How to make money on Instagram in 2021? In this article, I provide ideas and answers to common questions about making money on Instagram.

Today, Instagram is the most popular photo-sharing network not just for communication but a popular avenue to earn money online. Worldwide, there are almost 855 million users in 2020 based on Statista. According to statistics, about 60% of users browse their feed at least once a day. Therefore, this social networking platform becomes popular to most marketers and business owners to advertise their products and / or services. 

The advertising performance of Instagram is increasing every year. Anyone can start a business. Answering the question of how to make money on Instagram, I would like to emphasize that, unfortunately, many new coming entrepreneurs only cling to the idea, but quickly lose motivation and never make money at all. This happens for various reasons: they want a quick return and are not ready to wait, there is not enough experience, expectations are exceeded, mistakes are made at the start . To get away from this idea, I suggest reading general tips for those wishing to build their own business on Instagram.


  1. Learn the basics of SMM (Social Media Management) to promote your business on Instagram on your own. For this, consider enrolling in special courses and online schools. You may also find free resources online but it is still different if you learn this from paid courses. 


  1. Don't cheat followers! Very often, you’ll find advice to buy followers to increase your social presence. But I want to warn you: this manipulation will not give you any benefit and will not allow you to earn at all! First, what's the use of fake inactive followers if you are aiming to sell your products and services. Secondly, these fake followers are visible to the naked eye. If a real follower notices this, they will definitely unfollow you. Thirdly, you will buy these fake followers. You will be wasting your money on a bad turn. It is better to use these funds for proper promotion - advertising from bloggers, targeting (I will tell you more about it), etc. It will do you much more good.


Now, there's shocking news - in order to make money on Instagram, it is not necessary to have thousands of subscribers. It is not the quantity that matters, but the quality of the audience. And in some areas of Internet business, you don't even have to talk about attracting subscribers.


  1. If you want to grow your account as a business on Instagram, then you need to take care of high-quality content: useful, interesting posts, good visual design, an attractive concept. It's not easy to create an Instagram product that many users will like. However, if you feel the strength to do this, then everything can work out. Please note that you can maintain not only a personal blog, but also be the administrator of thematic publics - for example, publish funny videos, book reviews, business news, news articles from your city, etc. Just do not forget about copyright: using someone else's material, provide credits to the creator or author.


  1. Accept the fact that you won't be able to make money on Instagram right away. In most cases, an investment on Instagram pays off over time. You are unlikely to make money right away. Although there are some business ideas in our selection. Let’s also bear in mind that what you do on Instagram requires constant engagement. This social network is constantly evolving, the competition is already quite strong and continues to grow. Your business on Instagram is not the easiest one, but it can generate significant income if properly planned and organized.


You must constantly keep your finger on the pulse. How to make money on Instagram in 2021? Let's look at these ideas.

Idea #1: Augmented Reality Masks on Instagram

AR masks or facial recognition filters became popular on Instagram in 2019. The creators did a good job on this: bloggers built up their audience, and the creators of masks made money: some only on design, others also on training. On the Internet, you can find many courses and training videos offering to teach any user to work in a specialized program for creating Instagram AR masks.



In 2020, Instagram masks are still relevant, but the vector will change. An important function of masks is to promote a brand or product. Using a mask, you can announce a new product, grab the attention of followers and launch a wave of user-generated content. It becomes possible to embed games, gamification and competitive mechanics into such masks. 


Today, creating an AR mask on Instagram involves not only the ability to use the Spark AR Studio program, but also the development of an advertising concept, creativity and promotion of the mask itself. And this is a package of services for a full-fledged business. The price of developing an AR-mask starts from $25, and it is difficult to name the upper limit - it all depends on the complexity of the order. It is obvious that the creation of turnkey AR projects will cost several times more. 

Idea #1: Instagrammable Design

Every year on Instagram, the requirements for the external design of accounts are increasing. Such services as business optimization and “instagram picture” are actively gaining momentum. Nowadays, the audience is more and more attracted to instagrammable places - the interior design of public places is becoming more instagrammable and photogenic. A completely new category of projects is emerging that are created specifically for Instagram. This is a great opportunity for designers to express themselves in a new direction.



Another option for how to make money on Instagram is the design of the Instagram account itself. This includes visual concept, strategy, branding, creative content, color scheme and photo stylization that reflect the essence of the brand. Instagram for Business is a powerful advertising platform. Correct positioning of an instagram account allows you to promote in the market and attract an audience. Therefore, the service is becoming more and more in demand. 


