Instagram, a platform where people with 1,000 to 10,000 followers earn an average of $1,420 monthly, the opportunity to make money will only increase with its increasing users, currently at 2 billion active users.
By leveraging your presence on the platform for brand partnerships and exclusive content offerings, you can generate a steady and full-time income on the platform.
In this article, we’ll cover the ways you can make money on Instagram as a creator by using the platform’s features such as badges, and subscriptions.
How Much Does Instagram Pay For 1000 Views?
Instagram does not pay users directly for the number of views or likes on posts. While there was a time when instagram paid users directly for views on reels through the Reels play bonus program, that program has since been discontinued and is only available for users in Korea and Japan.
If you don’t live in these locations, these are the ways you can earn money on instagram:
Now let’s discuss them in detail.
5 Major Ways to Earn Money From Instagram
#1. Badges
Instagram Live Badges is a monetization feature that allows you to earn money from your viewers during live sessions. It’s like a tipping system where fans give you badges as tips as a reward for providing engaging and valuable content.
When a viewer purchases a Live Badge, a heart icon appears next to their username in the comments, so you can easily identify and thank them.
This badge remains next to their username for the entire live session. Instagram also allows viewers to buy multiple badges during a live video in $0.99, $1.99, and $4.99 increments, capped at $250 per viewer. The more badges purchased, the larger your earnings will be.
You can earn money with Instagram badges if you’re over 18, have a professional (business or creator) account, and adhere to all relevant policies and standards for Badge eligibility. To get paid, you’ll need to set up a payout account where you can receive your earnings. This can be a direct deposit from the live stream to a bank or PayPal account.
According to Instagram, creators get all the revenue from badges bought during a live video, excluding applicable taxes, fees, and the 30% cut by Google and Apple for in-app purchases. Always remember to inform your viewers that Badges are enabled when starting your live videos and thank any supporters with shoutouts.
How to Enable Badges
- Go to “Profile” and select “Professional dashboard”.
- If you’re eligible for monetization, a “Set Up Badges” button will appear. Tap it to proceed. If you are not, click on “Apply for monetization” and monitor your professional dashboard for updates.
- Swipe right on your home screen and select the “Live” option to start a live video. Tap on Badges.
- Voila! you’ve successfully enabled badges in your live video. Once you have access to badges, they will be automatically enabled for your live sessions.
#2. Bonuses
Instagram offers periodic bonus programs to encourage and reward creators for producing engaging content. These programs provide opportunities for you to earn money directly from Instagram’s pocket. However, participation is usually invitation-only and determined by specific criteria, such as your overall content performance and audience engagement.
The Instagram Reels Play bonus allows creators to earn money when their Reels get a specific number of views within a designated time frame. However, this program has been discontinued for users in the US and India since March 9, 2023, when Instagram stopped offering new or renewed Reels Play deals in these regions. But, the program is still available in Korea and Japan.
Regardless, users in the US still get exclusive bonus opportunities. For example, Instagram announced a “holiday bonus” test concept in November 2023, to reward creators in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, based on the performance of their Reels and photos until the end of the year. As usual, the bonus was invite-only and was later renewed in January 2024 as the New Year’s bonus.
If you qualify for a bonus, you will get a notification to set up bonuses on your Professional Dashboard and adhere to the rules and requirements of the specific bonus program. These requirements may vary depending on the participant. At the end of the bonus period, Instagram will determine the amount you have earned.
How to Set Up Bonuses
- Once you receive an invitation to a bonus program, go to your Professional dashboard and select Bonus.
- Within your professional dashboard, review the details of the bonus program and accept the Terms.
- Select your country and business type, then click Next. If you’re a business owner, you will be asked to confirm you are the legal owner and enter your tax and legal details.
- Add a payout method. (You can skip this for later).
- Review the bonus description and tap “Activate bonus”.
- Then tap Done. Repeat these steps as more bonuses become available.
Ensure you add a payout account to receive your bonus payouts. If not, you’ll no longer be able to monetize with bonuses after five months or after your earnings exceed $500. Additionally, failure to add a payout account within six months means you’ll forfeit your rights to receive payment.
#3. Branded Content
Another strategy to earn money from Instagram is through sponsored posts. Through Instagram’s creator marketplace, you can connect with brands and receive payment to promote their business on your account.
Brands often look for influencers whose content matches their products, so your Instagram account needs to have a well-defined niche, target audience, and reflect your brand identity. You’ll also need to have a substantial and active following.
Additionally, brands are attracted to high-quality, visually appealing content so ensure your posts are both attention-grabbing and informative. To encourage engagement, always use high-quality images, interesting captions, and relevant hashtags.
To be eligible for the creator marketplace on Instagram, you must comply with all the applicable policies and guidelines. You can check your eligibility under your account settings.
Once you join the Instagram creator marketplace, brands can discover you through your content interests. You can select keywords such as “fashion” or “travel” to indicate your interests and brands will be able to find you by searching for these keywords. Additionally, you can add your preferred brand partners and create a portfolio to showcase your work.
