Have you ever wondered how to make money on Instagram?
There are so many ways to make a great living with social media, but you have to treat it like a business. That means choosing an objective, defining your process, creating content, and building a following.
Once you do all that, you can start making a substantial income with social media. We’ll discuss how to make money from Instagram and how to set up an Instagram account. We’ll also explain the number of followers you need, how to get more followers, and how to get paid on Instagram.
Lastly, we’ll answer commonly asked questions businesses have about how to make money with Instagram. You can either read straight through or click on any of the links below to jump to the section that interests you:
Can you make money on Instagram?
Yes, you can get paid for using Instagram in several ways. Some of the most popular methods of making money on Instagram include:
- Collaborating with brands
- Promoting affiliate offers
- Enabling badges
- Selling merchandise
- Receiving gifts
- Selling subscriptions
- Creating high-performing reels
How many Instagram followers do you need to get paid?
You can make money on Instagram with any number of followers, but your earning options for posting on Instagram go up dramatically at these milestones:
- 1K followers
- 10K followers
- 50K followers
- 500K followers
- 1M followers
In general, posts are worth $10 for every 1,000 followers you have. Selling products and making money from reels don’t have a follower requirement, but you should expect to have better results as your followers and views increase.
How to Monetize Instagram
There are multiple different ways to monetize your Instagram. Instagrammers often use more than one strategy to diversify their income streams.
Collaborate With Brands
Many Instagram influencers earn large portions of their income from sponsored content. For the most part, companies would rather pay $10,000 for up to 1,000 posts than spend $10K for a single post. Theoretically, an Instagram account that has 1,000 instagram users and strong engagement could make money by promoting a company’s products.
Collaborations normally include negotiations about the number and type of posts, stories, or reels that will be used to promote the brand. You might negotiate free products or pay in exchange for helping the company meet its goals.
Typically, the company will use a link with tracking parameters to measure the success of your Instagram campaign. You can also earn commissions for each sale. There are five levels of Instagram users that companies will look for depending on their budget and requirements:
- Nano: 1K to 10K followers
- Micro: 10K to 50k followers
- Mid-tier: 50K to 500K followers
- Macro: 500K to 1M followers
- Mega: Over 1M followers
You can get sponsorships through the creator marketplace, on third-party platforms, or by reaching out to companies directly. In addition, some companies may get in touch if they’re interested in working with you after viewing your Instagram creator account.
Promote Affiliate Offers
Another strategy is to include affiliate links in your Instagram posts and stories. You’ll need to find and get approved for various affiliate marketing programs. Then you’ll earn a commission every time someone buys a product from one of your Instagram stories.
Check out our blog to learn more about affiliate marketing.
Enable Badges
Instagram badges are gifts that people give you when you go live. Viewers can give $0.99, $1.99, or $4.99. You’ll need to be over 18 and have more than 10,000 followers to qualify for this program.
Learn more about enabling live badges on Instagram.
Sell Merchandise
Instagram users can also sell merchandise. You’ll want to sign up for an Instagram business account and enable shopping features. Then you’ll be able to create an Instagram shop and tag products in your pictures.
Receive Gifts
As an Instagram influencer, you can earn gifts in increments of one cent. To use gifts to make money on Instagram, you need to have 500 followers and a professional account.
This option is only open to content creators over the age of 18. Plus, if your content is aimed toward children, you aren’t allowed to use them.
Sell Subscriptions
Another great way to make money on Instagram is to sell subscriptions. You can offer:
- Subscriber badges
- Subscriber broadcast channels
- Subscriber lives
- Subscriber posts
- Subscriber reels
- Subscriber social channels
- Subscriber stories
Each of these is like the free versions but only available to subscribers. You need to be over 18 and have at least 10,000 followers to start making money with Instagram subscriptions.
Create High-Performing Reels
Instagram used to offer a bonus to encourage content creators to create reels, but they’ve since discontinued the program. They may bring it back in the future, but for now, you can still earn money by featuring your products, doing sponsored reels, and earning gifts.
How to Create Your Instagram Account
Before you can monetize Instagram, you’ll need to get to a position where people are willing to pay for what you post. Many successful creators follow these steps to make money on Instagram:
- Decide whether you want to be an Instagram business account or creator.