The direction is young, but quite promising. The idea will suit interior designers, photographers, stylists, PR and advertising workers. You can take orders as a freelancer or open your own creative agency, bringing together employees with different specializations. 

Idea #3: Photo Sessions for Instagram


Content quality requirements are growing. This forces bloggers to turn to specialists: photographers, copywriters, stylists, etc. A photo session for “Instagram” allows the customer to solve a large number of issues. The service involves the creation of a concept and visual style, selection of images for shooting, professional photographs and processing, photo support of the account, etc. The service is requested not only by business accounts, but also by bloggers with personal accounts. 

Idea #4: Instagram Video

One of the most relevant trends in recent years is Instagram video. The audience is growing in Stories and IGTV. Many Instagram users admit that they have stopped reading the feed and only look at stories. 



So here's an idea for making money: creating an Instagram video for bloggers. The services of an editor, motion graphics designer, screenwriter are in demand. This includes more than just generating content per account. For example, many bloggers sell their information products: webinars, courses, video tutorials, etc. In serious projects, specialists are attracted to help organize and conduct high-quality filming, write a script, and edit a video. So the opportunities for making money on Instagram videos are quite extensive. 

Idea #5: Comprehensive Services

Instagram advertises goods and services, individual products and the accounts themselves. A never-ending stream of advertising develops banner blindness among users. Therefore, the demand for the quality of advertising on Instagram is increasing. 


Today this service includes more than just image design or simple video editing. This includes developing an advertising concept, writing abstracts, selecting bloggers for advertising, writing scripts for commercials, preparing an Instagram account for advertising, etc. Comprehensive services attract customers and help them stand out in the market. 



Idea #6: Gamification and Riddles

Gamification is the application of game mechanics on social media to reinforce brand loyalty. On Instagram, both regular bloggers and business accounts use this technique, thereby increasing user engagement. This is a way to adapt to the modern user. The elements of the game can be contests and quizzes, predictions, puzzles, mini-polls, tests in the spirit of "guess the place by the photo" and so on.



Thanks to the popularization of game content, the service for its creation has become relevant. There are even separate gamification services for Instagram. On freelance sites, you can find many ads that offer to create game content for accounts. So if you are a creative person, try to realize your talents in this area.


Now you know what to expect from Instagram in 2021 and what trends you can make money on. But back to the proven ideas that have been relevant for more than a year.

Idea #7: Selling your Goods and Services

Instagram is a very effective marketplace. There’s a lot of very interested, active audiences here. Promoting your product or service is a good way to make money. Even accounts with a small number of subscribers can earn decent money on Instagram.

What are they selling on Instagram?

  • Products: food, clothing and footwear, flowers, handmade products, accessories, decor items and tableware, cosmetics, etc .;
  • Services: designers, copywriters, webmasters, photographers, artists, psychologists, business coaches, lawyers, programmers, beauty salons, sports complexes, entertainment projects.

Today, almost any product or service can be sold using Instagram. The most important thing is to present your product correctly. If you have a hobby, you can sell your work. If you have an entrepreneurial skill, open an online store (for more information on creating a store on Instagram, click here). If you are a narrow-profile specialist, for example, a lawyer or a makeup artist, create an account where you will share your experience, give useful advice, and answer questions of interest to subscribers. People are drawn to free information if it's useful. By this, you attract new subscribers, inspire confidence in yourself - and in case of real need your subscriber can turn to you for real help.



Each type of sales-oriented account has different requirements. For example, for an online store on Instagram, visual content is important - the better the photos are, the more attractive the product itself will be. For an account focused on providing any professional and consulting services (legal, medical, psychological), useful texts are much more important. But it's good when a blog combines both components.


In order for your services or products to attract demand, you need to collect your target audience on the blog. Before promoting your account, developing its design and planning posts, you must clearly present a portrait of your subscriber: how old is he, in which city he lives, what he does, what is his income level, what interests. When you have an accurate idea of ​​your subscribers, it will be easier for you to: promote your account, form an offer, determine a price, and interact with your audience. These are very important parameters for targeting - an advertising mechanism that allows you to select from the entire existing audience only those who meet the specified criteria (target audience), and show ads to it. Currently, targeting is one of the most effective ways to promote. 


How else can you  earn on Instagram by  promoting your products and services?


