Affiliate programs for Instagram come in three kinds: Instagram's own affiliate partnerships, creator platforms such as LTK, ShopMy and Later, and retailer or network programs such as Amazon, Walmart, Target and Awin. Entry bars range from none stated to 5,000 followers. Everything here comes from each program's own pages, read on 15 October 2026.
Programs change their pages without notice, so treat the date as a stamp, not a promise. Where a program publishes no rate or no rule, this page says so and quotes none.
What kinds of affiliate programs can you join from Instagram?
You can join Instagram's own tool, a creator platform that gives you a shop page and links to many retailers, or a retailer or network program. This table holds only what each program says on its own pages:
| Program | Who can join, as stated | Rate it publishes |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram affiliate partnerships | 18 or older, public professional account, more than 1,000 followers, supported market | None. The partner sets it |
| Amazon Associates | A qualifying website or mobile app | By product category, from 10% down to 1%, and 0% on gift cards |
| Amazon Influencer Program | A YouTube, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok account, with a business account on Instagram. No minimum named | Based on the products sold |
| LTK | Apply. UK pages ask for 5,000 followers outside the US and Canada. The US page names no number | Set by each retailer. UK pages say usually 10% to 25%, up to 30% |
| ShopMy | Apply. Usually 1,000 or more followers, judged case by case | Usually 10% to 30%, set by the retailer |
| Later (formerly Mavely) | Anyone with an active social media presence, for affiliate links | None found |
| Walmart Creator | 18 or older, US resident, Walmart.com or SamsClub.com account | Behind login |
| Target Partners | A family-friendly website or creator network with mainly US viewers | None found on today's pages |
| Awin | Apply, then join each brand's program | Set by each brand |
Which are the best affiliate programs for Instagram?
The best program is the one that accepts you now, pays on products your followers already buy and allows the way you share the link. Check the entry rule, the products and what its link rules say about messages.
Instagram's affiliate partnerships
Instagram's Help Center says affiliate partnerships let eligible creators add a partner's product links to reels and feed posts. You need to be 18 or older, with a public professional account, more than 1,000 followers and a place in a supported market, and the rollout is gradual. The partner pays, and Meta does not process payments. Find it under Professional dashboard, then Affiliate programs. An Instagram for Creators post of 24 March 2026 said Amazon and Shopee opportunities were coming next.
Amazon Associates and the Amazon Influencer Program
Amazon runs two doors. Associates is for people with a qualifying website or mobile app, and Amazon's page sends influencers with an established social following to the Influencer Program. The Influencer Program accepts YouTube, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok accounts, asks for a business account if you apply with Instagram, and names no follower minimum. Amazon's Commission Income Statement fixes rates by category, from 10% on Luxury Beauty to 1% on Grocery and 0% on gift cards, paid about 60 days after the end of the month earned. More in Influencer Program requirements.
LTK
LTK is an application platform where you build a shop page and tag products from retailers. Its UK pages ask for at least 5,000 followers outside the US and Canada, while its US launch page lists a public profile, consistent original content and an engaged, growing audience, with no number. Retailers set the commission, and the UK page says the average runs from 10% to 25% and can reach 30%. LTK announced weekly payouts on 20 August 2024 and says you can launch your LTK for free. See how much LTK creators make and ShopMy vs LTK.
ShopMy
ShopMy is invite based: you apply to its creator waitlist. Its guide says accounts usually need at least 1,000 followers, reviews take about 3 to 5 business days, and a rejected applicant can reapply after 90 days. Commission usually runs from 10% to 30%, by retailer. ShopMy pays weekly on Fridays once $11 sits under Next Payment, after a sale has been pending for 30 to 120 days. More in what ShopMy is and how it pays.
Later, formerly Mavely
Later's creator page says anyone with an active social media presence can join for affiliate sales, with no follower minimum and no cost, while brand campaigns usually go to creators with 5,000 or more engaged followers. Later says Mavely has operated as Later since 1 September 2026, with links, commissions and the payout schedule unchanged, and payouts on the 1st and 15th. Mavely's help center sat behind a security check that blocked our reader. See what Mavely is now.
