Instagram Content Creator Guide: Build, Grow, and Monetize

Can I become an Instagram content creator?

This thought may have crossed your mind more than once as you scroll through your Instagram account and watch numerous everyday people creating content and finding success.

However, despite your desire to do so, you may have gone the other way because you think it is hard to do. But we are here to say that it is not as difficult as you may think.

With a strategic approach, commitment, and the support of a few reliable tools, you can also become a successful content creator on Instagram.

In this Instagram content creator guide, we help you learn how to build, grow, and monetize your Instagram content creator account.

Let's start.

Instagram as a Top Content Creator Platform

There are two major reasons why Instagram is a top content creation platform:

1. It is a visual-first platform that appeals to everyone.
2. It has over 2 billion active and highly engaged monthly users.

In addition to this, the platform allows creators to blend images, videos, and diverse storytelling formats with features like Reels, Stories, and Shopping for unique viewing experiences for their followers.

Each of these features also allows the creator to make diverse content formats, such as:

• Lives: Real-time interaction for deeper connection.
• Feed posts: Great for polished visuals and storytelling.
• Reels: Short-form videos for discoverability and viral growth.
• Stories: Ephemeral content that encourages daily interaction.

The platform also has diverse features, like hashtags, location tags, and the Explore page, that enable users to find creators based on their tastes and preferences, making it easier for creators to reach new users.

Instagram also releases creator-focused updates to make content creation and monetization easier. As a creator, you also need to learn how well your content performs and find areas for improvement. Instagram offers plenty of tools for the same through its Professional Dashboard.

You can assess your content based on metrics, such as audience demographics, engagement, and content performance, to refine your content strategy.

How to Be a Content Creator on Instagram: Quick Steps

Becoming a successful content creator on Instagram requires thorough planning and execution.

Here is a step-by-step way to do it.

Identifying your niche

Niche is the industry or area that you want to focus on when creating content. It is what you post about, talk about, and become known for.

The right niche will help you:

1. Stand out in a crowded space
2. Create content more consistently and confidently
3. Attract a loyal audience who cares about your content
4. Open up brand collaboration opportunities in your area of expertise

Although many say that you need to make your passion your niche, there are several things you need to consider to pick the right niche.

Here are a few ideas to use:

Start with something you genuinely enjoy

Always start with something that you thoroughly enjoy doing or talking about. To understand this, ask yourself these questions:

    — What topics do I love talking about or learning about?

    — What do I do in my free time?

    — What could I share endlessly without getting bored?

    — Can this interest be monetized in any way?

The answers will tell you if your interest has the potential to provide you with a lot of content ideas. This is vital, or otherwise, you will burn out without interesting topics to create content on.

Check other creators in the same niche

Look at content creators who are already in the niche and how they are creating content. Think about how you can do the same without copying their ideas or content.

Look at the content you consume

Looking at your own feed is a clear indication of what type of content you enjoy. This will tell you a lot about your preferences and the niche you can pick.

For example, if you have a lot of skincare videos saved, it might be a good idea to pick skincare as a niche. Or if you are a fitness enthusiast, it could be a great niche you can excel in.

Look for something unique to stand out

It is quite hard to find a new niche for Instagram. The best way to stand out from the rest of the content creators in the same niche is to be unique.

Adding your personality to your content is a great way to stand out. If you are a college student, mix college-going and fitness. If you are working, talk about work and the importance of fitness.

The sweet spot is where you have the chance to find a successful niche.

Establish your voice and style

When creating content on Instagram, you need to stand apart from thousands of content creators working in the same niche. Hence, establishing your unique voice and style is vital.

Here are a few things you can do:

• Pick a personality, like funny, inspirational, or outgoing, that feels natural, and stick to it so that your followers know what kind of vibe they can expect.
• Choose a color palette, font, and layout style that reflects your vibe, and be consistent about it, like popular brands are.
• When replying to DMs or comments, use your authentic self and use emojis, slang, or phrases that feel true to how you speak in real life.

