Whether you’re just starting out on Instagram, or you’ve been creating content for a while, you can make money on the platform through a few straightforward methods.

Today you’ll learn how to earn money through your Instagram content doing what you already do - and don’t worry, it’s not just tips like ‘create quality posts’.

Key Points:

• What Qualifies You To Make Money On Instagram?

• Building Your Following (Fast)

• Use Instagram SEO To Your Advantage

• Easy Monetization Methods

• Frequently Asked Questions

What Qualifies You To Make Money On Instagram?

Anyone can start earning money through their Instagram profile, regardless of their follower count or account type. But to really make the most of your earning potential, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Age Requirement

First, several high-potential revenue streams on Instagram require that the account owner is at least 18 years old. If you’re underage, you might not have access to some of these features (but don’t worry, there are still ways to earn without them, which we’ll get into shortly).

Professional Account Status

Next, swapping from a personal to a professional account unlocks a ton of useful tools and monetization options. You can create a professional account as either a Business or a Creator - they both unlock the same tools, and it’s completely free so there’s no reason not to.

Here’s how you can change your account status:

Tap the three lines on the top right corner of your Instagram profile.

Scroll down to For Professionals and tap Account Type And Tools.

Tap Switch To Professional Account.

Follow the on-screen prompts depending on your account type.

Select either Creator or Business.

Complete the on-screen prompts to finish setting it up.

You will now have access to:

• Instagram Insights (analytics)

• The professional dashboard

• The ability to offer paid subscriptions

• The creator marketplace

• Instagram Shop

Minimum Follower Requirement

Theoretically you don’t need a huge following to make money on Instagram (or any other platform for that matter), but in order to unlock the paid subscriptions feature and the ability to sell badges and receive gifts, you’ll need at least 10,000 followers.

Having a high follower count is also important if you want to eventually get verified, and it can also improve your chances of having content recommended to users on their feeds or the Explore page.

Profiles with higher follower counts tend to gain even more followers just by virtue of being popular since people assume you’re famous or important in some way, and are more inclined to browse your content as a result.

Building Your Following (Fast)

The first thing you should focus on before jumping into any of the monetization methods is building your following.

If you don’t have a solid follower base, you won’t have an audience who is willing to engage with your content, click links, visit your shop, or do any of the things you need them to do in order to earn money.

Plus, brands are more likely to offer sponsorships to accounts that have a high follower base since it’s a clear signal of your popularity.

Determine Your Influencer Level

There are four main types of influencers by follower count: nano, micro, mid-tier, and macro. Each influencer level has a different earning potential when it comes to brand deals and sponsorships, so knowing where you stand is important.

Before you start working on increasing your follower count, start by determining your own level and decide on what your current goal is. For example, if you’re currently at 500 followers your goal should be to become a nano influencer and reach at least 1,000.

Spruce Up Your Profile

Next, take a good look at your profile and try to analyze it from an objective perspective. If you were a random user that just stumbled across this page, would you follow it?

A few things to keep in mind:

• Is your profile picture impactful, and does it accurately represent your brand?

• Is your username easy to remember and spell?

• Is your bio brief and relevant, without getting cut off by the word limit?

• Have you included a link to a landing page or site?

• Does your overall feed look cohesive or is it hard to tell what type of content you post?

If anything isn’t working for you, change it.

Your profile is the first impression you make on potential followers and potential customers, so if it’s not looking it’s best then it won’t matter how hard you try to promote your content later on.

Boost Your Follower Count

Before we look into Instagram SEO and how to make sure each post is reaching the right audience, you’re going to need a solid foundation of followers to ensure that the users you draw in will actually stick around and follow you.

You can go about this the organic way and keep posting until you eventually accrue enough followers, but if you really want to start earning and unlocking monetization options you’ll need at least 10,000 followers and that can take a long time.

The best way to go about this is to buy Instagram followers for your profile. You don’t need to buy 10,000 all at once (and you shouldn’t anyway, since that can look unnatural and raise some red flags), but slowly increasing your followers as you improve your profile and continually post content can work in your favor.

Not only will visiting users be more likely to follow you, but they’ll be more likely to find you in the first place, since Instagram uses follower count as one of the metrics for content suggestions on all parts of the platform.

Speaking of algorithms…

Use Instagram SEO To Your Advantage

When people refer to the ‘Instagram algorithm’, they’re usually talking about the way Instagram determines what content to show users in order to keep them scrolling and interested. However, Instagram doesn’t have just one algorithm, it has several.

Diversify Your Content Types

Each element has its own algorithm: Stories, Reels, the Explore page, and regular posts all function separately. That’s because what users want from each of these content types is different. 

People open Stories to get updates on their friends (kind of like Snapchat), and they open the Explore page to discover new posts and profiles to follow.

That means your approach for each of these content types should differ, and you should also be making the most of them to reach the widest possible audience.