Walmart Creator
Walmart's terms, last updated September 2026, ask for age 18 or older, US residence and an active Walmart.com or SamsClub.com account, and name no follower minimum. Walmart accepts or rejects each application at its own discretion and pays through Impact. Rates sit in Payout Terms behind login, so none is quoted, though a banner on creator.walmart.com on 15 October 2026 advertised elevated 15% rates on Walmart Fashion for a limited time. See the Walmart Creator program.
Target Partners
Target Partners runs through Impact. Target's FAQ says any website owner, blogger or creator network with a family-friendly website and mainly US viewership can apply, joining is free, and a click earns credit for 7 days, with the last click winning. Target's two other routes are in the Target creator program.
Awin, impact.com and CJ
Networks give you one account, then you join brands' programs. Awin's creator page says you can share links in blogs, social posts, videos and newsletters, and its US guide says brands do not always approve automatically. Awin's own pages disagree on the cost of joining: the US pricing page says no setup fees, while its US guide and UK compliance page describe a refundable sign-up deposit of $5 and £5. impact.com says you apply to brands from their product pages, and CJ says you join programs with one click and are paid twice a month. Brands set their own rates and link rules.
Which affiliate programs for Instagram influencers ask for a following?
Only some programs name a number. Instagram's tool asks for more than 1,000 followers, ShopMy's guide says usually 1,000, LTK's UK pages say 5,000 outside the US and Canada, and Later wants 5,000 or more for brand campaigns but not for affiliate links. Walmart, Target, Amazon's Influencer Program and Awin name none on the pages we read, but each can still say no.
What is the easiest start in affiliate marketing for Instagram beginners?
Start with one program whose own pages name no follower minimum, read its link rules, then add a second once the first is running. In order:
- Switch to a public professional account. Instagram's tool needs one, and Amazon's Influencer Program asks for a business account when you apply with Instagram.
- Pick one program that sells what your audience asks about. Later for affiliate links, Target Partners if you sell to a US audience, Walmart Creator if you also live in the US, or Amazon if your followers shop there.
- Label every post and share the link where people can tap. A profile holds up to five links, a Story takes a link sticker and a reel takes a product tag. How Instagram affiliate marketing works covers the steps.
Can you send these programs' links by DM?
Check each program's own link rules first, because some restrict redirects. As read on 15 October 2026:
- Amazon. Its Program Policies allow links in direct messages only when the person asked for the message, and pay nothing on a purchase that arrives through a redirecting link. See Amazon affiliate links on Instagram.
- Target. Its terms say links may not be manipulated, including by redirecting them to hide or manipulate their original source.
- Walmart. Its terms require links to go directly and exclusively to Walmart, and bar using its links in email messages, text messages or any other non-verbal communication sent without physical mail, unless Walmart gives written permission in advance. A direct message could fall under that wording, so ask first.
- ShopMy. Its guide suggests a keyword trigger so a commenter gets the link by DM, and does not address links a tool rewrites.
- LTK. It offers its own free DM tool, and we found no public copy of its creator agreement.
- Later, Awin, impact.com and CJ. Unread, or set brand by brand.
inDM rewrites every link it delivers through its own address to count taps, so ask the program before you build a comment-to-DM flow around its links. Tracking clicks on DM links explains the redirect.
Do you have to label affiliate links?
Yes, on Instagram. The Help Center lists a post with an affiliate product link among the cases that need the paid partnership label, and says a post promoting your own products does not. The US Federal Trade Commission's guidance says "paid link" right next to an affiliate link should be an adequate disclosure, and that "commissionable link" is probably not clear.
Where this stops working
- No earnings. No program publishes a typical creator income, so this page quotes no income, no average and no earnings by tier.
- Rates are ranges. Retailers and brands set them and can change them.
- Some pages stayed closed. Walmart's Payout Terms, LTK's payment help and Mavely's help center sit behind a login or a security check, so their figures are missing.
- Awin's costs. Its pages disagree, so confirm at sign-up.
- US focus. Walmart and Target aim at US shoppers, and the disclosure guidance is the FTC's. We read no other country's rules.
Pick one program whose entry rule you meet today, read its link rules, and put one labelled link where the people already asking can tap it.
Sources, all read on 15 October 2026: Instagram's Help Center and Instagram for Creators, Amazon Associates Central, LTK's company and newsroom pages, the ShopMy Creator Guide, Later, Walmart Creator's terms, Target Partners' FAQ and terms, Awin, impact.com, CJ and the FTC.