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Table of Contents
Get creative and get paid.” For many Instagram creators, this is the ultimate goal. But figuring out how to earn money on Instagram can be confusing. Do you need millions of followers? Do you have to rely on brand deals? The answer is no.
This is your ultimate 2025 guide to how to earn money on Instagram for creators. We’ll explore 8 effective methods, from sponsorships to the powerful, automated income streams you can build with tools like Mintlink.
Monetization Methods at a Glance
| Monetization Method | Who It’s For | Potential Earnings (Monthly) |
| 1. Affiliate Marketing | All Creators (Beginners to Pros) | ₹8,000 – ₹8,00,000+ (Scalable) |
| 2. Brand Collaborations | Niche Creators (5k+ followers) | ₹40,000 – ₹20,00,000+ (Per Deal) |
| 3. Sell Physical Products | Established Brands & Creators | ₹80,000 – ₹40,00,000+ (Scalable) |
| 4. Sell Digital Products | Niche Experts (e.g., fitness, art) | ₹40,000 – ₹16,00,000+ (Scalable) |
| 5. Instagram’s Built-in Tools | Eligible Creators (10k+ followers) | ₹4,000 – ₹40,000 (Variable) |
| 6. Offer Your Services | Freelancers (Coaches, Designers) | ₹80,000 – ₹12,00,000+ (Time-based) |
| 7. User-Generated Content (UGC) | All Creators (esp. <10k followers) | ₹8,000 – ₹1,60,000 (Per Project) |
| 8. Paid Subscriptions | Creators with Loyal Fans | ₹8,000 – ₹4,00,000+ (Recurring) |
1. Brand Collaborations & Sponsorships
This is the “classic” way to earn. A brand pays you (with money or free products) to create a post or Story featuring their product.
- Who it’s for: Creators with a highly engaged, established audience in a specific niche (fashion, tech, beauty).
- Potential Earnings: ₹8,000 – ₹4,00,000+ per post, depending on your follower count, engagement rate, and niche.
- Pros: Can be very lucrative; builds relationships with major brands like Myntra or Nykaa.
- Cons: Unstable income (you’re paid per deal), requires negotiation, and you must follow strict creative briefs.
The Smart Creator’s Strategy (with Mintlink):
Don’t just earn from the one sponsored product. Your post features your entire look. While the brand paid for the post about the dress, use Mintlink to automate “link please” comments for your shoes, accessories, and makeup. This creates a second, passive revenue stream from a single sponsored post.
2. Affiliate Marketing (The Easiest & Most Scalable Way)
This is the most powerful method for how to earn money on Instagram for creators of all sizes, especially beginners.
Instead of being paid once, you earn a commission every time someone buys through your unique link.
- Who it’s for: All creators! If you ever get a “link please?” comment, you should be using affiliate marketing.
- Potential Earnings: 5%-30% commission per sale. This is highly scalable and can become a ₹8,000 – ₹8,00,000+ per month passive income stream.
- Pros: 100% authentic (you only promote what you love), you can start from day one, and it’s fully scalable.
- Cons: Can be impossible to manage manually.
The Old Way vs. The New Way (with Mintlink)
The Old Way (Manual):
Your Reel goes viral. 100 people comment “link please?” You have to stop your day, find 100 comments, and manually DM 100 links. You miss sales and waste hours.
The New Way (Automation with Mintlink):
This is where Mintlink changes the game. It’s a free tool that automates this entire process.
- A follower comments “link please?” on your Reel featuring Anouk suit sets.
- Mintlink’s Instagram Comment Automation instantly auto-replies and sends the user a DM with your unique affiliate link.
- You do nothing. You just create your content, and the sales come in automatically, 24/7.
This is the “Get creative and get paid” dream. It turns your Instagram into a business, automating monetization in a way platforms like Wishlink or ManyChat often make complicated or expensive.
3. Sell Your Own Physical Products & Merch
This method is one of the most profitable ways to earn money on Instagram, moving you from an influencer to a brand owner. Instead of promoting someone else’s product, you promote your own.
- Who it’s for: Creators with a strong, loyal community and a clear brand identity.
- Potential Earnings: ₹80,000 – ₹40,00,000+ per month. 100% of the profit is yours.
- Pros: Builds a long-term, valuable brand; you control the quality and profit.
- Cons: Requires significant upfront work (design, e-commerce setup, inventory, shipping, customer service).
The Smart Creator’s Strategy (with Mintlink):
Increase your average order value (AOV). Your post promotes your own t-shirt (via your main link). But your followers will ask: “Where’d you get those jeans?” or “What shoes are those?” Use Mintlink to automate “link please” replies for the rest of your outfit. You earn 100% profit on your merch and affiliate commissions on complementary products, all from one post.
4. Sell Digital Products (Courses & E-books)
This is one of the most profitable methods to earn money on Instagram. You create a digital asset once (like an e-book, video course, or photo preset) and can sell it an infinite number of times.
- Who it’s for: Niche experts who can teach a skill (e.g., fitness coaches, photographers, marketing experts, artists).
- Potential Earnings: ₹40,000 – ₹16,00,000+ per month. Margins are extremely high (90%+).
- Pros: Highly scalable, high-profit margins, and establishes you as an industry expert.
- Cons: Takes significant time to create a high-quality product upfront.
