Instagram has become one of the most coveted social platforms for creators and brands to earn. It is not uncommon today to see your favorite creators promoting products on Instagram. Perhaps, you are also wondering if you could get in on the action. While seasoned, top-performing celebrity accounts boast fetching seven figures for promoted posts, you do not need millions of followers to make money on Instagram.
Instagram offers powerful tools for beginner creators to monetize their content and small business owners yearning to increase their audience and accelerate social media growth. This article provides definitive tips to enable you unlock your potential and make money on Instagram in 2025 and beyond.
Instagram Monetization at a Glance
Instagram monetization policies serve as the guidelines for creators and their audiences to benefit from the app. Those rules require creators to have real and active presence on IG, with lots of genuine followers. That means you should not try to build an audience in fake ways if you are looking to attain make money on Instagram successfully.
Instagram offers plenty of tools for creators and brands to earn money from their content. For example, Instagram Shopping allows you to sell products directly through your Stories and Posts.
Instagram Badges enable followers to support their favorite content creators during live videos.
Despite the plenty of monetization tools on the app, Instagram has very strict policies to keep the community safe and respectful. Creators who fail to follow those rules risk penalties such as not being allowed to receive gifts. You could also be barred from making money from your content.
Creators must meet specific requirements to use features such as Instagram Subscriptions. For instance, you need a professional IG account, with at least 10,000 followers. You should also be at least 18 years old to get in on the action.
Instagram also allows you to make money through IG ads. The feature pays creators whenever people interact with their content and profiles. All the content on Instagram must follow the Terms of Use and Community Guidelines. Those rules help to keep the platform safe and respectful for all users. They include rules against people posting inappropriate content on the app.
Strategies to Make Money on Instagram
Many creators are constantly looking for ways to monetize their content and make money on IG. The following are proven strategies to help you achieve that goal.
- Sponsored Content
Sponsored content is one of the most convenient strategies for small businesses and creators to make money on Instagram. It is almost impossible for brands to replicate the authenticity of a real person sharing real moments. However, they can rake in some money from the influence by partnering with creators who have audiences that overlap with their target customers. Nonetheless, creators and influencers are paid to create content.
The collaborations and partnerships must feel authentic if they are to benefit both parties mutually. Multiple studies have shown that several brands today want to work with creators who are already fans of their products and services. That is why it is advisable for creators to reach out to their favorite brands to pitch for partnerships.
A good example is Alix Ashley Earle’s IG page. The profile attracts several people who watch her ‘’get ready with me’ content. It is a very easy place for makeup brands to plug themselves into. Her audience is constantly looking forward to such videos.
When pitching a brand, you should explain the characteristics of your audience and how the product will fit into one of your strategies. Influencer marketplaces such as Shopify Collabs are a great place to list your details so brands can find you easily.
If you are a small business owner seeking partnerships with creators, consider how you could suggest their existing strategies to work well for your product. However, you should be careful not to push them into creating content that is not familiar to their followers. Remember regardless of the authenticity of your collaborations, IG rules require that all branded content bear its paid partnership label.
For content creators looking to partner with brands on sponsored content, you should know your worth, research industry standards and understand your audience. It is also important to seek legal advice.
- Livestream and Badges
IG Live has increasingly become a popular way for creators to connect with their audiences in real time, share authentic stories and build a loyal fan base. Instagram Live Badges give creators the opportunity to monetize their content and get direct support from their loyal fans.
One influencer and entrepreneur, Ronne Brown recently told Business Insider that she earned more than $1,000 in October 2020 from IG Live Badges within just the first week of using it.
Live Badges allow viewers to buy virtual badges during live broadcasts. Those badges appear as heart icons next to your username in the comments section. Fans can buy badges in increments of $0.99, $1.99 or $4.99 to express their appreciation and support for their favorite creators.
However, there is some criteria that you must meet in order to be eligible for Live Badges. They include;
- Have at least 10,000 followers on IG
- Be based in the United States
- Access to badges for eligible creators in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Australia, Mexico, Brazil and Japan is currently by invitation-only. Find your invitation status by checking Settings – Creator – Badges.
- Have a Creator or Business Account
- Comply with Instagram Partner Monetization Policies and Community Guidelines
If you meet the above qualifications, you can go ahead and enable Badges to start earning on Instagram. When a viewer purchases a badge, you will see hearts next to their username in the comments section. That makes it easy to acknowledge and thank them for their support.
