At a glance
- Bonuses: Instagram calls them “limited time and invite-only.” Treat them as unavailable unless you are invited.
- Programs you can use: Subscriptions, Gifts on Reels, Live Badges, and brand deals through Creator Marketplace and partnership ads. Instagram’s own pages list no follower numbers.
- Badges: viewers pay $0.99, $1.99 or $4.99 each, and Instagram pays out once you have earned $100.
- Per-view pay: Instagram has no standing program that pays per 1,000 views.
- Checked October 27, 2026 on Instagram’s creator pages and Meta’s newsroom. Help Center pages did not load for our automated check, so confirm your status in the Professional dashboard.
How to make money on Instagram: the programs compared
Instagram’s earn pages list six tools: Bonuses, Subscriptions, Gifts, Badges, Partnership Ads and Creator Marketplace. Here is where each stands.
| Program | Status on October 27, 2026 | What the sources say about requirements | How you earn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonuses | Invite-only, limited time | Instagram invites you. No public numbers | Based on plays of your Reels and views of photos and carousels |
| Subscriptions | Available to eligible creators. The US was the launch market | Instagram’s pages give no numbers. Influencer Marketing Hub reports 10,000+ followers, 18+ and a professional account (secondary) | A monthly price you set |
| Gifts | Available to eligible creators | Help Center excerpt: professional account, 18+, 500 followers, payout account. Meta’s 2023 post said 5,000 | Fans buy Stars and send gifts on Reels |
| Live Badges | Available | No numbers on Instagram’s page | Viewers buy badges during your Live |
| Creator Marketplace | Available | No numbers on Instagram’s page | Fee negotiated with each brand |
| Partnership ads | Available | You give a brand permission to promote your post | Paid by the brand under your deal |
| Affiliate | Not an Instagram program | Not listed on Instagram’s earn pages | Through another affiliate network |
Can you monetize Instagram Reels?
Yes, but not with a per-view program. Reels count toward Bonuses for invited creators, carry Gifts from fans, and are the usual format in brand deals. Instagram’s creator site says Bonuses reward the performance of Reels, photos and carousels. No page we read promises a payment per 1,000 views.
What other guides get wrong: some present Bonuses as something you can join. Instagram says they are invite-only. One guide says the test covers the US and South Korea only, but Meta’s own post also named Japan.
What rules decide if you can earn?
Instagram’s FAQ says eligibility starts with its Partner Monetization Policies, and the tools above add their own product requirements. The Help Center excerpt and Influencer Marketing Hub both list a professional account. The Gifts excerpt adds that collaborative posts and accounts focused mainly on children’s content are not eligible to earn from Gifts. Instagram also links an “Avoid getting demonetized” guide, which implies that breaking the content rules can cost you access to a tool.
Because the numbers differ by source and change over time, the most reliable check is the Professional dashboard in the app, which shows the tools open to your account.
Are Instagram bonuses still available?
Only by invitation. Meta’s November 6, 2023 post introduced a holiday bonus as an invite-only test in the United States, South Korea and Japan, paid on Reels plays and photo views as long as content passed the Content Monetization Policies. It was renewed as the New Year’s bonus on January 17, 2024 and the spring bonus on April 3, 2024. Today Instagram’s page describes Bonuses as limited time and invite-only while it builds toward a sustainable program. It gives no countries, thresholds or payout dates.
How do Instagram Subscriptions work?
You set a monthly price, followers subscribe and get subscriber-only content, and a badge shows next to their name in comments and messages. Income is price times subscribers: 50 subscribers at $4.99 would be $249.50 a month before app store fees and tax, as an example, not a forecast. Instagram says payouts arrive on the 21st of the following month, so March earnings are paid on April 21. The US was the launch market, and Instagram’s September 20, 2023 update lists it among the eligible countries.
Instagram’s own pages give no follower minimum. Influencer Marketing Hub (February 26, 2026) says 10,000+ followers is the most common requirement, lists preset price tiers from $0.99 to $99.99 and a 0% platform fee, but cites no source for those figures, so treat them as unconfirmed. As of Meta’s November 2023 post, Meta was waiving its subscription fees and promised six months’ notice before changing that. App store fees may still apply.
How do Gifts and Live Badges work?
On Reels, fans buy Stars and send gifts. Instagram’s page gives no value per Star. Influencer Marketing Hub reports $0.01 per Star but gives no source, so we do not rely on it. In a Help Center excerpt returned by search, Gifts need a professional account, age 18 or older, 500 followers, a payout account and a supported country. Meta’s November 2023 post listed 5,000 followers, so the two sources differ. Confirm yours in the Professional dashboard.
Live Badges are priced at $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99, and the page caps purchases at $250 per Live video. Google and Apple deduct 30% in-app purchase fees, and the page says Instagram currently takes none of those fees. You are paid once you have earned $100, and arrival takes 1 to 7 business days depending on your bank.
How do brand deals and partnership ads work?
Creator Marketplace is where brands and creators find each other, and you negotiate terms per deal. If you are paid in any form, Instagram says you must add the Paid Partnership label, and free trips and gifted products count. Partnership ads let a brand promote your post, but only after you give permission. The FTC adds that disclosure should be in the video itself, not only in a caption or buried among hashtags.
Instagram’s branded content page also sets limits. Drugs and weapons cannot be promoted as branded content, some products such as alcohol are restricted, and videos cannot include pre-roll, mid-roll or post-roll ads, or banner ads.
Instagram sets no rate. OpenSponsorship data published by Inbeat on October 9, 2026 puts median cash fees at $134 per deliverable for creators under 10,000 followers and $150 for 10,000 to 50,000, across platforms. Collabstr’s 2025 marketplace data, also cited there, puts the average Instagram payout at $193. Later’s July 2026 guide quotes $200 to $500 per nano Reel and $800 to $2,500 for micro creators without naming its data, so ranges disagree widely.