A solid content strategy would look something like this:

• Create a short video to post on Reels

• Take a clip or screenshot from your Reel and publish it as a regular post

• Share the post or Reel to your Story

By doing this, you’ve created one piece of content but you’ve used it in three different ways which increases the chances that someone will stumble across it.

Using Keywords Wisely

Successful posts don’t just happen magically - you need to include the right keywords either within your caption or as hashtags. There’s no perfect set of keywords for everyone, so this will take a bit of research on your part.

The easiest way to begin is to browse profiles that post content similar to yours. Look at which hashtags they’re using, and take note of any words that appear repeatedly in their captions.

Include a few of these in your own posts and see if it results in increased engagement. If it does, great! If not, keep refining your keyword selection until you come across the right combination.

One thing to keep in mind is that hashtag size matters. Don’t just drop in hashtags that have 1M posts and hope for the best - the more posts that appear with that hashtag, the more content you have to compete with.

Aim for hashtags that have between 1k-500k posts to make the most of niche audiences and popular tags.

Easy Monetization Methods

So you’ve set up the perfect profile, built up a follower base, and have mastered the art of the Instagram post - now it’s time to start monetizing your content. Here are a few of the most lucrative ways to start earning (without changing your content approach).

Apply For Monetization

First, you should apply for monetization on Instagram so that you can unlock as many income streams as possible.

You might already have monetization enabled, so to check for this, first click Professional Dashboard, then the settings icon on the top right corner:

From here, tap Monetization Status.

If you're all set, you'll see this message:

If not, follow the steps below to apply for monetization:

• Tap Professional Dashboard.
• Tap Apply For Monetization.
• Submit your application.

You’ll get a notification once you’ve been approved.

NOTE: You DO NOT need to be monetized to unlock all of the monetization methods listed below, but some of them (like badges) require it.

Instagram Shop

Did you know that you can create a shop directly within Instagram to sell digital and/or physical products? It’s only available on mobile devices, and you’ll need an Instagram Business account set up to get started.

You can learn how to set up your Instagram Shop here.

Affiliate Links

If you don’t have your own products to sell, you can earn money by including affiliate links either in your Stories or bio.

First, you need to join an affiliate program. A few popular options include:

• Amazon Associates

• eBay Partner Network

• Awin

• Rakuten

There are dozens more, some offer general product options and some are more niche, so choose something that appeals to your brand the most and start promoting links on your Instagram page.

Sponsorships & Brand Deals

There are two methods for snagging sponsorships and brand deals: using Instagram’s Creator Marketplace, and reaching out directly to companies that you want to support.

To join the Creator Marketplace, you’ll need a professional account which you ideally already set up. If not, learn how to do it here.

Next, go to your professional dashboard and under Your Tools click Branded Content.

Tap Set Up Branded Content Tools and follow the on-screen steps to get started.

You can browse projects from brands who want to work with creators, and keep track of any ongoing deals that you’re working on.

If you want to reach out directly to brands, start by putting together a social media package. This should include:

• Your niche

• Follower count

• IG Insights on post engagement

• A few example posts that apply to their type of product or service

Oftentimes companies will include a link at the bottom of their website for influencers to reach out to and pitch their profiles, so look for these types of opportunities.

NOTE: Including the tags #ad or #sponsored are a requirement of the FTC for sponsored posts.

Paid Subscriptions

If you have a professional account (Business or Creator), are 18 years or older, and have at least 10,000 followers you can start offering paid subscriptions on your profile for users to access exclusive content, badges, and promotions.

To set up subscriptions

• Go to your profile and tap Professional Dashboard.
• From here tap Set Up Subscriptions > Next.
• Agree to the terms, then tap Next.
• Choose your monthly subscription price, and follow the on-screen steps to complete.

Badges & Gifts

Similarly, you can enable the ability for users to purchase badges and gifts as a way to show support for your profile. You’ll need to have a professional account with at least 10,000 followers and be 18 years or older.

Instagram Gifts are automatically enabled for eligible creators, so there’s nothing you need to do to start receiving them.

To receive badges, you need to apply for Instagram monetization. Once you’re approved you’ll receive a notification that prompts you to set up badges.

IG Reels Ad Revenue

Select accounts can turn on ads for Instagram Reels so that you can start earning revenue when users view them (similar to how ads on YouTube work).

This is still in the early stages, so not every account will have access to this, but it’s worth checking out if you do.

To enable ads, you’ll need to meet the following criteria:

• Be approved for monetization

• Be at least 18 years or older

• Have a professional account

• Be located in: United States, Japan, South Korea or Canada.

If you meet the criteria above, follow these steps to enable ads:

• Go to the Business Info page and set up your account.
• Set up your payout account to receive revenue.
• Make sure Monetize Ads In Profile Feed is toggled to ON in the Ads In Profile Feed page.
• Follow the on screen steps to complete your changes.

Frequently Asked Questions