While everyone is looking to make money on Instagram, your goal should be to maximize the earnings as much as possible. And, one of the best ways to do that is by promoting your upcoming live broadcasts. You should let your followers know when you will be going live and the topics that you plan to discuss. Make use of Stories, your IG bio and posts to build anticipation and encourage viewers to watch your broadcasts.
Make a habit of engaging with your audience during the live broadcasts. You can interact with viewers through answering questions, replying to comments and giving shout-outs to those who gift you with badges. That engagement helps to create a more intimate and interactive experience for the audience.
Unlike most creators out there, do not just focus on entertaining content only. Instead, emphasize content that also provides value to your audience. That will enable you to keep them engaged and encourage them to purchase badges That could include sharing expert tips, collaborating with other creators in your niche and hosting live Q&A sessions.
You should also take a moment to thank your supporters who purchased badges after your live broadcasts. One way to do it is by creating an Instagram Story with ‘’thank you’’ stickers and tagging usernames of your supporters. That simple gesture shows your appreciation and helps to strengthen your relationship with the most loyal followers.
Instagram allows creators to receive 100% of the revenue generated from badges purchased during live broadcasts. However, there are applicable fees, taxes and a 30% cut that Google and Apple takes for purchases made in-app. The payouts are issued monthly, provided you have made a minimum of $100 by the end of the month.
- Open an Online Store
If you have an online store then, you are probably already using IG to advertise and sell your products. However, creators who are looking to make money on Instagram should also consider leveraging their influence to sell products on the platform.
Instagram allows its users to promote physical goods, digital items or services on the app as an extension of the creator’s brand. Use the content that you create to show how a product offers value to your audience. Then, use IG’s selling tools to give your audiences an easy way to find them.
There are blurred lines between creators and entrepreneurs, with many IG users looking to keep their independence and earn from their creations. For example, pet influencer, Loki the Wolfdog turned IG success into his own brand, Loki Naturals.
Some options exist for selling products and services on IG. They include;
- Selling services that you clearly excel at such as social media consulting or photography. You can do that by directing users to your website for more.
- Offering digital products such as online courses, ebooks, design templates and sounds.
- Selling your own original products and shipping them yourself or through fulfillment warehouses.
- Using dropshipping to sell products without having to manage inventory and shipping.
- Affiliate Programs
Affiliate marketing is also an incredible strategy to make money on Instagram. It is a simple method whereby companies or businesses give you a unique link or code to share with your followers on the platform. You earn a commission whenever one makes a purchase using the given link.
Affiliate programs do not require you to sell anything directly. That makes it an ideal option if you are wondering how to make money on IG without selling anything. However, having your website is essential to driving traffic and monetizing through ads since it allows you to establish a direct connection with the audience.
A good example is lifestyle creator, Janesha Moore, who reportedly made $100,000 378 through affiliate marketing in 2023. She uses a strategy that involves sharing affiliate links and driving engagement by getting her followers to comment on posts to receive automated messages on where to get links.
You should place your affiliate links and promo codes throughout the content to be successful in affiliate marketing on IG. Your Instagram bio is also a goldmine for promoting affiliate links. Write a clear call-to-action with a short and trackable link for your followers. You can also share promo codes in your captions and incorporate affiliate links in your stories to maximize the earnings.
- Social Selling
Instagram is rapidly evolving from a platform where people can find out information about new products into a place where they can actually purchase those items. Features such as Instagram Shopping, used by over 130 million people monthly, allow users to move from product inspiration to information instantly.
For those with a Shopify Store, it can be very easy to sync your inventory and customer data through the Instagram app. For example, apparel brand, Miracle Eye has an independent website but, also uses Instagram Shop to give fans a one-tap access to its products. You too could use that strategy to start making money on IG.
You can even customize the shop by creating collections or organizing your products into themes or gifting sessions. For example, you could curate them into summer fun, holiday decorations, gifts for mom and dad, new arrivals etc. The IG Shop is a mini version of your online store, with product images, descriptions and pricing just as they appear on the website. You can also include an option for your fans to buy items on the platform directly.
The Bottom Line
Indeed, there are plenty of ways for creators, influencers and brands to monetize IG. This article has outlined 5 proven strategies to help you to make money on Instagram in 2025 and beyond. However, the amount of money that you can make on the platform will mainly depend on your follower count, engagement rate, niche, affiliate marketing commission rates and number of income streams. In case you need more assistance on how to drive your social reach and maximize earnings on IG, do not hesitate to engage Superior Social Boost.