How to Make Money From Instagram: 10+ Best Ways

Want to make money from Instagram? It is a powerful platform for generating income, whether you have a massive following of 100,000 or a modest audience of just 1,000. The possibilities for monetization are vast and ever-expanding.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essential steps to start making money on Instagram—from determining your worth for each post to unlocking various income streams.

Key Takeaways

• Discover more than 10 ways to make money, no matter your follower count.
• Learn how to set the right price for your Instagram posts.
• You can start earning with just 1,000 followers.
• High engagement with your followers is more important than just having a big number of followers.

How many followers would require?

Many new influencers often wonder, “How many followers do I need to make money on Instagram?” Surprisingly, the number doesn’t have to be in the millions. Research shows that micro-influencers, with around 10,000 followers, can start earning.

Here’s an overview of earnings dependent on follower count:

Follower Range	Average Charges Per Post
Micro-influencers (<10,000)	$88
Mid-tier influencers (10,000-100,000)	$200
Top-level influencers (100,000-1,000,000)	$670

How Much Do Influencers Make?

An influencer charges in varying magnitudes, basing on many factors. Some of them charge a flat price for the post, while many prefer to negotiate their prices based on the return on investment they can provide the brand.

One general rule of thumb many marketers go by is to pay about a penny per follower. Using this as an example, if you had 5,000 followers, you could reasonably charge $50 a post.

However, these values are not set in stone. An influencer’s post is valued according to Matt Crump, among other factors, such as:

• Creative mandates
• Timeline for content delivery
• Production costs
• Usage rates

You can earn in thousands from one post, and that is going to keep people interested in increasing their following. The bottom line in such cases, know your value, and accordingly charge from there.

10 Ways to Make Money on Instagram

If you are serious about monetizing your Instagram account, there are a number of paths you can take. Here is a list of more than 10 ways to make money using Instagram:

Sponsored Posts

Sponsored posts are when brands pay you to create content to showcase their products or services. This could be photos, videos, or even carousels that relate to the brand’s offering.

You agree on the type of content, caption, and any calls to action (like “swipe up” or link in bio) with the brand. It may also want to review the content prior to posting for compliance with its images. You can charge from the few hundreds to thousands of dollars in a post, but this greatly depends on the number of followers and rate of engagement.

Affiliate Marketing

A brand will pay you to promote their products with affiliate links that are unique to you or unique discount codes that, whenever your followers click to buy with your link or code, is a earned commission.

Sign up for affiliate programs via Clickbank, RewardStyle, Amazon Associates, or any other active affiliate network. Give your recommendations about products you really like and share them with your followers. You can add the affiliate link in your post or even in your bio.
These come in the form of commissions, usually 5% to 30% of the sale, depending on what product it is and what affiliate program has been placed.

Sell Products You Own

You manufacture and sell your products—whether physical or digital—straight on Instagram. This can be anything from your homemade mug cake to your new online courses.

You program an online shop with the help of platforms like Shopify or Etsy, for instance, and then link it to your Instagram account. You can effectively utilize Instagram’s shopping contributors to tag products in your posts and stories.
These vary so much, depending on your product, pricing, and volume of sales, but you are wholly in charge of how high these can go.

Offer paid subscriptions

You charge followers a subscription fee to view special content that others aren’t getting access to, from behind-the-scenes footage to tutorials and private Q&A sessions.

Utilize Instagram’s “Close Friends” feature for paid subscribers, or go through third-party platforms like Patreon, where you can create different tiers. Paid subscription fees can range from $5 to $50 a month, per subscriber, as value dictates.

Paid Workshops or Webinars Hosting

Monetizing specialized knowledge by teaching others through webinars or workshops. In other words, your followers are charged to be a part of sessions like these.

Advertise your workshop or webinar on Instagram using posts, stories, or even ads, for your word to get across. It could be either live—by using Instagram Live—or held on another service, such as Zoom.
These can range from $20 to $200 per attendee, depending on what it is about and the perceived value.

Create Sponsored Instagram Stories

The same as sponsored posts, but these are stories that disappear after 24 hours. Brands pay you to create stories that promote their products or services.

Work with the brand to create engaging stories that include swipe-up links or tagged products. Stories are a great way to share short, snackable content that inspires immediate action.
Story payouts tend to be less than post payouts, but still average between $50 to $500+ per story, depending on your influence.

Sell Your Photography or Art

Sell your work straight from Instagram, whether you are a photographer, artist, or designer. Share your stuff and collect orders from followers.

Share images of your work and mention how interested followers can buy. You can also create an integrated buying experience with Instagram Shopping.
Selling rates of artwork or photography vary greatly, but by cutting out the middleman and selling directly to your followers, you can make huge amounts.

Influence Through Instagram Live

You partner with brands to showcase their products during real-time Instagram Live sessions, such as through product demonstrations, Q&A sessions, or even unboxing.

Host a live session about a brand’s product and go live in front of your audience for all the answers, insights, and honesty about the product they need. You can charge $100 to $1,000+ per live session

Resell Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels are short, engaging videos that can be monetized through Instagram’s Reels Play Bonus program or through brand partnerships.

Create entertaining or educational Reels that attract views. If you’re part of the Reels Play Bonus program, Instagram will pay you based on the number of views your Reels receive. Alternatively, brands may pay you to create Reels that promote their products.

Instagram’s Reels Play Bonus can pay up to $35,000, depending on views and engagement. Brand partnerships can also be lucrative.

Crowdfunding or donations

Instead of giving your followers a more commercial experience, you offer them a “premium” piece of yourself on platforms like Patreon or use/services or in-app features to let them show support, like badges on Instagram Live.

Rally your followers to fund your work through donations or by becoming patrons. This works extremely well if you create content that tugs at your audience’s soul—for example, art, music, or activism. Monthly recurring donations add up and can build a sustained income stream.

Other Ways To Make Money From Instagram

Finding Brands to Work With

Working with brands can also be a big part of monetization. To find companies that are a good match for you, consider:

• Looking for synergistic brands that share values and target audiences.
• Reach out to any brands you really like personally.
• Join influencer marketplaces that will put your existence in front of a wider audience.

You may also create an influencer card enumerating all your social profiles to help brands gauge the potential for any kind of collaboration. What’s more, there’s a platform known as Crowdtap that rewards smaller accounts in points for the completion of content creation tasks.

Pricing Your Posts

The following two methods are mainly used to price your posts:

Flat Fee per Post: Charge for the worth of the post, using a flat rate per post.

Performance-Based Pricing: This is where you charge based on results produced, such as by a percentage of sales or leads.

Pay attention to how such services charge their posts. If a particular influencer is generating huge revenues for a brand, they will pay attention to pricing during negotiations in the next posts or collaboration.

Final Thoughts

Making money on Instagram—with or without huge followers. Monetization approaches combined with knowing your value and building robust relationships with the brand are ways to enable one to start making sustained money.

Remember, the key is engagement and authenticity. In fact, micro-influencers show levels of engagement that are often even greater than those of the biggest influencers. This means that sometimes small can be mighty.

Now, as you set out to make money on Instagram, remember all the tips shared in this article. Share your experiences and questions in the comments below.

FAQs