If you’re one of the 2 billion users on Instagram, you know just how powerful this platform can be. Not only is the app a place for connection, but it’s also a tool that can help you make money online. For creators looking for ways to earn some cash on the social media platform, consider getting started with Instagram Subscriptions.
First launched in 2022, Instagram Subscriptions offer a new way for creators to monetize their content while providing more value to their audience. With Instagram Subscriptions, creators can put bonus content — including subscribers-only Reels, Lives, broadcast channels, and more — behind a paywall. Since subscribers would pay a monthly fee to get access to your exclusive content, Subscriptions can be a great source of recurring revenue — all for just a little bit of extra work.
Wondering how to set up your own Instagram subscription? Read on to learn more about the in-app monetization tool, and how you can start earning recurring monthly income with it.
How to launch your Instagram subscription
Excited to get going? Here are a few things you need to know before you start your own subscription.
Instagram Subscriptions eligibility
Keep in mind that you need to meet the following eligibility requirements before you can use Instagram Subscriptions. You must:
- Have a Creator account on Instagram.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have at least 10,000 followers.
- Be based in a region where Instagram Subscriptions are available (see below).
- Abide by Instagram’s Partner Monetization Policies, Community Guidelines, and Content Monetization Policies.
Instagram Subscriptions are currently available to all eligible creators in the following regions:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- United States
For creators located in other regions, watch this space for further updates. Meta will likely roll out Subscriptions to more regions in the near future.
How to set up your Instagram subscription
If you’re eligible for Instagram Subscriptions, follow these steps to set up your own:
- From your profile, go to your Professional Dashboard.
- Tap Your tools.
- Next, hit Subscriptions.
- On the next screen, hit Get Started.
- Agree to the Instagram Subscription Creator Terms of Use, then tap Next.
- Set up a Payout Account to tell Instagram where they should send your Subscriptions money.
- Now, you’ll be able to set the monthly price for your subscription. There’s a calculator at the bottom of the screen that helps estimate your potential monthly earnings based on your number of followers.
- Tap Publish and then Create. Once you’ve enabled Subscriptions, your followers will see a notification in their activity feed and on your profile to subscribe.
How much can you charge?
Instagram Subscription prices are preset, but you can choose from a wide range of pricing options based on your preference. The options are $0.99, $1.99, $2.99, $4.99, $9.99, $19.99, $49.99, and $99.99.
But how much should you charge? That depends on your audience, your niche, and how much exclusive content you’re willing to offer. If you’re going to put in a ton of extra work for your subscribers, then it makes sense to charge one of the higher price points.
Note that you can change the price of your subscription, but the new price only applies to new subscribers. Anyone who subscribed before the change will still pay the old price.
How to receive payouts
To receive Subscription payments, first, you need to make sure you’ve added a payout account to your Instagram account. Here’s how:
- From the Professional dashboard, hit Payouts.
- Go to Update payout method.
- Choose the kind of payout account you want to connect to your account. You can add a bank or PayPal account.
- Follow the prompts to finish setting this up.
Once you hit $25 in earnings from Instagram Subscriptions, you’ll get a payout every month for the money you brought in the previous month. So, for example, you can expect to receive the money you made in November at the end of December.
How to get followers to subscribe
When you turn on Instagram Subscriptions, your audience will see a Subscribe button on your profile. Here’s how they can subscribe:
- Visit the creator’s profile and click the Subscribe button.
- They will be directed to a page detailing the pricing and benefits of the Instagram subscription.
- Click Subscribe to proceed.
- Review payment terms in the popup and click Process Payments.
Here’s an example of where you can find the Subscribe button on a creator’s profile:
Instagram has also rolled out other tools to help creators promote their subscriptions. For example, the app now surfaces the Subscribe button when your followers see your content in their feed. What’s more, it compiles your new subscribers in a list to help you easily welcome them via DMs and Stories.
How do Instagram Subscriptions work?
