How to make money on Instagram: Complete guide for 2025

1. Sponsored posts

Starting with the most popular form of monetization, sponsored posts let Instagram users collaborate with brands that align with their audience, brand identity, and existing content.

Earn through multiple partnerships by sharing posts highlighting a sponsored brand’s product or service. Income is based on your follower count and engagement rate.

How to make money using Instagram sponsored posts:

1. Build a niche and create engaging content to attract your target audience and brands.
2. Join platforms like AspireIQ or Influencity to connect with brands looking for influencers.
3. Contact relevant brands with a media kit that highlights your audience and engagement.

2. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a commission-based advertising partnership for content creators and influencers. Instagram users can earn by promoting products through unique referral links.

Partner with brands to promote their products or services in your bio or Stories with a trackable link. Like sponsored posts, your affiliate partner should align with your niche and target audience’s values.

To monetize your audience with affiliate marketing:

1. Join affiliate networks like the Printify Affiliate Program or Amazon Associates.
2. Share your affiliate links in your bio, posts, or Stories when showcasing products.
3. Earn commissions each time a user clicks and buys from your unique link.

Affiliate links usually have a 30-day commission window from click to sale. Earnings depend on how well your audience responds to the product, so only advertise what’s relevant to your brand.

To apply for the Printify Affiliate program, read our Terms of Service and submit an application. 

3. Selling products via Instagram Shop

Selling your own products on Instagram Shop is one of the most profitable ways to generate income while building your brand.

With Instagram’s shopping tools, you can offer a seamless buying experience, engage your audience, and monetize your content with minimal effort.

Instagram does have its own shopping feature, but it’s managed through the Facebook Commerce Manager.

To start selling on Instagram, you must first set up a Facebook Shop:

1. Switch to an Instagram Business Account in Instagram settings.
2. Create a Facebook Business Page with contact info and your business category.
3. Set up a Facebook Shop to link products from an eCommerce platform or add listings directly.
4. Connect your Instagram account to your Facebook Business page via Linked Accounts in settings.

Once you have a Facebook Shop, you can start linking and promoting products on Instagram.

Design and sell merchandise on Instagram with Printify

If you don’t want to invest a good deal of money upfront in a retail business, use an online product fulfillment service like Printify to design and sell products with zero inventory and streamlined order management.

1. Create a Printify account: sign up for Printify for free and explore the platform to familiarize yourself with the tools for designing and selling products.
2. Create custom products: select a product from our Catalog. Then, use our Product Creator’s tools to upload designs, generate AI art, add text, choose mockups, and prepare your listings.
3. List on your shop: fill out your listing details and publish your product to your connected eCommerce store. Printify automatically updates listings and orders, making order fulfillment super easy. 
4. Tag products in content: promote your items by tagging them in Instagram posts, Stories, and Reels, allowing users to shop directly from your Instagram content.
5. Sell on Instagram: whenever a customer buys one of your custom print-on-demand products, our Print Providers produce and ship the order on your behalf.

4. Offer paid subscriptions

Instagram’s subscription feature lets creators offer exclusive content to followers for a monthly fee.

This content may include behind-the-scenes footage, personalized messages, and more.

Paid subscriptions are ideal for creators with a loyal following who want access to premium content.

How to get money from Instagram by offering subscriptions:

1. Set up a professional Instagram account.
2. Enable the subscription option in your settings.
3. Offer exclusive content or direct engagement.

Promote the value of your subscription in your regular posts, highlighting the unique perks subscribers will enjoy. This method can generate steady income and further strengthen your connection with dedicated followers.

5. Monetize Reels

Instagram Reels lets creators earn money through ad placements and bonuses. It’s an excellent way to monetize short-form video content that your audience loves.

The Instagram Reels Play Bonus program rewards creators based on the performance of their Reels. 

Here’s how to get income from Instagram by monetizing Reels:

1. Create engaging, high-quality Reels that align with trending topics.
2. Apply for Instagram’s Reels Play Bonus program once your account qualifies.
3. Track your performance to optimize future Reels and increase earnings.