- Set up your Instagram profile.
- Create beautiful content.
- Build your followers.
- Monetize your Instagram.
Step #1. Decide Whether You Want to Be an Instagram Business Account or Creator
Instagram creators and businesses have different features and ways to monetize. Creators and businesses both get insights, paid partnership tags, shoppable posts, inbox categories, saved replies, and profile labels.
Instagram for business has some additional features such as third-party app connection, an Instagram storefront, and customized audience targeting. You’ll have to decide whether you need your own storefront, third-party apps, and custom targeting.
Step #2. Set Up Your Instagram Profile
The next step is to create an Instagram profile, select whether you want to be considered a business or a creator, and specify what your content is about. Learn how to set up a creator account or an Instagram business account by following the how-to guides.
You’ll also want to choose a name and add a 150-character bio. You’ll also have the chance to upload a profile picture or logo.
Step #3. Create Beautiful Content
Once you’re ready to post, it’s time to create visually appealing content that will stand out to users. There are three main styles of content:
- Photos: This category includes still images with hashtags, links to products, and other information. Photos typically work best with dimensions of 1000 x 1000 pixels.
- Reels: Video reels can last up to 90 seconds.
- Live: You can go live for up to four hours on Instagram. However, you can only repost videos that are less than 15 minutes.
Focus on being helpful and showcasing the beauty and importance of whatever you’re sharing.
Step #4. Get Instagram Users to Interact With Your Brand
One of the key components of how to make money on Instagram is consistency. You need to stick with your core message and brand values.
This way, your audience will know what to expect from your Instagram posts. You’ll eventually reach the number of followers you need to pursue various ways of making money on Instagram.
As you grow, you might want to create a media kit to help other companies understand how you’ll help them increase brand awareness.
Step #5. Monetize Your Instagram Content
Once you’ve reached adequate levels of your target audience, you can start making money from your instagram feed. It’s easier to make money when you have more followers even though you can start your own online store from the beginning.
How to Get More Followers on Instagram
There are a number of ways to increase your follower count on Instagram. You’ll want to:
- Set a followers goal.
- Post regularly.
- Boost IG posts.
- Respond to every comment.
- Provide useful information on popular posts.
Let’s look at how to make money on Instagram using these strategies.
Set a Followers Goal
As someone who wants to earn money using Instagram marketing, you need to know how many followers you’re trying to reach. A local business might be limited to the number of followers in their location, but an affiliate marketer can reach a million followers.
Once you’ve established your goal, create milestones to measure your Instagram success. For instance, when your final goal is to reach a million followers, you might want milestones of 1K, 5K, 10K, 25K, 50K, 100K, 250K, 500K, and 750K to keep you motivated as you increase your Instagram presence.
Post Regularly
You should post on Instagram at least once per day during business hours to help reach potential customers. Make sure to create engaging content.
You might want to provide a sneak peek of a new product that’s coming out or share reviews from customers. Another idea is to create Instagram reels explaining subjects your potential customers would be interested in learning about.
Don’t forget to provide links to products in your company’s online store.
Boost IG Posts
If you have money to spend, you can pay for ads or boost your Instagram posts. The more money you spend, the faster you can build a popular Instagram account.
Just be careful because Instagram depends on advertising revenue, so you’ll have plenty of competition. Carefully define your target market before spending money on ads for Instagram or other social media platforms.
Respond to Every Comment
Businesses can benefit from responding to every comment or question. Your profile will get a better engagement score if you’re more responsive. This can help people find your online store easier or provide chances to share your affiliate program information.
Provide Useful Information on Popular Posts
Follow other accounts that appeal to your target market. Then respond to their posts with useful information.
This can help people discover your website and increase merchandise sales. I know some comments I make on high-traffic posts earn me up to 20 followers just for sharing my thoughts.
This also works well for monetization. Instagram is a great place to link to your website, online course, affiliates, or YouTube channel.
How to Get Paid on Instagram
When you create content that makes money on Instagram, you’ll need to set up a payout account in your professional dashboard.
- Navigate to payouts.
- Update your payout method.
- Choose the payout account you want to add.
- Follow the prompts. You’ll be able to set up a different payout account for branded content, shop, badges, reels, subscriptions, and any other monetization tools.
