Start with a professional account, post Reels often, use Stories and your bio to send people to your site, and add paid promotion when you want more reach. Two things to know first: between 2023 and 2025 the Shop tab and Live Shopping went away and checkout moved to your own website, and paid creator posts have to be labeled as ads.
Switch to a professional account
A professional account (Business or Creator) gives you Insights, contact buttons on your profile and the option to run ads (Instagram Help). You can switch in your account settings.
Post Reels regularly
Instagram says the creators with the fastest follower growth “post 10 or more reels per month” on average (Instagram for Creators). For a business, that can mean how you make your product, a customer question answered in 30 seconds or a before and after. More ideas in our Reels ideas and the best time to post Reels.
Send people to your site
- Stories: every account can add a link sticker since October 2021 (TechCrunch).
- Bio: you can add up to five links (Search Engine Land).
- Captions: links in captions aren’t clickable for most accounts (Instagram has been testing it for Meta Verified accounts since March 2026), so point people to your bio or a Story (PetaPixel).
Make your profile easy to find
Instagram search matches words in your username, name, bio, captions, hashtags and location (Hootsuite). Put what you sell and where you are in plain words. Since around July 10, 2025, public posts from professional accounts run by adults can also appear in Google and Bing results unless you turn that off in your privacy settings, according to PPC Land.
Work with creators, and label it
With Partnership ads (called Branded content ads until May 2023), a creator tags your business, turns on the paid partnership label, and you can run their post as an ad (SMK, Later). In the US, the FTC requires a clear disclosure such as “ad” or “sponsored” on paid endorsements, placed with the post itself (FTC).
Boost posts or run ads
To boost a post or Reel, open it and tap Boost, then choose a goal, an audience, a budget and a duration. Meta reviews the ad before it runs, usually within about 24 hours (Metricool). For more control over targeting and formats, build campaigns in Meta Ads Manager. We didn’t find one official minimum budget from Meta, so check the amount in the app before you confirm.
Selling on Instagram today
The Shop tab left Instagram’s main navigation in early 2023 (Social Media Today), and Live Shopping ended on March 16, 2023 (Engadget). Meta then phased out checkout on Facebook and Instagram shops, and most shops had moved to checkout on their own website by the end of August 2025 (PPC Land). Product tags on posts, Stories and Reels still work and now send shoppers to your site (Clever Zebo).
Answer messages faster
In Meta Business Suite you can set an Instant Reply for the first message someone sends you and an Away Message for when you’re offline. Both apply to DMs, not comments or Story replies (inro).
Keep customers close with a broadcast channel
A broadcast channel lets you send updates, photos and polls to the followers who join it (Meta). Use it for launches, restocks and offers for your regulars.
For a full plan, see our Instagram marketing strategy for small businesses.
FAQ
Can I promote my business on Instagram for free?
Yes. Reels, Stories with link stickers, a keyword-rich profile, Collab posts and a broadcast channel cost nothing. Ads are optional.
How much does it cost to boost a post?
You set the daily budget and the number of days. Check the minimum shown in the app before you confirm.
Can people still buy from me inside Instagram?
Product tags still work, but checkout now happens on your own website.
Do I have to label posts I pay creators for?
Yes. Use Instagram’s paid partnership label, and in the US follow the FTC’s disclosure rules.