Instagram Subscriptions features
You’re probably wondering, “What kind of content can you put behind a paywall on Instagram?” Here are just some exclusive features that only paid subscribers can access:
Subscriber social channels
A great way to build relationships with your most dedicated fans, Subscriber social channels allow you to directly connect with your community — up to 250 participants to be exact, including you, the creator. Start a social channel to host exclusive Q&As, share life updates, or just create a space for casual hangouts.
Subscriber social channels only last for 30 days, after which they’d become read-only. However, you can have as many social channels running simultaneously as you want.
Subscriber Stories and highlights
You can create Stories just for your subscribers. Marked by a purple ring, these Stories can be used to provide exclusive content, or share a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in your creator business. These exclusive Stories will disappear after 24 hours, but you can save them to a highlight that’s only visible to your subscribers.
Exclusive Reels and posts
Yes, even the regular content you create on Instagram can be made exclusive for subscribers! All you need to do is hit Share with subscribers only when you’re preparing to publish your posts. That way, only those who’ve subscribed to you will see them.
Subscriber Badges
Subscribers will get a special purple badge icon next to their username, distinguishing them from other followers. This is a brilliant way to give your subscribers recognition and make sure they know they are valued. This will also help them stand out to you, so if they send you messages or ask questions, you can answer them quickly.
Subscriber Lives
Subscriber Lives have all the advantages of Subscriber social channels, except your subscribers can actually see you and interact with you in real time. Through these exclusive livestreams, you can share anything from your morning routine or a chatty “Get Ready With Me,” to your workout or unboxing streams.
Subscriber Broadcast Channels
Are you using Instagram’s broadcast channels feature yet? You can create subscriber-only broadcast channels to share special information with your most engaged followers.
Subscriptions offers
You can use special premade offers to bring in more subscribers and keep the ones you already have. Currently, Instagram has two offers:
- Next 5 promo: The next five subscribers who sign up will get 50% off their Subscription.
- Cancellation promo: When canceling their Subscription, your subscribers will see a pop-up offering them a free month as long as they stay subscribed.
You can turn on one or both of these promos and turn them off whenever you want. Just go to your Professional Dashboard, then to Subscriptions, and finally to Confirm active offers. Turning these offers on temporarily can be a great way to boost your subscriber count without your income taking too much of a hit.
Instagram Subscriptions examples
Since the launch of Instagram Subscriptions, a number of creators have been using the feature in creative ways. Here are some of our favorite examples:
Kim Haberley
Known on Instagram as @iambohoblonde, Kim Haberley is the Head Educator and Founder of Boho Blonde, an Australian hair salon. She uses Subscriptions to share exclusive educational content, which ties in directly with her brand as a creator educator. That content covers everything from achieving specific looks to more general styling tips.
Her Subscriptions bring in about $20,000 per month from about 3.1K subscribers. The secret to her success? Kim says she prioritizes answering DMs and replying to comments from subscribers before regular followers, and she stays true to her authentic self no matter what kind of content she’s making.
Aliza Kelly
Aliza Kelly is an astrologer with an Instagram account clocking in at 140K followers. Her content is all about empowering her followers to understand themselves more deeply through astrology, with everything from recurring horoscopes to breaking down how eclipses affect specific signs.
Instagram Subscriptions allow her to offer more exclusive guidance to her subscribers, including Q&As and deeper dives into educational topics.
Tyler Hoechlin
Even celebrities are getting in on Instagram Subscriptions. Tyler Hoechlin, the star of CW’s Superman & Lois has over 4.6M followers on Instagram. He usually posts behind-the-scenes look at his life as an actor, as well as the occasional post about football, one of his passions.
Hoechlin’s subscription only costs $1 a month and gives his followers access to exclusive content, broadcast channels, and AMA-style conversations.
Benefits of Instagram Subscriptions
So, now that you know what Instagram Subscriptions are, how do you decide whether you should put in the extra effort to create your own? Well, consider some of these benefits.