All of these will create a unique persona for yourself and the account that your audiences will instantly recognize wherever they see it.

Invest in basic equipment and tools

Having the right equipment for creating content is a must. While you could create content with a regular phone and a free editing app, it may not work the way it used to, since the competition is fierce.

Hence, look for some basic equipment for content creation, such as:

    — Smartphone with a decent camera.

    — A mic with noise cancellation features.

    — Video and audio editing software (iOS or Android app).

These tools can help you get started on your Instagram content creation journey. If you wish to use AI to help you with content creation, you may use tools like ChatGPT for scriptwriting and Murf AI for voice dubbing, voice changing, etc.

Provide value for your audience

Often, people follow accounts for entertainment, information, or both. As a content creator, you need to provide them value by fulfilling one of these to keep your audience engaged. Or they will leave.

There are several ways you can offer value to your audience, such as:

• Solving the audience's pain points by sharing quick tips, how-tos, or industry insights that solve a problem or teach something useful.
• Sharing stories such as a personal win, a client success, or a mindset shift—a story that sparks motivation and helps build an emotional connection.
• Sharing a tip, resource, or next step that your audience can implement that may not be available online for free.

This means that your audience gets something actionable for use in their lives, which will make them follow you and come back for more.

Build engagement with Instagram posts

Engagement is a key element that can grow your Instagram account. And you need to build engagement on your account using posts, which will grow your follower count as well.

Here is how you can do it

• Your first line, called a hook, should grab attention. You can ask a question, make a bold statement, or tease the value they’ll get if they keep reading.
• Encourage your followers to engage with your content. Ask your audience to comment, share, save, or respond. You can also have a poll and ask viewers to take part in it.
• Instagram's Professional Dashboard to find your peak engagement times and schedule your content accordingly. This will help you increase your reach and engagement.

Analyse and adjust your strategy

Looking at how your current posts perform using a Professional Dashboard is a great way to understand how your Instagram account is doing.

The dashboard can tell you everything you need to know about:

• Who is engaging with your content?
• When are they engaging with your content?
• What are their interest patterns?
• What content do they usually prefer to watch?

By looking at these metrics, you can understand when to post, what to post, etc., to optimize your account for further improvement.

Explore More: How to Become a Content Creator: A Comprehensive Guide

How AI Tools Help Improve Instagram Content Creation

There are several ways AI tools help create Instagram content. Here are a few tools that can help you with the same:

1. AI writing tools: Tools like Copy AI, Jasper AI, etc., can help you create content for Instagram posts, carousels, and captions.
2. AI image-generating tools: Tools, such as Akool AI, Blackbox AI, etc., can help you create images based on text prompts that you can use on your Instagram posts.
3. AI dubbing tools: Tools like Murf AI, Voice AI, etc., help you translate your scripts into multiple languages and dub them using AI dubbing tools as voiceovers in diverse voices.
4. AI video generating tools: AI tools, such as Invideo AI, Artlist AI, etc., can create videos based on your prompts, and you can use them on your Instagram posts.

In addition, generative AI models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc., can also help content creators build Instagram strategies and generate content ideas.

5 Top Instagram Content Creators

Here are 5 of the top Instagram content creators who successfully create engaging content and impress their followers.

1. Charli D’amelio (@charlidamelio)

• No. of followers: 42.5 million
• Niche: Dance and lifestyle

She became famous for her dance videos on TikTok and became a sensation on Instagram, as well. Her content is known for its engaging dance routines and collaborations with other creators. One of the key aspects of her account is her relatable personality, which captivated millions worldwide.

2. Zach King (@zachking)

• No of followers: 29 million
• Niche: Entertainment

Zachery King is best known for his "magic vines," which are short videos digitally edited to create the illusion of performing magic tricks. He publishes videos such as objects appearing or disappearing and characters interacting with their environments in impossible ways. Over the years, Zack King has created a strong follower count across multiple social media platforms with his short videos using creative storytelling and visual effects.

