLark Marketplace.
7. Search for the Instagram publish Reels gallery template (for image posts) or the Post Reels video on Instagram template (for video posts).

8. Open your chosen template and tap Create a regular task.
9. Select the profiles you want to automate publishing for.
10. Upload your content and any relevant details, such as captions.
11. Choose your preferred publishing date and time.
12. Tap Confirm publication to start automation.

Start Selling Products on Instagram

If you’re looking for ways to maximize sales, Instagram should be one of your top channels. Why? Because millions of users rely on the platform for product discovery and purchases.

To sell products on Instagram, switch to a business profile, create or sync your product catalog, and enable Instagram Shopping. Then, optimize your account for sales by using product tags, creating collections, leveraging shoppable Reels and Stories, running ads, using hashtags, and posting consistently.

With GeeLark, you can easily maintain posting consistency, even when operating multiple Instagram accounts. The platform offers automation templates that let you schedule content publishing at scale, helping you stay on track. The more consistent you are, the more your sales are likely to be.

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