Launched back in 2010, Instagram was just a fun photo-sharing app, well, who would have thought it would go and become one of the most influential apps ever made on digital space.
Currently, the platform boasts 1 billion monthly active users and around 500 million people visit the platform on a daily basis. Given the apps’ enormous popularity, it makes sense that making money on the platform is indeed a great opportunity for many people out there. But have you ever wondered how Instagrammers get paid and for what?
Several creators on the platform are shifting to audience monetization, given that Instagram is diversifying its approach and is continuously looking for ways to add new revenue streams on its part. And the most common question among people who want to make the platform a source of revenue is – whether or not Instagram pays you for followers?
Well, let’s look into that in detail!
Does Instagram Pay You for Followers?
An influencer on Instagram will first have to reach out to the right audience and build a strong community of followers to open a stream of income ( just as a YouTuber enrolls himself/herself in ‘YouTube’s Partner Programme’ to generate a potential revenue through ads on his videos).
Meaning, it’s not the actual number of followers you get paid for but the content that you upload on Instagram which decides your revenue. More than that, you should have a decent online reputation, which can be only done by sharing engaging content. And when you’re up to this, reaching out to interested and trusted audiences will not be that tricky.
Brands pay around $250,000 to influencers with over a million followers, which dictates that how much you can earn from this popular photo-sharing platform corresponds to your audience size, engagement, strategy and not the followers count.
As per a report by Hopper HQ, Kylie Jenner is paid around $1.2 million for uploading a single post on Instagram. So to answer whether you get paid for the count of followers, the answer is ‘NO’ — it’s the reach of your Instagram account that brands look for.
How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram?
You need a minimum of 5,000 Instagram followers and 308 sponsored posts a year to get going with the revenue process. However, that will vary for every individual as the revenue mainly depends upon your size of audience and engagement that you have with them.
How to make money on Instagram??
The top ways to earn on Instagram is through sponsored content and affiliate marketing.
Instagram is an excellent platform that provides brands a marketplace to promote their products through creators. As per a report by Social Toaster, ‘’ around 92% of individuals trust word-of-mouth recommendations, 76% of people are more likely to trust content shared by common people than brands, and 82% of customers get referrals from friends before making a purchasing decision.
Many businesses believe that a sheer amount of followers will get brands reaching them, however, that’s a completely false belief. Even if you’ve 100K followers but the content that you are putting out is not engaging and interesting, you’ll be losing on the brand part though.
Just as Instagrammers are selective about the brands they want to work with, brands, too, are peculiar about Instagrammers whom they want to connect a bond with. To put it out in simple words, for any business expecting a suitable revenue, a great exposure to the audiences follows first.
1. Posting about the brands/products
A brand who wants to get a wider reach to the audiences will look for partnering with influencers on sponsored content like posts and Stories. That way, the brand will get the audiences to know about their products.
‘’Any influencer with 100,000 followers usually charges up to $500 per post.’’
Deals like these involve influencers to create content including the brands’ products on Instagram ads, a post, a video, or a story. Mostly they are negotiable and involve promoting products in exchange for a fee, a free product, a service, a gift, or a combination of all these factors.
2. Affiliate Marketing
For a partner brand to make profitable sales online, affiliate marketing is always the choice.
Affiliate Marketing is done with a trackable link or unique promo code which eventually translate into sales. Influencers use clickable links in their Instagram profile bio and Instagram Stories or create promo codes to generate revenues from different sources.
Commission usually ranges from 10-20% and largely depends on the nature of partnership i.e. whether it involves a pay-per-click or cost-per-acquisition model. CJ Affiliate, Pepperjam, ShareASale, or Rakuten are some of the most renowned networks influencers opt for in affiliate marketing.
FAQs
How many followers do you need to get paid on Instagram?
In order to generate a decent amount of revenue out of your Instagram account, you’ll need at least 5,000 Instagram followers and should post an approximate of 308 sponsored content a year.
Do you get paid for 1000 followers on Instagram?
With 1,000 Instagram followers, expect brands to pay you around $500 for promoting their products, however, the amount varies for different accounts and mainly depends on your niche and engagement.
How much money does 10k Instagram followers make?
An influencer with 10,000 followers can make up to $88.00 per post whereas those with 100,000 followers can earn up to $200.00 per post. However, most of the accounts with these particular followers are gifted with free products for posting instead.
How much does Instagram pay you for 1 million followers?
As per a report by USA Today, an individual with a minimum of 10,000 to 50,000 active followers can earn around thousand per post. Meaning, influencers having up to 1 million followers on Instagram can make a few $10,000 per post.
Conclusion
Making money on Instagram doesn’t require kicking efforts if you already have a decent amount of engagement on your account. A competent reach and engagement is all you need to explore multiple streams of potential revenue. What matters is the initiative you take to offer your audience the opportunity to buy the product you’re displaying on your posts.
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As they say, there are ‘n’ no. of possibilities for a creator to generate revenue from the digital world. You just have to be sure with your content, that’s it!