How to Sell on Instagram: 6 Simple Steps + Tips

If your business uses a personal Instagram account, you will have to convert it to a business account to create shoppable posts.

To convert a personal Instagram account to a business account:

• Step 1: From your profile, tap the three horizontal bars in the top right corner of the screen.
• Step 2: At the bottom of this screen, tap Settings.
• Step 3: Tap Account.
• Step 4: Click on Switch to a Professional Account.
• Step 5: Select Business, and tap Done.

For a detailed step-by-step, you can read Instagram’s business account setup guide.

Now, connect a Facebook business page to your Instagram account following these steps:

• Step 1: From your Instagram profile, click Edit Profile.
• Step 2: Select Page under the section titled Public Business Information.
• Step 3: Choose the Facebook Page you want to be associated with this Instagram account, or select Create a New Facebook Page if you don’t have one yet.

Follow the steps below to complete your shop details in Commerce Manager

• Step 1: Choose how you want your customers to complete their purchase by selecting a checkout method.
• Step 2: Next, choose your sales channels by selecting whether to have your shop on Instagram, Facebook, or both.
• Step 3: You’ll also need to choose a product catalog you want to connect to your commerce account (more on this in the following step).

After you’ve set up shop, you can manage your business assets in your Commerce Manager settings.

Click through the slides below to set up a shop in Commerce Manager.

The first thing you will see when onboarding from the Commerce Manager is a prompt to start selling on Instagram, Facebook, or both.

When choosing sales channels, connect the Instagram account you want to sell from (in case you have multiple Instagram accounts).

If you already have a Facebook Shops catalog, connect it to your Instagram account. Once connected, it will automatically create your Instagram shopping catalog. You can’t change it later, so make sure you want to have the same catalog for both platforms. Most stores use the same catalog anyway to be able to monitor inventory.

To view and manage your connected Instagram account and catalog in Commerce Manager:

• Step 1: Go to Settings.
• Step 2: Select Catalog to view the catalog connected to your commerce account.
• Step 3: Select Business Assets. Under Ad and Sales Channels, select Instagram; you can view your connected Instagram account here. When your Instagram business account is connected, it appears as a sales channel in the Shops tab.

To add products manually, use Catalog Manager to upload product details, such as photos and information. You can do this individually, upload products in bulk with a spreadsheet, or use a Facebook pixel to import products from your website. (We use the same steps when we upload products to a Facebook Shop.)

You can use one of Facebook’s certified third-party ecommerce platforms: Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Magento.

Since Facebook and Instagram manage their shops in the Commerce Manager, they have the same steps for each provider. Follow your partner’s website steps to connect your account with Instagram. Instagram will then direct you to complete the setup based on your platform.

Select Partner Platform among the Data Sources choices to add products to your catalog.

• Step 1: Go to Commerce Manager.
• Step 2: Open the Catalog tab and go to Data Sources.
• Step 3: Select Add Items, then Use a Partner Platform and hit Next.
• Step 4: Select your platform of choice.
• Step 5: Follow the link to the partner platform website and follow the steps there to connect your account with Facebook.

A Square Online store uses your existing Instagram posts to create an online store in just a few steps. The best part is that you don’t pay anything until you make a sale. Then, it’s just standard payment processing fees of 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction.

Simply add Facebook Shops as a sales channel to Square Online from your dashboard to get started.

From your Square Online dashboard, click on Sales Channels and then Facebook Shops. You will be prompted to connect to a Facebook account. Note that you need to have set up products in your Square Online store to be able to sync it with a Facebook Shop and Instagram Shop. Learn how to add products to your Square Online store.

To make your Instagram posts shoppable:

• Step 1: Tap the plus icon to create New Post.
• Step 2: Select a photo or video and add a caption, effects, and filters. Tap Next.
• Step 3: Tap Tag Products. Click the products in the photo or video that you want to tag. Note: You can select up to five products per single-image and video post or 20 products per multi-image post.
• Step 4: Search for the products you want to tag in your catalog, then select.
• Step 5: Tap Done and tap Share.

To make your temporary and highlighted Instagram Stories shoppable:

• Step 1: Click on your profile picture to add a story.
• Step 2: Select a photo or video to upload to your story.
• Step 3: Select the product sticker from the sticker tray.
• Step 4: Choose the product from your catalog that you want to feature.
• Step 5: Tap Done.
• Step 6: Move the product sticker to where you want it to appear on your story. Note: You can change the style of the product sticker by tapping the sticker.
• Step 7: Tap Send To and select your audience; then Share.

An example of a product sticker in an Instagram Story (Source: Instagram)

Activating Instagram checkout allows your customers to place their orders without needing to check out on a specific product page on your website. When the feature is activated, you will see a “Checkout on Instagram” button on a product page instead of “View on Website.”

An example of a brand that has Instagram Checkout activated (Source: Instagram)

Once a customer clicks on the button, they will only need to enter their name, email, billing information, and shipping address the first time they check out. When the initial order is complete, Instagram will securely save their information for convenience the next time they shop.

