Quick Summary
  • Switch to a public account on Instagram and build a loyal fan base.
  • Monetize your Instagram account by:
    • Selling affiliate products
    • Creating sponsored content for your trusted brands
    • Selling your own products or services
    • Offering subscriptions to your most loyal followers
    • Teaching what you’re good at through webinars, Live streams, and video tutorials
    • Encouraging your Live stream audience to purchase Badges
    • Offering consulting services
    • Enabling ads on your Instagram Reels
    • Earning milestone bonuses

Are you maximizing your Instagram’s earning potential? Learn how to monetize Instagram and don't miss out on the opportunity to convert your creativity into cash.

In this article, we will explore the best monetization techniques and provide examples (+ tools) to help you kickstart your journey to making money on Instagram.

Disclosure: This content may contain a few affiliate links, which means if you click on them, I will get a commission (without any extra cost to you).

How to Monetize Instagram: What is Instagram Monetization?

Understanding how to monetize Instagram means finding ways to make money from your account. This includes using different methods like sponsored posts, working with brands, affiliate marketing, and selling your own products or services.

It's all about turning your content, the engagement you get, and your influence into cash.

The Best Ways to Monetize Your Instagram Account

Monetizing your Instagram account involves tactics like publishing sponsored posts, gaining brand partnerships, becoming an affiliate, selling products or services, and more.

I’ve covered some of the most profitable Instagram monetization techniques and pro tips that will help you make money. You’ll also find real examples of creators and brands putting these strategies to use.

Read on to learn how to monetize your account on Instagram.

1. Leverage Affiliate Marketing

One of the easiest ways to monetize Instagram is by becoming an affiliate marketer on the platform.

Essentially, you work as a brand ambassador for certain products that you use and believe in.

Your audience may find it helpful if you share a link or discount code with them for the products you’re promoting on your page.

As an affiliate marketer, whenever someone buys a product using your custom link, you get a certain percentage of the product sales.

But, how can you create an affiliate marketing campaign?

To create an affiliate marketing campaign from scratch, I recommend using ShareASale. This comprehensive tool makes the entire process of affiliate marketing simple.

You can create campaigns for social media, apps, and websites using this tool and can start off with just a few clicks.

The best part about this platform is that it also helps you track the progress of your campaign, giving you an overview of how well it’s performing.

Here’s a good example of what that looks like:

Cassie Andrew pairs a high-quality image with a compelling copy. Note how she’s incentivizing people to buy using a special discount code.

affiliate marketing using instagram
Image via Instagram

2. Earn Through Sponsored Posts and Shoutouts

Once you achieve “influencer” status, be it as micro or macro-influencer, you could leverage your influence to promote brands.

Once you have established your thought leadership in your niche, you can monetize Instagram for a profit. Oftentimes, brands partner with influencers for sponsored posts that help spread the word about their offerings.

Typically, such posts revolve around the product, describing a review you’ve made of it. It’s important that such sponsored posts should blend in with your other content so as to not appear overly promotional.

For instance, if you’re a plus-sized apparel influencer, then you want to be working with brands that promote body positivity. That’s why Gabi, here, often partners with brands like Premme because they align with her personal values.

sponsored posts shoutouts instagram
Image via Instagram

Now, Instagram also lets you add a “Paid Partnership” label to your sponsored content. This helps you maintain transparency about your brand collaborations.

paid partnership label on instagram
Source

3. Offer Subscriptions for Your Loyal Followers

Instagram also allows creators to offer paid subscriptions to their most loyal fans.

With Instagram Subscriptions, you can:

  • Offer exclusive and premium content to your subscribers, including Stories, Live streams, Reels, posts, and subscriber-only group chats
  • Have your loyal followers pay a small monthly subscription fee
  • Get paid directly through Instagram

This is a perfect way to monetize your Instagram account if you’ve already built a loyal fan base that are willing to pay a small fee for exclusive access to your:

  • New content
  • Products or services
  • Events
  • Online workshops and training programs
  • Events
  • And more

Here’s an example: The Mexican American artist, Chanel Kreuzer, offers subscriptions to her exclusive content for $1.99 per month.

instagram subscriptions
Source

However, Instagram Subscriptions are currently available in selected regions only like the US. So, you may not be able to benefit from them if you live elsewhere.

4. Promote and Sell Your Own Products

Building on the above premise, you can always do for yourself what you would otherwise do for brands in order to make money on Instagram.

Confused?