How to get paid on Instagram: payouts
| Income | How you are paid |
|---|---|
| Subscriptions | On the 21st of the following month |
| Live Badges | After $100 earned, in 1 to 7 business days |
| Gifts | Through a payout account in your settings. A Help Center excerpt says gift earnings are held until one is set up |
| Bonuses | Instagram’s page gives no payout details |
| Brand deals | By the brand, under your contract |
Can you make money on Instagram with AI-generated Reels?
Meta labels AI content “AI info.” Its February 19, 2026 post (updated October 27, 2026) says people must use the disclosure and label tool when posting organic content with photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that was digitally created or altered, and that penalties may apply. Meta applies the visible label to content it detects as AI-generated, and moved it into the post’s menu for content that was only edited with AI.
Originality matters for reach. Since April 30, 2024, Instagram replaces copies with the original in recommendations, and accounts that repeatedly repost others’ content without adding to it are not recommended. Check the Reels length limit before you plan longer AI videos, and see how to make an AI video from your own script.
Need a faster way to produce original Reels? Compare the main AI generators.
See the best AI Shorts generatorsHow does Instagram pay compared with TikTok and YouTube Shorts?
| Platform | Program paying for views | Entry bar |
|---|---|---|
| None open to all. Bonuses are invite-only | No public numbers for most tools | |
| TikTok | Creator Rewards Program | 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in 30 days |
| YouTube Shorts | Shorts Feed revenue share, 45% to creators | 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in 90 days |
On Instagram, most early income comes from fans and brands rather than from views. Details for the other two are in the TikTok guide and the YouTube Shorts guide.
Which tool fits your stage?
This is our suggestion, built from the figures above, and thresholds differ by source.
| Followers | Tools to check first |
|---|---|
| Under 500 | Creator Marketplace and direct brand outreach, with the Paid Partnership label on every paid post |
| 500 to 10,000 | Gifts on Reels (500 per the Help Center excerpt), Live Badges, and brand deals at nano rates |
| 10,000 and up | Subscriptions (10,000+ per a secondary source) and micro-creator brand rates |
What should you do first?
- Switch to a professional account and open the Professional dashboard to see which tools Instagram shows you.
- List your Reels in Creator Marketplace and add the Paid Partnership label to every paid post.
- Post when your audience is active. See the best time to post Reels.
- Treat bonuses as a bonus. If an invite arrives, check its terms before counting on it.
For the full picture, start from how to make money with short videos and AI.
FAQ
Does Instagram pay you for Reels?
Not by default. Invited creators can earn Bonuses based on Reels plays, and anyone eligible can earn from Gifts, Subscriptions, Live Badges and brand deals. There is no open per-view program.
How many followers do you need to get paid on Instagram?
Instagram’s own pages list no follower numbers. A Help Center excerpt lists 500 followers for Gifts, and a secondary guide reports 10,000 for Subscriptions. Bonuses are invite-only. Check your Professional dashboard.
Can you get paid on Instagram with 500 followers?
Possibly. The Help Center excerpt we saw lists 500 followers for Gifts, with a professional account, age 18 and a payout account. Instagram’s pages list no follower minimum for brand deals, though rates at this size are small.
Does Instagram pay per 1,000 views?
No standing program does. Invite-only Bonuses pay on Reels plays and photo views, but Instagram publishes no rate. Estimates you see online come from third parties.
How do you get paid on Instagram?
Subscriptions pay on the 21st of the following month. Live Badges pay after you earn $100. Gifts need a payout account, and brand deals are paid by the brand under your contract.
Are Instagram bonuses still available?
Only by invitation. Instagram describes Bonuses as limited time and invite-only, and Meta’s 2023 and 2024 posts limited the tests to invited creators in the US, South Korea and Japan.
Can you make money on Instagram with AI-generated Reels?
Yes, but label realistic AI video or audio with Meta’s disclosure tool, since penalties may apply. Copies are replaced by the original in recommendations, so original AI Reels fare better than reposts.
Sources
- Instagram for Creators: Earn cash making what you love, checked October 27, 2026
- Instagram for Creators: Bonuses, checked October 27, 2026
- Instagram for Creators: Subscriptions, checked October 27, 2026
- Instagram for Creators: Subscriptions, helping creators make money, July 24, 2023, updated September 20, 2023, checked October 27, 2026
- Instagram for Creators: Gifts, checked October 27, 2026
- Instagram for Creators: Badges, checked October 27, 2026
- Instagram for Creators: Partner with brands and earn, checked October 27, 2026
- Instagram Help Center: How to earn money on Instagram Gifts (read only as a search excerpt), checked October 27, 2026
- Meta: Giving creators more ways to earn money on Facebook and Instagram, November 6, 2023, updated through April 3, 2024, checked October 27, 2026
- Instagram for Creators: Recommendations and originality, announced April 30, 2024, checked October 27, 2026
- Meta: How Meta is preparing for the 2026 US midterm elections (AI disclosure section), February 19, 2026, updated October 27, 2026, checked October 27, 2026
- Meta: Our approach to labeling AI-generated content, April 5, 2024, updated October 23, 2025, checked October 27, 2026
- FTC: Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers, November 2019, checked October 27, 2026
- Influencer Marketing Hub: Instagram Subscriptions and Gifts (secondary, partly unsourced), February 26, 2026, checked October 27, 2026
- Inbeat: Influencer marketing benchmark report (OpenSponsorship and Collabstr data), October 9, 2026, checked October 27, 2026
- Later: Influencer pricing benchmarks (no data source named), July 7, 2026, checked October 27, 2026