No matter what your niche is, there are opportunities for you to start selling physical products. 

You can start making real money, just like my student @chloemorganofficial did. She’s a dance music artist who started selling nail products and makeup on Instagram, and very quickly earned her first $500. 

That’s why today, I’m going to give you a complete guide on how to sell on Instagram, including:

• How to choose a product that sells well on Instagram
• How to set up a shop and start selling
• How to properly market on the platform (so your followers don’t abandon you)

How to Sell Products on Instagram in 7 Easy Steps

For this guide, I’m focusing on how to sell physical products. If you’re selling a digital product like a course or an ebook, check out my complete guide on how to sell digital products on Instagram (it’s very different from selling physical products). 

But if you’re going for physical, then follow these 7 steps:

Step #1: Choose a Product Your Audience Wants to Buy

Whether you’re starting from scratch or you already have an Instagram account with a decent following, the first step remains the same: 

Find a product people want to buy, not a product you want to sell. 

I’ve seen so many people make the mistake of selling something they like, but that their main follower base isn’t interested in. 

Imagine trying to sell a travel backpack to your audience of home cooks. No matter how many followers you have, almost none of them will buy because they’re the types of people who stay at home. 

In a less extreme example, selling something like a premium knife can fail if your audience is the budget-conscious type. 

So, how do you find out what your audience wants to buy? 

A few ways: 

• Spy on Competitors – check what accounts similar to yours are selling. This should give you an idea of what kinds of things people in your niche buy. Don’t copy your competitor’s product, but you can use it to get some of your own ideas. 

• Pay Attention to Comments – if you’re a home cook, you might notice people asking you what knives you’re using. If you have a pet account, people might want to get their hands on the same accessories your dog has. Comments like these show you what you have that your followers are interested in buying for themselves. 

• Find a Common Problem – find a common problem in your niche, and try to find a product that fixes it. Head to Reddit or other places your audience hangs out, and read what problems they have. If there’s a product that fixes it, that could be your product idea. 

If you already have a product but don’t yet have an Instagram account, even better. Because this allows you to target the types of people who will buy your product from the get-go. 

Step #2: Decide How To Sell Your Product

Next, you’ll need to decide how you’re going to sell your product. Because nowadays, you don’t necessarily need to sell using traditional methods. 

Here are some ways: 

• Traditional – You hand-make or manufacture the product, create an online store, and sell items on your Instagram. 

• White-Label – You sell a product made by another company, but it carries your brand name, packaging, and pricing. You usually order products in advance, which gives you more control over quality, branding, and customer experience.

• Drop Shipping – You sell products under the supplier’s brand, but you don’t keep inventory. When someone orders, the supplier ships the product directly to the customer, making it easier to start, but with less control over branding and shipping times.

Whatever you choose, you’ll need an online storefront. Here are some popular options: 

• Shopify – the most popular online store builder today. Shopify allows you to easily create a shop, list your products, and sell all in the platform. Just add links to your shop on your Instagram profile. 

• Etsy – not a traditional store builder, but a platform that allows you to list and sell your products. Etsy is especially popular with people selling more arts and crafts types of items. 

• Wix – a super beginner-friendly website builder that also allows you to create an online store. Not as flexible as Shopify, but a good option for people who want an easy way to do it themselves. 

You can link to your online shop from your Instagram. 

Or, you can set up an Instagram shop. You don’t need this to start selling. Most accounts using Instagram shop typically have a whole catalog of items to sell. But if you’d like to display your products on the platform, here’s how:

How to Set Up an Instagram Shop 

1. Switch to a Business Account
   • Open your Instagram profile.
   • Click on Menu, Settings, and then Account.
   • Click on “Switch to Professional.”
   • Choose Business account.

2. Connect to a Facebook Page
   • Instagram will prompt you to connect to or create a Facebook page.
   • This is required because Instagram Shop is managed through Facebook’s Commerce Manager.

3. Set Up Commerce Manager
   • Go to Facebook Commerce Manager (on PC, this doesn’t work on mobile).
   • Click Get Started and choose Create a Catalog (recommended for digital products).
   • Name the catalog.

4. Upload Product Catalog
   • In Commerce Manager, add products to your catalog (manually, via spreadsheet upload, or via a partner like Shopify).
   • Include the product name, price, descriptions, and how you deliver the digital product (e.g., link after purchase).