If you have a strong personal brand and aren’t too keen on promoting other companies on your page, you could always market your own products via Instagram Shopping and even create your own online store.

The top real estate firm, VIP Realty, does a great job of promoting their real estate listings on social media.

They share posts with virtual home tours to entice potential home buyers. This way, they can generate solid leads from social media and monetize their accounts.

advertise your products

As long as you have an ardent fan following, you can easily monetize Instagram this way.

Design and sell your own products like clothing, books, merchandise, cosmetics, etc.

As long as the items you intend to sell relate to your niche and resonate with your audience, you can use Instagram Shopping and your own online store to sell them.

Cartoonist, Nekoma, has done well for herself by starting her own store and then leveraging Instagram to promote it. She promotes her art, comics, and plushies by sharing related content on the platform.

sell own products through social posts
Image via Instagram

5. Teach What You Are Good At

People follow you on Instagram for a reason. They love your content and are looking to learn from you.

So, why not teach them how to do what you’re good at?

For example, Zach Rocheleau uses the platform to teach his followers how to make a healthier version of their favorite junk food.

teach followers what you know
Image via Instagram

To teach your audience what you are good at, you can:

  • Create and sell ebooks that educate people about what you know best. Your ebooks may include strategies, how-to guides, recipes, and more.
  • Host in-person workshops through Instagram Lives or online webinars.
  • Offer personal training and classes to your followers.
  • Create video tutorials and share them with your subscribed followers (see point 3)

6. Publish Product Placement Videos

Product placements have been around since the dawn of video advertisements. And there’s no reason why you can’t do the same to monetize Instagram.

Basically, you create a video that features you using a product and then earn some money for advertising it. Product explainer videos, DIYs, testimonials, or even quirky shorts are a good way to go about producing such videos.

Here’s an example of a product placement video from Linustech’s Instagram account:

They created a Reel promoting Roborock Global’s Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra and even offered a giveaway if users liked the Reel, followed both accounts on Instagram, and tagged a friend.

product placement videos
Image via Instagram

Instagram also allows you to add shopping tags to the products in your feed posts, Stories, and Reels. Users can directly shop from the app.

7. Become a Consultant

It’s no secret that once you become an influencer and build a decent-sized following, you might find some questions regarding your niche posted in the comments section.

These questions might be how-tos or whys, but the fact is that your followers consider you knowledgeable in your niche and would like your help.

Plenty of startups and want-to-be influencers seek guidance from people with experience in the field and if you’ve got it, why not use it?

You can consult industries regarding your niche, or if you have a rather large following, you could consult in influencer marketing and social media.

Chidera Peters is an excellent example.

chidera peters ig profile

Chidera Peters is passionate about education, technology, and community growth. She’s skilled in marketing, content creation, and design.

She used this knowledge and passion to create The Community For International Students (thecpcommunity) on Instagram.

cp community instagram profile

The cpcommunity is an Instagram account that is designed to help international students who want to study in the UK.

consultancy-related social posts

Posts like this help students from foreign countries. This post is about part-time jobs that international students can do in the UK to earn some extra money whilst studying abroad.

She’s also started an online website called Edtech that focuses on offering information about technology and education.

8. Create an Online Course

There’s been a massive shift in mindset towards online courses and degrees in the last decade, with more people turning towards it as a solution to further their education.

Over 6 million Americans are currently pursuing some form of education online.

To create a course, you first need to be a professional in the subject and need to have a decent amount of followers on Instagram who would be interested.

From there, you could take the content you’ve created and compile it into a course online.

Include things like seminars, webinars, and training to create a packaged course worth your customers’ time and money.

The best part about an online course is that once it’s done and set up, you don’t have to do much. These online courses can be an excellent source of passive income.

David Perrel’s online writing course, “Write of Passage,” is an excellent example of an influencer taking their knowledge and converting it into an online class.

online course examples

9. Sell Badges to the Viewers of Your Live Streams

As an Instagram creator, you can earn money from your Live streams by selling Badges to your viewers.

Badges are basically virtual gifts that viewers can purchase to show their support for a creator. The amount of money earned from badges varies depending on the type of badge and the number of viewers who purchase it.

Many users on Instagram don’t shy away from purchasing a Badge and gifting it to their favorite streamers.

badges for instagram creators
Image via Instagram

Badges are currently only available in a handful of countries listed here. You also need to be over 18 and have a creator or business account on Instagram to be eligible.

