Instagram may not seem like the place to get some freelance work, at least not as a writer, but I recently had an experience where I got a high-quality freelance gig on Instagram.
It was unexpected because I figured Instagram is more suited for designers or photographers, but here I was, writing for a major financial website thanks to an app that’s all about taking pictures.
This prompted me to reverse engineer the process to try and figure out how I was able to get this freelance gig on Instagram. Once I figured out the process, I realized anyone could use it to get clients from Instagram.
Automate your engagement.
I believe the main reason I got a freelance gig on Instagram was because I’ve spent some money on automating the engagement on my profile. As much as I love Instagram, I simply don’t have the time to be on it all day engaging with other people’s profiles.
Post content that establishes your expertise.
Before taking Instagram more seriously, I pretty much just used it to take random photos and give some behind-the-scenes of my business. Since listening to a Suitcase Entrepreneur podcast episode all about Instagram, I’ve since learned that I needed to use Instagram as a marketing tool, not just a place to post cool photos.
Here are some of the ways I’ve used Instagram for marketing instead of just taking random pictures:
- Show behind the scenes. I was already kind of doing this but I’ve become way more intentional. I’ve now taken pictures of myself working on podcasts, attending events or simply taking a break. I’ve also taken pictures of my articles on Inc when they get published.
- Direct traffic to your blog. Each week, I post an image on Instagram that is related to that week’s blog post on my own website. From there, I direct people to click on the link in my bio. This has lead to a nice boost in traffic and awesome engagement on my posts.
- Post quotes. Quotes perform very well on Instagram. As soon as I learned this, I started posting images of quotes from my book. I’ve also been making images of famous money quotes.
When this new freelance client reached out to me, the first thing they said was “I’ve been following you on Instagram and I love your content.” This is a clear sign that content plays a major role if you want to get a freelance gig on Instagram.
Get clear on your hashtags.
You can get a lot of eyeballs on your Instagram posts just by using the proper hashtags.
Since my niche is personal finance and business, I knew I had to get clear on the most popular hashtags for my niche. I did this by visiting Hashtagify.me and playing with multiple words to see their stats. This tool allows you to see the most popular hash tags as well as popular related hash tags.
Once I got clear on the best hashtags for my niche, I started using them in every post. Additionally, I loaded them on to Instagress so that the automation would be based on the best hashtags for my niche.
These hashtags show off my expertise, create great content and allow potential clients to find me on Instagram.
Make a business profile.
Instagram now has the option to make your profile a business profile. This allows people to click a “Contact Me” button directly on your page instead of having to click the ellipsis on the top right corner to find the menu. I’ve had several people contact me this way, some of which are now client prospects.
This is a simple tweak, but it’s well worth the effort if you want to eventually get a freelance gig on Instagram.
