We may be interested in making money on Instagram , as we have heard of influencers and celebrities who generate high income thanks to their social networks. Instagram can be profitable, but it is not easy to make money if we are not very popular before.
When we delve into how many followers Instagram pays, we already explained that the social network does not share its income with content creators. While YouTube or Twitch do offer a percentage of ad views, we rely on outside sources to make money on Instagram.
How to get more likes on Instagram
That is, Instagram will not pay us for many followers, likes or comments that we get. We have to find some way to make our visibility profitable , something that works very well. Sometimes you earn a lot for uploading a photo to Instagram , up to $ 1 million in the case of top-level profiles, like Kim Kardashian or Cristiano Ronaldo.
In this article we will see the different systems that exist to make money on Instagram , but first we will review the basic requirements of our account if we want to make it possible.
First of all: be very popular
First of all, we must strive to gain followers on Instagram , since our relevance on the platform depends on this parameter. In that sense, the amount of money that we manage to win will be conditioned by that number.
Now, the quality of the followers is also important : many influencers buy followers, who in the end are not interested in their content, and that is noticeable when analyzing the account.
Not only because the profiles of the followers look unreliable, but because of the level of interaction: if we generate a community around it, the publications will have quality comments, they will be forwarded to other people and saved in the collections of Instagram .
The profitability of an account also depends on what you do : for example, an economics-focused micro-influencer, with tens of thousands of followers, can earn more money than a more generic profile with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Get started in “influencer marketing”
The most common system to earn money on Instagram are advertising agreements with brands , of many different types, which are an increasingly common alternative to traditional ads. Especially since Instagram allows them to approach very specific consumer niches.
If our Instagram for now does not have much reach, we should start by registering on a marketing platform for influencers (“influencer marketing” in English), where we will receive generic campaigns, in which brands send a photo or video, along with text and hashtags , for us to publish.
The requirements are low, only have a minimum of followers and that the account offers quality (frequent publication, real followers, adequate content, etc.). When we meet the requirements of a brand they will notify us, usually they are massive campaigns where they try to popularize a hashtag using many small influencers.
Some influencer marketing platforms in Spain are SocialPubli, Coobis, Niche, Fluvip, Traackr or Upfluence.
Try to work with brands
As our Instagram grows, the goal will be to work directly with brands (or through their marketing agency), which by avoiding intermediaries will allow us to earn more money. At first they will be little known companies, and at most they will give us free products, but we must persevere.
As we grow and network, we can earn more money from sponsored posts on our Instagram , or even a longer-term collaboration, showcasing your background products in photos, videos, and Stories.
A very small percentage (only the most successful accounts) manage to make the leap outside of social networks, either by attending events or collaborating on physical products and services . Something that not only allows them to earn money from the advertiser, but also strengthens their visibility.
Some examples: the fashion influencer Dulceida has designed a clothing collection for Primark, the youtuber ElRubius had his animation series on Movistar + and many have written books, from the autobiography of the tiktoker Mónica Morán to the cookbooks of the pastry chef Alma Obregón, through the books of streamers TheGref, Wismichu and AuronPlay.
Offers online courses and other services
Companies see social networks as a platform to promote themselves and increase their sales, but another option is the opposite: that a famous Instagram user takes the opportunity to sell , designing the product and the sales channel based on their audience.
In general, virtual services are easier to manage: courses where we impart our knowledge , personalized advice, digital artistic work … it depends on the subject we are dealing with on our Instagram and our abilities.
There are several options, from online fitness classes to coaching , through offering graphic design jobs and teaching photography, English or cooking, depending on our knowledge and training.
Try to sell products
Regarding selling physical products , it is possible, but complex, since it requires designing it, ordering its manufacture and sending it. The alternative is “dropshiping” , where we actually sell an existing product in an online store, which even takes care of shipping to the buyer.
The influencer takes a commission, but dropshiping is a complicated model, because the profit margins are low , and in the event of any problem with the order, we must be the ones who respond to the client .
Another option is Etsy, a platform for selling handmade products , including clothing, accessories, jewelry, decor, or art. Of course, it is not the only alternative, there are also portals such as eBay, and we can even create our own online store.
Some real examples of sales successes on Instagram: the Realfooding nutrition account offers a subscription to receive personalized recipes, youtuber Jaime Altozano sells music courses and the architect Ter sells posters with illustrations of structures.
Take your users to other networks
Instagram does not pay anything to content creators, so an alternative is to use it to promote our accounts on platforms that do, such as YouTube or Twitch , since on YouTube they do pay to upload videos .
Of course, it serves to earn money, and many celebrities take advantage of it, but usually complementing it with other systems. The drive traffic to YouTube Instagram is not easy (links are very limited), so we will not get many reproductions to the beginning.
Additionally, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch audiences often have different interests. In any case, it is normal for Internet “celebrities” to have a presence on various social networks beyond where they became famous.
Open a store on Instagram
Since Instagram incorporated a tab for Shop (“Instagram Shopping” in Spanish) it has made clear the importance it gives to direct sales on its social network , as they allow it to obtain new income from commissions, and encourage store owners to pay for the ads.
So opening a store of physical products on Instagram can make sense to earn money if the theme of the profile lends itself to it. Of course, creation requires certain technical knowledge, and the company is very demanding with quality to approve them.
In any case, it is a good way to monetize Instagram if we have a lot of followers, because we must think that Instagram Shop already includes well-known distributors, and we will need to attract potential customers with our online visibility.
Use store affiliates
Another way to earn money on Instagram are the so-called referrals or affiliates : if a user buys a product in a store through our link, we get a small percentage of the sale .
For example, there is the Amazon Influencer Program aimed at influencers, a system that generates commissions from the articles we promote. The percentages are low, and we will be advertising to Amazon, but it is an option to make money.
There are many stores with referrals in Spain: PcComponentes and Fnac (technology), Zalando (clothing), general portals such as eBay and even the El Corte Inglés department stores.
Internationally there are also many alternatives: GearBest and DealExtreme (technology) G2A and Instant Gaming (video games) and the huge Aliexpress platform, to name a few.
Also in more delicate segments, such as dating and betting apps , which are usually profitable, but can affect our image and even end up with the Instagram account blocked for breaking its rules.
The problem with affiliates is the limitations that Instagram applies to links : it is only possible to add a link in the biography, and additionally put links in Instagram Stories if we have at least 10,000 followers.
Harness the power of crowdfunding
One possibility to earn money on Instagram is to directly ask our fans for donations . A model that does not work in many cases, but it is surprising how profitable it can be if we connect well with the public.
First of all, Patreon is a platform that works well for artists (musicians, illustrators, writers, cosplayers, and many others), where “patrons” contribute a fixed monthly amount. In exchange, they receive exclusive access to some of the creators’ works.
Another crowdfunding platform that accepts almost any collection is GoFundMe , and PayPal also offers an easy-to-use donation service, which benefits from the large number of users who use it when paying online.
It is also not uncommon to find users on Instagram who try to make money with OnlyFans , a platform where they upload adult videos they have recorded themselves.
Logically, many will not be interested in entering this delicate sector, but those who consider it should be aware that among the prohibited photos on Instagram, nudes are especially persecuted. So they must be very cautious with the material they upload to the social network, or they will be expelled.
In short, there are many ways to make money on Instagram, but none of them are easy . It takes time, knowledge and perseverance to start receiving an income, which will initially be scarce.
