You can possibly start to make money if you have 1000 followers on Instagram – particularly if you are a nano-influencer, who typically makes posts on some highly niche topic. The key to making money with relatively small followings on Instagram is engagement. Brands realize that somebody with 1000 highly engaged followers is no more value to them than somebody with 10,000 inactive followers or 100,000 fake followers. You can still operate in a popular niche, such as beauty, but initially focus on one narrow topic.