How to Join the Creator Marketplace
- From your professional dashboard, tap “Branded Content Tools”
- Select “Join Creator Marketplace.”
- On the following three pages, click “Accept” to make your information and insights visible to brands, and enable them to message you through the “Partnership messages” folder.
- Click “Accept Changes.”
- Review the Terms and accept them.
Once you secure a brand collaboration, ensure you deliver on your promise and work to build long-term relationships. All branded contents you post have to be disclosed with the paid partnership label. Remember, authenticity is crucial so always choose brands that reflect your values and resonate with your audience.
#4. Gifts
Similar to Instagram badges, another way to earn money from your Instagram audience is through Instagram gifts. The difference is while badges allow you to earn money on live video content, you earn virtual gifts on your reels.
Both your followers and non-followers can send you virtual gifts after viewing your reels. All they have to do is purchase stars and send them to you as gifts. Instagram will then offer you a share of the total revenue generated from these gifts every month, at a rate of $0.01 for every star received.
Once a viewer purchases stars to send you gifts, Instagram collects a share of revenue based on the size of the Stars pack. Additionally, a portion of the Stars pack price, typically 30%, also goes to the mobile platform (Apple or Google).
To earn from Instagram Gifts, you must meet the following requirements:
- Have a professional account
- Live in a country where Instagram Gifts is available
- Be 18 years or older
- Remain compliant with Instagram’s monetization policies and community guidelines
In addition, you need to have at least 500 followers if you are in the US, and 1000 followers if you are outside the US, to be eligible.
How to Turn on Gifts on Your Instagram Profile
To enable the feature, follow these steps on your Instagram profile:
- Go to your Professional dashboard.
- Under “Your tools”, tap on “Gifts”.
- Toggle the switch to turn on “Allow gifts on reels”.
Once it’s enabled, viewers can start sending you their appreciation through Instagram gifts on both your existing and future reels.
You can also view your total and monthly estimated earnings in your Professional Dashboard.
#5. Subscriptions
With Instagram’s subscription feature, people can subscribe to your profile at a monthly fee to access exclusive content and benefits. You can offer your subscribers exclusive subscriber reels, lives, posts, badges, and broadcast channels. This monetization method is particularly suitable for creators who offer educational and tutorial-based content.
However, you need to have at least 10,000 followers to qualify (you can easily buy them from BuySocialMediaMarketing). But by actively engaging your followers with quality content and establishing trust, you can build a loyal following of people who are genuinely interested in your offerings and earn recurring monthly passive income from their subscriptions.
Instagram also helps you grow and retain your subscribers by providing features like subscriber promotions. This feature helps you activate special offers like a percentage discount to incentivize subscriptions, or a free offer whenever a subscriber attempts to cancel.
Your subscribers will be easily recognizable through a subscriber badge, that will be visible in comments and your primary and requests folders. Non-subscribers will also see the badge when they comment on your feed posts and will be prompted to subscribe when they click on it.
Like other monetization methods, to be eligible for Instagram Subscriptions, you must comply with the partner and content monetization policies as well as Instagram’s Community Guidelines. Additionally, you must be 18+ and have at least 10,000 followers.
How to Enable Instagram Subscriptions
- In the professional dashboard, tap Set up Subscriptions.
- Review and agree to the terms, then tap Next.
- Set your monthly subscription price, then tap Next.
- Tap Publish, and then Create.
Your followers will automatically get a notification in their activity feed once you enable subscriptions to let them know they can subscribe to you. A subscribe button will also appear on your profile. Instagram allows you to create a preview of your exclusive content so potential subscribers can understand what your subscription provides.
Setting Up Your Payout Account
As mentioned earlier, you’ll need to set up a payout account to receive your earnings. To do this, you’ll also need to go to your professional dashboard. In the dashboard:
- Go to Payouts and click on “Update payout method”.
- Choose the type of payout account you want to add to your professional account.
- Follow the instructions to complete the setup. You can set different payout accounts for each monetization tool.
How Much Does Instagram Pay?
The amount of money you can earn from Instagram depends on four key factors:
- Your Follower Count: Generally, the more your followers, the greater your earning potential. According to a Statista report, an Instagram influencer with less than 10,000 followers earns around 195 U.S. dollars per sponsored post on average while an influencer with around 90 thousand followers can earn up to 1,221 U.S. dollars per sponsored post.
- Reputation: Although a large follower count significantly boosts your earning potential, many brands collaborate with celebrities to leverage their offline reputations irrespective of their online follower counts.
- Engagement rate: Your engagement rate is a measure of how people interact with your content, through comments, likes, saves, and shares. Even if you have 500 followers, you can make more money on Instagram if they actively engage your content than if you have a larger following with little to no engagements.
