How to make money on Instagram in 2025: 10 top tips
Want to monetize content on Instagram? Learn about the requirements, different methods, and more.
Instagram monetization has changed a lot over the past few years. Let’s dig into the essentials today.
We’ll discuss:
- Can you make money on Instagram?
- Can you make money on Instagram Reels?
- Does Instagram pay you for 1,000 followers?
- How to make money on Instagram without followers — can it be done?
- What are the Instagram monetization requirements?
- How to make money on Instagram in 2025: 10 top tips
Can you make money on Instagram?
Instagram has become a stable source of income for tons of creators — everyone from micro-influencers to megastars. To put it into perspective, one of Instagram’s most-followed accounts, Cristiano Ronaldo, earns an average of $3 million per sponsored post.
You’re unlikely to make that Ronaldo money, but you can certainly earn a nice slice on the platform. According to Epidemic Sound’s own research, 12% of monetizing creators claim that Instagram is the top social media platform for generating income. The platform offers a whole host of tools, and you can also make money outside of Instagram’s walls — more on that in a moment, though.
Can you make money on Instagram Reels?
Yep, you can make money via Instagram Reels. Payouts used to be based on the number of views, but that’s old news. Nowadays, you can earn with Reels through Instagram monetization tools like Gifts. Again, more on that in a minute!
Does Instagram pay you for 1,000 followers?
There isn’t a set number that determines when you’ll start making money through Instagram. There are a few core requirements, but otherwise, it doesn’t matter much if you have 1,000 or 100,000 Instagram followers.
The platform encourages accounts with “natural, authentic” audiences with a “sufficient follower base.” They don’t publicly list that number, but it’s generally accepted that 1,000 followers is a solid starting place.
Some monetization tools require more followers, some less. We’ll go through those in detail, but the main thing to remember is Instagram’s focus on authenticity — concentrate on quality, not quantity.
How to make money on Instagram without followers — can it be done?
“How to make money on Instagram without followers” is a popular search term, and we’re sorry to burst the bubble. Many of the platform’s monetization options are based on a creator’s connection with their audience, and said audience’s willingness to part with cash.
If you don’t have followers, you can’t rally that kind of support. Your best bet is to create quality content, play along with the Instagram algorithm, and climb up to your first 1,000 followers. From there, you’ll have a strong base from which you can work.
What are the Instagram monetization requirements?
As we just touched on, there are a few requirements for Instagram monetization. Let’s run through them now.
You’ll need to:
- Live in an eligible country
- Follow Instagram’s Community Standards, Content Monetization Policies, and Payment Terms
- Have a Creator or Business account
- Create authentic, accurate content — no clickbait or misleading information
- Have an established presence and fanbase on Instagram
- Avoid repeatedly violating Instagram’s rules
On top of those core requirements, you’re not allowed to monetize content if your account represents a government official, political candidate, political party, registered political committee, or government agency/department.
You’ll also need to link a valid bank account to your Instagram account. If you don’t do this, monetization and payouts are capped at $1,500, spread across three monetization tools. If you still don’t provide a valid bank account within six months, you could lose the right to cash in what you’ve earned.
Need to soundtrack your Instagram clips? Don’t settle for second-best. Use Epidemic Sound. Our catalog of more than 50,000 premium tracks and 200,000 unique sound effects and variations will give your content the voice it deserves.
How to make money on Instagram in 2025: 10 top tips
So, how does Instagram monetization work in 2025? There’s a bunch of different features and options to try, depending on what kind of creator you are. Let’s take a look:
- Partner with brands
- Join the Creator Marketplace
- Try Instagram Subscriptions
- …or try third-party subscription platforms
- Grab some gifts
- Go live with Badges
- Bulk up your bank balance with Bonuses
- Sell your merch
- Try affiliate marketing
- Mix up your Instagram monetization tools
1. Partner with brands
Sponsored, branded content helps businesses and creators bring their ideas to life. Whether they’re small-time creators, household names, or somewhere in the valley between, these deals encourage audiences to cross-pollinate.
Find a brand that suits you and your content — think of a company whose values, products, and persona chime with your content and beliefs. Whether you strike up a partnership within or outside Instagram, you’ll have to negotiate the terms of the deal. This will depend on factors like your following, engagement rates, and more.
You don’t need millions of followers to make money with Instagram sponsorships, either. Generally, creators with 1,000 followers can earn anywhere between $10 and $100 per sponsored post. That all depends on engagement, the type of brand, the nature of the content, and more — but you catch our drift.
If you’d rather stay on-platform and are US-based, you could join Instagram’s Creator Marketplace instead.
2. Join the Creator Marketplace
Instagram’s Creator Marketplace connects brands with creators. Interested brands can slide into your DMs and offer you projects — like off-platform brand deals, you’ll negotiate every partnership and gig. It’s worth using Instagram analytics to back yourself up here and try negotiating a higher fee.