  • Provide them to bloggers on a barter basis: you are a product / service, they are an advertising medium for your products.
  • Arrange sweepstakes, contests, promotions, discounts on Instagram.
  • Use the correct hashtags, popular geolocations.
  • Competently design a profile header with the mention of keywords by which it will be easy to find you. For example, if you sell homemade cakes and are in Baguio City, write in the title of your blog "Baguio Cakes" - this is how potential users will look for similar services.
  • Use targeting - a built-in feature in Instagram business accounts or contact professionals. This is far from an exhaustive list of promotion methods. More details on this topic can be found on the Internet - there are many useful materials in the public domain.

Life hacks for sales on Instagram:

  • Share your product creation process with your subscribers. But don't overload it with details - posts should be entertaining.
  • Always reply to comments.
  • Write the price for your product / service. Very often in online stores you can see the magic phrase "PM me" or “DM me” - this is for those who suddenly want to know the price of a product. Lack of price can scare off the client. Firstly, not everyone wants to spend time on direct messages just to find out the price. Secondly, it suggests that this seller's prices are higher than those of competitors. And thirdly, there is a myth that sellers adjust prices by assessing the prosperity of the person who asks the question in the direct message. Your task, as a seller, is to simplify the buying process as much as possible. Therefore, indicate the price right away.
  • Encourage your followers. Post their photos with reviews.

Idea #8: Sponsored Posts

This is perhaps the easiest and most common way to make money on Instagram. The only important condition is that you must have enough subscribers to earn from advertising posts. Usually, a ticket to this "source" starts with 10 thousand subscribers, however, even with a smaller audience, you can earn on advertising - only the income will be more modest. The main thing is that your entire audience should be real, and not artificially inflated by cheating.


Algorithm of earnings:

  • You create an Instagram ad post (this can be a photo or video);
  • You insert a branded hashtag, mention or link to promote your brand;
  • You share it with your audience;
  • You get money.

Where to get followers on Instagram


  1. You will be lucky if clients come to you on their own. This is not uncommon. People view your account, rate it, make sure the target audience is the same, and write to you. If you want such a story to happen more often, then mention such a service in your account. Or create a separate ad recruitment account. Just don't go overboard with the number of ad posts. In pursuit of money, you can forget about the quality of content. You can lose a large number of your own subscribers if you overload your profile with advertising posts. Therefore, think carefully about this moment, making money on Instagram.


  1. Today, there are many sites that help bloggers and advertisers find each other. StoriesGain, AdEspresso by Hootsuite  - these are all social promotion services. Here you can find tasks about placing ads in your account and calculate how much you will get for it. On average, for the placement of 1 advertising post, you can get from $7 to infinity (it all depends on how well your account is trained).

How to price your Instagram ads

To be honest, the account owner determines the cost of advertising himself: depending on how he personally evaluates his services. But in general, the price is based on the number of subscribers. Usually the formula looks like this: 10 subscribers = $0.01. for advertising. That is, if you have 3 thousand subscribers, then an advertising post will cost $3, and if 30 thousand - then already $30.


But the founder of Due.com, John Rampton, calculates the price using a different formula: 0.25-0.5 dollars for a "like" and 1 dollar for a comment. You need to multiply this by the average number of likes and comments - and you get the price of an ad post. Please note that in the first case, the price depends on the recruited audience, and in the other - on the activity that this audience shows.

How much can you earn from advertising on Instagram?

The amount of your income will depend on many factors, so we will not promise any specific amounts. However, note that a blog with an audience of 30 thousand people is able to earn 250-300 thousand dollars per month.

Idea #9: Selling Photos


"One family always took a camera on vacation, took a lot of 'family on vacation' photos when traveling, and then sold them on stocks like Shutterstock. They say they made a lot of money and beat off a good percentage of the cost of the vacation."


Here's a typical real story about how you can make money from photography. Today there are many services that bring the mass content producer and the consumer together. You simply register through your Instagram account on the service, mark which photos you want to sell - and make a profit.


Today this way of making money on Instagram is one of the most popular. How does it work?


  1. You are looking for a client through the exchange or on your own.

  2. Negotiate the advertising price.

  3. Take a high-quality photo at the request of the client and give him the footage.

  4. You get money.


Let's consider the process of selling Instagram photos in more detail.


1.  Foap calls itself "the next wave of stock photography." How it works: You register on the site, create a profile and portfolio of your best images that you would like to sell. For every photo you sell, you earn $ 5. The plus is that you can sell the same image an unlimited number of times.


2.  500px is a photography community with 80 million photos. It is a great platform for displaying and licensing your photos.


Several nuances that will allow you to earn more on this site:

  • use 4-5 keywords for each photo. This will help your work find a buyer;
  • look for and shoot things that no one photographs;
  • share exclusive photos from websites so you can charge higher prices for the work.