You’ll get paid on the 21st of each month. If you have a shop, you can also make money on Instagram through PayPal or ShopPay.
How much can you make on Instagram?
Instagram pays different amounts depending on which service you’re using. In general, they pay:
- $0.10 to $5.00 per 1,000 reel views based on a percentage of ad revenue
- Up to $250 per user when viewers buy badges in a video
- Subscription fees when you charge for premium content
Note that the ability to earn for reel views has expired in the U.S. but is still available in some countries.
Instagram FAQ
Next, we’ll review some frequently asked questions about Instagram. Our goal is to help business owners and content creators like you learn how to make money on Instagram.
How to add music to Instagram post
Follow these steps to add music to an Instagram post:
- Create a post.
- Add photos or videos.
- Edit the photos or videos, then click Next.
- Choose the music note to add audio from the music library.
- Choose your song.
- Trim the audio to play the right part of the track.
- Click Done.
- Share post.
How to repost a story on Instagram
To repost instagram stories, go to the story you want to share and click Add to Stories. Edit the story, then share the post.
How to get verified on Instagram
There are different ways to get the Instagram checkmark.
- Subscription: You’ll need two-factor authentication turned on. You’ll also need to pay a subscription fee and submit your driver’s license.
- Celebrity status: Politicians, celebrities, and famous business owners may qualify without paying.
Businesses will need to connect their business bank account, show proof of ownership, and submit a driver’s license. Learn more about Meta verified businesses.
What is Instagram Threads?
Instagram Threads is another social media platform that’s owned by Meta. This social media platform was created in response to concerns about Elon Musk owning X (formerly Twitter).
While it might make sense to use if you’re wondering how to make money on Instagram, I would carefully evaluate the difference between Threads and X to see which one aligns with your target audience.
Can you see who views your Instagram?
Meta doesn’t share who views your Instagram bio, but it does share who views your reels and videos. In addition, you can also view who likes, comments, and shares your Instagram posts.
How many Instagram followers to make money?
Monetizing Instagram starts when you gain 500 followers, but your passive income will steadily increase as you gain followers. The most meaningful number of followers for Instagram monetization is when you reach 1K, 10K, 50K, 100K, and 1M.
Does Instagram pay you?
Yes, Instagram pays you when people spend money online buying your products or sending gifts. They used to pay a share of ad revenue, but that has since been discontinued.
How does Instagram make money?
Instagram makes money by using the data they gather about people to provide targeted ads to the Instagram audience. As part of Meta, they also make money through VR, AI, and products sold through their platform.
How much money can you make from Instagram?
The top 50 social media influencers make over $1.5M each across all social channels. It’s difficult to track exactly how much of that money comes from Instagram because brand deals and other revenue will span across all the content they create.
Influencers typically make $0.04 to $4.00 per follower across all their social channels. Instagram marketing is typically considered the third most profitable social media marketing strategy behind YouTube and TikTok. However, it could easily move up the ranks by reinstating reels bonuses.
How does Instagram pay you?
Instagram pays people on the 21st of each month as long as they have more than $5 in payouts and a connected bank account.
Can I use an Instagram followers generator?
You can use a followers generator, but it might end up hurting you in the long run. Businesses value high engagement rates over how many followers you have. When you’re building your personal brand, it may be better to focus on engagement rates rather than follower count.
When is the best time to post on Instagram?
Shopify aggregated data from numerous sources and identified the best times to post on Instagram:
- Monday: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Tuesday: 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Wednesday: 11 a.m.
- Thursday: 7 a.m., 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 2 p.m.
- Friday: 4 p.m.
- Saturday: 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- Sunday: 7 p.m.
Scheduling posts at these times may help you figure out how to make money on Instagram faster. As your audience grows, you’ll have more data to establish the posting times that work best for your Instagram page.
Closing
You should now have a much better understanding of how to make money on Instagram. First, we answered how many followers you need to make money on Instagram. It’s a minimum of 500, but there are perks as you get more followers.
Then we discussed how to monetize on Instagram. We explained more about forming brand partnerships, offering exclusive content, and affiliate marketing.
Finally, we answered some frequently asked questions that business owners commonly have about how to get paid on Instagram.
What are your favorite ways to grow your following and monetize Instagram? Let us know in the comments below.