5. Connect Your Catalog with Instagram
   • In Commerce Manager settings, go to Business assets → ad and sales channels.
   • Add your Instagram account so Instagram can access your catalog.
   • This enables shopping tags.

6. Submit For Review
   • On Instagram, go to Settings → Business → Shopping and follow prompts to sign up for Instagram Shopping.
   • Instagram/Meta reviews your account.
   • You can check the review status in Shopping settings.

7. Connect Your Catalog After Approval
   • Once approved, go back to Settings → Business → Shopping.
   • Select the catalog you created.

Tap Done to activate your Instagram Shop.

Step #3: Create & Optimize Your Account (NOT a Store Account)

Here’s a secret:

Even if your whole point of creating an account is to sell items, avoid making your account a store or brand account. 

Very few people follow stores and brands (unless it’s a major brand). People are much more likely to follow and engage with you if you show up as a relatable person rather than a store that’s out to sell them something. 

That’s why this is how I recommend setting up your account: 

• Username – use either your name or a combination of words showing what niche you’re in. Personal names have the advantage of being more personal and relatable, while niche words’ advantage is that people immediately know what you post about. 

• Picture – avoid logos! Again, the more real and relatable you are, the easier it is to get followers. So choose a good headshot of your face. It doesn’t have to be overly professional, but it should show you’re a real person. 

• Bio – a quick and simple bio that shows who you are, what your account is about, and what value you provide for your followers (not yet your product) 

• Link – this is where you add your product. Give it a simple title that describes exactly what it is like, “My Spice Mix,” or “Baby Clothes,” and link it to your shop. 

If you already have an account, make these tweaks because they’ll help you in the long run. 

Even if you have already started a brand account, but aren’t getting sales yet, it’s not too late to change your username, picture, details, and go to a more approachable personal account. 

Step #4: Grow Your Instagram Account With the Right Audience

Growing your account is NOT just about getting more followers. 

Even if you have a million followers, you still won’t be able to make a single sale if you don’t capture the right audience. 

If you want to sell a product, follower count isn’t that important. There’s no magic number like 1k followers where you “unlock” sales. You can start selling when you first start, given that you attract the right type of followers. 

So how do you find the right people, the people interested in your product? 

Here are some ways: 

• Niche Down – build an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) for your product, then target that specific group of people on your Instagram. Your ICP should include things like age, gender, location, income range, and also things like goals, pain points, and buying habits. 

• Find Out What Content Your ICP Watches – one of the easiest ways to do this is to head to search, and type a keyword related to your niche. Watch the viral reels in that search, and take note of the hook, tension, payoff, and CTA of those videos. This should give you an idea of what your target audience watches. 

• Speak Their Language (not yours) – mirror how your target audience talks. Use the same words, questions, and frustrations they use in comments, DMs, and captions. Because once your audience feels like you “get” them, they’re far more likely to follow (and eventually buy). 

Once you have content that your ideal customer enjoys, you’re ready to start selling. 

Step #5: Soft Sell Your Product

Now, before you go all in and make dozens of reels about your product, stop. 

Because people HATE ads. 

Nobody opens Instagram to watch ads. It’s called social media, so keep your content as social as possible. 

The right way to “advertise” your product is to soft-sell it. 

Create your normal content, the type of content that got you followers in the first place. But make sure to place your product somewhere in the reel.

Take a look at how these creators do it: 

• @Fitgreenmind – a cooking creator that focuses on vegan recipes. She naturally includes her spice mix product in her regular videos (like this), so it never comes off as salesy. 

• @Jamesllewis – an artist selling painting materials. He posts his art in a way that showcases his incredible paintbrushes and paints. Check the comments on any of his reels, and you’ll always find people asking about them.  

• @Crusoe_dachshund – a pet account selling various clothes and products. There are tons of product placements on their reels, all while rarely ever pushing people to buy. It’s super subtle, but very effective because people would love to have the same items for their own pets. 

Of course, you can make a couple of dedicated reels showcasing your product. You can pin these to your profile so anyone who goes to your account can see them. 

But don’t make this your main content. Keep on posting reels and carousels that keep your followers happy and bring new followers in as well. 

