How to Become a Content Creator on Instagram – A Beginner’s Guide

Content creation isn’t a new concept, but working as a full-time Instagram creator was unthinkable until a few years ago.

While you can become a digital creator on Facebook, don’t underestimate Instagram as an influencer marketing platform. Boasting two billion monthly active users worldwide as of early 2024, it is a worthy competitor to Facebook and YouTube.

Instagram is also the second most popular social media network for advertising and marketing strategy. No wonder more content creators are turning to their Instagram creator account to connect with their audience and deliver valuable content!

Are you ready to take the plunge into the exciting world of content creation? In this article, we’ll discuss what it takes to become an Instagram content creator and make money off of it. We’ll also shed light on AI tools such as Murf that would help on your content creation journey.

How to Succeed as a Content Creator on Instagram

Becoming a successful content creator on Instagram isn’t as easy as clicking and posting pictures and waiting for likes. You’ll need a strategic approach. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Switch to Instagram Business Account or Creator Account

You probably already have a personal account on Instagram. As the first step, you’ll need to change your personal profile to a business or creator account. This will unlock certain key features on your professional dashboard that content creators leverage to understand audience behavior. These are:

• Instagram Insights: Provides detailed analytics about your audience’s demographics and see how your content is performing
• Contact buttons: Simplifies communication with your audience
• Access to Instagram Ads: For promoting posts and reels, reaching a wider audience, and growing your Instagram followers

These features will not only equip you to tailor your Instagram content, but you’ll also be able to publish it at optimal times. Based on the data you see, you can fine-tune your Instagram strategy.

2. Know Your Target Audience

Knowing what kind of people will make ideal followers will enable you to create content that they can relate to. This will need some research. You’ll need to know about:

• Audience demographics: Age, location, gender
• Interests: Habits, hobbies, and content preferences. Instagram will show the audience your ads accordingly.
• Engagement patterns: The type of posts they frequently engage (like, share, save) with

Understanding your target audience is crucial to making better posts and ads. As a result, you’ll be able to leverage sponsored posts in lucrative ways.  

3. Fill out Your Instagram Bio Thoughtfully

The bio section on Instagram allows only 150 characters. But this is your chance to put your best foot forward. Remember, first impressions count. Your bio should mention who you are and what your followers can expect from your social media posts.

Make sure to include relevant SEO-optimized keywords in your bio for maximum impact. Also, the bio section is the only place where you can include links to your business website or portfolio, enhancing your marketing efforts . Use it wisely.

4. Create a Strategic Plan of Action

So, you want to become an Instagram content creator, but have you considered what your goals are? Do you want to grow your followers, increase engagement, or earn income as a legit content creator?

What kind of content themes do you plan to have? Will you post tutorials, behind-the-scenes, or product reviews?

How will you balance the different post types, like feed posts, reels, and stories? What does your audience prefer the most?

That’s not all. You’ll also need to decide on a posting schedule for optimal time management. This means you’ll need to schedule posts and publish engaging content consistently (for example, 3-4 times a week). This can be done using a scheduling tool.

Another benefit of posting frequently is that the Instagram algorithm will identify you and your content will start appearing on multiple feeds.

5. Focus on Providing Quality

Because Instagram is a visual platform, you’ll need to work on your photography and editing skills. Remember, high-quality visuals not only grab attention, but also boosts your chances of appearing on the Explore page.

Distinguish your brand by creating a specific aesthetic for your profile that is in keeping with your content. Post great photos. This is not just about skill, but also the use of photo editing tools and filters. Overall, your grid should reflect that all the authentic content on it is coming from the same brand, i.e. you.

6. Include Hashtags and Captions

Improve your Instagram Business Account’s discoverability by using relevant hashtags in all your posts. You can use up to 30 hashtags per post. Consider mixing evergreen hashtags (for example, #OOTD, #mood) with niche hashtags (for example, #travel, #pizza). Using interesting captions can also spark interest in your posts. Use them to tell a story, ask a question, and share CTAs to improve the engagement rate.  

Essential Skills Instagram Content Creators Need

One of the biggest challenges for an Instagram content creator is to stand out in the ocean of competitors. Having a robust skill set will help you make a genuine impact on your audience. Here are some skills you’ll need to sharpen.

1. Creativity

Only a creative person can consistently churn out fresh, innovative ideas to produce new content with confidence. Remember, Instagram equips you with formats like posts, videos, stories, and reels. So, the scope to explore your creative side is immense.

