How to Make Money with Instagram (12 New Strategies)

Social media is a great way to make big money, whether you are a brand or content creator. How to make money with Instagram in 2022

If making money and working hard is the American dream then not making money and working hard is the Instagram dream. However, making serious income through social media requires a serious strategy. You will have the best success with Instagram, regardless of whether you are a creator or a company.

Continue reading to be inspired by the work of brands and creators, as well as tips and tricks for making money with Instagram that are applicable to all.

Is It Possible To Make Money With Instagram?

Yes. In fact, Instagram's top priority is helping creators make a living from the platform, especially with increased competition from TikTok and Snapchat.

At the company's first Creator Week, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta said that "our goal is to provide the best platform for creators such as you to make money."

Instagram was the 2nd most downloaded app worldwide in 2021. It is the 7th most visited website worldwide, the 4th most used social media platform and it has 1.22 billion monthly users. This is all to say that there's a huge potential audience. There are many opportunities to make money with this large and varied audience.

How Much Can You Make With Instagram?

Numbers can be tricky because creators and brands are often secretive about how much they make. It is also difficult to calculate income from Instagram. If you sing on Reel and the song goes viral, you get a record contract, and then thousands of people purchase tickets to your concert. 

Does that count as making money with Instagram? What if you upload food videos and then link to your recipe blog? Can you host ads on your blog that earn you money?

Although it sounds absurd, this is how most successful creators make their money. The amount of money you make on Instagram will depend on your credentials, audience size and engagement as well as strategy and hustle.

Here are the alleged earnings of some celebs and creators:

$901: This is the average amount that an Instagram influencer can make per post if they have 1,000 to 10,000 followers, according to Business Insider

According to Brian Hanly (CEO of Bullish Studio, a talent agency for influencers), the price a creator can get for a swipe up advertisement on their Instagram stories is $100 to $1500.

$983,100: This is the amount Kylie Jenner makes per sponsored content or ad post

$1,604,000: This is the amount Cristiano Ronaldo makes per post

Hype Auditor conducted a survey of almost 21,000 influencers (mostly based in the U.S.), to find out how much they earn. Here's what they discovered:

Average influencers make $2,970 per monthly. The "average" numbers are not the most reliable because there is so much differentiation between highs and lows. This stat will be discussed in the next stat.

Average monthly earnings for micro-influencers are $1,420. Mega-influencers, accounts with more than one million followers, earn $15,356.

How To Make Money As A Creator On Instagram

Even if your Instagram account isn't a business, you can still make money with it. You can have influence if you have a strong following and a clear niche.

Brands Are Looking For Partners

The most popular way creators make money on Instagram is to partner with brands. Find a small or big brand that aligns with your values (that part is important--partnering with a brand that has nothing to do with your regular content, or even directly contradicts your regular content, will make you seem inauthentic).

There are many ways to partner with brands. You might get paid to post an Instagram photo that features a particular product or you could be given free products in return for your content. 

Start by creating a few posts featuring your favorite things, such as food, skincare, or whatever you feel is true to you. These posts can be used as examples by you when you reach out to brands.

Check Out: How To Earn Money Selling Feet Pictures

These deals are popular with makeup and beauty bloggers. This is an example of a Nordstrom paid partnership post by @mexicanbutjapanese

Tip: Be transparent when participating in sponsored posts or paid partnerships. Use hashtags and mark the post as sponsored. Make sure to mention the partnership in your captions. If you don't follow Instagram's guidelines for branded content, your posts could be removed.

Affiliate Program

This is because affiliate programs require you to be connected to businesses that sell specific products and experiences. Affiliate programs pay you to promote other people's products. Again, this is why it's important to ensure that the products you highlight align with your values. You get paid if your followers purchase something from the brand via you, usually using a particular link or discount code.

The creator of nail polish is an affiliate marketer. When followers use her discount code, they make money.

Allow Live Badges

Instagram's Live Badges are a way for creators in the U.S. to make money through the app. The badges can be purchased by viewers during live videos (between $0.99 and $4.99). This allows them to show their support.

Go to your Profile, tap Professional Dashboard to turn on Live Badges. Next, enable monetization. After you have been approved, you will see the button Set up Badges. You're ready to go!

Badges For Instagram Live

Live badges can be enabled by you. Make sure you mention this when you go live. Remind your followers that they have the option to send money their way if they wish to show their support. When someone buys a badge, express your gratitude. It is a great way to show appreciation and encourage others to help.

Sell Your Merch

You can use Instagram to market your other revenue streams. This is a great way to make money. You can sell merch with your brand's logo and catchphrase if you have enough curated content. Selling merch can help you make money, and your followers will be able to wear your name on their sweatpants.

