For beauty gurus, fitness aficionados, and fashion enthusiasts, Instagram isn’t just an app—the social media (and financially!) savvy can also use it to launch lucrative careers. Want to get in on the action? Let’s explore how you can join the Instagram money-making revolution.
Earning money on Instagram is as much about strategic marketing as it is about creating great content. Before we dive into the various ways to start earning that dough, it’s important to understand who’s eligible, what’s required, and which metrics matter.
- Follower count: A bigger following usually means bigger earnings. Still, as proven by successful microinfluencers, there’s no strict minimum to make impressive Instagram income. On that (C)note…
- Engagement rate: Brands prioritize authentic audience interaction over follower volume, so creators with smaller but engaged followings can certainly still land lucrative deals. An influencer with 10,000 followers and an 8% engagement rate may make more money than an influencer with 50,000 followers and 1% engagement. Learning about the ever-evolving Instagram algorithm can help you make the most out of your reach.
- Niche focus: Different niches attract different consumer demographics. Influencers in the beauty, luxury, and fashion realms have better earning potential, simply because their followers often fall within a higher income bracket.
- Reputation and expertise: Being an expert, professional, or other public figure offline can mean bigger and better brand partnerships online.
15 Steps to Becoming an Instagram Influencer1. Sponsored content
One of the most popular ways to make money on Instagram is by seeking sponsorship, creating branded content, and partnering with brands to promote their products and services. Looking for sponsored content gigs? Check out our comprehensive content creator and influencer jobs database.
Ceramics shop owner Daniel Dooreck and Dickies’ collaboration just makes sense: Dooreck demonstrates that Dickies overalls are stylish and a functional product that he uses to get his hands dirty… while still picking up the phone for his mom.
2. Brand partnerships
While sponsored content is typically paid per piece of content, brand partnerships are long-term collaborations. Becoming a brand ambassador typically means being paid on a recurring basis for regular content (much like a retainer) and signing a contract for a specific amount of time—whether that’s a week or a year. To land a partnership, reach out to brands yourself, or join Instagram’s Creator Marketplace, which connects creators directly with brands.
Influencer Josie Prendergast does an excellent job as a brand ambassador for surf clothing retailer Billabong. The surfer-model’s posts showcase her love of the brand for her following of avid and aspiring surfers.
3. Affiliate marketing
A popular choice due to its easier entry point, affiliate marketing involves posting unique links for brands; any subsequent sale via the link earns the user a commission. It can be a great source of income if you are looked at as an expert in a specific field and your following trusts your endorsements. Programs such as Amazon Associates, ShareASale, EverFlow, LTK, and CJ Affiliate offer ways to connect with brands as an affiliate.
For instance, fitness influencer Joe Wicks includes an affiliate code for Vivobarefoot shoes on his Instagram’s LinkTree. The brand gains visibility within his audience of exercise fanatics, Wicks earns a commission for every conversion, and his followers get a 20% discount for using his link—now that’s what we call a win-win-win.
4. Subscriptions
Similarly to Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee, Instagram Subscriptions allow creators to monetize by charging loyal followers a fee for exclusive content.
Need inspiration? Indonesian lifestyle influencer Fujianti Utami Putri grew her subscriber base to over 24,000 in less than six months by offering exclusive behind-the-scenes content, personal thoughts, and daily updates through Instagram Subscriptions. Setting an affordable price of about 49 cents/month—and consistently promoting subscriber-only content using the Subscribe sticker in Stories—has allowed her to earn approximately $10,000/month.
How to Become Instagram Famous5. Your own products and services
Depending on what type of content you’re working with, you may be able to make money by selling digital products. This could be fitness and nutrition ebooks, Lightroom Presets, original digital artworks, or anything else you can think of—the only limitation is your imagination. You can also find buyers and sell your own goods directly by creating a Shop page. This feature allows consumers to shop, tag photos of your products, and follow your page—all without leaving the app.
For an example of effective product and services monetization, just look to Zach Schy. The movie magic-maker gets paid for color-grading and editing services by linking to his Patreon on his Instagram page.
6. Live badges
You can also generate income by using Instagram Live to receive badges, which followers buy to show their support and interact with their favorite creators in real time.
Credit: Kyryk Ivan/Shutterstock
- Master Instagram’s features: Learn how to make great Reels, use the optimal video size to show off your creations, and apply shopping tags to your posts to allow customers to shop within the app.
- Match your aesthetic: Strive to keep sponsored posts creatively aligned with the rest of your content so that the aesthetic and quality flows seamlessly on your feed.
- Be genuine: Part of what makes a loyal and engaged following is their trust in a creator’s authenticity, so anyone you support should align with both your niche and your values—and always disclose when content is sponsored.
- Put yourself in brands’ shoes: How would brands see your profile? Does it align with their mission and vision? A compelling profile that showcases your aesthetic, social identity, niche, audience demographics, and potential past partnerships will make you stand out.
- Protect yourself: Especially when signing a contract, it’s a smart idea to seek legal advice to help you avoid any unfair terms (or even worse, an influencer scam!). Consulting with a lawyer can also help you be compliant with FTC disclosures.
- Negotiate: Though it may be tempting to jump at your first offer, make sure you’re getting a fair deal. Don’t be afraid to counter or even decline offers that don’t reflect your worth.
- Add value: Subscribers buy directly into premium content with expectations of immediate gratification—whether that means exclusive posts, online courses, or behind-the-scenes content.
- Promote thyself: When it comes to your own products and services, there’s nothing wrong with shameless self-promotion: Run paid ads, link to your external websites, and let your followers know about any upcoming livestreams.
- Recognize your supporters: Be sure to engage with and thank your followers and brand partners to keep ’em coming back—and keep ’em spending cash.