The aim of publishing innovative and new content consistently is to keep your followers coming back for more. Again, having a fixed posting schedule and publishing 3-4 times a week can work wonders here. Posting only once or twice will lower your visibility, and your followers might leave you behind in favor of other creators.

2. Photo and Video Editing

Using a visual platform like Instagram means having top-notch photography skills. This includes knowing all about lighting, composition, and editing photos. Posting high-quality images is non-negotiable to succeed on Instagram.

3. Analytical Thinking

You’ll need to put your analytical thinking cap on when using creator tools like Instagram Insights to track the engagement rate, post performance, reach, impressions, shares, saves, and so on. This skill will also help you make sense of engagement trends for Instagram reels and stories. As such, knowing how to analyze this information will enable you to devise data-driven strategies in keeping with audience preferences.

4. Trend Spotting

Spot and adopt trends early in your content creation process by monitoring video trends, viral challenges, and hashtags. This will improve engagement and position you as someone who is helping shape Instagram content creation.

5. Communication

This skill will enable you to engage your audience more authentically by sparking meaningful conversations. Being active in your comments, replying to DMs, and showing your appreciation for your Instagram followers can help engender a sense of community around your content. Good writing skills are also useful when creating Instagram captions and CTAs.  

6 Strategies for Monetizing Instagram Content

Instagram is a platform that allows you to showcase your creativity and talent, while turning it into a business. Here’s how you can earn money on this app and leverage its features.

1. Brand Partnerships

Many Instagram content creators work with brands to promote their products and services. For instance, if you make engaging reels, you can work with a brand to produce entertaining and informative reels that feature their offerings. You can also support the reels with photos and stories.

The sponsored posts can include original content in the form of product reviews, tutorials, product demos, and lifestyle shots incorporating the brand.

Interested? Start by reaching out to brands in your niche and pitch to them. Explain how a paid partnership with you will help them.  If they express the desire to partner up, let them know about your fees and payment methods. That should put you on the path to making money.

2. Capitalize on Affiliate Marketing

In this case, you’ll earn a commission from the sales that are made when people buy a brand’s products by clicking on a link that you provide them.

Use platforms such as Amazon Associates, ClickBank, RewardStyle, CJ Affiliates, and Rakuten to explore opportunities. Through these, you’ll be able to share affiliate links in your captions, stories, or bio.

3. Sell Digital Products

Think e-books, templates, mini-courses, or even exclusive guides. If you’ve got expertise over a certain topic, package your knowledge into a digital product and promote it directly from your account.

Link it in your bio or use Stories to show what people will get. The best part? You can make it once and sell it over and over.

4. Instagram Reels Ads

Instagram has opened the door to creators who want to earn through short-form videos or reels. Once you qualify for their Reels Play bonus or start working with brands, your entertaining or informative reels can start bringing in cash.

Once again, keep an eye on what’s trending, but make sure it still fits your style.

5. UGC Creation Services

User-Generated Content (UGC) is booming. Brands are always looking for real people who can create product-focused content that looks native to the platform.

You don’t need a huge following, just good storytelling and an eye for content that sells. Start by creating a few sample posts or videos and pitching them to brands. If they like your style, they’ll pay you to keep creating.

6. Merchandise Sales

If you’ve built a community that vibes with your personality, design a few merch items they’d actually want to buy. Think beyond the boring logo tee. Stickers, tote bags, hoodies with inside jokes from your content, things that make people feel like they’re part of a community.

Use Murf AI Voice Changer to Elevate Your Instagram Content

Murf AI brings you a tool that allows you to add a unique twist to your Instagram stories and reels. Our one-of-a-kind Voice Changer allows you to effortlessly change your voice into a studio-quality one without any expensive recording equipment.

How? Simply record your voice and upload it on Murf. Next, change your voice (for the same script) with a realistic AI voice from Murf Studio. Your professional-sounding voiceover will be ready in seconds!

Want to remove unwanted noises and disturbances from your recording? Trust Murf to do it for you. With this tool, you can:

• Customize the pronunciation of your voiceovers
• Edit audio files for tone, style, and content
• Remove filler words, background music, pauses, and more
• Select from over 120 realistic voiceovers for all age groups
• Tweak the reading speed and intonations
• Use the voice over video feature to make your content inclusive and accessible to everyone
• Use the voice cloning feature to mimic various emotions, such as happiness, sadness, and anger, among others

Plus, Murf provides voices in more than 20 global and regional languages and accents. Taking your work global was never this easy! All in all, Murf AI empowers Instagram content creators to take their stories and reels to the next level.