Reels are highly discoverable, and with consistent posting, you can reach many viewers, leading to higher engagement and increased earnings. Use popular music and hashtags to increase your Reels’ visibility, and keep videos short for maximum impact.

6. Brand partnerships and collaborations

Brand partnerships involve collaborating with businesses to create content that promotes their products or services.

This strategy can involve long-term relationships where you become a brand ambassador, representing the brand across your Instagram content.

To start brand partnerships:

1. Reach out to brands that align with your content and audience.
2. Propose creative collaboration ideas that highlight their products authentically.
3. Share brand-related content on your feed using Instagram’s Paid Partnership feature.

These partnerships are often more lucrative than one-off sponsored posts and build deeper connections with the brands. Partnerships often offer free products that you can review, advertise, or place organically in your content.

Brands value long-term collaborations as they build trust and a consistent presence within a niche, helping both parties profit from a shared target audience.

7. Sell digital products

Offering digital products on Instagram like selling prints, artwork, music, eBooks, online courses, or design templates is easy to scale independently due to zero inventory or shipping concerns.

Here’s how to make money off Instagram selling digital products:

1. Create digital items tailored to your audience, such as tutorials or guides.
2. Use eCommerce platforms or hosting websites to sell your products or services.
3. Promote your digital products through Instagram posts, Stories, and Reels.

This method is a fantastic way to generate passive income since digital products can be sold multiple times with little effort.

8. Use Live Badges

Wondering how to make money on Instagram through live streams? Instagram Live Badges let followers support you financially during your lives.

To start earning with Live Badges:

1. Enable Badges in your Instagram settings.
2. Go live regularly to engage with your audience and encourage them to buy badges.
3. Promote Badges during your live streams to remind viewers how they can support you.

Try to reciprocate the payment. Offer shoutouts or answers to questions for viewers who purchase badges to provide value for their purchase.

9. Promote services

Thinking of how you can make money on Instagram using a set of skills? Instagram is an excellent platform to market your services, whether you’re a photographer, personal trainer, or consultant in a particular field.

Highlight your expertise to attract clients. 

To promote your services with Instagram marketing:

1. Highlight your skills and services on your Instagram bio, including links to testimonials and a portfolio.
2. Create content that demonstrates your expertise, such as tutorials or behind-the-scenes.
3. Encourage followers to contact you via direct messages or through a booking link in your bio.

Use Instagram’s built-in call-to-action buttons to encourage bookings or consultations directly from your profile. This method works well for freelancers and independent business owners.

10. Offer exclusive webinars or workshops

Webinars and workshops provide value to your followers while generating income. Offer paid sessions on topics relevant to your niche, from social media marketing to fitness training.

To host paid webinars:

1. Choose a hosting platform like Zoom or YouTube.
2. Create engaging promotional content on Instagram to attract participants.
3. Offer exclusive knowledge or skills that your followers can’t get elsewhere.

Promote the event through Instagram Stories, Reels, and posts. Use countdown stickers and reminders to build anticipation, and offer special packages or discounts to encourage signups.

11. Crowdfund your projects

Instagram audiences are great for crowdfunding. Create projects on platforms like Patreon or GoFundMe to ask for financial support in exchange for perks and exclusive content.

To start crowdfunding:

1. Set up a crowdfunding page on your chosen platform.
2. Promote your project in your Instagram content.
3. Offer unique rewards for different contribution levels.

This is a good choice for funding art projects, charitable causes, or new products like games or media while building a sense of community around the work.

Keep your audience updated on your progress and celebrate milestones to maintain interest.

12. Provide account management services

If you’re an expert in social media marketing, content creation, or strategy, offer your services as a social media manager to other businesses or creators. Instagram already serves as a portfolio for your work.

To start offering marketing services:

1. Highlight your skills by sharing tips, case studies, or examples of your work on Instagram.
2. Include a call to action in your bio, directing potential clients to contact you.
3. Use Instagram Stories and posts to advertise your services and success stories.

Social media manager services are in high demand, especially for smaller businesses looking to grow their online presence. This is definitely an earning method that could turn into a full-time job.