The Smart Creator’s Strategy (with Mintlink):
Use Mintlink as your sales funnel. Your followers comment “course info” on your post. Mintlink automatically sends them a DM with the link to your course sales page. You can also put your Mintlink affiliate links inside your e-book or course (e.g., “Here is the [link] to the camera I recommend”). This creates another automated income stream.
5. Use Instagram’s Built-in Monetization
Instagram has its own tools to help you earn, but they are often less predictable.
- Who it’s for: Eligible creators in specific regions (often 10k+ followers).
- Potential Earnings: ₹4,000 – ₹40,000 per month. Highly variable.
- Pros: All handled inside the Instagram app.
- Cons: Payouts can be small; features (like “Bonuses”) are often invite-only and can be turned off at any time.
The Main Features:
- Badges: During a Live video, viewers can buy “Badges” (e.g., for ₹89, ₹179, or ₹449) to support you.
- Subscriptions: Your most loyal fans can pay a monthly fee for exclusive content.
- Reels Play Bonus: An invite-only program that pays a bonus for a high number of views.
The Smart Creator’s Strategy (with Mintlink):
Use these features as a “bonus,” not a business plan. A platform like Mintlink provides a reliable, consistent income stream that you control, regardless of whether Instagram’s “Bonus” program is active. A stable business is built on reliable tools, not unpredictable platform features.
6. Offer Your Services (The “Freelancer” Model)
Use your Instagram account as a visual portfolio to get hired for your skills. Your content proves you’re an expert.
- Who it’s for: Skilled professionals (photographers, designers, coaches, consultants).
- Potential Earnings: ₹2,000 – ₹8,000+ per hour. Can be a ₹80,000 – ₹12,00,000+ per month business.
- Pros: Very high-income potential; you get paid for your direct skill.
- Cons:This isn’t a scalable way to earn money on Instagram, as you are trading time for money.
The Smart Creator’s Strategy (with Mintlink):
Stop trading time for money. While you’re busy working 1-on-1 with clients, Mintlink’s automated affiliate marketing works for you 24/7 in the background. It answers “link please” comments on your old posts, earning you passive income while you’re focused on your high-paying client work. This is how you build a scalable business.
7. Create User-Generated Content (UGC)
This is a new and rapidly growing field for creators who want to earn money on Instagram. Instead of paying you to post on your feed, a brand pays you to create high-quality, authentic photos and videos (UGC) for them to use in their ads and on their social media.
- Who it’s for: All creators! Brands love UGC from creators with <10k followers because it looks more “real” and less like a slick ad.
- Potential Earnings: ₹8,000 – ₹1,60,000 per project.
- Pros: You don’t need a large following, just good camera skills. It’s a great way to build brand relationships.
- Cons: It’s project-based work, not passive income.
The Smart Creator’s Strategy (with Mintlink):
Even when you post your UGC work to your own portfolio, followers will ask, “Where can I get that?” Use Mintlink to automatically send them your affiliate link. This allows you to get paid by the brand for the content, and earn ongoing affiliate commissions from your own audience.
8. Offer Paid Subscriptions & Exclusive Content
Similar to Instagram’s feature, you can use third-party platforms to offer exclusive content for a monthly fee.
- Who it’s for: Creators with a very loyal, “super-fan” community.
- Potential Earnings: ₹8,000 – ₹4,00,000+ per month (recurring).
- Pros: Creates a stable, predictable monthly income.
- Cons: You have to constantly create extra content just for your paying members, which can be exhausting.
The Smart Creator’s Strategy (with Mintlink):
Use Mintlink to “upsell” your free followers into paid subscribers. When a follower comments “subscribe” or “exclusive,” Mintlink can automatically send them a DM with the link to your subscription page. It acts as your personal 24/7 sales assistant.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How many followers do I need to earn money on Instagram?
For methods like affiliate marketing with Mintlink or selling your own services, you can start with as few as 1,000 (or even fewer) highly-engaged followers. For brand sponsorships, most brands look for 5,000-10,000 followers, but a high engagement rate is more important than follower count.
Q: Can I use Mintlink to promote any brand, like on Meesho or Myntra?
Yes! Mintlink connects with a massive network of top brands and retailers, including Meesho, Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon, and hundreds more. You can generate automated affiliate links for products from all your favorite stores.
Q: Is it safe to automate my Instagram DMs and comments?
Yes, when done correctly. Tools like Mintlink are designed to work within Instagram’s guidelines. The automation is triggered by specific user comments (like “link please”), making it a natural and helpful response, not spam. It’s a safe and efficient way to engage with your audience.
The Best Way to Start Earning Today
For the vast majority of creators, the answer to “how to earn money on Instagram” is clear: start with affiliate marketing, and automate it with Mintlink.
As we’ve seen, even if you’re pursuing brand deals, selling merch, or freelancing, Mintlink is the “secret weapon” that works alongside all 8 methods to build a second, passive income stream.
While brand deals are unpredictable and selling your own products takes months of planning, affiliate marketing is something you can start right now. You’re already recommending products you love; Mintlink simply ensures you get paid for it.
It’s the only method that is free to start, scales infinitely, and works for you 24/7, turning your “link please” comments into a reliable, automated income stream.
Get Started with Mintlink Today!
Ready to turn your “link please” comments into real income? Download the free Mintlink app and start automating your creator business.
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