- Your niche. Targeting a profitable niche makes it easier to land sponsored posts and earn more money. According to Printify, influencers in beauty, fashion, travel, pets, health and fitness, and lifestyle niches are the most profitable on Instagram
When Does Instagram Pay?
Meta typically releases payouts on or around the 21st of each month for the previous month’s earnings. For instance, earnings made in June will be released around July 21st.
Payment duration depends on your bank but it usually takes 1 to 7 business days. However, if you change your account’s payout method within 10 days of the payment date, you will receive your earnings in the following month.
Meta will pay you in USD and send the funds to the bank or PayPal account that you have linked to your payout account. This bank or PayPal account will handle any conversions to your local currency.
You are eligible to receive payment when your overall balance reaches $25. For Charities, the minimum earning threshold for payments is either $100, £100, or €100.
BONUS: More Ways to Earn Money from Instagram
Affiliate Programs
You can earn a commission on each sale that results from your followers clicking a trackable product link or using your promo codes to purchase products and services you promote on your Instagram page. Brands may approach you directly to become an affiliate, or you can search for affiliate programs through online marketplaces or merchants. Although influencers with millions of followers typically earn the most, smaller influencers with loyal followings can still earn a decent income from these commission-based programs.
Setting Up an Instagram Shop
If you have a business or product to sell, you can create an Instagram shop. To set up one, you’ll need to either create an Instagram business account or switch your account type from “personal” to “business” in the app’s Settings. Once you have done that, you can begin adding your products and selecting your checkout method directly within the app.
When preparing your shop, it’s crucial to use high-quality product images that showcase your items from multiple perspectives, to attract potential customers. Your product descriptions should also be clear, and concise, and include the relevant keywords to increase your visibility to the right audience. Incorporating hashtags also helps organize your products effectively for a better shopping experience.
Once you’re satisfied with your Instagram shop setup, submit it for Instagram’s review and start selling.
Shoppable posts
Instagram allows creators with shops to display product tags within their posts or reels to showcase and sell their products directly to their audience, without leaving the app. To create a shoppable post, simply create a new Instagram post or reel and select the “Tag Products” option. Choose the products you want to promote from your Instagram Shop’s catalog and post.
Offering coaching and consulting services
If you have unique expertise or skills in areas such as nutrition, personal finance, digital marketing, fitness, etc, you can provide private consulting and coaching services. You can showcase your knowledge and experience through Instagram posts, stories, pictures, or videos. Use relevant hashtags to attract the right audience who may be interested in hiring your services.
FAQs on How to Earn Money from Instagram
How do you make money on Instagram?
To make money on Instagram, you can leverage various monetization methods such as branded content, badges, bonuses, subscriptions, gifts, and affiliate programs. By building a strong following, creating valuable content, and collaborating with brands, your Instagram account can earn you a steady income. can earn income from your Instagram account.
How to make money on Instagram reels?
Although Instagram has discontinued the Reels Play bonus program in the US and India, it is still available in Korea and Japan. Instagram also periodically offers bonus programs that provide opportunities for creators to earn money based on reels and post content performance and engagement.
Other ways to monetize Instagram reels include gifts and exclusive subscriber reels. Viewers can send you virtual gifts on your reels and you can also offer exclusive reels content to your followers for a monthly fee.
Does Instagram pay you for views?
No, Instagram does not directly pay users for views. Monetization on Instagram is usually achieved through branded content, badges, bonuses, subscriptions, and gifts.
How much does Instagram pay for 1k followers?
There is no fixed amount Instagram pays for having 1k followers. Earning potential depends on engagement rates, niche, content quality, and how you leverage your account for sponsorships, affiliate marketing, or Instagram’s monetization features like Badges and Subscriptions. People with 1,000 to 10,000 followers earn an average of $1,420 monthly through these features
How much does Instagram pay per view?
Instagram doesn’t directly pay for views on regular posts or videos. Earnings typically come from brand partnerships, sponsored content, or through features like subscriptions, or badges in live videos, but they don’t have a set rate per view.
How much does Instagram pay for 1 million views?
Instagram doesn’t pay creators based on the number of views whether 1000 or 1 million views. Revenue is generated through sponsored posts, advertisements, and other monetization features, such as Badges, Subscriptions, and brand partnerships.
How do Instagram models make money?
Instagram models monetize their large following and influence by promoting products and sharing sponsored content. They also leverage other avenues like affiliate marketing, selling merch, and collaborations with other influencers.
How to make money on Instagram without selling anything
Apart from selling products or services directly, you can make money on Instagram through other methods such as branded content, affiliate programs, badges, bonuses, subscriptions, and gifts. These features allow you to earn income without necessarily selling physical or digital products.
Final Takeaway
Now that you have a good idea of how to make money on Instagram if you’ve not already, you can start today by changing your account to a creator’s account and creating both eye-catching and valuable content. Whether it’s through badges, bonuses, branded content, subscriptions, or even affiliates, with a strong and active Instagram following, and the right content, you can turn your Instagram into a money-making machine
