Instagram is a popular photo and video-sharing social media platform. This app is made to be used only on mobile devices. Therefore, you will see many restrictions while you log in to Instagram through the PC.
Instagram was created in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. It started as an app called Burbn but later pivoted to focus solely on photo-sharing.
The app quickly gained popularity, reaching 1 million users within just 2 months of launch.
In April 2012, Facebook (now Meta) acquired Instagram for approximately $1 billion. Under Meta’s ownership, Instagram has grown to over 2 billion monthly active users.
Instagram is especially popular among younger audiences. Around 71% of people aged 18-29 use instagram.
It’s a highly visual, mobile-first app known for filters and editing tools.In 2025, there are many ways for users to make money on Instagram.
The average influencer earns $2,970 per month, with top earners making millions.
Even micro-influencers with 1,000-10,000 followers can earn an average of $1,420 monthly. You can start to earn on Instagram as a side hustle and when your venture expands, you can take it as a full time business.
Can You Make Money on Instagram?
Yes, you can definitely earn money from Instagram. The platform encourages users to monetize their content in several ways. Instagram wants creators to be successful and provides tools to help them profit.
Instagram has a payout strategy for creators who meet certain criteria.
You need at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days. Once eligible, you can earn money through in-stream video ads, badges, and bonuses.
Instagram offers two types of payouts: manual and automatic.
For manual payouts, you need to request a payout once you reach the minimum balance.
Automatic payouts are sent to your bank account on the 10th of each month. You can find more details on Instagram’s creator monetization policies here: https://help.instagram.com/217939383051653
How To Make Money On Instagram In 2025
| Instagram Money Making Process | What you Have to DO | Approximate Earning Potential |
| Become an Influencer | – Build a niche audience – Post engaging content consistently – Collaborate with brands | $100 – $10,000+ per post, depending on follower count |
| Affiliate Marketing | – Share affiliate links to products – Earn a commission on resulting sales | $50 – $25,000+ per month |
| Sell Products or Services | – Promote your own products or services – Use Instagram Shopping features | Varies based on product prices and sales volume |
| Create Sponsored Content | – Partner with brands to create promotional posts – Disclose sponsored relationships | $10 – $10,000+ per post, based on audience size and engagement |
| Offer Sponsored Giveaways | – Host giveaways sponsored by brands – Require entry actions like following, tagging friends | $300 – $4,000+ per giveaway |
| Sell Merchandise | – Create and sell your own branded merchandise – Promote products in posts and stories | Depends on merchandise prices and quantity sold |
| Provide Sponsored Reviews | – Share your experience with a brand’s products – Provide honest reviews to your audience | $200 – $1,000+ per review |
| Offer Sponsored Story Shoutouts | – Promote brands in your Instagram Stories – Include swipe-up links and promo codes | $100 – $1,000+ per story, depending on audience size |
| Monetize IGTV | – Share longer-form sponsored video content – Earn revenue through Instagram’s ad program | 55% share of ad revenue generated from your IGTV videos |
| Provide Social Media Management Services | – Offer Instagram management services to businesses – Create content, engage with their audience | $500 – $5,000+ per month per client |
Become an Influencer
An influencer is someone who has built a reputation and loyal following in a specific niche. They create engaging content and promote products or services to their audience.
To become an influencer, you need to choose a niche and consistently post relevant, high-quality content.
Engage with your followers and collaborate with other creators to grow your account. Micro-influencers with 10,000 to 50,000 followers can earn around $40,000 to $100,000 per year.
Macro-influencers like Huda Kattan make millions through sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, and product sales.
As an influencer, you can make money through:
- Sponsored posts
- Affiliate links
- Creating and selling your own products
- Offering services like coaching or photography
Affiliate Marketing
An influencer is a person who has established themselves and has consistent followers in a particular field. They make entertaining stuff that they share with their audience and promote products or services. Unlike using a website, you can do affiliate marketing using Instagram. It’s an excellent business idea that doesn’t need any investment.
To become an influencer, you must choose a niche and post relevant, high-quality content consistently.
Interact with your audience and partner with other creators to grow your platform. For instance, micro-influencers having 10,000 to 50,000 followers can achieve about $40,000 to $100,000 per year.
Macro-influencers such as Huda Kattan earn millions from sponsored posts and product sales through affiliate marketing.
