You don’t have to be famous to make money on Instagram. You don’t need to be a blindingly attractive ski jumper, travel the world in a custom purple Gulfstream, or even own matching Borzoi puppies. All you need is an audience. The golden rule of monetization, in fact, is that you earn for your Instagram following, not your Instagram presence.
If you have a loyal Instagram fan base, you can use these eight popular monetization methods to start earning now—celebrity status optional. If you’re still in the building phase, they can help you clarify your end goal, understand what a monetizable audience looks like, and get inspired to build meaningful relationships with fans.
How to monetize Instagram
There are many ways to make money on Instagram—from selling crocheted hats to reviewing contemporary novels to providing live Oscars commentary. Here are some options to help you get started:
Become an affiliate marketer
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy in which a brand pays a creator (or affiliate) for specific customer actions attributable to the creator’s activities—such as purchasing a product or visiting the brand’s online store. Here’s how it works:
1. Brands distribute trackable links to Instagram creators.
2. Creators paste affiliate links directly into their Instagram bios (or use a link-in-bio tool).
3. Creators post Instagram Stories, Reels, or other content types that promote brands and direct viewers to affiliate links.
4. Brands pay creators for compensated actions attributable to their unique links.
If you create high-quality Instagram content, you can apply to individual companies’ affiliate marketing programs. You can also join an affiliate network, which is a platform that helps creators and brands connect. Networks like the Shopify Affiliate Program give affiliate marketers access to a wide range of affiliate programs, making it easier to compare commission rates and judge brand fit.
Become an influencer
Influencer marketing differs from affiliate marketing in that creators earn money for brand sponsorship activities—not just the outcome of those activities. Instagram creators can earn money for content like sponsored posts, Reels, and Stories. Instagram calls sponsored content “branded content” and requires disclosure from creators.
Successful Instagram influencers create high-quality content and have sizable follower counts and strong engagement rates. Many charge based on how many Instagram followers they have and how engaged those followers are.
If you already meet these criteria, great: Build an influencer media kit. Then, proactively reach out to aligned companies, and scour your network for people who might need your services—or might know someone who does. If you don’t, choose a profitable niche in which you are uniquely positioned to provide value. Instagram is flooded with pet influencers, fashion influencers, and fitness influencers, so if you have expertise in a less competitive niche—like accounting or asset management software—choose that option instead. Then build your following by creating and publishing high-quality content and engaging with audiences on the platform.
Promote your media empire
You can use Instagram to generate interest for your other money-making ventures, such as a subscription-only podcast or newsletter, a paid online course, or a personalized menu-planning service. Posting content clips, previews, promos, and behind-the-scenes footage to your Instagram account can boost brand awareness and attract new customers.
Instagram can also boost ad revenues generated by your own website. You’ll create a site, publish blog posts, articles, product reviews, or other content types, sell ad space, and direct traffic from your Instagram page to the monetized site.
Sell on Instagram
Many creators sell digital or physical products through Instagram Shop. Consider offering a curated product selection as well as your own merch: If you’re Insta-famous for your mochi pancakes, for example, you might sell an apron featuring your Mochi-Mama personal brand, a curated selection of the best rice flours, frying pans, and spatulas for the job, and a digital compilation of your favorite recipes.
YouTube mega-star MrBeast sells branded merchandise and products like skate decks, footballs, and pencils on Instagram and through his Shopify-powered ecommerce store. Sellers can use product tags to promote items in Instagram feeds and adjust permissions to allow other creators to tag their items, and Instagram users can buy without leaving the app. You can use Shopify’s Instagram Shopping integration to sync product catalogs and streamline the selling process.
Drive traffic to your online store
You can also sell physical or digital products or branded merchandise from your own online store, using Instagram to increase awareness among target audiences, build customer relationships, boost loyalty, and direct traffic to your ecommerce storefront. German van-life influencers @hdlontour are one example, using Instagram to promote their brand but selling products exclusively through their online store.
Get paid by Instagram
Instagram pays select creators bonuses for creating and sharing Instagram Reels, Carousels, and single-image posts. Instagram’s incentive program is invite-only, and you need a Business or Creator account to be eligible. Once a creator activates an invitation, Instagram will track plays and views on up to 150 pieces of content until the end of the invitation window. The more plays and views a creator’s content receives, the bigger the bonus.
Instagram’s incentive program is currently testing in the US, South Korea, and Japan, and the platform hasn’t disclosed selection criteria. If you’re interested, upgrade to a Business or Creator count, review the platform’s Partner Monetization Policies to ensure compliance, and monitor your professional dashboard for invites.
Instagram’s parent company, Meta, is also testing ad-based monetization features on Instagram and Facebook. The Instagram program places image and video ads in profile feeds and Reels, inviting select creators to enable ads and start earning revenue.
Earn Instagram badges
If you have a Business or Creator account, you can earn money by enabling the badge feature in your Instagram profileand hosting live videos. Livestream viewers can purchase badges for 99¢, $1.99, or $4.99, and creators earn 100% of badge revenue after applicable taxes and fees (including Google’s or Apple’s 30% cut on in-app purchases).
Badges allow your most loyal fans to show appreciation and support your work. To maximize your earnings, focus on building authentic relationships with fans and providing real value to your followers. Respond to follower comments on your Instagram posts and DMs, shout-out contributors during Instagram Live, and create content your Instagram audiences can’t already get for free.
Sell subscriptions
Instagram subscriptions allow users with Creator or Business accounts to offer exclusive content to paid subscribers, including subscriber-only Lives, Stories, badges, posts, Reels, social channels, and broadcast channels. To enable Instagram subscriptions, select “Turn on Subscriptions” from your creator dashboard. As with badges, Instagram distributes 100% of earnings to creators after taxes and Google’s and Apple’s in-platform purchase fees.
Many subscription content creators take a two-pronged approach, publishing a portion of their content for free to drive interest and awareness and reserving a portion for paying subscribers. You might start by offering 100% of your content free of charge and graduate to a subscription model once you’ve built a big enough audience.
How to monetize Instagram FAQ
How many followers do you need to monetize Instagram?
The number of followers you need to start monetizingInstagram depends on your monetization strategy and how loyal those followers are. If your fans are willing to pay $20 per month for high-value subscription content, you can earn $4,000 per month with just 200 subscribers (minus taxes and platform fees).
Can I earn money from Instagram?
Yes. Many creators monetize Instagram to earn extra income—and some even make it a full-time job. Popular strategies for making money include affiliate marketing, offering sponsored content, and selling products or branded merch in the Instagram app.
Do you need a Creator account to make money on Instagram?
If you want to sell products on Instagram, enable badges, host ads, earn bonuses, or offer paid subscriptions, you’ll need a Creator or Business account—but you don’t necessarily need one to promote affiliate links, post sponsored content, or drive traffic to your online store.
