Want to make money with your Instagram account?
You might not get rich overnight, but there are some neat ways that you can begin monetizing your account TODAY no matter how many followers you have.
(And I know that these methods work because I have seen several pet accounts doing them!)
So, without further ado, here is a list of creative ways to monetize your pet’s Instagram:
Make Pet Art or Edits
This is the first one that came to mind because I see a lot of accounts that sell pet arts and edits (and I’ve commissioned a few myself from various artists!).
If you draw, paint, make collages, or edit images, you can start selling pet edits too. There’s minimal barrier to getting started provided you have the tools and materials to actually make your pet art.
Some artists make a separate account for their editing or art services, but you can also start promoting and selling your work through your main account (especially if you already have a sizable following).
If you don’t know what to charge or if selling your art puts a lot of pressure on you, you can even do them for free and leave a link to a donation page in your bio (like Ko-Fi, PayPal, or Buy Me a Coffee) so that people can have the option to support you for your work.
Design Merch for Your Shop
Ok, this is a no brainer, but it’s true that anyone can make and sell merch with sites like Teespring or Threadless.
If you have some cute design ideas, why not try it out? They don’t all have to be about you. They can be cat, dog, or general pet related – anything your followers might like to wear or use.
You can embellish your photos with free illustrations from sites like Pixabay or find affordable commercial-use graphics on Creative Fabrica.
Here’s a sticker design that my mom created by cutting my head from a photo and adding in a flower graphic that we got from Creative Fabrica:
Create Handmade Products
I’ve also seen several furriends sell handmade pet products for Etsy or other online stores.
You can sell anything from cat toys to bandanas to homemade pet treats. And you can consider making stuff for hoomans too, like jewelry, handmade art, downloadable art, or anything else that you specialize in.
Here’s my grandma’s cat opening a kicker gift we got from Spooko’s mom’s shop KittenKlassics (@spookothecat on Instagram).
Write a Book
It sounds like a massive undertaking, I know, but Amazon Kindle makes it really easy to self-publish. Back in the day, my mom tried (unsuccessfully) to make money by writing ebooks for Kindle. She even wrote a guide to skincare with a regimen for how to cure acne, but it never took off.
I think her downfall was using Ed Gein as the pen name. And then she tried to promote it with articles like this:
If you want to monetize your pet’s Instagram, you can write a book about your pet and promote it to your followers. Again, if you have trouble with pricing or feel guilty charging for your work (believe me you’re not alone), books can be priced as low as $0.99.
Just know that you deserve fair payment for your hard work and that people who love you will be willing to pay whatever you think is fair to charge.
Most people, however, might run into the problem of not knowing what to write about.
They may think their writing is bad or that their life isn’t all that interesting. My advice is just give it a try and see what happens. Sit down and start writing, and don’t critique what comes out until you’re done. Have a brainstorm session and write down all of your ideas without judgement.
Here are some book ideas to help you get started:
- Write an in-depth account of your pet’s adoption story
- Write an autobiography with your pet as the author
- Create a work of fiction with your pet as the main character
- Write a book about something you know well and make your pet the narrator
- Create an illustrated children’s book
- Make a comic book series
KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) allows you to publish illustrated or picture books if you want a more visual focus. If you don’t like Kindle, you can use Lulu or similar services to sell hard or electronic copies of your book.
Start a Patreon
If you plan to make more content, upload long videos, or do exclusive livestreams, you can create a Patreon account and offer patron-only content for your supporters.
Patrons can pay as little as $1 to support you and unlock your exclusive content, so you don’t have to feel a ton a pressure to upload all the time or produce something really time-consuming.
Patreon allows you to post polls, upload files for your followers to download, post videos, share photos, and more.
What are your best ideas for monetizing your Instagram account? Feel free to share them in the comments!
If you liked this article, be sure to subscribe to my blog to get all of my new articles directly to your inbox 🙂
Love,
Cathy
@cathy_permakitten
Cathy Permakitten 