10. Enable Ads on Your Instagram Reels

Before 2022, Instagram only offered in-stream video ads, but as the content consumption of users changed, Instagram also made some changes to its platform.

With Instagram Reels at the forefront, Instagram created a new ad-revenue sharing system for Reels and removed the pre- and post-ad monetization options. Reels will be able to be monetized with an ad placed before or after the Reel.

Meta is also testing overlay ads which are currently being used on Facebook but should soon make their way to Instagram Reels as well.

Instagram is pushing Reels as the main way to consume video content on Instagram as its format is very similar to TikTok.

To be eligible, you need to be at least 18 years old and have a creator account on Instagram.

11. Earn Milestone Bonuses on Instagram

Instagram offers bonus programs to attract creators to publish and monetize content on the platform. These include:

  1. Video ads bonus is available to creators in the US for displaying ads in their video content. You can get a share of the revenue from the ads.
  2. Live badges bonus is available to creators in 11 countries. You’ll get a bonus for reaching different milestones with Live badges. One of them is going Live with another account on Instagram.
  3. Reels summer bonus is also available in the US only. You can earn bonus amounts for creating great Instagram Reels that perform well on the platform.
earn milestone bonuses on instagram

However, the first bonuses will be available by invitation only.

Prerequisites to Monetizing Instagram

This is never going to be a simple task. It takes more than just a catchy Instagram name, quirky description, and posting photos to make money on Instagram.

It might work well to impress your personal circle, but it takes a lot of hard work and patience to monetize your Instagram account.

Here’s what you’ll need to make money on Instagram:

1. Fanbase and Influence

The question you need to ask yourself is why would businesses be willing to pay an Instagram user, like you, money for sponsored content. They would do so to gain exposure and access to your audience, in the hopes of selling their products to them.

Starting out, you probably don't have a ton of Instagram followers yet. This means you'll be unlikely to drive sales for your own or a brand’s products through sponsored posts.

How many Instagram followers do you need to make money on Instagram?

You need to grow your follower count, organically, to at least a few thousand Instagram followers to be able to have an impact.

You should measure the performance of your Instagram posts using HashtagsForLikes. Their analytics feature, based on open data and AI technologies, can help you discover what works best.

You can easily identify the top-performing Instagram posts and hashtags in your niche and use them to grow your followers and reach.

But reach, alone, isn’t enough. To generate sales, you need to create and share compelling Instagram posts, Stories, Reels, etc.

You can use tools like ProWritingAid to help. Your followers have to take action based on your product recommendations.

Thus, having a reach and an influence over the purchasing power of your fanbase is critical. Here’s what an Instagram sales funnel looks like:

instagram sales funnel
Source

2. Dedicated and Engaged Followers

Having a sizable follower count, mathematically, increases your chances of appearing in the feeds of more users.

But what’s the point of that if your Instagram followers don’t engage with you or your content?

The trick to increasing engagement is to create content that solves certain content needs for your audience.

And how can you measure that? Not by the number of followers you have, but by the number of people liking, commenting on, and sharing your posts.

If you have engaged followers, brands will be more willing to invest in you to drive their profits through sponsored content.

Just take a look at Jenna Farmer. She has a relatively small audience of around 4,900 followers.

Yet, she still managed to garner 151 likes and 15 comments on this post promoting Tyne Cheese. That’s a very respectable engagement rate of 4.2% (approx).

How Can You Get Your Account Ready for Instagram Monetization?

Now, we’ve covered the most basic requirements that you’ll need to meet to monetize Instagram.

But what can you do to actually achieve that social reach, earn that influence, and attain high engagement?

1. Leverage the Right Hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to improve the discoverability and reach of your content. While Instagram allows you to use a maximum of 30 hashtags, I personally recommend using 10-15 for the maximum effect.

However, when creating sponsored posts, it’s crucial to get your hashtags right to ensure that they can create the maximum effect.

But, how can you find the right hashtags?

There are multiple Instagram hashtag generator tools out there that can do the groundwork for you. Based on your niche, they can send you a list of the most popular hashtags.

The problem is there are many tools for hashtag generation. And not all of them are genuine. If you are new to the field, you may struggle to filter out the wheat from the chaff.

To save you some time, I’ve got a recommendation for you:

Use HashtagsForLikes.

This AI-powered hashtag research tool can help you get in-depth insights into each hashtag so that you can figure out if it’s worth using it. All you need to do is enter the hashtag, and the tool will do the work for you.

