You post. People comment, save, share and slide into your DMs with questions. They clearly love what you make, so why is it so hard to make money on Instagram without brand deals?
And yet the only time Instagram actually pays your bills is when a brand says yes. Which might be this month. Or not for a while. (The waiting is its own special kind of exhausting.)
Here’s the good news: the hardest part is already done. People trust you. Now we just give that trust somewhere to go.
Short answer: To make money on Instagram without brand deals, sell something of your own to the people who already trust you: a small digital product, a live workshop, a service or coaching. Start with the one thing your followers ask you about most, sell it through a link you control, and grow an email list so a post’s reach never decides your sales.
Can you really make money on Instagram without brand deals?
Yes. Brand deals are only one way to earn from an audience, and they’re the one you control least. Selling your own offers puts the price, the timing and the terms back in your hands.
I found my first five clients by cold-emailing businesses out of the phone book. I had exactly zero followers. What I had was a clear offer and a real person on the other end of the message. That’s still the whole game. Followers help, but trust plus a clear offer is what makes money.
When brand deals come in, wonderful. Think of them as the bonus. Your own offers are the paycheck.
What can I sell on Instagram if I’m not getting brand deals?
Sell whatever your followers already come to you for, packaged so they can buy it. Most creators have more product ideas sitting in their inbox than they realize.
Here’s what that can look like, from easiest to start to most hands-on:
- A small digital product. A guide, template, checklist, preset pack, meal plan or printable. Make it once, sell it again and again.
- A live workshop. A 60 to 90 minute online session on one specific thing. It’s a lovely first offer because you can teach it before you build anything permanent.
- A bigger program. A course, membership or community for the people who want to go deeper with you.
- Your time. Coaching, consulting, styling, editing or done-for-you services, for the people who want you personally.
- Affiliate links for things you genuinely use. Small, steady and honest, as long as you’d recommend the thing anyway.
If you want to see how all of these fit together over time, my guide to influencer income streams lays out the full picture, including how much of your income should come from any one source.
How do I figure out what my followers would actually buy?
Look at what they’ve already asked you. I call it The Asked-Twice Rule: if two different people have asked you the same question, you’re looking at an offer.
Your followers have been doing your market research for free. Here’s how to use it:
- Collect the questions. Scroll back through 90 days of DMs, comments and story replies. Copy every question into one note.
- Group them. Put similar questions together. “What lens do you use?” and “How do you edit your photos?” are the same topic.
- Find the repeats. Circle every topic that came up two or more times. Those are your candidates.
- Pick the one you answer the same way every time. If you’ve typed the answer more than a few times, you already know what goes in the product.
- Package it small. Turn that answer into one guide, one workshop or one template you could finish in a weekend.
- Ask before you build too much. Post a story poll (“Would a step-by-step guide to this help you?”) and watch the replies.
How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram without brand deals?
Fewer than you’d think. A small audience that trusts you and wants what you’re offering can out-earn a big audience that just scrolls past.
Brands often care about follower counts. Buyers care about whether you can solve their problem. That’s why your own offers can work long before brands notice you.
A worked example
Let’s say you’re a plant care creator named Priya, with 9,000 Instagram followers. (Made-up numbers, just to show how this can add up.) Brand deals have been sporadic: a couple of small ones this year, then nothing for months.
Priya uses The Asked-Twice Rule and finds the same three questions over and over: Why are my leaves turning yellow? When should I repot? How do I keep plants alive in winter?
So she creates two offers:
| Offer | Price | A month might look like | Income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter plant care guide | $19 | 40 sales | $760 |
| Live online repotting workshop | $45 | 12 seats | $540 |
| Affiliate links (her favorite soil and pots) | $180 | ||
| Total | $1,480 |
That’s $1,480 in a month without a single brand saying yes, from offers Priya owns and can sell again next season. And when a brand deal does show up? It’s extra.
Not sure what to charge for yours? The Profit Calculator helps you price with your real costs and time in mind.
How do I sell on Instagram without feeling pushy?
Show the work, invite people in and make buying easy. Selling feels pushy when it’s out of nowhere. It feels helpful when people have watched you solve the exact problem your offer solves.
- Teach in public. Share real tips from your offer in posts and stories. Generosity builds the trust that sells.
- Show behind the scenes. Let people see you making the guide or setting up the workshop. Curiosity is a lovely thing.
- Say it plainly. “My winter plant guide is in my bio” is not pushy. It’s information.
- Make one link do the work. Your bio link should go to a page you control, ideally on your own website, with your offers and your free resource in one place.
- Answer the question with the offer. When someone DMs a question your product answers, help them, then mention it kindly.
Should I use Instagram’s built-in earning features?
Use them if you’re eligible and they suit you, but don’t build your whole income on them. Instagram’s own features, like subscriptions where they’re offered, can be a nice extra. Even Instagram’s guide to earning as a creator suggests trying a mix of ways to earn.
They’re still rented, though. Instagram decides who qualifies, what it costs you and whether the feature stays. The steadiest way to make money on Instagram without brand deals is still your own offers, sold through your own link, because no update can switch them off.
The same goes for your followers. The smartest thing you can sell with is an email list, because it’s yours. A simple free resource in your bio, like a checklist or mini guide, turns followers into subscribers you can reach whenever you like.
Try this today: a 15-minute Asked-Twice audit
- Open your DMs and comments from the last 90 days.
- Write down every question, word for word if you can.
- Circle the repeats. Any topic asked twice or more.
- Pick one you could answer in a short guide or a one-hour workshop.
- Post a story poll this week asking if it would help. The answers will tell you whether to build it.
If you’d like help mapping your offers
The Offer Ladder helps you plan what to sell, from a free resource up to your premium offer, so every step leads naturally to the next. And if you’d love a thinking partner while you turn your audience into a real business, that’s what coaching is for.
Quick answers
Can you make money on Instagram without brand deals?
Yes, you can make money on Instagram without brand deals by selling your own offers: digital products, live workshops, coaching or services, plus affiliate links for things you genuinely use. Your own offers are often steadier than brand deals, because you set the price and timing instead of waiting for a brand to say yes.
How do you make money on Instagram without followers?
You can make money on Instagram without many followers by selling a clear offer to the people you do have. A small audience that trusts you can buy a guide, a workshop or a service long before brands notice you. Focus on solving one specific problem and making it easy to buy through your bio link.
What can I sell on Instagram?
You can sell digital products like guides, templates and presets, live online workshops, courses or memberships, and services like coaching or design. The best first product usually answers a question your followers ask again and again. Start small, sell it through a link you control and build from there.
Can you make money on Instagram without selling anything?
You can make some money on Instagram without selling your own products, through affiliate links, brand deals and Instagram’s built-in features where you’re eligible. Those all depend on someone else’s rules, though. Adding even one small offer of your own makes your Instagram income much steadier and more in your control.
How many followers do you need to sell on Instagram?
There’s no follower minimum to sell your own products on Instagram. Trust matters more than numbers: a few thousand engaged followers who want what you offer can buy a guide or workshop. Brand deals often look at follower counts, but your own offers only need people who have the problem you solve.
Your followers already raised their hands. All you’re doing now is answering them.