Some links here are affiliate or referral links. I may earn a commission if you buy or sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Facebook and Instagram can pay some creators. The bars are higher than a disclosed blog link, and several of the programs are invite-only. The steps below are the official setup I read on October 27, 2026, not a report of what I've earned. If a number isn't on the official page, I don't guess it.
Want the map first? Read How to start affiliate marketing in 2026.
In this article
- Professional mode on Facebook, and a professional account on Instagram.
- The two different links between a Page and Instagram.
- Content Monetization, Stars, subscriptions, and Reels, with the numbers the help pages print.
- The affiliate route that does not wait for an invite.
1. Give Facebook a professional presence
You need a public Page, or a personal profile with professional mode turned on. Professional mode adds creator tools to the profile you already have. It does not make a second profile. (Meta Help, checked Oct 27, 2026)
Turn it on like this. (Meta Help, checked Oct 27, 2026)
- Go to your Facebook profile.
- Below the profile header, click or tap Options on the right.
- Click or tap Turn on pro mode.
- Confirm with Turn on, and finish the prompts.
Anyone can follow the profile. Friends-only posts stay available. You stay limited to 5,000 friends, and public followers are unlimited. People under 18 are not eligible for monetization.
Meta Business Suite is not compatible with professional mode. Use the Professional dashboard for the profile. Use Business Suite for a Page.
2. Switch Instagram to a professional account
A creator account fits public figures, artists, and influencers. A business account fits shops, brands, and service providers. Either one opens the professional dashboard. If the account is private, switching makes it public, and pending follow requests are accepted. You can switch back later, but a connected Facebook Page disconnects when you return to a personal account. (Meta Help, checked Oct 27, 2026)
In the Instagram app:
- Tap your profile.
- Tap More, then Settings and activity.
- Under For professionals, tap Account type and tools.
- Tap Switch to professional account.
- Pick a category. The category does not decide creator versus business.
- Choose Creator or Business, then tap Next.
You can skip the contact-info step. Connecting a Facebook Page in that same flow is optional. On instagram.com the path is More, Settings, Account type and tools, Switch to professional account.
3. Link the Page and the Instagram account
These are two different connections. Do both if you want scheduling and cross-posting to work.
| Connection | What it does | What I read |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts Center | The login link. Facebook and Instagram share settings. You can add only one Facebook account. | From Instagram: More, Settings, Accounts Center, Accounts, Add accounts. (Instagram Help and Meta Help, checked Oct 27, 2026) |
| Page connection | The business-asset link. Cross-posting, shared insights, and Instagram's business tools. | You need a professional Instagram account and full control of the Page. The Instagram account sits in the same business portfolio as the Page, and an Instagram account can be in only one portfolio at a time. (Meta Help, checked Oct 27, 2026) |
After you connect them, anyone with access to either asset can manage both. Instagram posts share to that Page only, not to a different Page or to a profile.
In the Instagram app:
- Tap your profile, then Edit profile.
- On a business account, scroll to Public business information. On a creator account, scroll to Profile information.
- Tap Page, then Connect or create.
- Tap Continue, then Login to Facebook.
- Choose the Page and tap Connect, or create a new Page.
Meta Business Suite is then the free place to schedule the Page and the linked Instagram account. The professional-mode profile still uses its own dashboard.
4. Facebook Content Monetization
This program pays for eligible public reels, photos, Stories, and text posts. It is invite-only. You cannot apply. An interest form on the help pages is not an application and does not guarantee an invite. I could not copy a stable public URL for that form on October 27, 2026. Use the link on Meta's own article. (Meta Help and ad controls, checked Oct 27, 2026)
Invites come from the Facebook app, email, Meta Business Suite, or the Professional dashboard. An approved agency in the Creator Fast Track program can also invite you. Ignore "monetization invites" in Messenger or from links outside those channels.
| Rule I read | The number or the date |
|---|---|
| In-stream ads, ads on reels, and the Performance Bonus | Ended August 31, 2025 |
| In-stream ads for Live | End June 15, 2026. Eligible creators on Live ads can still earn inside Content Monetization. |
| Reels | At least 10 seconds |
| Stories | At least 5 seconds. Watch time under 5 seconds does not qualify. Reshares of existing posts into Stories are not eligible. |
| Follower minimum | Not printed on the page I read. I am not filling one in. |
| Established presence | At least 30 days, on the Partner Monetization Policies page |
| Age | People under 18 are ineligible |
Boosted posts, permanently deleted posts, posts with ads turned off, and posts that chase fake engagement are ineligible. Pay is based on qualified views and watch time, as Meta determines them. Payout details have to be filled in.
The country list is its own article. The en-gb version I opened lists the United States and English. Reels in more than one language may not qualify. People in the EU, the EEA, and Switzerland can have extra limits if the Accounts Center has a no-ads or less-personalized-ads subscription. (Country list, checked Oct 27, 2026)
On a phone: Professional dashboard, Monetize, Content monetization, Get Started. On a computer: Meta Business Suite, Monetization, Content monetization, Sign up. Turn professional mode on first if you are using a profile. Ads are on by default. Turning them off means you don't earn while they're off.