But that’s not all…

The tool can also find the right hashtags for your Instagram page and bio. Just enter your Instagram handle and the tool will find the best hashtags for your Instagram Stories, posts, etc.

Remember, though, you shouldn’t be using any random hashtags. Try using ones that are relevant to your posts and will help you reach out to bigger audiences.

Feel free to get creative and witty with your hashtags, as well. The Brothers Buoy sure knows how to do this right as you can see in the post below:

example of adding witty and relevant hashtags
Image via Instagram

2. Have a Snappy Bio

Regardless of whether you’re a business or an individual trying to monetize Instagram, you need to post wisely.

Your profile bio is valuable real estate on your Instagram page and you can leverage it to pitch to first-time visitors.

I’d advise that you have a simple, crisp, and perhaps quirky, bio. Showcase your creativity and what value you might add to them.

Let's take a look at Luvvie for inspiration. Her bio is catchy and visually appealing, establishing her brand's credibility.

good bio example
Image via Instagram

Also, use spaces in your bio and Instagram captions to make the copy more breathable.

3. Be Consistent with Your Instagram Posting Schedule

To nurture any relationship, you need to interact with each other on a regular basis. The same principle extends to your presence on Instagram.

In order to make money on Instagram, you need to post content and engage your followers on a regular basis. It helps to set up a fixed posting schedule. One that aligns with the times your audience is most likely to be on the tool.

According to Tailwind, there is a positive correlation between the frequency of posting and engagement rates. Not only that, but the more you post on Instagram, the faster your audience will also grow.

Take this to a whole new level by regularly interacting with your followers in the comment section of each post. This will go a long way to show your followers that you genuinely care and appreciate them.

Jenn, here, is a great example of that.

example of interacting with your followers on social media
Image via Instagram

Pro Tip: Leverage Instagram analytics tools to keep track of your follower growth and engagement rate and figure out how many Instagram posts you should publish each day.

4. Improve Your Instagram Content Quality

One of the most important things you need to do to monetize Instagram is to improve your content quality.

There are plenty of content creators out there vying for the attention of your target audience. Standing out in this sea, then, is more than a task.

Always use high-quality images and never repeat your product pitches. Base your captions on your actual experiences with brand products to come off as genuine and more engaging.

Additionally, you should strongly consider leveraging video content in the form of Instagram Stories or even on IGTV to stand out.

Take a page out of Colin McCarthy’s playbook and rake in those engagements by leveraging video content.

leverage video content of high quality on social media
Image via Instagram

5. Build Relationships with Other Content Creators on Instagram

As a user who’s only starting to monetize Instagram, quality content and compelling captions will only get you so far.

An important element of growing your reach and influence is cultivating relationships with other content creators in your niche.

You can get in touch with them and ask them for a shoutout on one of their posts. Or you can actively engage with them and their followers on their posts.

Better yet, you can collaborate with them to create content together.

Humble The Poet and Lilly Singh (@iisuperwomanii) are known for their collaborative content.

build relationships with other instagram creators
Image via Instagram

In addition to this, you can also run giveaways and contests with influencers to boost your visibility.

Want some awesome Instagram giveaway ideas?

Here are some different ideas you can experiment with:

  • Ask your followers to tag their friends in the comments section.
  • Encourage your followers to like and share your posts.
  • Ask your followers to upload a photo of your products.

Read more on Instagram marketing.

FAQs

How long does it take to monetize an Instagram account?

There’s no clear answer on how long it can take to monetize an Instagram account.

However, you’d definitely need a few months to develop a loyal fan following on the platform. You’d also have to consistently post content during this period to ensure that the followers engage with your posts too.

How does monetization work on Instagram?

Monetization works in a lot of different ways on Instagram. You can:

– Get paid to promote others’ products or services.
– Sell your own products and services.
– Make money through badges, subscriptions, and bonuses.
– Run ads on your Instagram Reels.

These things could be done through feed posts, Stories, Reels, etc.

How much money do 100k Instagram followers make?

On average, Instagram influencers with 100k followers typically charge about $250-500 per sponsored post.

However, a lot of factors such as the engagement rate and niche can play a role in determining how much money you can make on Instagram.

Do Instagram users get paid?

While Instagram itself doesn’t pay anything to its users, those with large fan followings might get brands to pay them.

If you’ve developed a dedicated follower base on the platform in a particular niche, brands may get in touch with you to promote their products or services. You can charge them for the same.