3.  Twenty20 is a marketplace for selling your Instagram photos. Register online or download their iPhone app. Any photo you put up is for sale. But the rights to the photo remain with you, so you can sell it multiple times.


4.  Snapwire - the service recommends you upload as many high-quality photos as possible. You should use keywords with your photos so that they can be easily found. If you constantly upload your photos, you will earn points. In this way, you increase your ability to make more money. Be sure to check the "Recently Purchased" section. This will allow you to understand what is in demand now.


And in conclusion, some useful tips for those who decided to make money selling photos. First, take natural, not staged photos. Brands are hunting for live footage. A Canadian pharmaceutical company once paid  $6,000 for 52 photographs of friends playing. Second, don't use a square format. Although initially "Instagram" came out of square, like Polaroid frames, but the portrait format 4:5 looks more professional.


It is rather difficult to calculate the earnings in this business - it all depends on which service you choose and how many photos you sell. The cost of 1 photo is 5-15 dollars. Go for it!

Idea #10: Account Promotion


Account promotion is another super-popular business on Instagram that brings good money. Now many companies that maintain their profiles on this social network are in need of promotion specialists. What is the job?

  • registration of the company profile;
  • creating content and content plan that will gather an audience and bring customers;
  • SEO optimization;
  • partnerships with other bloggers;
  • advertising promotion of your account in various ways;
  • setting up targeted advertising;
  • increased activity (likes, comments, responses).

There is nothing difficult in this work. If desired, all skills can be mastered in a month or two. Special courses will help speed up the learning process. Their cost is 70-200 dollars.


How much can you earn? Here are the approximate market prices for some of the Instagram marketer services:


Account from scratch (creation, promotion) - $120;

Monthly Instagram maintenance - from $50;

Design account registration - from $20;

Targeting advertising (setup and maintenance) - from $100.


Draw up a price list and decide what services you can offer your client.


How to look for clients? Monitor ads on Instagram and vacancies on specialized sites. Today there are many job offers.

How to build a sustainable consulting business on Instagram

  • If you are looking for long-term earnings, use the following tips:
  • Be specific about your target audience. To attract customers, you need to build competent relationships with bloggers in your niche.
  • Build a portfolio with good reviews. Get started with free help.
  • Track time spent on different tasks using different applications and streamline processes as you work with new clients.
  • Give people free information and then your followers will become your customers.

Idea #11: Account Administration


The idea is close to the previous one, but it involves work on creating content. If a promotion specialist works with marketing tools, then the account administrator is responsible for the entire account.


How to work on Instagram? Administrator tasks:

  • regular creation of posts;
  • photo / video editing;
  • analysis of statistics;
  • communication with subscribers;
  • generating new ideas;
  • creating a content plan;
  • search and cooperation with advertisers.

The main task of the administrator is to maintain the quality of the content. You can find a similar job on freelance exchanges. You can also personally write your proposal to the blogger by email. The average cost of maintaining an account on Instagram is $60-$300. If you manage to find several companies that will be your regular customers, then you can earn up to $1000. 

Idea #12: Sell Your Experience

If you have some knowledge and skills and want to share it, you can create a digital product. There is only one problem: to promote your product, you need to create an audience from scratch, which will trust you and is ready to buy your services. For example, you are an experienced copywriter and want to share your experience with aspiring copywriters. Or a marketer who wants to educate newbies. Or a stylist who offers his clients an author's course.


Let's say you already have an active audience. If not, go back to the beginning of the article and read about promotion and tips for maintaining an account. Now let's talk about how to create that very product.

How to come up with an original product

One way is to research books in your niche that are sold on Amazon or Udemy (focus on the best sellers). Another way is to research the audience that has formed in your account. You can ask them what they are ready to buy. Get to know your audience's concerns through communication.


How much is it

The cost of the courses can vary from 1 to 10 thousand rubles. It all depends on your audience, course content, interaction format, etc. Selling your experience on Instagram, you can earn 20-100 thousand rubles. per month. It all depends on how high-quality the product you offer, whether you can guess with the needs of the audience and how you advertise it.


Mistakes in your business on Instagram, which can be avoided


There are 3 main reasons why you won't be able to launch course sales:

  • you have no business ideas ;
  • you are not sure that you are good enough;
  • you launch the product on Instagram, but then you find that no one wants to buy it.

