Followers equate to potential earnings on Instagram. If you build an audience that engages with your content and values what you have to say, you can turn a follower base of just 10,000 followers into a good side hustle – or more.
How Much Does Instagram Pay for 10k Followers?
It depends on a lot of factors: niche, engagement, follower demographics and even the type of content that you post.
At the 10k Follower Range, You’re Right in Between:
- Nano-influencers who have 1,000 – 10,000 followers
- Micro-influencers who have 10,000 – 100,000 followers
We do know that the average account with 10k followers earns about $88 per post. If you post daily, you’ll make $616 per week and $2,640 per month. However, you do need someone willing to pay you for these posts or monetize them in some other way.
If you’re promoting your own product or affiliate links, there is a monetary ceiling that you’ll hit unless you get more followers or rotate products that you recommend.
Clarification: Instagram’s Direct Payment System
Instagram does have its own direct payment system that you can use to monetize. With over a billion people sending messages each week, Meta wanted to offer a way for creators to make money.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and co-founder of the Meta parent company, has an entire post on Facebook that he continues to update, which you can find here. The post mentions multiple ways that Meta is trying to help creators make money on Instagram, but you’ll notice after reading the posts that things seem to evolve and change all the time.
A few ways to receive direct payments, including through chat, are:
Payments can be made using MetaPay, PayPal, credit or debit cards. If you’re selling items to your audience, which is the best way to make money, you’ll be happy to know that when you ship products, you’ll be paid without Meta taking a cut of the proceeds.
Instagram also has Instagram payouts that help you earn money from numerous monetization tools, such as:
- Badges
- Bonuses
- Branded content
- Gifts
- Subscriptions
You’ll need to adhere to the Partner Monetization Policies and the Content Monetization Policies to be approved for these special perks.
Monetizing 10k Followers: Primary Avenues
Making money from your Instagram followers is a dream come true as a creator. You put a lot of hard work into growing your follower count, and you can finally be paid for this effort. A few of the many ways that you can be paid as an influencer with just 10k followers are:
1. Sponsored Posts
Posts can make you money. You don’t want to inundate your followers with too many sponsored posts or risk losing some of them along the way. The average post for this follower range is $88, but you can make $100 or more, depending on:
2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliates can make money on Instagram, too. You can be an influencer who is an affiliate of anything. For example, let’s assume that you’re a fitness influencer with 10,000 followers and you partner with My Protein.
As an affiliate for the brand, you can earn:
- Up to 8% commission
- Earn on all purchases with a 30-day cookie
This is just one example of affiliate marketing that could work for you on Instagram, but be sure that the terms of the affiliate program allow you to post on Instagram.
3. Selling Products or Services
Influencers love to keep their sales figures secret on Instagram because they have an image and persona that they need to uphold. With this in mind, you’ll find many influencers selling:
- Subscription services
- Products
- Services
- Clothing and other apparel
- Training programs
- Courses
One influencer sold tailored fitness plans for $92 – $300, and while she is being sued for not providing her buyers with what she promised, thousands of people purchased plans from her. If just 1,000 people purchased plans, she made $92,000 – $300,000.
You’ll have to think much smaller with your following, but even converting 100 people to buyers would net you $9,200 – $30,000.
4. Instagram Ads
You’re creating content already, and Instagram is testing out a way to help creators get paid for the ads that are shown. However, the program is only available to a select few creators, so very little data is available.
Reels monetization can earn you money, but you’ll need to be invited to the Reels Bonus program and have at least 1,000 views on your Reels in the past 30 days.
According to people on one Reddit post, they earned the following from their Reels:
- 100,000 views will make around $100
- 45 million views netted the person $4,500, but he only received $1,700
You can keep an eye on monetization for ads on the official Instagram page.
2 Tips To Increase Earning Potential With 10k Followers
Growing your Instagram following is the best way to maximize your earnings as an influencer, but in the meantime, there are some things you can do to increase your value with 10k followers.
1. Focus on Engagement
Follower count is important, but it’s not the only thing that matters when it comes to earnings. An Instagram influencer who has high levels of engagement and fewer followers will likely be viewed as more valuable than someone with a slightly larger following and poor engagement.
You can have a vast audience, but if no one is listening to what you’re saying, your content will have little influence.
If you want to maximize your earnings, focus on creating engaging content that really speaks to your audience and attracts “likes” and comments from your followers.
2. Interact with Your Followers
Another way to increase engagement is to interact with your followers. When people comment on your posts, respond. If they ask questions, reply.
Focus on building relationships with your followers. Get to know them and have conversations with them.
The more engaged you are with your followers, the more influence you will have.
Building a tight-knit community and creating engaging content will help you maximize your earnings as you grow your following.
How Often Should I Post To Keep My 10k Followers Engaged?
How often you post really depends on:
- Your niche
- Your audience
If you look at the data, you’ll find that nano accounts (up to 10K followers) publish three feed posts per week on average. Keep in mind that feed posts are not stories. Instagram suggests posting a few stories per day.
If you’re not sure where you fit into the equation, take a look at other Instagram users in your niche. How often do they post? Do their posts have lots of likes and comments? If they’re posting often and their content gets a lot of engagement, follow in their footsteps.
Just make sure that you’re creating valuable and interesting content to post – not just posting content for the sake of posting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Start Monetizing with Fewer Than 10k Followers?
Yes, you can start monetizing your account if you have fewer than 10k followers. In fact, many brands find that influencers with fewer than 10k followers are more valuable and have more sway over their audiences.
In fact, there are “nano-influencer” platforms where you can start monetizing your account with as little as 300 followers. Engagement will likely be the most important factor brands will consider, so keep this in mind. If no one is liking, commenting on and sharing your posts, you may struggle to monetize your account.
The Bottom Line
Instagram influencers with 10k followers earn an average of $88 per post, but it’s possible to earn more if you’re in the right niche and your content has high engagement levels. Whether it’s through brand collaborations, affiliate marketing or selling your own products, there are numerous ways to monetize your Instagram account.