Trixie Mattel, drag queen extraordinaire, sells branded merchandise and uses Instagram to promote her products

Link To Your Blog/Vlog

You can make a lot of money selling advertising space on your website or making money through Youtube. Instagram is a great way to direct your followers towards that site. (Hint: Use a link tree to maximize the link in your Instagram bio).

These are just a few examples.

Foodies who share photos of the food they have made, and also have a blog that contains full recipes.

Youtubers post highlights from their vlogs on Reels and then link to their Youtube channel for full video

Fashion influencers who upload their outfits to Instagram and link back to their website. They also share where the clothes were purchased.

Beautiful landscapes posted by outdoor adventurers. They also link to their blog, where they outline the best road trips.

@tiffy.cooks is a food blogger. She posts videos of herself making food on her blog and links to detailed recipes in her bio. Her blog hosts the recipes and also contains affiliate links.

Offer Tutorials And Masterclasses For A Fee

It's similar to linking to a blog, vlog or other website. However, instead of earning income indirectly through Youtube ads or businesses advertising on your page, your followers pay you directly for the service you provide.

You could host an online masterclass if you are an expert in a specific area. This is a common way to make money online for fitness influencers. They may offer short workouts free of charge and then link you to a complete training program that requires you to pay.

@theqazman is a film colourist and offers tips on Instagram. He also hosts masterclasses that can be purchased. His content is still accessible to a broad audience (non-paying), but those who want to learn the ropes will be able pay him for a complete lesson.

You can also offer tutorials and masterclasses free of charge to your followers, just ask them to tip you if necessary. That's how @iamlshauntay does it. The link in her bio leads her followers to the ways she can be paid for her work, if they are able. 

This is a great technique to use if your goal is maximum accessibility. There's no financial barrier to your content but your audience still has the option to pay you.

How To Make Money With Instagram As A Business

In 2022, being present, active, and engaging on Instagram is one of the best ways for businesses to succeed. Here are the steps.

Promote Special Offers

Online shoppers are prone to snatching good deals (and Instagram users love to purchase stuff: 44% say they use the app for shopping weekly).

Use Instagram to showcase all the great things about your company--specifically, anytime you're having a sale. You can easily share your sale, promo code or special offer via Instagram.

The holiday sale post by @smashtess has many comments. These are not just friends tagging each other. This is a great way to promote the sale, and it also allows you to share the sale organically.

Initiate Countdowns For New Launches

Instagram allows you to show your followers sneak peeks of new launches, product lines, or new releases. You can also use the "Countdown" and "Reminder" functions to provide customers with an easy way to indicate when these new products will become available. The release creates excitement and users are reminded to go check out the products.

@decade_studio has released an Instagram video to promote their new collection of denim.

Create An Instagram Shop

Insta Shops allow you to make money directly from the app. It's simple to create a shop using the native e-commerce tools of Instagram.

Insta shops can be an impulse buyer's friend or worst nightmare depending on how you view it. Along with regular posts, your shoppable products and services will appear in the news feeds of your followers.

An Instagram shop can be a great way for people who use social media to quickly provide customer service (basically, everyone--75% global population over 13). To learn more about your brand, customers can DM or comment on posts. If you feel overwhelmed by your DMs, you might consider using a chatbot as a support tool for your customer service staff.

The little shop icon appears on posts that include a buyable item. This lets viewers know that the item is available for purchase.

@the.modern.shop uses shoppable labels in many of its posts.

Shoppable tags for Instagram posts in feed

Create With Other Creators

Influencer marketing allows your company to be shared with the creator's audience. The creator also gets a spotlight on your audience. It's a win-win situation.

You should pay close attention to the content and values of people you are considering to work with. This will ensure that your partnership is a mutually beneficial one.

It makes sense, for example, for a plant-based bakery partner with a vegan influencer (more so than Bill Nye partnering Coca-Cola).

You should try to work with creators who are likely to like your products. For example, @maddieziegler, a dancer, has a long-standing partnership with @fabletics activewear brand. You could offer money, goods or an affiliate deal to the creator (more information in the "Join a affiliate program" section just above). You can offer your company in return for posting about it.

Partner With Other Businesses

Partnerships with other businesses are a great way to connect with more people than just creators. You can reach out to other businesses and host a giveaway or contest. This is a great way to get followers and tap into a new audience.

The giveaway by @chosenfoods & @barebonesbroth is open to all who like, save and follow the post and tag a friend. Both brands are creating their audience. Followers are just waiting for conversion into consumers.

Direct Up Advertising

The basics are still useful. You can advertise on Instagram and track your progress. By boosting any post, you can make it an ad. Your Instagram analytics will show how big of a difference that boost made.