How to Make Money on Instagram in 2025?
Every time you check Instagram, it seems like your favorite creators are demonstrating or reviewing the latest products, whether they're their own or from other brands. So, you might be wondering how to start promoting products or services too and making money out of it? Even though, big Insta bloggers can earn thousands for a single post, you don’t actually need to wait until you reach millions of followers to start making money on Instagram. Earning money on Instagram isn't solely about having a massive follower count. The strategies that will be most successful for you depend on your individual style of content, the audience you're trying to reach, and how dedicated you are to putting in the effort. Tailoring your approach to fit your unique strengths and interests are the keys to monetize your Instagram efforts.
Sponsored Posts, Stories or Reels
Sponsored posts is a great opportunity for both small businesses and creators. While big brands often struggle to produce the genuine vibe, a real person is more likely to share real experiences and emotions. If you manage to find creators whose audience matches with your target market, both you and creator can benefit from this - while brand makes more sales, influencers earn money by making content for brands.
The most important is to make sure these partnerships work well, they should feel genuine. For example, Marine Chapon’s Instagram is a great example of this. Her audience enjoys her "stretching" and "yoga" videos. This makes it easy for athletic apparel brands to join in. For example, the below Reel has got 2 millions of views and 138k likes. The post is sponsored by athletic apparel brand - Alo Yoga.
Earn Instagram Live Badges From Fans
Instagram Live badges work like tips from your fans for the content they enjoy. If you know about tipping on platforms like Twitch and TikTok, then you’re ready to start earning money on Instagram just by being yourself.
When you go live on Instagram, viewers can buy badges - which look like icons worth different amounts of money - that go straight to you. These badges also unlock special features for the viewer. The viewers of your Instagram Live can purchase badges for $0.99, $1.99, or $4.99 to support your stream on Instagram.
To boost engagement and get more views, you can host a giveaway on Instagram Live, or add a Trivia Game on Instagram Live. These activities make your stream more exciting and encourage more and more viewers to participate. This approach has been successful for many brands and influencers, not just on Instagram, but on other social media platforms too. The below example illustrates how Hobbii engages more audiences with a trivia game during the live stream.
Why Can't I Go Live On Instagram?
If you're having trouble going live on Instagram, here are some simple reasons why it might be happening and what you can do about it:
- Issue with Community Guidelines: You may not be able to start a live broadcast on Instagram if you've previously posted something that's been removed for going against our Community Guidelines. If this happened, you might need to wait 1-3 months before trying again.
- Multiple Accounts: If you have more than one Instagram account and one of them had a post, story, or live video removed in the last three months.
- New Account: If your account is new (less than 1 month old), Instagram might not let you go live right away. Give it some time and try again later.
- Your Instagram is Not Updated: Sometimes, not having the latest version of the app can cause issues.
What you can try to fix this:
- Reinstall the App: If any of the above reasons apply, try uninstalling and then reinstalling the Instagram app. It can sometimes fix issues.
- Be Patient: If there's a violation, it's best to wait for 1-3 months before trying to go live again. Instagram might need some time to lift restrictions.
Post Exclusive Content on Instagram with UGC
User-generated content (UGC) is another way for small and large brands to make money on Instagram. This tactic is similar to the sponsored content. It works in the following way: when a brand uses photos or videos that their customers or fans create about their products. When followers see others (not big and popular influencers) like them enjoying a product, it feels more real and convincing, which makes them more likely to buy it too.
Brands can encourage their followers to create and share content by running different contests or coming up with a special hashtags for them to use. Besides that it gets people more involved, it also gives the brand a lot of new content to share.
Besides that, UGC helps brands save money while still reaching a lot of people. Instead of paying to influencers for expensive photo shoots or big advertising campaigns, brands can use the cool stuff their fans are already making.
Below is an example of how Starbucks ran a UGC campaign on Instagram. In this campaign, Starbucks invited fans to take creative photos with their red cup for a chance to win $500. To enter, participants had to use the hashtag #RedCupContest. The campaign was a huge success, with one Instagram post alone getting over 302,000 likes.
