Instagrammers know that creating a following can instantly transform their lives. But how much does Instagram pay for 1,000 views? And what counts as a view anyway? Creators have a lot of questions and misconceptions that we’re going to work through in this guide.
But to answer a few questions right from the start:
- Yes, you can get paid for your Instagram views.
- No, you’re not paid in the same way you are on YouTube.
Maximizing your earnings requires patience and commitment. We’ll show you how you can begin earning.
What Counts as a View On Instagram?
Views are talked about a lot online. If you listen to experts on Reddit, they’ll state that any time someone opens a story, it’s a view. In fact, video views also count the moment someone starts the video, according to these sources.
But then there are other sources that state a view only counts after three seconds.
What we’ve found is that:
- Opening a Story leads to an automatic view. You can consider a view for a story as a simple impression.
- Video views seem to count after three seconds of watching a video.
- Replays do count as views, according to Instagram.
A lot of information on replays claims that they don’t count as a view, but they do count as views. Instagram confirms that replays are views, but account reach will not increase for replays. Account reach only counts once, and the user doesn’t need to play the reel for it to count towards your reach.
How Do You Get Paid by Instagram for 1,000 Views?
Nothing. Instagram doesn’t pay you for views directly unless you’re part of the Creator’s Fund, although they do have a few monetization features, such as subscriptions and Instagram Live Badges. But don’t be disheartened by this news because you can still be paid for 1,000 views.
Sponsorships and brands will pay for views, but it’s a bit harder on Instagram because you have to:
- Reach out to brands or sponsors
- Hope brands or sponsors will reach out to you
If you do get into the Creator’s Fund, the earnings have been exceptionally underwhelming. Creators don’t share these earnings often, and it’s because some have 22,000 views and are paid $0.40.
One video with 4 million views earned $110, so it’s a small amount, considering the amount of views creators drive.
Doing the math, this creator was earning less than $0.02 for 1,000 views.
If they were to charge a brand directly based on views, they could have made tons of money in almost any niche.
Calculating What to Charge for 1,000 Views on Instagram
We’re going to give you some basic figures here, but keep in mind that brands focus heavily on engagement. If you have high engagement rates, you can demand more money from views. Video views are paid on a 1,000 basis.
For example, you may be paid $1 for every 1,000 views.
Finance niches can demand higher rates for 1,000 views, but it’s all entirely dependent on:
- Engagement rate
- Industry/niche
- Market rate
And since it’s Instagram, view earnings can be significantly lower. Some micro-influencers charge $50 for 1,000 views. You can raise rates if your engagement is high, but do your own research on your niche to see what the going rate is for your industry.
How to Increase Your Earnings on Instagram
We get it – the base earnings for 1k views on Instagram aren’t very impressive. But there are so many ways you can increase your earnings.
The best way, of course, is to increase your views. But let’s look at some ways you can boost your Instagram income right now, even without more views.
1. Focus on Your Engagement Rate
What’s your current engagement rate look like? Are people liking and sharing your content? If not, then this is a great place to start if you want to increase your earnings.
High engagement rates are valuable to brands. Why? Because this means that you have your audience’s attention. And it also means that you can demand higher rates for sponsored posts.
How can you increase your engagement rate?
- Create content people love
- Make your posts more shareable
- Add CTAs to get people to interact with your posts (e.g. “comment with a if you agree”)
- Buy likes, shoutouts, comments or shares from a reputable growth service
Increasing your engagement rate can go a long way in boosting your Instagram revenue, so make this a primary focus.
2. Post Consistently
Your engagement rate is important, but if you’re not posting consistently, it will mean nothing. Set a posting schedule and stick to it.
Aim to post at least a few days a week, and batch-schedule your content to ensure you’re always sharing something new and fresh with your followers.
3. Join an Affiliate Network
One of the simplest ways to earn more with Instagram is to join an affiliate network. In fact, affiliate marketing is where many influencers make the bulk of their earnings.
Affiliates earn a commission whenever someone makes a purchase using their unique affiliate link. There’s no standard percentage that affiliates earn, but usually, it’s between 5% and 50% of the order value.
There are tons of affiliate networks out there. Amazon is one of the most popular, but many brands offer their own program. We recommend only choosing programs and products that are relevant to your niche. Otherwise, you risk alienating your audience – and you likely won’t make many sales anyway.
4. Create and Sell Products
If you’re not keen on the affiliate route, you can always create and sell your own products. Many influencers have their own merch or digital products that they promote and sell through their Instagram accounts.
We love digital products because you create them once and that’s it. Your product is delivered digitally, so there’s no need to worry about shipping and other logistics hassles.
But again, it’s important to make sure that your products are relevant to your audience. If you’re a gaming Instagrammer, your audience probably won’t be interested in buying an ebook on investing.
Merch is usually a safe option for most Instagrammers, but if you can think outside the box and solve a problem your followers have, you may have an easier time making sales.
5. Offer Consulting and Coaching Services
If you have an in-demand skill, you can offer consulting or coaching services. Many influencers actually offer coaching services to help other Instagrammers become influencers.
You can offer these services for virtually any industry:
- Life coaching
- Fitness coaching
- Financial consulting (make sure your services comply with laws and regulations)
- Real estate investment consulting
- Business coaching
The possibilities are endless. And you don’t need thousands of views to boost your earnings with this strategy.
Final Thoughts
Instagram doesn’t pay creators much for 1k views, and not all creators can earn directly from Instagram. But that doesn’t mean you can’t generate some income from your views. Sponsored posts and the additional income streams listed above can help you maximize your earnings on 1k views on Instagram.
