How to make money on Instagram in 2026: the official tools, who qualifies and how to do brand deals
xVirals · Updated · 8 min read
Instagram has several ways to earn: Subscriptions, Gifts, Badges, Bonuses, partnership ads and the Creator Marketplace for brand work. They have different follower thresholds, and they are open in different countries. This guide follows Instagram's own creator pages, read on 24 October 2026. It shows which tools list Turkey, which are invitation-only and which are closed to Turkish accounts, and how to do brand deals with the right disclosure. Instagram publishes few rates, and the ones it does publish are quoted below. There is no earnings estimate here.
Instagram's monetization tools at a glance
Instagram groups its tools by who pays you: your audience (Subscriptions, Gifts, Badges), brands (partnership ads and the Creator Marketplace) and Instagram itself (Bonuses). You can use several at once.
The table below uses the numbers from each tool's page. Availability can change, so the Professional dashboard in your app is the final word on what is open to your account.
| Tool | Who pays | Minimum on the page | Turkey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gifts (Stars on Reels) | Fans | Professional account, 18+, more than 500 followers | Listed |
| Subscriptions | Fans, monthly | 18+, 10,000 followers | Listed |
| Badges (LIVE) | Fans | 18+, more than 10,000 followers | Invitation-only for now |
| Bonuses | Invitation-only; strict view thresholds | Not available | |
| Creator Marketplace | Brands | 18+, public creator or business account, more than 1,000 followers | Where Meta ads run; Turkey is not among the exclusions |
| Partnership ads | Brands | Professional account | Not country-listed on the page |
Instagram Gifts: the easiest one to qualify for
Gifts let fans buy Stars and send virtual gifts on your Reels. Instagram lists these conditions: a professional account, age 18 or older, living in an eligible country, following the Partner Monetization Policies, and more than 500 followers. Türkiye is on the country list.
You also have to create a payout account. If a fan sends a gift to a creator who has not set up monetization, the creator can see who sent it but earns nothing from it.
Instagram publishes how Stars convert: a creator gets 0.01 US dollars for every Star a fan gives, so 100 Stars equal 1 dollar. Payouts happen when your total balance reaches 25 dollars. The page says your total and monthly approximate earnings appear in the Professional dashboard.
Check your account for Gifts
0/6Tick each line that is true for your account.
Subscriptions, Badges and Bonuses: the stricter tools
Subscriptions. Fans pay a monthly fee for subscriber-only posts, Reels, Stories and LIVE with a purple ring, a subscriber badge next to their name, and group chats of up to 30 subscribers. You need to be 18 or older, live in an eligible country, have 10,000 followers and meet the Partner and Content Monetization Policies. Türkiye is on the list. The page mentions an invitation step, so check the Professional dashboard.
Badges in LIVE. Viewers buy badges during your live video. Instagram says badges are available to all eligible creators in the US and, for now, invitation-only in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan, Australia, Türkiye, Brazil and Mexico. To be eligible you must be 18 or older and have more than 10,000 followers. The invitation status is under Settings, Creator, Badges. The payout setup text on that page mentions US tax and ID numbers, so confirm what applies to you in the app before you plan around it.
Bonuses. Instagram is testing bonuses for Reels and for photo and carousel posts, by invitation only and for a limited time. The Reels bonus is available only in the US and South Korea, and the page requires 5 million views in the previous 3 calendar months to be considered. The post bonus lists thresholds for certain countries and Türkiye is not among them. The invitation also requires being in Japan, South Korea or the US with tax status there. In practice Bonuses are not available to Turkish accounts.
Brand deals on Instagram: Creator Marketplace and partnership ads
The Creator Marketplace is where brands find creators and send project offers. Instagram says it is available to eligible creators in all countries where Meta ads run, except Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Russia. You need to be over 18, have a public creator or business account with more than 1,000 followers, and follow the Community Guidelines, Partner Monetization Policies and Branded Content Policies. Turkey is not among the exclusions listed, but confirm access in your Professional dashboard.
Partnership ads are different from an ordinary sponsored post. A brand pays to run your content as an ad, so it reaches people beyond both of your followings. Instagram says this means you can ask for more payment for extended usage rights, and that you need a professional account and the right ad permissions for the brand to run your post.
✓ Do
- Turn on the paid partnership label for every sponsored post
- Agree the fee, the deliverables and the usage rights in writing
- Ask whether the brand will run your post as a partnership ad, and price that separately
- Work with brands your audience would actually use
✕ Do not
- Post sponsored content without disclosure
- Give away ad usage rights for free
- Act differently from your usual style because of a deal: your followers will notice
- Pay for access to brand deals
To disclose, create your post as usual, switch on “Add paid partnership label”, then tap Add brand partners and add the business. Local advertising rules apply on top of Instagram's, so check them before you sign. For finding and pricing your first deals, see make money online with social media.
A realistic order of work for a smaller account
An account under 10,000 followers can still reach Gifts (more than 500 followers) and the Creator Marketplace (more than 1,000). Subscriptions and Badges wait for 10,000. None of this guarantees income, and none of these pages gives an earnings estimate.
- Under 500 followers. Build the habit and the niche. Short, repeatable Reels beat sporadic one-offs.
- 500 to 1,000 followers. Switch to a professional account, set up the payout account and open Gifts if it is available to you.
- Over 1,000 followers. Join the Creator Marketplace, list the brands you would work with, and put your best Reels in the profile.
- Around 10,000 followers. Check the Professional dashboard for Subscriptions and an invitation to Badges.
- At any size. Sell your own service or product and use Instagram as the shop window.
Captions and hashtags affect how people find your post. The Instagram caption generator and the hashtag generator give you options to edit. If you also post short video on another platform, see how to make money on TikTok.
Frequently asked questions
How many followers do I need to make money on Instagram?
It depends on the tool. Instagram's pages list more than 500 followers for Gifts, 1,000 for the Creator Marketplace and 10,000 for Subscriptions and for Badges in LIVE. Bonuses are by invitation and use view thresholds instead.
Is Instagram monetization available in Turkey?
Partly. Türkiye is on the country lists for Gifts and Subscriptions. Badges in LIVE are invitation-only for now in Türkiye. Bonuses are not available in Turkey. The Creator Marketplace is available where Meta ads run, and Turkey is not among the exclusions. Check the Professional dashboard for your own account.
How much does Instagram pay per Star?
Instagram says a creator gets 0.01 US dollars for each Star a fan gives, so 100 Stars equal 1 dollar, and that you are paid once your total balance reaches 25 dollars. It does not publish a rate for views or for brand deals.
How do I label a sponsored Instagram post?
Create the post as usual, turn on “Add paid partnership label” and tap Add brand partners to add the business. This tells viewers the content is commercial. Local advertising rules also apply, so check them before you publish.
What are partnership ads?
A brand runs your post as an ad, so it reaches people beyond your followers and the brand's. Instagram says this is why you can ask for more payment for extended usage rights. You need a professional account and have to give the right ad permissions.
Can I get Instagram Bonuses from Turkey?
No. Bonuses are invitation-only and limited in time, the Reels bonus is only available in the US and South Korea, and invitations also require being in Japan, South Korea or the US with tax status there. Beware of anyone who sells access.