Affiliate Marketing
How does affiliate marketing work? Brands give Instagram creators links or codes, so creators talk about brand's products or services and earn money when people buy things using their special link or promo code. Unlike influencers who get paid just to share stuff, affiliates earn cash only when their promotion actually gets people to buy products. If you're a creator, you can hit up brands directly or join some of the popular affiliate programs out there.
To promote the affiliate brands on Instagram, creators can drop links in their Instagram bio, use Instagram Stories, or share them on your link-in-bio page (this lets you talk about more than one brand). You can also add promo codes to your post captions to boost sales since you can't use links there.
10 Instagram Bio Ideas for Affiliate marketing
- "Welcome to my corner! 🌟 Use [YOUR CODE] to snag the deals I love just for you! 💰"
- "Discover my style picks! 👗💖 Use [YOUR CODE] for special savings and explore my links!"
- "Love a good find? 🎉 Tap the link & use [YOUR CODE] to score deals I recommend! 🔗"
- "Shop with me! 🛒 Use [YOUR CODE] to unlock my favorite exclusive offers! 🛍️✨"
- "Explore deals I swear by! 💸 Use [YOUR CODE] at checkout and save big! 🌟"
- "Your gateway to awesome deals! 🎁 Uncover my faves using [YOUR CODE] for sweet savings!"
- "Want top finds? 🌈 Use [YOUR CODE] to grab deals I use and love! ✨"
- "Unlock [MY] favorite discounts! 💎 Use [YOUR CODE] and tap the link to start saving!"
- "Swipe for steals I can't resist! 🔥 Use [YOUR CODE] for the best deals right now! 🤑"
- "Join the club! ✨ Use [YOUR CODE] for deals I'm excited about—head to my bio link! 🤩"
Offer Paid Subscriptions
This option works great for those who already have a solid follower base. Once your followers are into what you're sharing, you can give them access to exclusive stuff just for subscribers who pay. Instagram has a subscription program for creators in the US over 18 with more than 10,000 followers.
The money you can make from Instagram's Paid Subscriptions depends on a few important things. First, it’s about how much you decide to charge people for subscribing to your content—you get to choose the fee. Second, having more subscribers means you can earn more money, so getting more people to sign up really helps. Lastly, what really matters is how good and interesting your content is. When you regularly post cool and exclusive stuff that people love, it not only grabs new subscribers but also keeps the ones you already have happy, which boosts your earnings on Instagram.
Instagram Monetisation FAQ
How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram?
You don’t need a specific number of followers to start making money, but having at least a few thousand can help. What really matters is having a bunch of people who care about what you post and are active on your account. Besides that, you can use the above strategies to make money on Instagram. For instance, with Affiliate marketing and UGC campaigns.
How can I make money on Instagram with live streaming?
To make money on Instagram with live streaming, you can use features like Badges, where viewers can purchase them to support you financially (this method described above). Additionally, collaborate with brands for sponsored content, promote your own products, or engage in affiliate marketing during your streams.
If you're not quite ready to go live spontaneously, you can plan and record your video in advance, then stream a pre-recorded video as live on Instagram.
Does instagram pay for Reels?
No. Instagram doesn't pay you directly for making Reels. But you can earn money if brands pay you to feature their products or if your Reels drive followers to buy a product or service you're promoting.
How to make money on Instagram Reels?
You can make money by creating Reels that advertise products for brands, using affiliate links to earn commissions on sales, or by increasing your Instagram popularity to sell your own products services.
How much does Instagram pay for 1k followers?
Instagram doesn't pay you just for simply having some follower base. But with around 1,000 followers, you can start working on small brand deals or partnerships, depending on your engagement and niche.
How much does Instagram pay per view?
Instagram doesn't pay you per view on videos or Reels. You can make money on Instagram from brand deals, ads, or other methods described in the article above.
When does Instagram pay you?
Instagram doesn't pay creators directly. Payments usually come from brand collaborations or partnerships, and those will pay on their own schedules, which can vary.
How many views you need to make money on Instagram?
The specific number of views is not required. It's more about attracting brands or businesses that want to work with you because of your views and active audience engagement.