It could help you build a new income stream
As a creator, it’s important to diversify your revenue streams in case any of it is impacted or has a slow season. That means not putting all your eggs in one basket. So if you have the ability to start an Instagram Subscription, it’s a good idea to try it out and see how much income you can make from it.
It could help you build a tight-knit community
It’s not all about the money. Depending on the size of your following, it can be tough to really feel like you’re connecting with your audience. With Instagram Subscriptions, you can cultivate an exclusive and intimate community where you can be more transparent and authentic.
It could help you grow your creator business
While money isn’t everything, let’s not kid ourselves: it’s certainly a big part of being a creator. Building a community with Instagram Subscriptions isn’t just great for bonding with your followers, but it’s also a smart business move. Depending on the kind of content you put behind your paywall, you can create promotion channels for products or services you’re selling.
Let’s say you specialize in food and cooking content. Your free content can come in the form of recipe Reels, while your Subscriptions can give your audience the chance to ask you direct questions, or join you in cook-along livestreams. Through these exclusive content, you can also promote your e-cookbook or other products that you sell on an external platform.
5 tips to grow your Instagram subscription
So, now that you’ve started your Instagram Subscription, how do you make sure it’s a reliable income stream? Here are some tips that may help.
1. Start with a content plan
If you’re eligible for Instagram Subscriptions, you’re bound to be excited to make some extra dough and set yours up ASAP. But make sure you have a plan before you jump in!
Think about how you can use different content formats and features to surprise and delight your subscribers. Will you post exclusive content once a month, a week, or a day? Also, while building your subscription, make sure not to forget about creating your usual, free content for your other followers.
2. Get the pricing right
Choose a reasonable price point for your subscription. You don’t want to ask too much from your followers, but at the same time, you need to be able to make a profit.
Instagram Subscription prices range from $0.99, $1.99, $2.99, $4.99, $9.99, $19.99, $49.99, to $99.99. It’s crucial to consider what content you’ll provide, your goals, and what type of followers you want. For instance, selecting a lower price point for your subscription may get you more subscribers, while choosing a higher price point will help you create a more exclusive community.
Don’t be surprised if you have to make changes to your pricing down the line. Even the biggest companies can sometimes struggle to set the right prices.
3. Create quality content consistently
Focus on creating quality content. Make sure your exclusive content is worth paying for, and that you’re offering something of value to your subscribers. Be sure to post consistently, as subscribers will expect regular content with a predictable schedule.
4. Collaborate with other creators
One great way to make your content feel more exclusive is to share collaboration content that only your subscribers can get access to. Partner with other creators or influencers in your niche, and offer to give them access to your subscribers through a collab. To return the favor, you’ll probably need to participate in their content, too.
5. Focus on building relationships
Subscribers are there because they truly want to show support to you and your content. They spend money to listen to what you have to say and see what you share. It’s important that you nurture relationships with your subscribers and give them the best experience possible. Use features like Subscriber social channels and Lives to interact with — and personally give thanks to — your subscribers. Also, be sure to stay on top of DMs and comments from your subscribers.
More ways to make money on Instagram
Of course, Instagram Subscriptions are just one of the many ways you can make money through Instagram. If the monetization feature isn’t available to you yet, consider exploring the following options:
Brand partnerships
Many brands partner with Instagram creators to promote their products as part of an influencer marketing campaign. Typically, the creator and the brand will negotiate and agree on a set rate per sponsored post.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate programs are a popular way for Instagram creators to earn money through the app. As an affiliate, you’ll earn commission from brands when a product or service you promote is purchased by your followers.
Reel Gifts
Reel Gifts are a monetization option that allows followers to show appreciation for some of your best Instagram Reels. Gifts are essentially virtual stickers that they can buy with Stars, Meta’s in-app currency. Each gift costs a different amount of Stars, and you’ll get $0.01 for each Star spent on a Gift. With some of the most expensive Gifts costing a few hundred Stars, you could make a couple of bucks from each Gift. Not a huge amount of money, but they can still turn your best Reels into revenue-generating machines.