3. Nikkie de Jager (@nikkietutorials)

• No of followers: 19.1 million
• Niche: Make-up and beauty

Nikkie de Jager is a Dutch makeup artist and beauty vlogger. Although she became famous through her YouTube tutorials, her Instagram account is one of the most engaged ones in the makeup and beauty niche. Her Instagram stories and posts get the most engagement and views on Instagram, just as on her other platforms.

4. Ema Chamberlain (@emmachamberlain)

• No. of followers: 14.8 million
• Niche: Fashion and modeling

Emma Chamberlain became an Instagram fashion sensation thanks to her exceptional form and skills in modeling. She often published photos and videos in modeling attire and trendy clothes. Her followers love her for this, and it is evident in the engagement she gets on her Instagram account. The fashion pieces and seasonal outfit ideas that she posts on the account are often welcomed by her followers worldwide.

5. Nusret Gokce (@nusr_et)

• No. of followers: 53 million followers
• Niche: Cooking

Nusret Gokce is one of the most famous Instagram creators in the cooking niche. In addition to his cooking videos, he also published content on his lavish lifestyle and fun encounters with his followers across the world. He became famous for his unique way of adding salt to dishes cooked for celebrities worldwide. This shows the power of social media that even a tiny creative gesture can make someone famous.

Explore More: What Is Social Media Content Creation: A Comprehensive Guide to Help You

Key Attributes of a Successful Instagram Content Creator

If you look at most of the successful content creators on Instagram, you can see a few key attributes that make them successful.

Let's check them out here:

Creativity and originality

Successful creators often blend creativity, originality, and storytelling to appeal to the emotions and needs of their followers, ensuring they love the content.

A great example is MrBeast, who creates new types of content, such as burying himself alive and giving away huge sums in random giveaways. This makes his content go viral instantly and helps him gain huge followers worldwide.  

Smart use of analytics for Instagram insights

They create content based on their audience's behavior, using data analysis and insights to improve engagement and increase the chances of their posts going viral.

For example, Instagram has its Professional Dashboard that gives a lot of data about their followers, the audience interacting with the content, and more.

These insights help them optimize their content for maximum visibility.

Bold and moving content

They go bold with their content even if that seems like going against the norms, which enables them to position themselves as bold and motivating.

An example of such a content creator is NikkieTutorials, also known as Nikkie de Jager. Her public coming out as transgender was a landmark moment for inclusivity and representation in the beauty community.

Consistency and engagement

They develop content strategies and content calendars to stick to their publishing schedule consistently, ensuring the audience knows when content will be released and promoting engagement.

The consistency allows them to have their followers know when new content will be released and watch it when it is released.

Explore More: What Is a UGC Creator? How to Become Successful in UGC Creation?

Become a Successful Content Creator with the Help of the Right Tools on Instagram

Growing your Instagram followers is not an easy task. You need to have discipline, consistency, and creativity to be successful. If you look at the profiles of these uber-successful creators, you can find the presence of these common elements. Hence, if you want to become a successful content creator on Instagram, you need all three.

At the same time, a smart move to help you create content faster and more efficiently is to use AI tools, such as Murf AI, Copy AI, Jasper AI, and more. Each of these tools makes content creation faster and more efficient. While Copy AI and Jasper AI help create content, Murf AI can help you translate your script into different languages and create voiceovers.

Thanks to the emergence of powerful AI dubbing engines, the AI dubbing tools industry is poised to be worth US$ 2.918 billion by 2033, according to Market.US.

In addition, Murf AI can also help you with:

• Turn text into lifelike, high-quality voice overs in 20+ languages in 200+ voices using AI.
• Translate and dub your videos into 20+ languages accurately for content localization.
• Clone your voice and publish content in multiple languages just as you speak.
• Change your voice to multiple characters for engaging content.

The best part is that you can do this all in a few clicks, as the platform is highly intuitive and easy to master and manage your projects.

Sign up for a free account to log into the Murf AI platform and use it for Instagram content creation.