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How Many Followers Do I Need to Make Money on Instagram?

Published
January 13, 2025

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A list looks like this:

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A list looks like this:

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  6. Marketing Is about The Stories You Tell

Are you confused about how many Instagram followers to make money? As an influencer, you make money even from the 1000 follower’s range on Instagram.

However, making money on Instagram is not just about followers. Rather, it depends on engagement, niche, and strategies. 

Micro-influencers with 1000 to 10,000 followers generally make money through product sales, affiliate marketing, sponsorship, etc. On Instagram, larger audience engagement rewards more significant profit.

Hence, you can earn money differently based on the number of followers you gain. Then, glance at the key aspects of followers' requirements for earning money on Instagram.

What is Instagram Monetization?

Instagram monetization simply means getting paid for ads on content. Broadly, when someone scrolls through the feeds, they can view ads between the content. After checking your Instagram monetization status, you can control the ads on your content. 

Basically, the creators and influencers earn money from the shared revenue of those ads. By building a significant audience engagement, creators can deal with brands and sell products to make money on Instagram. Moreover, affiliate marketing, Instagram live badges, and reel bonuses are becoming popular income streams. 

How Many Followers Do I Need to Make Money on Instagram?

You can earn money from the initial stage on Instagram. There is no exact follower requirement. Actually, it depends on-

  • Niche
  • Engagement
  • Strategy

Making money on Instagram is flexible for creators. As we mentioned there’s no strict rule about the number of followers needed, but generally with:

500 Followers: You can start with some basic affiliate marketing or product reviews.

1,000 Followers: This is often considered the minimum for accessing some of Instagram's monetization tools, such as Shopping features and basic sponsorships.

10,000 Followers: Many brands prefer working with accounts that have at least this number of followers as it indicates a more substantial reach and engagement potential. This is also the point where you can unlock features like Badges and Subscriptions.

Have a look at a glance at the estimated earnings for various follower counts:

Follower Count on Instagram Earning/Post Earning Ballpark/Month Monetization Strategies
0-1000 $0.01-$25 $0.01-$100 Product reviews, small affiliate marketing
1k - 10k $10-$100 $100-$500 Affiliate marketing, small product sales
10k - 50k $100-$500 $500-$2000 Sponsorships, brand partnerships
50k - 100k $500-$1000 $2000-$5000 Brand collaborations, product campaigns
100k - 500k $1000-$5000 $5000-$10000 Premium brand deals, product sales
500k+ $5000-$10000 $20000-$100000+ High-profile sponsorships, premium collaborations

Moreover, revenue generation also depends on the view count for each post. Different niche generates different earnings. You can review this article for detailed guidelines on Instagram payment per 10k.

What Influences Instagram Earnings?

Engagement and quality content influence Instagram earnings the most. Your earnings rate will significantly increase whenever people start to love your content. Besides these, some other factors also influence Instagram earnings. Have a look at those:

Number Of Followers

Followers count is essential to making money on Instagram. Larger followers will allow a larger audience to reach your post. However, you can even make money with 500 followers on Instagram by following some strategy.  

Moreover, it will also increase the chance of potential buyers for your product. 

Engagement Rate

Having a healthy engagement rate increases the chance of reaching the post to a larger audience. It sends a green signal to the algorithm that people love to see your posts more and more. 

Niche

Niche and content type are other crucial factors that influence earning. Brand collaborations in the fashion, clothing, beauty, and travel niches seem very lucrative. 

Consistency

If you do not post regularly, the audience can switch to another. The algorithm may even get the wrong signal and freeze your content. 

Authenticity

People love to see posts that are authentic. Creators who can build trustworthy, loyal, and engaged followers can attract more brands, which can enhance earnings.

Geographical Location

Creators based in countries like the USA, UK, or Australia can attract high-paying brands to make money. 

However, Instagram earning combines the followers count, engagement, and quality content. Consistent content with strategic marketing goals can enhance earnings, too. 

Effective Strategies for Instagram Monetization

If you are the new influencer, you must first fulfill the eligibility requirements. Such as:

  • Fulfill the partner monetization policy
  • Need to follow the community guidelines
  • Need to have a business or professional account
  • Your age should be older than 18 years
  • Need to be resident in the eligible countries 

Depending on only the sole monetization program is a past concern. Nowadays, influencers are interested in the various wings of monetization programs. 

Hence, there are several monetization strategies available to grow your Instagram. You can set a strategy among the various options that fit you the best.