Make a fair case, and remember that the goal is long-term. If you secure a first job with a brand, the hope is to collaborate with them again. Don’t sell yourself short when negotiating a deal, but avoid being aggressive or unrealistic — you want brands to become repeat customers!
3. Try Instagram Subscriptions
If you’ve got the bandwidth to produce extra content, try Instagram Subscriptions. Subscribers pay a fixed monthly fee to access exclusive content, ranging from subscriber-only Lives and Reels to special badges and promo codes. You can set the price anywhere from $0.99 to $99.99.
Instagram Subscriptions are available to creators with more than 10,000 followers. You’ll receive 100% of any subscription-based income, minus taxes and fees — if subscribers sign up with Apple or Google, there’s unfortunately a 30% fee.
4. …or try third-party subscription platforms
Well-known, trusted platforms like Patreon give creators the chance to monetize their content with a more curated flair. If Instagram Subscriptions doesn’t give you the freedom you need, Patreon lets you offer podcasts, merch, and custom gifts as reward tiers.
5. Grab some gifts
If you deal in Reels, you can monetize Instagram with gifts. Viewers can buy “Stars” directly from Instagram, which they’ll trade for virtual gifts. They’ll then send these emoji-like gifts to creators while watching a Reel.
You’ll receive $0.01 for every Star’s worth of gifts. As long as you live in an eligible country and have over 500 followers, you can start earning money on Instagram Reels with gifts.
6. Go live with Badges
If you’re all about connecting with your audience, you can activate Badges during Instagram Live sessions. These are small tokens your followers can buy to show their appreciation, priced at $0.99, $1.99, and $4.99 increments. Once a viewer buys a Badge, their name becomes more prominent in the live chat.
When a viewer tips you with a Badge, the interaction shows up during the live stream as a heart — admittedly, that’s pretty cute. You’ll receive 100% of any Badge revenue during an Instagram Live session, minus any taxes or service fees.
At the moment, Badges are only available automatically to creators in the US with more than 10,000 followers. Creators in other territories may be eligible, but on an invite-only basis. Each viewer can gift up to $250 worth of Badges per Live session.
7. Bulk up your bank balance with Bonuses
Instagram Bonuses reward creators for hitting specific milestones, usually concerning views or engagement figures. They’re always evolving, and currently come in a couple of packages.
The platform runs seasonal bonuses for creators in South Korea and the US. To access these bonuses, you’ll need to have at least five million Reels views within the past three months. These bonuses are based on Reels plays and post views within a seven-day period.
If you’re new to Instagram, you can apply for the Breakthrough Bonus. You’ll have 90 days to earn up to $5,000, based on your content’s performance.
8. Sell your merch
Got merch? Housing your products on Instagram Shopping makes it easier for your current followers, alongside new fans, to access everything you sell under one roof.
Use Meta’s Commerce Manager to set up an Instagram Shop and sell products in-platform. Upload your catalog like you would with other ecommerce platforms, and create content to promote it.
Think demo Reels, how-to videos, collab posts with other relevant creators — the opportunities start piling up once you can sell directly on Instagram. As long as you follow the rules and your Instagram storefront contains the same products as your other, “official” store, you should be good to go.
9. Try affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing gives you a unique purchase link to share with your followers. Once clicked, the link takes users to a page where they can buy something. You’ll earn money every time they complete an action — usually a purchase — through your affiliate link.
Most affiliate links leave cookies, tracking the user’s activity beyond that initial session. Affiliate links are often used as part of brand partnerships, but some marketplaces, like Amazon, offer them to a larger applicant pool.
10: Mix up your Instagram monetization tools
There’s not one Instagram monetization tool or strategy that’s “better” than another — it depends on the way you approach your content, how you engage with your audience, and what you want to get out of the platform.
For a fair shot at Instagram monetization, it’s worth blending a bunch of the monetization avenues mentioned above, and seeing what works best for you. If one doesn’t pan out quite how you’d hoped, analyze the results and see if you can make improvements. If you’ve hit a wall with a particular monetization method, dial it back and try something else — there’s plenty to explore.
Making money on Instagram in 2025: Wrapping up
While Instagram monetization is multi-faceted, there’s one constant running throughout: great content. If the quality doesn’t hold up, engagement drops. If engagement drops, the monetization opportunities dry up alongside it.
Put your best foot forward and ensure that your content shines from all sides. Compositionally, structurally, musically — after all, the soundtrack can make or break your content. Don’t let one needle-drop derail your content. Try Epidemic Sound.
Our catalog is high-quality, affordable, and safe. An Epidemic Sound subscription goes beyond royalty-free music, removing the headache of licensing and freeing you up to do what you do best.
You can enjoy the safety of our license hand-in-hand with our massive catalog of 50,000 tracks, covering just about every genre you can think of. You’ll also gain unlimited access to our advanced search functions — finding the right sound’s never been easier.
It’s better than royalty-free. It’s worry-free. Get started with Epidemic Sound below.
Related posts: