How to earn money by using social media in 2026

# How to Earn Money From Social Media in Pakistan 2026 For many Pakistanis social media is no longer a waste of time – it is a source of income. Some make money on Facebook selling second-hand clothing, others – invest time and effort promoting brands on YouTube and YouTubers earn six figures a year in ad revenue. This is how people in Pakistan can make money from social media in 2026: an overview of the most popular platforms, potential earnings and advice on withdrawing proceeds. ## Why 2026 Is A Good Time To Start Earning On Social Media Platforms Thanks to cheap and fast internet access almost everyone in Pakistan can start making money from social media today. Better payment processors such as Payoneer and Wise enable faster and cheaper transfers to Pakistani banks, and a Pakistani reselling market makes finding a supplier much easier than a few years ago. ## 1. YouTube: Most Reliable Source of Income in Pakistan YouTube is the simplest platform to earn money on in Pakistan: its ad revenue sharing program pays directly to local bank accounts. To join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), a creator needs either • 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of watch time or • 1000 subscribers and 10 million shorts views during the last 90 days Once a YouTuber reaches these metrics, they can apply for YPP which allows them to place ads on their channel. In Pakistan, the average CPM (number of views for 1 dollar) is approximately 4000, so a creator with 10k views per video can potentially earn between PKR 2-5 per video depending on engagement. The more views per video, the higher the CPM. Other ways of making money on YouTube include • channel memberships, • super thanks and • affiliate marketing. Many Pakistanis make money on YouTube by focusing on a particular vertical. Comedy creators such as Irfan Junejo or Ducky Bhai typically make between PKR 5-10 per view, whereas niche channels such as Food Fusion have higher CPM due to targeted advertising. Note that the bigger the channel is, the faster it grows organically, so it is important to keep publishing videos consistently (ideally at least once a week). ## 2. Facebook: In-Stream Ads, Reels Bonus, Reselling Facebook is a great platform for those who want to earn money from social media in Pakistan: many businesses are willing to pay for in-stream ads, and people can make money buying and reselling goods. Those who can dedicate at least 1 hour per day to managing their fanpage have multiple opportunities: • In-stream ads: If a page meets the requirements set by Facebook, it can join the in-stream ad program and start earning money from ads shown on their videos. • Reels bonus: Similar to the in-stream ads, creators who meet Facebook’s eligibility criteria can join the reels bonus program and start earning money from their reels. • Reselling: Many people in Pakistan use social media to resell goods. There are specific apps for that (Markaz) which enable finding a supplier, negotiating prices and facilitating payments and delivery. Those who use Markaz do not need any followers: their post with a link to the Markaz page is enough to redirect potential buyers. • Facebook marketplace: Alternatively, one can list goods for sale on Facebook marketplace or sell in Facebook groups All the aforementioned methods are great ways to start making money on social media in Pakistan: none of them requires any followers or experience. ## 3. Instagram: Reels Bonus, Affiliate Marketing, Search Traffic As of 2026, Instagram is less of a social network and more of a search engine: people use it to find accounts in their niche. As such, having a well-defined niche and a good handle on SEO can enable attracting organic traffic to one’s account. Ways to make money on Instagram follow the same pattern as on YouTube: • Reels bonus: Eligible creators earn money from ads shown in their reels. • Affiliate marketing: One can promote products/services in their stories/posts and earn money from every referral. • Sponsored content: Once an account has a defined niche and enough engagement (does not necessarily need to have many followers), it can start getting sponsored posts. • Sell digital products: An Instagram account can be used to sell digital products (presets, templates, ebooks) or offer services (coaching, designing). To boost sales one can invest in a simple website or Linktree so that customers can navigate to the Instagram page faster. • Monetize the account: Some creators monetize their account directly through the app: currently eligible for the reels bonus program, which is going to be expanded to other content verticals in 2026. It is a good idea to combine an Instagram account with other social media channels. In particular, linking it to a website or a blog may help increase conversion rates. ## 4. TikTok: Creator Fund, LIVE Gifts, Sponsored Posts, Affiliate Marketing The TikTok Creator Fund is currently only available to residents of the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Sweden and some other countries – Pakistanis will have to wait until 2027 to get access to it. It does not mean that one cannot make money on TikTok: in fact, TikTok is the easiest social media platform to go viral