Are you curious about how to make money on Instagram without showing your face?
Believe it or not, it can be done, and you don’t have to have a massive Instagram following in order to do it either.
In fact, data shows that “nano-influencers” with fewer than 5,000 followers have the highest engagement rates (translation – they can make the most money, too).
If you’re looking for ideas to make money on Instagram without showing your face, keep reading!
Can You Make Money on Instagram Without Showing Your Face?
There are a few different ways you can make money on Instagram anonymously. In most cases, you’ll have to choose from one of two different options.
The first option is to have an Instagram account with content that centers around you, the influencer, but without showing your face.
It takes some clever photography and some highly captivating content – but it can be done.
Real Life Example 1
Polish Instagram star Natalia Gutkiewicz is one example of this kind of success story.
She’s only made about 443 posts in the three years she’s been on Instagram – yet has more than 101,000 followers and has made a decent living as a result!
In some posts, you can see one of her eyes or the back of her head – but if you follow Gutkiewicz on Instagram, chances are you’d never be able to pick her out of a crowd in real life.
She’s mastered the art of stealth selfies – and the allure of her mysterious profile is enough to attract hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Plus, photography is a well known high income skill, so she’s developed that skillset as well.
Another option?
Real Life Example 2
You can create a niche-based Instagram account that’s less about you and more about a specific content area, like travel.
We Are Wilderness is a safari company that solely posts content related to African safaris.
It amassed 110,000 followers and the influencer never has to show his or her face – the content is focused solely on the brand, not the individual – it’s another clever way of making money without getting too up-close-and-personal.
8 Ways to Make Money on Instagram Without Showing Your Face
There are a few ways you can make money on Instagram – as well as other types of social media platforms – without having to reveal your true identity.
Having a specific niche can help, since you can directly connect your platform to a product category (like travel, fashion, fitness, or food).
It’s also important to note that having a lot of followers is important but having quality followers is even more important. You need engaged fans if you really want to make an impact!
Here are some ideas for making money on Instagram without showing your face – consider leveraging a few to take your earnings to the next level, because social media can be an amazing second job.
8. Make Instagram Stories, Filters, and Masks
When Instagram first came on the scene, it was all about letting one or two basic images tell a story.
Once Snapchat began to overtake Instagram in its popularity and mass appeal, that quickly changed.
Now, Instagram offers Instagram Stories, a format that has been massively attractive to Instagram users of all types and ages.
More than 500 million users create or view Stories daily, making this a major way to gain some traction and make money on the platform.
With Stories, content is only available for a limited period of time. It has the potential to engage people quickly – and also makes it a good opportunity for popular brands to hook their target audience.
You can certainly create your own Instagram stories but an even better way to make money (especially if you don’t want to show your face) is to create masks and filters.
These can prove your niche expertise and help you promote your own product – or you can sell these creations to companies who don’t have their own in-house designers to do so.
In fact, one couple has earned more than $3,500 per month to fund their traveling lifestyle simply by selling gorgeous filters!
Earning Potential: Varies but up to $3500 per month
7. Publish Sponsored Posts
Again, this is a good option if you find yourself working within a very specific niche on Instagram.
Most people trust word-of-mouth recommendations more than anything else, so if you have a large following in your niche, you may be able to convince them to trust your content and give the brands you’re promoting a try.
How does it work? Essentially, you put an organic post up on your page that has some sort of pitch for a brand, service, or product embedded into it. Then you get paid!
But keep in mind, this is just one way how influencers earn money.
Depending on your niche, following, and the success of your post, you can expect to earn up to $350 per post, on average.
Earning Potential: $350 per post
6. Sell Physical Products
One option you can pursue is to sell physical products on Instagram.
In the past, this platform was really meant to share images and enticing captions – nothing more and nothing less. Now, it has evolved into an effective sales platform.
You can use Instagram to find and purchase products – so there are all kinds of features built into the platform like a store button, in-app checkout, product tags, and even shoppable stickers.
All kinds of big brand names, like Michael Kors, already use Instagram to increase sales. You don’t have to be a name that big or even partnered with a brand that big in order to make money.
Consider selling your own products (either physical or digital) on this platform to make some money without having to show your face.
5. Social Media Marketing
Instagram clearly has excellent sales potential – so why not take advantage of that?
If you want to make money on Instagram but don’t necessarily have an interest in managing your own account, then you may want to reach out to other brands to see if they want to hire you.
This is a good option if you consider yourself to be an expert of all things Instagram – the more you know about how to navigate this platform, the better.
In fact, this is a great way to build a marketing portfolio which is a key for how to get a job in marketing.
The average social media marketer can make more than $55,000 per year but if you work on a freelance basis, your potential earnings are capped only by how much you want to work!
Earning Potential: $4,609 per month
4. Become an Instagram Ads Manager
One more way you can make money on Instagram is by becoming an ads manager. It’s similar to social media marketing but more specific.
Your job will be to create business ads that can help companies sell products or draw interest to their brands.
You may have to pitch individual companies to get hired but trust us, it’s worth the extra effort. The earning potential is comparable to what you’d get as a social media marketer.
Earning Potential: $4,609 per month
3. Dropshipping
Dropshipping sounds complicated but it’s actually quite simple – and it’s a great way to monetize your Instagram account. Due to the low barrier to entry, it’s even a way teenagers make money.
This is when, instead of storing products in a warehouse, you store them with a supplier and then purchase them to sell on Instagram.
You’ll set up an account with various suppliers and find out what they offer so you can research the ones that work best for Instagram.
Then, you’ll promote the product by creating videos, stories, and posts (or even ads) that attract interest.
Earning Potential: potentially thousands per month
2. Caption Writing
Another way you can make money on Instagram without having to reveal who you are – or even have your own Instagram account – is by writing captions for big businesses.
Brands of all sizes need to use Instagram to promote their products and services, yet few have the skills or willingness to sit down and write captivating captions for their posts. That’s where you come in!
92% of small companies plan on investing more in their social media marketing efforts next year – so take advantage of these plans if you can.
Some big brands have in-house content writers to tackle their social media marketing for them, but smaller ones often turn to freelancers to lower their social media expenses.
If you’re a writer with decent skills and a great imagination, this could be the perfect fit for you.
Some writers claim to earn $6000 a day writing Instagram captions – but a more realistic figure is around $10,000 per month. Still, not too shabby!
Earning Potential: $10,000 per month
1. Promoting Affiliate Links
Affiliate marketing is one of the most common ways people make money on Instagram. While the vast majority of influencers will do this by promoting those products with their personal brand – in other words, their faces!
You don’t have to show your face if you have the right kind of following in the right kind of niche.
Affiliate links can make big money – and the theory is simple. When someone clicks on the link you’ve shared, you’ll get a small percentage of the sale, like a commission.
Just make sure you take the time to research the products you’re promoting and that you actually support them – otherwise, you risk losing the trust of your audience.
Earning Potential: $12,892 per month
Wrapping Up
Now that you know how to make money on Instagram without showing your face, it’s time to start earning.
Consider one of the options in this post to start boosting your earnings – no filter needed.
Rebekah is a writer who covers all things education, business, agriculture, and finance. She owns a small farm business in upstate New York. Her educational credentials include a bachelor's degree in English from St. Lawrence University and a master's in special education from SUNY Plattsburgh.