Sponsored Post

Micro-influencers with 1000 followers can collaborate with the brands if they are in the niche market. This partnership allows them to create sponsored content that can generate income.

Product Placement

Engage your followers by promoting products or services within your posts. This approach helps you earn money through commissions or sponsorships by showcasing items that resonate with your audience.

Affiliate Marketing

You can earn money from commission fees by promoting products through affiliate links. This method does not require a large number of followers. Instead, the transparency of the review matters to attract the audience.

Product Or Service Selling

The Instagram shop feature will enable you to promote or showcase your own product, enabling you to brand yourself on Instagram

Besides these, you can follow various other ways to monetize Instagram. It will definitely unlock the opportunity to increase your passive income streams.  

Why Does Engagement Rate Matter More Than Follower Count?

A higher engagement rate can bring better results with a few followers count. Brands generally check your post's engagement rate for lucrative sponsors. The likes, sharing, and comments on the posts can measure the engagement rate. 

If your posts hit the 1% to 5% engagement rate, it is considered a better performance to unlock the brand sponsorships. With a higher engagement rate, influencers with fewer followers can earn more than big influencers. It’s because the followers actually find interest in the content they create. 

How Many Followers Do You Need for Instagram Shopping?

To use the shopping feature, you must meet the 10000 followers criteria. This exciting feature lets you link your products or services to your posts or reels. Viewers can click the post to buy the product directly.

Use Crowdfundly to set up Instagram Shopping easily. First, check that you meet the eligibility requirements. Then, pick your checkout method, add your products, and attach the link to your post.

This way, your followers will be able to shop directly from your Instagram account, giving them a better experience. Plus, you can quickly turn them into regular customers.

Tips to Grow Your Instagram Following

Sometimes, it becomes tough for new influencers, even for existing ones, to grow their following on Instagram. If you are one of them, follow these strategies to grow your following.

Keep Consistent

Whenever you are a new influencer on this platform, you must post regularly to create a good value for the viewers. But remember to do manageable.

Engage Your Audience

Try to post on trendy topics. It will keep your audience engaged in your post. Besides, create evergreen posts to hold the existing audience for the long term. 

Use Hashtags

Hashtags create value for the post, as it better works for the algorithm to arrange your post categorically. Even it also helps your post to be searchable.

Collaborate With Other Influencers

If you collaborate with other influencers, it will help to reach your post to a larger audience. So, it increases the possibility for followers’ growth.

However, to grow your Instagram following, you can engage with Crowdfundly. It offers various services like digital shop management, membership opportunities, and even donations. Have a look at why Crowdfundly stands out as the ultimate choice of the creators:

  • Crowdfundly’s interface is uniquely designed to be user-friendly and secure for creators. With its standard payment systems like credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal, you can easily ensure a fast and secure transaction without any hidden fees, such as transaction costs or platform fees.
  • Whether you want to sell products, offer memberships, or accept donations, Crowdfundly offers a range of monetization options, so you can choose what best suits your brand and audience. 
  • You will find a solid platform to build a loyal community through Crowdfundly. It helps you connect with members and foster meaningful interactions, which is essential for creating long-term engagement on platforms like Instagram.
  • Crowdfundly offers valuable analytcs and income tools to keep you on track. These insights help you understand your market and Instagram growth, allowing you to adjust your products to meet followers' needs. 

So, it is much more than a tool for Instagram influencers. For sustainable growth with a deep engagement building with the audience, it ultimately works as the best platform for the creators. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Required to Have A Professional Account To Monetize Instagram?

You will not require any business account to monetize your Instagram. However, a business account provides insights and metrics for easy analysis of your progress.

How Much Money Do 1k Followers Make on Instagram Per Post? 

Making money per post depends on the niche you are working with. Generally, you can make about 10 to 100 Dollars per post if you hit the 1000 followers. However, the revenue generation will mostly depend on audience engagement rate and brand collaboration. 

How Many Instagram Followers to Make Money?

Instagram does not pay depending on the number of followers. So, you can earn money even with 100 followers by subscription, ads, or brand partnership. 

Wrap Up

Hope you are now clear about how many Instagram followers to make money. Actually, the number of followers does not matter when making money on Instagram. However, earning on Instagram largely depends on post engagement rate, niche selection, or strategies you follow.

Moreover, various income streams are available besides monetization. So, start making money with whatever followers you have right now.

Crowdfundly Team
The Crowdfundly team gathers to write up actionable resources to help you start, create, publish, and promote your content on Crowdfundly.

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