How to Make Money on Instagram in India as a Influencer in 2025

Instagram has become one of the most trending social media platforms among all age groups, especially the youth. This has made it a crowded place for influencers but also full of opportunities. As an influencer, you are not only a social media personality but also a brand and a business. Instagram can become a full-time source of income for you if you know how to do it right.

Here are 11 ways influencers in India can make money on Instagram. 

💰 Get Paid for Sponsored Posts

The most common way to monetize your Instagram is through sponsored posts. Brands pay influencers to promote their products or services through Instagram posts. Depending on your reach, engagement, and following, you can charge a hefty amount for a single post!

Unless you are already a famous personality, it is unlikely that brands will approach you directly to pay you for sponsored posts. 

To attract brands and get paid for sponsored posts, you need to build your profile into a strong brand yourself. Here’s how to do that!

• Identify your niche
• Identify your ideal audience
• Use a Business account
• Post regularly
• Be authentic
• Engage with your audience
• Create high-quality and appealing content
• Use relevant hashtags
• Collaborate with other influencers
• Promote your Instagram on other platforms
• Monitor your performance metrics

You can also join influencer marketing platforms like Plaqad, YoFluencer, or Zapbuild to get connected with brands looking for influencers.

📸 Sell Your Own Photography

Many Instagram influencers are skilled photographers. If you have a flair for clicking stunning pictures, you can sell them on Instagram for a good price.

There are two ways you can sell your photography on Instagram:

• Sell prints – Print your most stunning pieces and post them on your feed. Mention in the captions that they are for sale. Use the link in your bio to direct customers to a site where they can buy them. You can use PayPal or Square to take payments.
• Sell digital downloads – Many buyers today are looking for digital downloads of photography that they can use on their websites, blogs, or for social media. Use a digital store platform like Etsy or Sellfy to sell your images as digital files. 

🚀 Sell Your Own Products

Instagram serves as an excellent platform for brands to showcase their products and services to their target audience. If you have your own brand, you can use Instagram to promote your own products and services for free!

• Use high-quality pictures and videos
• Use Instagram Stories to promote your product
• Use Instagram Shoppable Posts
• Collaborate with other influencers
• Run paid ads 

🤝 Become an Affiliate Marketer

You can promote other brands’ products and earn a commission for every sale you make. This is a great way to earn passive income as you can promote multiple brands and products at the same time.

Brands will give you a special link or promo code. You can use this link or code in your posts, stories, or bio. When someone uses your link or code to purchase the product, you earn a commission.

Affiliate marketing can be done by anyone, even if you don’t have a large following or engagement on your account. But having a considerable following will help you earn money much faster. 

To get started with affiliate marketing on Instagram, you need to join affiliate programs and networks. Here are some of the top affiliate programs for Instagram influencers:

• Amazon Associates
• ShareASale
• ClickBank
• Rakuten
• CJ Affiliate
• FlexOffers
• AWIN

💵 Sell Sponsored Stories

Instagram Stories only last for 24 hours, but that doesn’t mean they are less effective than regular posts. Stories have an average engagement rate of 4-5% compared to the 1-3% engagement rate of posts.

This makes Instagram Stories a great way for influencers to make money. Sponsored posts may have a lasting impact, but sponsored stories can drive immediate traffic to brands’ websites and products. 

Brands will pay you to create stories about their products or services. You can share your honest opinion about the products and services in the stories or just promote them.

Here’s how you can sell Instagram stories to brands:

• Post high-quality content on your feed and stories
• Be authentic and provide real value
• Use relevant hashtags
• Use the link sticker in your stories
• Join influencer marketing platforms
• Promote your Instagram on other platforms
• Use a Business profile

📢 Promote Brands on IGTV

Instagram’s IGTV feature allows users to share longer videos than regular posts. IGTV videos can be as long as 10 minutes for most users and up to 60 minutes for large accounts. This makes it a powerful marketing tool for influencers.

You can earn money on IGTV by doing sponsored videos. Just like sponsored posts and stories, brands will pay you to promote their products and services through your IGTV videos.

Here are some tips for creating sponsored IGTV content:

• Create a strong hook
• Share your honest opinion
• Use professional video editing software
• Add text overlays
• Add a call to action
• Promote your video on your feed and stories

🗣️ Get Paid to Go Live

Instagram allows users to broadcast live videos for up to 4 hours. You can engage your audience in real time and promote brands at the same time.

Instagram Live is a great way to connect with your audience and sell products or services. You can answer questions, share tips and tricks, or show behind-the-scenes footage. You can also collaborate with other influencers or brands.

How do you get paid to go live? Instagram users can send you gifts during the live stream. These gifts can be purchased through coins, which users can buy with real money. You will get a share of the revenue from the gifts.

💎 Become a Brand Ambassador

Becoming a brand ambassador can be a lucrative way for influencers to earn money. Unlike sponsored posts and stories, brand ambassadorships are long-term partnerships between influencers and brands.

Brand ambassadors promote a brand’s products or services for a specific period of time. The ambassador may be required to create a certain number of posts or stories per month. They may also be required to share the brand’s content and promote it on other platforms.

The income you can make as a brand ambassador largely depends on the brand and your existing following and engagement. Some brands may pay a flat fee while others may pay a commission for every sale you make.

Here’s how you can become a brand ambassador on Instagram:

• Build a strong following
• Create high-quality content
• Engage with your audience
• Use relevant hashtags
• Collaborate with other influencers
• Reach out to brands
• Join influencer networks

💡 Use Instagram Shopping

Instagram allows businesses to sell products directly through their platform. Influencers can use this feature to sell products without having to leave Instagram.

Brands will tag their products in your posts or stories. You can earn commission when someone makes a purchase using your post or story. 

Here’s how to set up Instagram shopping for your account:

• Switch to a business account
• Connect to a Facebook catalog
• Set up Instagram shopping
• Tag products in your posts and stories

📊 Run Contests or Giveaways

Contests and giveaways are fun ways to engage with your audience and promote brands at the same time. You can collaborate with other influencers or brands to run contests or giveaways.

Brands will often sponsor giveaways by providing their products as prizes. Brands may also pay you to run the contest or giveaway.

Here’s how to run a successful contest or giveaway on Instagram:

• Set clear rules
• Use high-quality images and videos
• Promote it on your feed and stories
• Use relevant hashtags
• Collaborate with others
• Engage with your audience
• Choose the right winner

Conclusion

Instagram is a great platform for influencers to monetize their accounts. By following the strategies outlined above, influencers can make a significant income from their Instagram accounts.