Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2013. Instagram’s “more than 150 million users”, the prices quoted and the companies themselves are from 2013. Several of these services have probably closed or changed name, and Instagram has since restricted third-party API access.
By now, Instagram has more than 150 million users sharing tens or hundreds of millions of photos every month, from professional photographers showcasing their work to ordinary users sharing their own pictures. Because the app is so popular, opportunistic companies have realised that, with so many photos and users, a profitable business can be built around it, without keeping all that material confined to computers, tablets and smartphones.
By connecting to Instagram’s API, these entrepreneurs are creating everything from products to solid businesses. Here are 7 opportunistic business ideas that have emerged on the back of the app’s popularity.
1. InstaMaker
If you want to see your Instagram photos printed on mugs, T-shirts, plates, bags and so on, Instamaker is a company that takes care of it. Starting this kind of business is not hard: with a minimal investment, practically anyone can print individual photos, or photos selected by hashtag, on T-shirts and other products.
2. CasetaGram
This company already has a solid and very profitable business selling iPhone cases decorated with Instagram photos. That is CasetaGram‘s specialty and its main source of demand: you can order your case in black and white or in colour for about 35 dollars, although, like the previous company, it can also print your photos on mugs and other objects.
3. Ceramic Tile
Ceramic Tile goes further: this company makes tiles and ceramics with Instagram photos, in different sizes. In some countries this business idea could be very original if it were approached correctly. Imagine the icing on the branding cake for a company that decorated its whole premises with tiles showing its logo, its users or whatever else it came up with. It’s a matter of putting your mind to work. The company also sells other kinds of tiles, with adhesive backs or magnets, for other uses.
4. Printstagram
Printstagram offers more than 200 stickers of your photos starting at 10 dollars. They come in different sizes, so if you want to stick a photo of your partner on your laptop, there are passport-sized photos, medium sizes for your desk, or prints for making your own pictures for the living room. An excellent idea.
5. Canvas Pop
Canvas Pop claims to be the first company to have had the idea of printing Instagram photos. It also came up with an innovative technology so that photos could be hung at large sizes without losing any of the quality of the original small image. That is the company’s specialty, and its turnover is estimated to be around six figures. Not only were they the first; they are still the best.
6. PostaGram
So that old traditions are not lost because of technology, Postagram brings back the postcard (albeit a digital one): for 0.99 dollars you can send a postcard that includes a printed photo. The app is free; you only pay when you send a postcard.
7. Blurb
This company already offers a solid service in Spain. With Blurb you can create your own photo book, including photos from Instagram, Facebook and so on. A book of about 20 pages costs around 10 euros. Ideal for making your own biography entirely out of photos.
Further reading
- 10 original and innovative products to sell
- 10 businesses and jobs that will be booming in 2020
- Ideas for making extra money from home or online
Featured image: Laura D'Alessandro, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
