How to earn money from Instagram Reels in 12 ways

From Instagram Gifts on Reels to brand partnerships to affiliate revenue, here’s how to earn money from Instagram Reels.

Wondering how to make money on Instagram Reels? Monetizing Instagram Reels works a little differently than monetizing content on other platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Instagram doesn’t have a membership program that lets creators monetize their reels and posts.

The platform has experimented with a few different monetization schemes like the Reels Play Bonus and an affiliate program, both of which were discontinued.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t earn revenue from Instagram Reels. The social media platform can still be a great source of income. Let’s walk through how to earn money from Instagram Reels.

Can I earn money through the Instagram Reels Play bonus program?

No. Facebook, which owns Instagram, discontinued the Reels Play bonus program in March 2023.

Launched in 2021, the Instagram Reels Play bonus program allowed creators to earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars monthly for posting short videos. The Reels Bonus was an invite-only test program. Only creators in the US and India were eligible to participate.

Earnings varied based on factors like the number of Reels a creator made and the view count. You could also earn bonuses by making themed Reels in response to prompts. Branded content was not eligible. So you’d have to choose between using an affiliate link in your Reel or racking up your total bonus.

How to earn money from Instagram Reels: 12 ideas

Even if you can’t earn Reels bonuses or add affiliate links to your videos, there are plenty of other ways to monetize Instagram Reels. Here’s how to monetize Instagram Reels.

Promote a website or blog

One great way to make money through Instagram Reels is to direct viewers to a website or blog where they can make a purchase. The more people who visit your website or blog, the more you can earn from ad revenue, sponsored content, affiliate sales, and selling products and services.

If you don’t want to create a website from scratch, consider using a user-friendly platform like BlurBay that offers sleek, modern templates and easy customer payment solutions. With BlurBay, you only pay 5% of what you earn. So you don’t have to worry if it takes a little time to grow your brand and start raking in the dough.

Think about video ideas that relate to your website and could interest your followers. Put the link in your bio. Use Reel captions and comments to point viewers to the link.

For example, if you’re a fitness influencer, you could create Reels showing quick home workouts or snippets of healthy recipes. Add a caption like “Full workout plan/recipe available on my website. Link in bio.” Followers can go to your site to download the full workout plan or recipe. This won’t just create a revenue opportunity. It’ll help cement your image as a fitness expert.

Brand partnerships

Another way to monetize Instagram Reels is by collaborating with brands. Businesses are always looking for ways to spread the word about their products or services. Word-of-mouth advertising is powerful. So, it’s worthwhile to shell out cash to reach people through the influencers they trust.

Knowing your followers’ needs and preferences, create sincere, engaging Reels that get their attention and align with your partner brand’s message. Be transparent and adhere to consumer regulations by using hashtags like #ad or #sponsored.

If you’re a fashion influencer, a clothing company collaboration could involve recording yourself in a stylish setting decked out in that company’s products. Pay attention to your audience’s preferences. If your followers prioritize sustainable fashion, collaborate with brands that share the same values.

Affiliate revenue

Affiliate marketing involves promoting other brands’ products or services and earning a portion of purchases made through your referral.

Instagram used to offer an in-house affiliate program that allowed creators to post content with affiliate tags and stickers. Creators earned money whenever followers interacted with these affiliate elements.

Unfortunately, the Instagram affiliate program was discontinued in August 2022. You can still post affiliate links on Instagram, but now it’s a little trickier. You can only post links in your bio. If you make a Reel promoting an affiliate product or service, you’ll have to direct followers to the link in your bio to make money.

Sell items through an Instagram Shop

Earning money promoting other people’s products on Instagram might be harder since the platform’s affiliate program was discontinued. But it’s pretty easy to sell your own products by creating an Instagram Shop and using Reels to advertise.

Are you a custom jewelry designer? Make Reels showing how your jewelry is made or displaying outfits that make your designs really stand out. Add a call to action to your captions or comments section, saying something like “Get this look in my Instagram Shop now!”

Reels are also an excellent way to advertise promotions and special offers. Reuse old promotional videos but update the captions to highlight new, lower prices or BOGO deals.

Instagram Reels ads

In 2022, Facebook started testing a new Ads on Reels program that offers performance-based pay for short videos. In 2023, testing expanded to include more Facebook creators, and it was announced that the program would also be expanding to Instagram.

Currently, Ads on Reels is still in beta. Participation is by invitation only, and you must live in one of 52 eligible countries, including the US, UK, Canada, India, Japan, and Australia.

Ads on Reels is a win-win for creators and advertisers. It gives businesses more opportunities to show products and services to audiences, and it gives creators opportunities to monetize their Reels. Like Instagram Stories, advertisements show up in between Reels.