How to deal with this? Carefully study the market and consumer needs. Attend a similar course to take a look at the whole "kitchen" from the inside. Ask yourself the question "What unique information do I have?" - the answer to this question will become the basis for the idea. Before launching sales of courses, it is recommended to pre-test them - sell someone a stripped-down version for a minimal price, get feedback and draw conclusions.

Idea #13: Printing Photos

All people are already accustomed to storing their photographs on electronic media. However, it is difficult to refuse the romance of printed photos. Therefore, services for printing photos from Instagram feel great on the market: they are in demand, they receive a stable income. Printing photos from Instagram is, on the one hand, an innovative business idea, and on the other, it takes us back to the past, the time when photo printing was relevant and in demand. A person can print out photos from Instagram one by one in special machines. Such devices are found in every shopping center.



Another format of this work with "Instagram" is the creation of photo booksand albums from photos posted on Instagram. The user receives a ready-made photobook - in a hard cover, with collages of photos that have been selected in advance, in an individual design. The production of custom designed hardcover photo albums is a good way to make money. To provide such a service, you will need to create your own website. A photobook constructor will be available there, allowing the customer to independently choose the design, number of pages, placement of photos. Thanks to this service, you can literally print your Instagram - with likes, dates, signatures. Website development will cost you about $40. The same amount will be spent on active promotion on the Internet. Also, do not forget to create your Instagram account with which you will advertise your services and look for interested buyers.


The second important point in such Instagram earnings is the search for a printing house where photo books will be printed. To do this, check out the printing houses in your city, make those. job, find out the prices. Choosing not just the cheapest printing services is necessary. Pay attention to print quality, paper, colors ... The success of your business depends on the quality of execution. Before entering into a contract with the printer, run a test print to ensure quality.


The cost of the finished photobook is about $15. In the first month, you can receive 15-30 orders and expect a revenue of about $500. The average cost of a photo book for 5 spreads is $3. This means that the net profit from one sale will be equal to $15. Then, with 30 orders per month, the net profit will be about $450.

Idea #14: Affiliate Programs


One of the simplest and most profitable ways to make money on Instagram is selling someone else's goods or services through affiliate programs. How it works?

Algorithm of work on the site:

  • registration of an instagram account;
  • selection of an affiliate product or service;
  • in some cases, you will have to get approval for your Instagram account as an advertising platform;
  • getting an affiliate link;
  • placing an advertising post with an affiliate link in your account;
  • if a user clicks on your affiliate link and purchases a product or service, you will receive a reward.

Today there are many affiliate programs. You can easily find lists of the best partners on the Internet. These sites provide lists of partners: Clickbank, JVZoo, Warrior+, CPALead and many more. On average, the commission for the sale of one product through the CPA network is $3-$8. You can earn about $250 on affiliate programs monthly. 


Finally, a few tips for doing Instagram business with affiliate programs:


  1. Promote only one product. You will ask people to follow the link in the bio where you can only provide one link.

  2. Do not use product images. The result is important to people. Show them the product you are promoting in action and how it can positively impact their lives.

  3. Shorten your link. Long affiliate links look unattractive. For convenience, use the bit.ly site, which will bring the links back to normal.

  4. Do not use hashtags, as the number of clicks on them is insignificant, and the visual component of the content deteriorates. 

  5. Choose products for affiliate sales that are already selling well and getting rave reviews from customers.

  6. Do not use text in the picture as it will reduce the reach

  7. Use 15 second videos.

Idea #15: Completing Tasks


This method can hardly be called earning - rather, part-time work. It does not bring much profit, but it takes a little time and generates income.


Business on Instagram with likes:

  • Register on a special service
  • Get an assignment, for example, to like certain pages. With the help of special services, you can make money on Instagram on three simple steps: likes, comments, subscriptions. For these actions, people are willing to pay from $0.01-$0.10.
  • Complete the task and get a reward.

Here are some of these sites:


  1. Microworkers

  2. Rapidworkers


Using this method, you can earn $1-$10 a day on Instagram. And for a month the amount will be $25-$100. But bear in mind that not very many tasks are laid out. Therefore, it is advisable to register on several such resources at once in order to increase daily earnings.

Summing Up

Instagram today is not just a social network for communication, but a real trading platform where you can expand your business, work and earn good money. In fact, there are much more ideas for making money on Instagram than those presented above. You can provide photo processing services, be a giveaway organizer, analyze profiles, release author's presets for photo processing, provide designer services for account registration, write custom texts, etc. Therefore, the main thing is to find that idea of ​​activity or business with which it will be easy and interesting for you to work. In this case, business on Instagram will bring pleasure.