Go live with badges
Instagram’s Live badges feature allows creators to monetize their livestreams. When you go Live with badges, your followers can buy badges to support you and earn you money.
Sell digital products
You can use Instagram to promote digital products that you sell, such as ebooks, templates, and mini-courses. Unlike physical goods, digital products require relatively little investment to create. Once a digital product is created, it can be sold over and over, without the hassle of manufacturing, inventory, and shipping logistics. Since you don’t need to spend more money producing more units, you can expect higher returns than selling physical products, with a profit margin that improves over time.
By creating engaging and sharable Instagram content, creators can effectively market and encourage sales of their digital products. Make sure to direct your followers to a link for purchasing your digital product, whether in your bio or Instagram Stories.
Want to cash in on digital products? The Leap’s AI-powered tool helps you create and sell digital products, easily. Try The Leap for free now.
Start earning with Instagram Subscriptions
Instagram Subscriptions are just one of many ways to earn money through Instagram. With a strategic approach, you can build an engaged following while earning some cash on the platform. Take advantage of the many features Instagram Subscriptions have to offer, and experiment with new ways to monetize your content.
Looking for more tips to make money as a creator? Check out our 12 Ways To Make Your First $100 Online guide!
FAQ
What are Instagram Subscriptions?
Instagram Subscriptions are exclusive paid memberships your followers can sign up for. They pay the subscription fee on a monthly basis, meaning you get a stable source of recurring revenue. What do they get in exchange? Subscriber-exclusive content no one else gets to see. That can be Reels, Lives, broadcast channels, and more.
How do I set up an Instagram subscription?
As long as you’re eligible for subscriptions, here’s how you can set yours up:
- Go to your Professional Dashboard.
- Tap Your tools.
- Next, hit Subscriptions.
- On the next screen, hit Get Started.
- Agree to the Instagram Subscription Creator Terms of Use, then tap Next.
- Set up a Payout Account to tell Instagram where they should send your Subscriptions money.
- Now, you’ll be able to set the monthly price for your subscription. There’s a calculator at the bottom of the screen that helps estimate your potential monthly earnings based on your number of followers.
- Tap Publish and then Create. Once you’ve enabled Subscriptions, your followers will see a notification in their activity feed and on your profile to subscribe.
Are there any restrictions on content for Instagram Subscriptions?
Yes, there are restrictions on what type of content you can share. The content must be exclusive and cannot contain nudity, hate speech, spam, or illegal activities. Also, subscription accounts must create a minimum of one post per month.
Can I change the price of my Subscription anytime?
Absolutely! All you need to do is go to Subscription Settings and hit Monthly price. There, you’ll be able to change the price of your Subscription. Keep in mind that any subscribers who signed up before you changed your price will continue paying the same amount. Only new subscribers will pay the new price.
Where can I view my earnings from Instagram Subscriptions?
Instagram will send you PDFs of your earnings every month. You can also see and download 2-3 months’ worth of invoices through the Payout settings option in your Professional dashboard.
Are Instagram Subscriptions the best way to make money as a creator?
That entirely depends on what you mean by “best.” One of the biggest advantages of Instagram Subscriptions is that they create recurring monthly revenue for not that much extra work. But there’s a drawback: you’re still dependent on Instagram. That’s why some of the best ways to make money on Instagram include methods other than the platform’s own monetization tools — think brand partnerships, or even promoting and selling your digital products.
Follow The Leap on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more monetization tips for creators. We also make a newsletter.
Further reading
- How To Make Money on Instagram: 6 Ways To Start Earning
- Instagram Money Calculator: Estimate How Much You Can Earn as an Influencer
- Instagram Broadcast Channel: How To Create One To Engage With Your Followers
- Instagram Is Testing a New Way to Pay Creators With “Ads on Reels”
- TikTok vs. YouTube Shorts vs. Instagram Reels: Which Platform Makes You Money?
- 12 of the Best Ways To Make Money Online as a Creator
