Instagram, or Better Say, Insta-Money! These Wise People Used the Photo-Sharing App to Earn Millions

While Facebook is arguably the biggest social networking site today – anyone from a teen to grandparents has an account – Instagram is the app for the trendy. The photo-sharing platform has become more than just a way to express one’s self through pictures and captions, it has also been an avenue to gain money.

The biggest proof of which are the influencers who tirelessly post content and celebrities taking time to promote their products freely on the site (ahem, Kylie Jenner and big sis Kim Kardashian).

Kylie Jenner avoids unnecessary expenses by using Instagram to market her products.

Teeth Whitening

But celebrities are far from the only people who are leveraging over Instagram. Take a look at 26-year-old Josh Elizetxe, who said he first started becoming an entrepreneur at 13. A few years ago, he was about to get a jaw surgery when his orthodontist and oral surgeon revealed how teeth whitening has become the trend.

While preparing for surgery, Josh Elizetxe became aware of the craze behind teeth whitening products

Suddenly, his light bulb turned on. The Arizona State University alum thought about turning this into a business, of course, through the help of the two professionals who gave him the idea. Three years ago, Josh launched Snow, a brand that sells teeth whitening sets, which he had been marketing on Instagram. Fast forward, it became big on the platform.

The selfies that came in of those using the kits that were reposted by the brand’s account greatly helped spread the word about the products. How lucrative did it get? In the past year, John said the brand earned $30 million.

Jewelry

I Love Jewelry founder Jordann Weingartner, meanwhile, started her business out of thinking about the things she could do on her downtime, specifically whenever her kids are asleep. After taking an online business class, she put up her accessories company and made its presence felt on Facebook by 2012. She quickly gained a steady following in the site and later added other offerings.

When Instagram took centerstage, Jordann also dipped her toes in what seemed to be like a photography contest. She now has 153,000 stronghold followers on Instagram and to keep them hooked, she holds Coffee Talk every day, a talk show where she and her assistant wear what they’re selling. The CEO admitted that she did not anticipate the growth she had been experiencing.

Online Courses

Knowing she didn’t want to stay at her job in Target, Jenna Kutcher decided to gradually shift her career. So as a side job, she bought a camera, learned about photography, and took wedding coverage. When she became good at it, she left her corporate job to put up a business.

Jenna Kutcher used to shoot weddings

However, after Jenna miscarried twice, she found it hard to take wedding shoots, so she decided she will just hold online courses that teach people how to start a photography business and focused on her Goal Digger podcast.

As she was slowly gaining popularity on Instagram, one rude person body-shamed her. So she launched an emotional response to the troll, which went viral in a blink of an eye. Overnight, her follower’s count reached half a million.

Now, Jenna boasts over 850,000 followers on Instagram and she earns about $10,000 for a single post. In 2018, her eponymous business’ profits reached $3.5 million.