Sell digital products

Easy to advertise and deliver online, digital products are a fantastic way to monetize Instagram Reels. What aligns with your brand and is valuable to your audience—maybe an eBook, online course, or downloadable templates (such as calendars, shopping lists, and budgets)?

If you’re known as a digital marketer, you could create an online course sharing marketing tips and strategies. Create Instagram Reels with captions and comments encouraging your followers to register using the link in your bio.

If you’ve written an eBook with recipes for guilt-free comfort foods, make a series of Reels showing you preparing recipes from your book. Remember to increase the visibility of your content by adding relevant hashtags.

Sell services

Whether you’re a consultant, freelancer, coach, marketer, web developer, or online instructor, Instagram Reels provide an excellent way to promote your business. Use Reels to show your experience, focusing on success stories and client testimonials.

Provide real examples of how you solved a problem, and include concrete, quantifiable data. Help your followers develop confidence in your ability to get them where they want to go. Build a client base by encouraging people to message you for more information or sign up for free consultations using a link in your bio.

Create a subscription

Another way to monetize Instagram Reels is by offering content behind a subscription paywall. If you live in the US, you can provide subscription content directly on Instagram. If you live in another country, check out third-party platforms designed to let creators offer paid content like BlurBay, Memberful, Patreon, and Bold Commerce.

Use Instagram Reels to give your followers a peak at your premium content. Then, direct followers to buy an Instagram subscription (if you’re in the US), visit a third-party membership platform or visit your website for more.

For example, musicians can create Reels with samples of original songs or covers. Another option is to offer full versions of content for free and provide behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes, interviews, and early access to new content via subscription.

Accept Instagram Gifts

Also only available in the US, Instagram Gifts are virtual stars that followers can send you for Reels. Each star is worth $0.01 USD. Instagram provides payments on a monthly basis.

To enable gifts on Instagram Reels, go to your profile > Professional Dashboard > Tools > Gifts. Tap Allow gifts on reels. Enabling or disabling this feature affects all your past and future Reels. Once done, a Send gift option will appear on your Reels.

Viewers must add a payment method to their Instagram accounts, and you must have a payout account to receive monthly payments.

Accept donations via a third-party platform

If you don’t live in the US, you can’t activate Instagram gifts on your Reels. But you can create an account on a third-party platform like Patreon, Ko-Fi, or Buy Me A Coffee to accept donations from your followers.

Use Reels to let your audience know how they can support you if they like your content. Keep the call to action short and sweet, and remember to thank viewers for their support.

Send followers to your other social channels

Not just a direct source of revenue or a funnel for other monetized corners of your Instagram account (like a shop), Reels are an opportunity to grow your audience on other platforms like YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook.

Social media algorithms usually don’t like it when you encourage people to leave a platform. Naturally, app-based businesses want to keep users on their apps. But non-intrusive, brief pointers to your other socials can let Instagram followers know where to get more of your content without hurting your visibility.

Collaborate with other influencers

Nothing’s stopping you from making deals with other influencers. Tapping into other networks lets you reach new audiences, increase engagement, and level up your earnings. Remember to be transparent with your followers when you get paid to promote a product or brand.

In some industries, like comedy, collabing with similar influencers can be beneficial as each comedian brings a unique style and personality to their content. In other industries, like fashion brands, you’ll want to collaborate with influencers that complement your brand but don’t compete too heavily with it.

For instance, an accessories brand known for producing statement necklaces could pair well with a brand known for formalwear. But if you design dresses, you won’t gain much from posting Reels that show models wearing your designs mixed with someone else’s (unless you’re collaborating on a product design and will split the profits).

How to make money on Instagram Reels: FAQs

How much can I earn from Instagram Reels?

It’s possible to earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars monthly through Instagram Reels, depending on where you live and which monetization strategies you use. Creators residing in the US may be able to earn revenue through the Ads on Reels test program, Instagram gifts on Reels, and Instagram subscriptions.

Besides the platform’s native monetization methods, creators living anywhere can post affiliate links in their bios and use Reels to direct followers to other monetized websites and social channels. It’s easy to create and sell content on your own website with affordable fees and few restrictions using BlurBay.

Is the Reels Bonus still available?

Wondering how to earn money from the Instagram Reels Bonus? Unfortunately, you can’t anymore. In March 2023, Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, discontinued the Reels Play Bonus program. Reels Play bonuses were awarded based on factors like the number of Reels a creator posted, total views, and whether any themed Reels were made in response to prompts. The company stated it would honor all existing Reels Play deals until the deals expired.

Is the Instagram affiliate program still available?

No, the Instagram affiliate program was discontinued in August 2022. But you can still put affiliate links in your account bio and encourage followers to make purchases so that you can earn a commission.