> Source: https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/how-to-make-money-on-instagram · Last updated: 2026-10-27 # How to make money on Instagram: tools and pay Instagram pays creators through Gifts, Subscriptions, Badges and invite-only Bonuses, plus brand deals. Here are the published requirements and rates. *Guides · Published 2026-10-27* You can earn money on Instagram in two ways: through Instagram's own monetization tools (Gifts, Subscriptions, Badges and invite-only Bonuses) or by selling something yourself, such as brand partnerships, products or services. The only published pay rate is for Gifts: Instagram's Help Center says you receive $0.01 USD for every Star received. Instagram publishes no pay-per-view rate. This guide uses Instagram's Help Center pages on monetization eligibility, Gifts, Subscriptions, Bonuses, payouts and partnership ads, all read on October 22, 2026. It lists the requirements for each tool, how payouts work, and how to see which of your posts actually leads to sales. ## How can you earn money from Instagram? Instagram's page on [product eligibility for monetization tools](https://help.instagram.com/427415519366046) lists five tools: Badges, Bonuses, Creator Marketplace, Gifts and Subscriptions. To use any of them, the page says your account and content must comply with Instagram's Community Standards, Partner Monetization Policies and Content Monetization Policies, and you must meet the product's own requirements. ![Table of Instagram monetization tools and what Instagram's Help Center says about each. Gifts: professional account, 18 or older, at least 500 followers, pays $0.01 USD per Star received. Subscriptions: professional account with at least 10,000 followers, 18 or older. Bonuses: invite-only test, professional account in an eligible country. Badges: viewers buy them during a live video.](https://www.trackmedia.app/assets/img/blog/how-to-make-money-on-instagram-fig1.svg) *Instagram's own monetization tools and the requirements its Help Center publishes.* | Tool | Who qualifies | What Instagram says it pays | | --- | --- | --- | | Gifts | Professional account, 18+, at least 500 followers, payout account | $0.01 USD per Star received | | Subscriptions | Professional account with at least 10,000 followers, 18+ | Set by you; no rate on the page | | Bonuses | Invitation only; professional account in a test country | Per bonus program | | Badges | Viewers buy them during your live video | No rate on the page | ## How many followers do you need to get paid on Instagram? It depends on the tool, and Instagram publishes a number for only two of them: - **Gifts: at least 500 followers.** [Instagram's Gifts page](https://help.instagram.com/738469380549477) also requires a professional account, being 18 or older, agreeing to the Gifts Creator Terms, and a payout account. Collaborative posts and accounts that primarily post content focused on children are not eligible. You must live in a country where Gifts is available, and the page lists them. - **Subscriptions: at least 10,000 followers.** [Instagram's Subscriptions page](https://help.instagram.com/478012211024479) says you need a professional account with at least 10,000 followers, must be 18 or older, and must agree to the Subscriptions Terms of Use. Accounts that primarily post content focused on children are not eligible. - **Bonuses: no follower number.** [The Bonuses page](https://help.instagram.com/331274061770840) says Instagram is testing bonuses and offers programs by invitation only, with some random selection. You need a professional account (business or creator), compliance with the Partner Monetization Policies, and a country where bonuses are being tested. Instagram's [Partner Monetization Policies](https://help.instagram.com/512371932629820) add a general requirement: creators must have an authentic, established presence, which includes maintaining a sufficient follower base. The page gives no number for that. It also says you can lose the ability to monetize if your audience significantly consists of fake engagement, including likes, follows and views. ## How much does Instagram pay per view? Instagram's pages we read publish no pay-per-view rate. The one rate they publish is for Gifts: viewers buy Stars and send Gifts on your reels, and Instagram gives you a revenue share each month equal to $0.01 USD for every Star you receive. The page adds that Instagram takes a share of revenue when a viewer buys Stars, and that a portion of the Stars pack price also goes to the mobile platform, typically 30% for in-app purchases. So the answer to "how much per view" is that Instagram does not pay per view in the pages we read. Be wary of any figure you see elsewhere, because Instagram's official pages state none. ## How to check your eligibility and turn monetization on Instagram describes the in-app route through the professional dashboard: 1. **Switch to a professional account** (business or creator) if you have a personal one. Gifts, Subscriptions and Bonuses all require it. 2. **Go to your profile** in the Instagram app and tap **Professional dashboard**. 3. **For Gifts,** tap **Gifts** under **Your Tools**. The page says this is where you see approximate earnings since your last payout, and tapping See all shows monthly and total earnings. 4. **For Subscriptions,** look for **Set up subscriptions for your account**. Instagram says you see it only if you are eligible. 