As an affiliate marketer on Instagram, you can:
- Share promo codes
- Create tutorials featuring products
- Post genuine reviews and recommendations
- Offer exclusive discounts to your followers
Sell Products or Services
If you can make stylish and good-quality products then Instagram is a great place to sell them. For example, if you want to make money via handmade crafts, consider Instagram a hub of potential buyers.
You can promote your offerings to your followers through posts, stories, and live videos. Use eye-catching visuals and compelling captions to showcase your products and encourage sales.
To get started, set up an Instagram Shop or add product tags to your posts. You can also drive traffic to your website or online store using the link in your bio.
The income potential varies widely depending on your product prices and sales volume. This is a type of business that you can start as a side hustle and then quit your job.
For example, artist Erin Hanson sells paintings for thousands of dollars through her Instagram account.
To successfully sell on Instagram, you can:
- Showcase your products in action
- Share customer reviews and testimonials
- Offer exclusive discounts or promotions
- Use hashtags to reach new potential customers
Create Sponsored Content
The emergence of social media has changed the landscape of advertising. Just one decade ago advertising was mainly TV centric. Newspapers and handbills were other mediums of advertising products.
But now most companies focus on social media and video streaming sites to promote their products. Social media influencers also play a vital role in product promotions. Companies find Instagram influencers who resonate with their products and pay the influencer to promote their product.
Brands pay you to create posts, stories, or videos that authentically showcase their offerings. You can reach out to brands you love or join influencer marketing platforms to find opportunities.
Micro-influencers with 10,000 to 50,000 followers typically charge $100 to $500 per post. Top influencers like Huda Kattan can make over $33,000 per sponsored post.
To create effective sponsored content, you should:
- Choose brands that align with your values and aesthetic
- Disclose sponsored relationships to maintain trust with your audience
- Use storytelling to make the promotion feel natural and engaging
- Provide value to your followers while showcasing the product or service
Offer Sponsored Giveaways
Fun, interactive giveaways sponsored by businesses are a great way of attracting your audience. You partner with a company to give their product or service to people who follow you. Instead, the brand pays you some cash and gets noticed by your viewers.
To organize a sponsored giveaway, contact brands within your industry or join influencer networks that exist. Make it clear what people have to do in order to get in like following accounts; tagging friends or even sharing the post.
Micro-influencers can make $300-$1,000 per giveaway while larger influencers such as Zach King may earn thousands for one sponsored contest.
- When offering sponsored giveaways, be sure to:
- Choose prizes your audience will love
- Clearly disclose the sponsorship and giveaway rules
- Engage with participants and answer their questions
- Fairly select and announce the winners
Sell Merchandise
A creative way to make money from your Instagram followers is by selling branded merchandise. For example, you can think of tees, hats, mugs or phone cases with your logo, graphics or slogans. It is a very interesting small business idea that you can start at your home.
By doing this, you encourage your fans to become a part of your brand while making money from it.
You will have to create and deliver products for customers who place orders through print-on-demand services like Teespring or Printful.
When it comes to promoting the merchandise that you want to see sold in this manner, consider making posts about them on social media accounts and bio links.
The income potential depends on the size of your audience and their level of engagement. To illustrate this point, Jenn Im has 1.7 million followers whom she sells her clothing line Eggie.
- When selling merchandise on Instagram, remember to:
- Create designs that reflect your brand and personality
- Offer a variety of products at different price points
- Use high-quality mockups or product photos
- Provide excellent customer service and shipping
Provide Sponsored Reviews
By offering sponsored reviews, you can share your personal impression of a brand’s product or service in exchange for reimbursement. Companies highly value their audience as a valuable asset. Therefore, they link this trust and credibility with the payment for genuine content promotion.
To start, approach favorite brands and offer to write reviews on their products.
Alternatively, you may enlist on influencer marketing platforms. The amount varies depending on how many people engage with your posts or photos. A small influencer could want between $50-500 for every review while a famous star might earn thousands.
When creating sponsored reviews, be sure to:
- Provide your genuine opinion and disclose the sponsorship
- Highlight the features and benefits of the product
- Use high-quality photos or videos to showcase the item
- Engage with your followers’ comments and questions about the review
Offer Sponsored Story Shoutouts
When you do sponsored Instagram story shout-outs, you promote a business or product in your stories. People really like these features because they let you share movies, photos, and links that break after 24 hours.
You get paid by brands in exchange for creating story content showcases of their products to your followers.