Customers will also receive notifications about shipment and delivery right inside Instagram to keep track of their purchases.

You can do livestream shopping on Instagram too! Easily schedule a livestream shopping broadcast anywhere from one hour to three months in advance to connect with followers. You can add up to 30 products when preparing or before the live broadcast begins.

During the livestream broadcast, your viewers can buy or save products that were added to the shopping video. You can pin one item at a time while Live to feature that product, and only products that have been approved can be added to live videos.

You can use Instagram’s Live feature to keep your audience updated about new products and promotions. You can drive real-time demand for your products and let people know what’s available. Take a look at how Lancôme leveraged influencer marketing with Instagram Live: It partnered with influencers Jamie Yeo and Cheryl Wee to feature its products and tips for using them.

You can only add one external link to your Instagram account—the URL section in your Instagram profile bio. It’s a prime spot, so take advantage of it. Whenever someone finds you on Instagram, they are more likely to check your bio page and click your link if interested. Having a link in your bio will encourage traffic to your online store.

To maximize the link in your bio:

• If your link is too long, you can shorten it with a Bitly or Google URL shortener.
• Refer your followers to the link often. Phrases such as “link in bio” in post captions are there for a reason. This can encourage people to take action and visit your page.
• Change your link depending on your business promotion. Whenever you have something new to promote, ensure the link in bio corresponds to it. Your followers won’t always search for the right link, so make it easy for them to find whatever you promote.

Instagram’s Explore page is a collection of public photos, videos, Reels, and Stories customized to help an Instagram user discover posts, accounts, hashtags, or products they might like. For example, if one searches for yoga clothes on Instagram’s search bar, they will see a curation of videos, reels, and posts relevant to their query. In the image below, notice how there are shoppable posts included in the search results (the icon with a shopping bag).

You can liken Instagram’s Explore Page to a Google Search engine. It delivers targeted content to users based on their interests, search history, and user behavior data. Fifty percent of Instagram users use the Explore page each month. Getting on the Explore page will boost a post’s engagement and drive discoverability for your brand, which signals the algorithm that your content is relevant and drives more traffic to your feed.

To get on the Explore page, consider doing the following:

• Know your audience and what content type they prefer.
• Share valuable content. Learn how to take great photos.
• Mix up your posts—do Stories, Instagram videos, Reels, and posts.
• Build an active community of followers.
• Use relevant tags.

We tackle more of the tips to get on the Explore page below, which also serve to help you increase sales when selling on Instagram.

Videos are no longer just a trend; video marketing is here to stay. The sooner your business adapts its marketing strategies to include videos, the better. Instagram video posts have a 1.45% engagement rate (which experts equate to a highly converting post already), with 9 out of 10 Instagram users watching videos weekly. Reels has also been Instagram’s fastest-growing feature, with brands reporting an increase in following after their Reels made it to a relevant Explore page.

Some ideas of what to do with Stories, Reels, and IGTV (videos):

• Showcase your products in action.
• Promote special offers and new products.
• Do a behind-the-scenes to show production, packing, shipping, and more.

Instagram hashtags work like keywords in a search engine. When a potential customer wants to find something easily on Instagram, they can quickly type in a hashtag related to their query, and the corresponding results are what they will be searching for.

Hashtags also work to build brand awareness and connect your post to a specific topic. When used correctly, hashtags help make your shoppable posts more discoverable on the feed. Use those relevant to your product to make it easier for customers to find your business.

Create your own branded hashtag if you can. It helps develop your brand’s voice, zero in on specific events and promos, if there are any, and helps you track engagement. A great example is #ShareACoke by Coca-Cola.

Seven out of 10 shoppers are influenced by friends’ social media posts and reviews. UGC has been proven to be more effective in brand advertising, and you need to take advantage of it as a small business.

Encourage your customers to post social proof and even use your branded hashtag. Customers showcasing your products help build trust and prove authenticity. Plus, it provides your followers a community they can be part of.

Take, for example, Alo Yoga’s #aloyoga hashtag. The clothing and lifestyle brand encourages shoppers to post their outfits while doing yoga poses using the branded hashtag. As a result, its feed is mostly curated from its 2.1 million followers, all sporting Alo pieces.

When you search for the #aloyoga hashtag on Instagram, you will see posts of real yogis practicing and living their lives in activewear.

There is no cost to enable shoppable posts and Instagram Shopping on Instagram. However, you might encounter costs associated with linking it to an ecommerce platform if you plan to set up your online store. You will also have expenses when you decide to run Instagram Ads.

It’s easy to sell on Instagram. Start by creating a business profile on Instagram. Connect your Facebook page. Then, make your product catalog or connect it with your existing online store. Once approved, you can now start selling your products.

Technically, yes. However, checkout on Instagram is currently only available to all eligible business and creator accounts in the US.

No, you can’t. A business website is required to be eligible for a Shoppable Instagram account.