5. **For Bonuses,** check the dashboard for an invitation. Instagram says authentic invitations will not ask for your username or password. Instagram's pages note that some of these features may not be available to everyone yet. ## What can cost you the ability to earn? Instagram's Partner Monetization Policies list the behaviors that put eligibility at risk, and the most avoidable one is paying for an audience. The policy says creators can only monetize content consumed by their natural, authentic audience, and may not artificially boost followers, views or engagement to generate revenue. That includes manufactured sharing, which it describes as coordinated distribution of content, often for compensation. The same page says you can lose the ability to monetize if an entity connected to your account has repeatedly violated the policies, and that Instagram can modify, suspend or end its monetization features at any time. Separately, Instagram's page on [apps that offer likes and followers](https://help.instagram.com/263751177667145/) says accounts that use them may have parts of the account limited, or be disabled or terminated. Our guide to [seeing who unfollowed you](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/how-to-see-who-unfollowed-you-on-instagram) covers why handing your login to a third-party app is a bad trade. Monetization also depends on where you live. Instagram says you may lose the ability to monetize if you move to an ineligible location or if product eligibility changes. Treat any tool as something Instagram can change, and keep your own channels, such as an email list or website, alongside it. ## How do Instagram payouts work? Instagram's page on [payouts](https://help.instagram.com/217939383051653/) says you can receive payouts from Badges, Bonuses, Gifts and Subscriptions, and lists these rules: - You must meet the Partner Monetization Policies and Content Monetization Policies, set up a payout account, and reach the minimum earnings threshold. - Without a payout account you can earn up to $500 per tool, with a maximum of $1,500 across three tools. If you do not add a payout account within six months, you forfeit your earnings. - Bonuses pay out around the 7th and 21st of each month. Other tools pay around the 21st for the previous month's earnings. - In the US you are paid once a month after reaching a $5 minimum balance. Outside the US the minimum is $100 for wire transfer and $25 for other methods. Smaller balances carry over. - Changing payout account details places a 5-day hold on your account, so change them at least 10 days before a payment date. ## What about brand deals and selling your own products? Most income that Instagram creators describe comes from outside these tools. Instagram's page on [partnership ads and branded content](https://help.instagram.com/1372533836927082) sets eligibility for posting branded content: a professional account, public content, compliance with Community Standards, accurate information, an authentic established presence and a sufficient follower base. The page does not say what brands pay, and Instagram sets no price. Selling your own product, service or affiliate offer is the same as any business: Instagram brings attention, and your site or store takes the order. The practical problem is knowing which post caused a sale. Instagram's insights show reach, saves and shares per post, but a sale happens on another site. Our guides to [what Instagram Insights numbers mean](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/what-do-instagram-insights-mean) and [Instagram analytics tools](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/instagram-analytics-tools) cover what Instagram can and cannot show. ## How to track which Instagram posts earn money with TrackMedia TrackMedia answers the question Instagram's insights cannot: which of your posts sent people to the page where they bought. You connect Instagram through Meta's authorization window, then put a tracked link with UTM tags in your bio or captions. - **Clicks, visitors and referrers per post.** Each tracked link records who clicked and from where, so you can compare posts and networks. See [how to see who clicked your Instagram link](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/how-to-see-who-clicked-your-instagram-link) and [UTM naming conventions](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/utm-naming-conventions). - **Post results next to the clicks.** TrackMedia reads likes, comments, reach, saves and shares for your Instagram posts, including posts you published elsewhere. - **A repeatable schedule.** Plan Reels, carousels and photos in a calendar and queue, with a version fitted to each network and preflight checks. See [how to build an Instagram content calendar](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/instagram-content-calendar). - **The same posts everywhere.** Publish once to 21 networks, so a brand or customer can find you wherever they look. Eligible for Gifts or Subscriptions or not, the tracking works the same. [Start free with TrackMedia](https://go.trackmedia.app/signup): 15 posts a month, one account per network, no card. ## Questions people also ask ### How can I earn money from Instagram? Use Instagram's tools (Gifts, Subscriptions, Badges, invite-only Bonuses) if you qualify, and earn from brand partnerships or your own products. TrackMedia's tracked links show which posts bring paying visitors. ### How many followers do you need to get paid on Instagram? At least 500 for Gifts and at least 10,000 for Subscriptions, according to Instagram's Help Center. Bonuses are by invitation, and Instagram publishes no follower number for them. ### How much does Instagram pay per view? Instagram's pages publish no per-view rate. For Gifts, they say you receive $0.01 USD for every Star received. ### Do I need a professional account to earn money on Instagram? For Gifts, Subscriptions, Bonuses and branded content, yes. Instagram's pages require a professional (business or creator) account. ## How we checked this We opened each Instagram Help Center page below in a browser on October 22, 2026 and read the full text. - [About product eligibility requirements for monetization tools on Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/427415519366046): the five tools and the policy requirements. - [How to earn money on Instagram Gifts](https://help.instagram.com/738469380549477): eligibility, the $0.01 per Star share and the dashboard path. - [Eligibility requirements for Instagram Subscriptions](https://help.instagram.com/478012211024479): the 10,000 follower requirement and the dashboard check. - [About bonuses on Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/331274061770840): invitation-only test. - [About payouts on Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/217939383051653/): caps, schedule and minimum balances. - [Instagram Partner Monetization Policies](https://help.instagram.com/512371932629820) and [partnership ads eligibility](https://help.instagram.com/1372533836927082): general rules. Availability changes by country and Instagram updates these pages, so confirm in your own professional dashboard. TrackMedia's behavior comes from reading its Instagram connector the same day.