To offer sponsored story shoutouts, work with brands within your niche and whose values resonate with yours. Make fun stories and highlight the product or service organically.
Smaller influencers can make between $50-$500 per story while big ones like Chiara Ferragni make thousands for each shoutout.
- When creating sponsored story shoutouts, remember to:
- Use eye-catching visuals and interactive features like polls or quizzes
- Provide a clear call-to-action, such as swiping up to visit a website
- Disclose the sponsorship to maintain transparency with your followers
- Save the story to a highlight for longer visibility
Monetize IGTV
Instagram’s IGTV platform is used for posting longer videos. Instagram’s Partner Program allows you to make money from your IGTV videos. However, these ads will play during your videos when you become eligible.
The only way to apply for the Partner Program is to have at least ten thousand followers and 10k views on your videos in the past two months.
Creators are getting shared 55% of ad revenues from Instagram. Nonetheless, some top IGTV creators like Lele Pons are making millions every year.
- To successfully monetize your IGTV content, you should:
- Create high-quality, engaging videos that provide value to your audience
- Post consistently to keep viewers coming back for more
- Promote your IGTV videos on your other Instagram content and social media channels
- Engage with your audience in the comments section
Provide Social Media Management Services
Social media management services involve guiding businesses on their Instagram journey. Account audit, posting schedule development, audience interaction and analytics tracking.
Skilled freelancers or agencies usually handle this for many firms. It is a very smart way to make money at home.
According to the complexity of the work, social media managers bill a monthly retainer fee; typically starting at $500 up to $5,000 per month per client.
Rachel Pedersen is a good example of a successful brand manager who makes more than $300k yearly as suggested by her earnings sources.
To get started as a social media manager, you can:
- Build a strong portfolio showcasing your own profiles
- Pitch local businesses or your existing network
- Set clear packages and pricing
- Deliver great results and ask for referrals
How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram?
There’s no strict minimum, but having at least 1,000 engaged followers is a good starting point.
Nano-influencers with 1k-10k followers can earn around $10-$100 per post. More followers and higher engagement rates can lead to higher earnings. Here is the breakdown:
- Nano-influencer: 1,000–10,000 followers (earning between $10 and $100 per post)
- Micro-influencer: 10,000–50,000 followers (earning between $100 and $500 per post)
- Mid-tier influencer: 50,000–500,000 followers (earning between $500 and $5,000 per post)
- Macro-influencer: 500,000–1 million followers (earning between $5,000 and $10,000 per post)
- Mega-influencer: 1 million or more followers (earning between $10,000 and $1 million or more per post)
***This is not fixed. It depends on various factors such as niche, season, audience type, etc.
How can beginners get started making money on Instagram?
Focus first on choosing a niche, creating quality content, and growing your engaged following. Research your audience and potential partners. As you grow, start exploring sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, and other monetization strategies that align with your brand.
What are Instagram’s native monetization features?
Instagram offers several ways for creators to earn money directly through the app, including:
- Instagram Live Badges, which let viewers tip creators during live streams
- Instagram Subscriptions for offering exclusive paid content
- Bonuses for Reels that gain traction
- Earning a share of revenue from ads played on your IGTV videos
What are the eligibility requirements for Instagram’s monetization tools?
Requirements vary, but in general, you need at least 10k followers and to be in an available country. You also need to comply with Instagram’s Partner Monetization and Content Monetization Policies.
Top 10 earners on Instagram in 2025
- Cristiano Ronaldo – $3,234,000 per post
- Lionel Messi – $2,597,000 per post
- Selena Gomez – $2,558,000 per post
- Kylie Jenner – $2,386,000 per post
- Dwayne Johnson – $2,326,000 per post
- Ariana Grande – $2,264,000 per post
- Kim Kardashian – $2,176,000 per post
- Beyonce Knowles – $1,899,000 per post
- Khloe Kardashian – $1,866,000 per post
- Justin Bieber – $1,763,000 per post
Unlock Your Earning Potential on Instagram
Instagram has now changed into the trade platform for artists, influencers and businessmen who can make money out of their content or create a successful business.
You can easily turn your Instagram account into an income generating machine using numerous methods and tools monetizing.
The secret is in making interesting and useful information that will have a response from your audience.
By regularly delivering great quality posts, stories or reels you will draw attention of users who would always react to your name.
With work ethic and determination, your Instagram profile has the potential to lead the way for financial success.
Don’t Go. We have more interesting ways to earn money that most people don’t know:
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