How to Sell on Instagram: 8 Features for Driving Sales

Instagram has rapidly become a go-to place to sell products online.

From tagging products in feed posts to Instagram Reels shopping, Instagram has launched several big e-commerce features within the last two years.

Whatever your brand or business, there’s an Instagram feature to help you drive more sales and reach your business goals.

8 Ways to Sell Products on Instagram

Ready to drive more sales for your business? Here are the top Instagram features for driving clicks and conversions:

1. Instagram Shop

2. Link in Bio

3. Instagram Feed Post Shopping

4. Instagram Guides

5. Instagram Stories Shopping

6. Instagram Reels Shopping

7. Community Product Tagging

8. Instagram Live Shopping

#1: Instagram Shop

Instagram Shop offers a way for businesses to showcase their product catalog and reach new customers on Instagram.

By setting up an Instagram Shop, brands can curate a list of shoppable products that are directly accessible through the “View Shop” button on their Instagram profile page.

But that’s not all. Businesses with Instagram Shop can also be featured on the Instagram Shop tab — a shopping destination accessible from Instagram’s main navigation menu.

Here, shoppers can browse categories, see "Editors' Picks," and more:

Through this new feed, Instagram has found a way to show users more of what they’re highly likely to buy — all based on previous engagement and the posts and brands people follow.

By clicking on a suggested product, users can see more images featuring the product, pricing information, other products from the same retailer, and follow the route to purchase.

For US-based customers, the route to purchase is even more streamlined with Instagram Checkout, which allows users to pay for a product and provide their shipping details without ever leaving the Instagram app.

#2: Link in Bio

The link in your Instagram bio is easy to find and readily clickable, making it one of the most valuable traffic-drivers on your Instagram profile.

However, there’s only so much you can do with just one link — unless you use a third-party tool to capitalize on this opportunity.

With Linkin.bio by Later, you can create a clickable version of your Instagram feed and add it to the link in your bio.

For every post on your feed, you can link to your specific product pages on your website, making is simple for people to shop the products they discover through your posts.

Ready to turn followers into customers with a shoppable Instagram feed? Start using Linkin.bio today!

#3: Instagram Feed Post Shopping

Instagram has always been a great place for users to discover new products, but Instagram Shopping makes it easier than ever to go from inspiration to conversion.

With Instagram Shopping, businesses can tag products (listed in their Instagram Shop) directly in feed posts, Instagram Stories, Reels, Guides, and Live broadcasts (more to come on these later).

Showcasing products in feed posts provides valuable context, such as sizing, fit, or styling inspiration — so adding a direct route to shop closes the retail loop.

With Product Tags, users can tap to discover product details, visit a brand’s website, or make a purchase directly within the app with Instagram Checkout.

Plus, by regularly using Instagram Shopping, businesses stand a greater chance of being featured on the Instagram Shop discovery tab.

PSA: You can add product tags when you schedule your posts in advance with Later! Join 4M+ marketers and sign up for a Later account today.

#4: Instagram Guides

Instagram Guides let you share tip and recommendation round-ups on Instagram, and they’re perfectly optimized for e-commerce.

Guides offer a unique way to package existing content with fresh commentary, and are currently available in 3 formats:

• Places: Recommend places in your city and beyond

• Products: Recommend your favorite products

• Posts: Recommend posts you created or saved

Product Guides, as you may have guessed, are a fantastic way to promote products. Brands can either create a curated list of products themselves, or partner with influencers to reach an even wider network.

For the best results, consider curated edits that will resonate with your target audience, such as  “Gifts under $20,” or “Skincare Favorites.”

#5: Instagram Stories Shopping

Instagram Stories provide a huge opportunity for brands to connect with their followers on a more personal level — which is great for building trust, increasing engagement, and creating community.

But that’s not all. There are also several ways to make stories shoppable!

Businesses with Instagram Shopping can add shoppable product stickers that followers can tap to shop.

Or, they can simply use the link sticker to drive viewers directly to their website's product page.

#6: Instagram Reels Shopping

Instagram Reels Shopping is a great way to highlight and sell products through video content on Instagram.

Viewers can now select the “View Products” button to either buy or learn more about the featured products in Reels.

Creators can also tag products from partner brands in Reels — building on Instagram’s Shopping from Creators offering (see below).

#7: Community Product Tagging

Earlier this year, Instagram rolled out product tagging to all users in the US, opening up a new opportunity for brands to sell on the app.

Previously, only creators could tag products from businesses in their posts.

Now, anyone from your audience can generate sales on your behalf.

#8: Instagram Live Shopping

Instagram Live Shopping lets brands and creators sell products during an Instagram Live broadcast.

Accounts with access to Instagram Checkout can tag up to 30 products from their Facebook Shop or catalog before going live.

Photo via Instagram

During the broadcast, the host can pin one product at a time to the screen — providing a new, contextualized way to shop during an Instagram Live.

This fully integrated experience is great for brands who want to drive sales, and makes it easier for viewers to shop featured products.

As you can see, there are tons of different features to drive sales on Instagram.

Finding the right ones for you might take a little trial and error, but with a consistent strategy, you’ll see real results sooner than you may think.

Looking for more ways to ways to sell on Instagram with step by step instructions and examples... Checkout our new social selling on instagram guide.

Ready to kickstart your Instagram strategy? Sign up to Later and start planning your content strategy in advance.