Step #6: Get a Chatbot

Chatbots are the secret weapon that works wonders when you’re selling on Instagram. 

Not only do they make your life so much easier, but they also bring up your account’s engagement and bring in new followers and new leads on autopilot. 

There are plenty of chatbots you can choose from, but the most popular one is ManyChat (I’m not affiliated with them, but I use this tool all the time). 

Have you ever seen those creators who say things like “Comment ‘GOAL’ and I’ll send you my roadmap.” And if you comment “goal” in their reel, you automatically get a DM from them with a link to their product? 

That’s a chatbot at work. 

This makes it extremely easy for your followers to find your product, and can also automatically answer any frequently asked questions. 

Finally, Chatbots are an algorithm cheat code. 

Not only do you get a lot more comments, but people sending you DMs is also a big boost for your account in Instagram’s algorithm. 

Step #7: Boost Your Sales With Advanced Strategies

If your product isn’t successful, you might need to spend some time rethinking it, or maybe try another way to monetize your account. 

But if your main follower base loves it, buys it, shares it, gives you positive feedback, and maybe even buys it again, then you know it’s time to scale. 

There are several ways you can expand your reach on Instagram, such as: 

• Boosted Posts – Instagram lets you run ads on your reels to reach an even wider audience. However! I would use this sparingly. If a reel doesn’t perform well organically, it won’t perform too well even if you throw money behind it. Instead, boost your best-performing reels, since those are what actually capture people’s attention. 

• Influencer Partnerships – an underrated way to get your product in front of more people. Find other creators in your niche, and partner up with them to have them promote your product. You can send them one for free to try out. Or if your business is really booming, you can even start paying influencers to promote your product for you. 

• Use Other Platforms – Instagram is a great place to start selling. But if it’s doing so well, you should probably get on other platforms too! Repurpose your content and start posting on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or even Pinterest (depending on your product). Instagram is awesome, but there are thousands of people you aren’t reaching if you only stay on one platform. 

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Sell on Instagram

Do I need a certain number of followers before I can start selling on Instagram?

No, you can start selling as soon as you start your account. 

However, having a strong follower base greatly increases your chances of success. When people already trust you and see you as an authority in your niche, they’re far more likely to buy your product.

Can I sell physical products on Instagram without an Instagram Shop?

Yes, you don’t need an Instagram Shop to start selling. 

In fact, a lot of creators selling products on Instagram don’t have Instagram shops. They simply build their shop on another platform like Shopify, then link their shop in their Instagram bio. 

How much money do I need to start selling physical products on Instagram?

Technically, $0. But that depends on the tools you’re planning to use. 

The beauty of selling on Instagram is that you don’t need to spend anything to get started. 

That said, you may need to pay $19/mo for a Shopify store. You can sign up for a free ManyChat account, but if you’re getting plenty of inquiries, you can also grab the $15/mo Pro version. 

Then just add the cost of actually producing your product, and that’s how much you need to spend to start selling. 

How often should I post when I’m trying to sell products?

Every day. 

You want to post on Instagram every day to get as much reach as possible. Posting every day also teaches you faster what your audience interacts with (and what they ignore). 

However, you should only hard-sell your product a few times. 

Most of your content should have creative ways to include your product in your reels (a soft-sell). Make your viewers naturally curious about the product without sticking it on their face and telling them to buy it. 

Do Instagram ads work for physical products?

Yes, but not in the way you might think. 

Instagram ads are not a magic solution if you aren’t getting views, followers, or sales. 

If a reel performs poorly organically, it’s not going to perform much better if you chuck a hundred dollars at it. 

That’s why the best strategy for Instagram ads is to promote reels that already did well organically. 

This means that the hook, tension, and payoff are proven to work for your target audience. All you need to do is pay for a little boost to show it to more people. 

Ready to Sell on Instagram?

Selling a physical product is one of the most exciting and fulfilling ways to monetize your Instagram account. 

And when people start leaving positive reviews of your product?

You’ll feel the rush telling you all the hard work was worth it. 

So what are you waiting for? 

Start researching and brainstorming a product your audience wants, follow the seven steps above, and start selling on Instagram! 

Need help getting more followers before you start selling?

Read my full guide on how to go viral on Instagram next!