How to Make Money on Threads

Making money on Threads is already a reality for creators and brands who know how to play by its rules. This text-first platform is more than just a clone, it's a powerful space for building a genuine community and, yes, generating income. This guide walks you through actionable strategies for turning your Threads presence into a revenue stream, from building your foundation to a dozen specific monetization tactics.

First, Build the Foundation: You Can't Monetize an Empty Room

Before a single dollar can be made, you need to build something of value. On social media, that value comes from an engaged community. Don't even think about sponsored posts or affiliate links until you've checked these boxes.

Find Your Niche and Voice

Threads rewards authenticity and conversation. What do you genuinely love talking about? What expertise can you offer? Your niche could be anything from sustainable fashion to solo travel tips, coding for beginners, or gluten-free baking. The key is to be specific. A broad "lifestyle" account gets lost in the noise. An account about "minimalist lifestyle tips for small apartment dwellers" stands out.

Your voice is how you talk about your niche. Are you witty and sarcastic? In-depth and educational? Supportive and encouraging? Threads is less about curated visuals and more about personality. Let yours shine through in your text.

Create High-Value, Threads-First Content

What works on Instagram Reels or TikTok doesn't always translate to Threads. The platform's algorithm favors conversation and text. Focus on creating content that sparks discussion.

• Ask questions: End your threads with a question to encourage replies.
• Share opinions: Plant a flag and state a (respectful) opinion about your niche. People love to agree or disagree.
• Tell stories: Use a thread to walk people through a short, compelling story.
• Provide quick tips or "hacks": Offer bite-sized, useful information your audience can apply immediately.
• Use visuals to enhance text: While text is king, a well-placed image, GIF, or short video can add context or humor and make your thread stand out.

Focus on Engagement, Not Just Followers

A brand would much rather pay an account with 2,000 hyper-engaged followers than an account with 50,000 silent ones. Engagement is your currency. Spend time in the trenches, replying to comments on your posts and contributing to conversations on other accounts in your niche. A healthy reply-to-like ratio is a strong signal that you have a real community, not just a list of followers.

Direct Monetization: How to Earn Money on the Platform Itself

Once you have a growing, engaged community, you can start introducing direct monetization strategies. The key here is to maintain the trust you've built. Your recommendations and promotions should feel like a natural extension of the value you already provide.

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is promoting other companies' products and earning a commission on sales made through your unique link. But don't just spam links. The key is authentic promotion.

How to do it right:

• Only promote what you use and love. Your audience trusts your recommendations. Promoting a flimsy product for a quick buck will destroy that trust forever.
• Tell a story around the product. Don't just post a link. Explain why you love the product. Create a thread detailing how you use it, the problem it solved for you, or your honest review (pros and cons).
• Use a link aggregator. Since you only get one link in your bio, use a service like Linktree or Beacons to host multiple affiliate links. Then, you can direct people to your bio to find the link for a specific product you mentioned.
• Disclose your affiliate relationship. Always use hashtags like #ad, #affiliatelink, or #commissionsearned. It's required by the FTC and builds transparency with your audience.

Example: A writer could be an affiliate for a productivity app. Instead of just saying "Buy this app!", they could post a thread like: "My top 3 strategies for beating writer's block: 1) The pomodoro technique, 2) Going for a walk, 3) Organizing all my ideas in [App Name]. It's been a game-changer for my workflow. Link in my bio if you want to see how I have it set up."

2. Sponsored Posts and Brand Partnerships

This is when a brand pays you to create content featuring their product or service. As your account grows, brands may start reaching out to you. You can also be proactive and pitch them yourself.

How to do it right:

• Create a media kit. This is a simple one-to-two-page document (a PDF is fine) with stats about your account (follower count, engagement rate, audience demographics) and your pricing for different types of content (e.g., a single sponsored thread, a multi-post campaign, etc.).
• Find the right brands. Look for brands that are a perfect fit for your audience. If you talk about vegan cooking, partnering with a local butcher shop makes no sense. Make a list of your dream brands and find the contact info for their marketing department.
• Pitch a creative idea. Don't just say, "I want to work with you." Send a pitch with a specific idea. "I want to create a three-part thread series on how I use your protein powder in my busy morning routine, a story your audience will connect with."
• Price yourself. Pricing is tricky, but a common starting point for micro-influencers (5k-20k followers) is $100-$500 per post, depending heavily on engagement rate. Don't be afraid to negotiate.

3. Sell Your Own Products or Services

This is often the most lucrative and sustainable path. Instead of earning a small commission from someone else's product, you keep 100% of the profit from your own.

Digital Products

These are great because they have high margins and can be sold infinitely with no inventory. Examples include:

• E-books or guides
• Online courses
• Templates (Notion, Canva, etc.)
• Photo presets or video filters

Use your Threads account to warm up your audience. For example, if you're launching an e-book on budgeting, spend weeks posting valuable tips about budgeting. Then, when you announce the e-book, your audience is already primed and sees it as the next logical step.

Physical Products

If you're an artist, designer, or small business owner, Threads is a fantastic place to promote your physical goods.

• Show the behind-the-scenes. People love seeing how things are made. Post threads about your creation process.
• Run limited drops. Build hype by announcing limited edition products or sales exclusively for your Threads audience.
• Use audience feedback. Run a poll asking which of two new t-shirt designs people prefer. This builds community and gives you valuable market research.

Services

Promote your freelance, coaching, or consulting services. Share case studies, testimonials, and industry insights that position you as an expert. Use the link in your bio to direct potential clients to your portfolio or a booking page.

Indirect Monetization: Using Threads as a Traffic Driver

Not all monetization has to happen *on* the app. Threads can be a powerful tool at the top of your marketing funnel, driving your audience to other platforms where you have more control and monetization options.

4. Drive Traffic to Your Blog or Website

If your website is monetized with ads, affiliate links, or products, every click from Threads is a potential source of income. Create "teaser" content on Threads. Write the first 2-3 points of a listicle, then say, "For the full list and detailed explanations, check out the blog post linked in my bio!"

5. Build Your Email List

An email list is the single most valuable asset you can build. You own it, and no algorithm change can take it away from you. Use Threads to get people to subscribe.

• Offer a Lead Magnet: Create a valuable freebie (e.g., a short checklist, a template, a 5-day email course) that people get in exchange for their email address. Promote it through your content and link to the signup page in your bio.
• Tease your newsletter content: Post snippets or key takeaways from your latest newsletter on Threads to show people the kind of value they can expect if they subscribe.

6. Grow Your Other Social Channels

Use Threads to cross-promote your presence on platforms with more established creator monetization tools, like YouTube (AdSense), Instagram (Subscriptions, Gifts), or TikTok (Creator Fund).

You can post a short, text-based story on Threads that hooks the reader, then say, "Posted the full video breakdown on my YouTube channel - link in bio!" This helps you diversify your audience and revenue streams.

Final Thoughts

Monetizing your Threads account is entirely possible, but success hinges on providing genuine value first. Whether you're promoting an affiliate product, a brand partner, or your own business, your goal should be to help, educate, or entertain your audience. Focus on building that authentic community, and the monetization opportunities will naturally follow.

As you build your presence and start creating content for Threads, Instagram, and other channels, keeping everything organized can become a challenge. At Postbase, we built a visual content calendar and a unified scheduler specifically so you can plan, schedule, and view all of your content in one simple place. Instead of jumping between apps, you can map out your entire strategy - including your Threads posts - and see exactly what's going live and when, saving you time and giving you a clear view of your growing brand.