Partner Monetization Policies used to be called Monetization Eligibility Standards. They apply to Pages, professional-mode profiles, events, and groups. A normal profile is not eligible. (Meta Help, checked Oct 27, 2026)
- Content has to be public, on an eligible surface, in a country where that product exists.
- You can monetize content you created, helped create, or appear in. A plain repost, without commentary, parody, or creative editing, cannot.
- Buying followers, views, or likes can cost you monetization.
- That policy page still mentions a follower base and a minimum number of videos for in-stream ads, and it does not print those minimums.
- Current officials, candidates, parties, committees, and government agencies are ineligible.
5. Stars, subscriptions, and Reels
These sit beside Content Monetization. They are not the same switch.
| Tool | What the help page requires | Where I turn it on |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Stars | Community Standards, Partner Monetization Policies, Content Monetization Policies, 500 followers for at least 30 consecutive days, an eligible country, the Stars terms, and age 18 or older. No per-Star dollar amount on that page. | Professional dashboard, Monetize, Set up under Stars, on a phone. Desktop says Stars is being introduced gradually. (Eligibility, mobile, desktop, checked Oct 27, 2026) |
| Facebook subscriptions | Invite-only. Not fully available for professional-mode profiles. Add a payout account within six months. | Meta Business Suite, the Page, Monetization, Overview, View page eligibility. (Meta Help, checked Oct 27, 2026) |
| Reels pay | The old ads-on-reels program ended August 31, 2025. A public reel can still earn inside Content Monetization when you are invited and the reel is at least 10 seconds. | Professional dashboard, Monetization. Ready to set up means you can start. (Meta Help, checked Oct 27, 2026) |
You can turn Stars on before the payment account is finished. You are not paid until it is. Stars on photo and text posts may not be available yet. Wait for the subscriptions notification before you treat the feature as live.
6. Instagram's own tools
What you see depends on account type, region, and eligibility. If a tool is missing, the help pages say it may not be available to you yet.
| Tool | Number on the help page | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gifts on reels | $0.01 USD per Star, paid monthly. At least 500 followers. Age 18 or older. | Facebook Stars are a different product. You cannot spend a Facebook Stars balance on Instagram gifts. (Instagram Help, checked Oct 27, 2026) |
| Subscriptions | At least 10,000 followers. Age 18 or older. | If Professional dashboard does not show Set up subscriptions, it is not being offered. (Instagram Help, checked Oct 27, 2026) |
| Product tags | Up to 30 products on a reel. Up to 20 on a feed post. | The link has to be one physical item in a business's commerce catalog, not a collection. (Instagram Help, checked Oct 27, 2026) |
| Creator Marketplace | At least 1,000 followers. Age 18 or older. A public professional account. | Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Russia are excluded. (Eligibility and how to join, checked Oct 27, 2026) |
Gifts and subscriptions also require the partner, community, and content-monetization policies, plus that tool's terms and a payout account. Without the payout account you can see a gift and you cannot be paid for it. Accounts focused on children are not eligible. The United States is on both country lists I read. Gift insights sit under Professional dashboard, Your tools, Gifts.
Branded content is a post where a brand compensated you, including a gifted product. Tag the business partner when there is an exchange of value. People then see "Paid partnership with [partner]." An affiliate link should use that label, and it does not need a partner tagged. Partnership ads, where the brand boosts the post, are a separate switch. (Instagram Help and the label, checked Oct 27, 2026)
7. The affiliate route without an invite
Platform payout programs can take a long time. A disclosed link works before an invite arrives.
On Instagram, the profile can hold up to five website links. Tap your profile, Edit profile, Links, Add link, then Done. You can reorder them from Options. (Instagram Help, checked Oct 27, 2026)
Put the blog post there. If the post or the bio destination is an affiliate recommendation:
- Start the caption with #ad.
- Use Instagram's Paid partnership label. Meta says an affiliate link should have the label, and it does not require a tagged business partner.
- Keep the product link as a product page from that program's own tool. No shortener. The social caption still needs its own disclosure. I don't put Amazon links in email or DMs.
Instagram's own Links field already holds five URLs, so I'm not adding a separate link-in-bio tool. Meta Business Suite schedules the Page and the linked Instagram account for free. Buffer, Vista Social, and Canva stay plain text. I don't have a tracking URL I'm willing to paste for them.
Want YouTube's thresholds? Read YouTube monetization setup.
Want the disclosure words? Read Disclosure rules when you post.
Before you tap Get Started
- You are an admin of the Page, and Instagram is a professional account linked both ways.
- You are 18 or older. The invite, if you need one, arrived inside the app, email, Business Suite, or the Professional dashboard.
- Reels are at least 10 seconds. Stories are at least 5 seconds. Payout details are filled in.
- The caption starts with #ad when the post has an affiliate link, and the paid partnership label is on.
- You did not type a product price or a star rating into the caption.
YouTube and TikTok Shop use different thresholds. I keep those on their own pages.
Want the stalls I can point at? Read Warnings: what I ran into.