You can also earn money by selling your own products, offering paid subscriptions to your loyal followers, and selling badges on Reels.

Can you make money on Instagram with 1000 followers?

Yes, it’s very much possible to monetize Instagram with 1000 followers. You can become a nano-influencer in your niche and get some brands to partner with you if your followers are highly engaged.

How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram or monetize an Instagram account?

You can make money on Instagram with a minimum of 1000 followers. You can then become a nano-influencer and might get some attention from brands.

However, you may not be able to demand much in fees. Once you’ve got about 10K followers, you’d be in a better position to charge more to monetize Instagram. The key here is to have a high engagement rate.

How can you monetize videos on Instagram?

You can monetize videos by:
– Mentioning brands in your videos
– Reviewing products or services in the videos
– Creating how-to videos about products or services
– Running video ads to drive traffic to your website to generate sales

When should I monetize my Instagram account?

It would be best to monetize your Instagram account when your engagement rate and follower count fit in with your posts and niche's quality.

These days, brands care about how engaged your audience is and how much influence you have over their buying decisions. They want to know that you can help them create brand awareness and boost conversions.

You should also be an expert in their niche or one related to what the brand offers.

Who is the highest-paid Instagrammer?

Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano), one of the most famous footballers in the world, is also the highest-paid Instagrammer today.

He charges an estimated $2,397,000 for publishing each sponsored post on his Instagram account.

How much does Instagram pay you for 1 million followers?

Instagram accounts with over 1 million followers earn an average of $15,356 per month by partnering with brands or running Instagram ads.

However, the actual amount of money you can earn with one million followers will depend on your account’s engagement rate, niche, the types of content you create, and the brands you partner with.

Instagram Monetization Requirements?

To monetize on Instagram, creators typically need to comply with Instagram’s content and monetization policies. Requirements often include being over 18, having a minimum number of followers (usually around 10,000), and maintaining an engaged audience. Creators also need to adhere to specific guidelines for different monetization features like Badges and Subscriptions​​​​.

Can You Earn Money from Instagram?

Yes, you can earn money from Instagram through various methods such as sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, selling products or services directly, and utilizing Instagram’s built-in monetization features like Badges in Live, Instagram Shop, and Subscriptions. The key to earning money on Instagram is having an engaged audience and leveraging the platform's features effectively​​​​​​.

How to Monetize Instagram Reels?

Monetizing Instagram Reels can be achieved through sponsored content, integrating products into Reels, or using Instagram's upcoming ad revenue share program. This program will allow creators to earn money from ads shown in their Reels. To maximize earnings, focus on creating original, engaging content that resonates with your audience​​​​​​​​​​​​.

Ready to Implement Our ‘How to Monetize Instagram’ Guide and Make Money Online?

If you're an up-and-coming content creator aiming to strike it big, Instagram is the place to be. Monetizing your Instagram content is not only straightforward, but also offers multiple methods to boost your likelihood of success.

Here are a few key takeaways:

  • Create high-quality content to attract both followers and advertisers. Make sure your photos are clear and bright, your videos well-recorded and edited, and your captions engaging.
  • Respond to comments and questions, and participate in conversations. The more engaged your audience is, the more likely they are to support your Instagram monetization efforts.
  • Reach out to brands that you're interested in working with. Be sure to explain how your audience aligns with their target market and how you can help them grow.
  • Sell affiliate products with a clear call to action, such as “Get an exclusive 15% discount when you use my code “Shane15off. You can also add your affiliate link in your Instagram bio and Stories.
  • When you go Live, encourage your viewers to purchase badges to show their support. You can also offer some incentives to your constant supporters.
  • Offer Instagram Subscriptions to generate recurring revenue from your fans.

What are your thoughts on the subject? I’d love to hear from you in the comment section.

7 Comments

  1. Excellent information about monetizing Instagram.

  2. Chad Brown says:

    Your post really helped me to monetize my Instagram. Thank you so much.

  3. Your point about leveraging the right hashtag was really useful for me.

  4. Randell Goetze says:

    Good information.

    1. Shane Barker says:

      Hi Randell, that’s so nice of you to say. I’m glad you found my post on Monetize Instagram helpful.

  5. Jason P Musgrave says:

    Wow! Thank you for that info.

    1. Shane Barker says:

      Hi Jason, the pleasure is all mine. I’m so excited to know that my post about Monetizing Instagram was helpful for you.

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