on, which in turn can be monetized in a number of ways. These include • TikTok LIVE gifts, • sponsored posts, • driving traffic to other accounts/platforms and • affiliate marketing. It is better to promote one’s TikTok account on other social media platforms since TikTok’s creator fund is not available to Pakistanis. Note that it is not necessary to get a big following in order to start monetizing: one can begin promoting products/services once the account has at least 1k followers. This way, a person can build up their audience on TikTok and then switch to Instagram or YouTube, which already offer ways to earn money directly. ## 5. Freelancing: Social Media as a Marketing Tool Many Pakistanis who make money from social media do not consider themselves influencers – they use Instagram or Facebook to promote their services as a freelancer. The most common services in demand include • social media management for businesses • graphic design • photo and video editing • online classes A creator can advertise their services on their own social media accounts or post on job boards such as Fiverr or Upwork. Managing someone’s social media accounts can be a great way to start: a creator can charge approximately PKR 15,000 – 25,000 per month per client. With 2-3 clients, a person would be able to earn a decent income every month without having to put too much effort into it. Moreover, one can showcase their work on social media to get more clients (for example, publish a video about how to market a restaurant on Facebook). This can be a viable way of making money from social media for many Pakistanis. ## 6. Affiliate Marketing: Get Paid for Referrals An affiliate marketer promotes other companies’ products/services and earns money for every customer/referral. There are many ways to promote products: use Instagram stories, publish YouTube videos or hold live Q&As on Facebook. One of the easiest ways to get started with affiliate marketing is to use social media to promote hosting services: for example, many companies offer generous discounts for first-time customers. The more people sign up for hosting because of an affiliate link, the higher the earnings. In Pakistan, many companies offer affiliate programs for everyday products as well. An affiliate marketer can make at least PKR 10,000 – 15,000 per referral from the hosting companies, so that 10 successful leads would generate PKR 100,000 in revenue. For many people, that is a good income for a relatively little effort: all one has to do is share a referral link with friends or post about it on social media. Moreover, the global affiliate marketing industry is expected to grow significantly in the next few years, so this can be a great opportunity to make money online. ## Payoneer, Wise and Other Ways to Withdraw Earnings To withdraw money on local accounts, the most popular options are Payoneer and Wise: many platforms that pay their contractors in USD (such as YouTube AdSense, Fiverr or Upwork) allow depositing the proceeds directly on Payoneer cards. Wise offers cheaper transfers to Pakistani banks. JazzCash and Easypaisa can also be used to receive payments although not from global platforms. As for local transactions, it is probably easier to transfer money to a Pakistani bank account directly (many businesses already have it set up) or use Easypaisa/JazzCash for smaller purchases. Note that it is not possible to receive payments in Pakistan via PayPal, so it is not a good idea to rely on that system. ## Taxes: Everything You Need to Know About Earning From Social Media in Pakistan 2026 It is important to remember to report income earned through social media to tax authorities. Although many Pakistanis do not do that, it is a good idea to stay within the law. Here are the most important steps: 1. Register for NTN (National Tax Number) 2. File the tax return by 30th of September every year 3. Report income either through the FBR portal or a tax agent 4. Designate a tax withholding agent (such as Payoneer) 5. Ensure at least 80% of your income is transferred to local accounts Steps 1-3 are standard for everyone who has to pay taxes in Pakistan. It helps to reduce the tax burden significantly if one is on an Active Taxpayer List (ATL): being on ATL reduces the tax withheld by banks by half. For those who work remotely, it is essential to ensure that at least 80% of one’s income is transferred to local accounts. Failing to do that could increase the tax withheld by banks. To further reduce the tax, many remote workers register on PSEB (Pakistan Software Export Board) so that their taxes are calculated according to the 0.25% withholding tax rate as opposed to 1% for ordinary taxpayers. For many social media influencers, 154A of the Income Tax Ordinance applies: this section concerns income earned from the use of information technology. Many influencers will soon be subjected to a separate withholding tax under 154B of the Income Tax Ordinance, especially if they get their payments directly from application stores or advertising networks. It is important to keep accurate records of income and expenditures since a tax agent can assist with filing returns. Note that a tax agent can prepare accurate estimates of the tax payable based on one’s income from social media. This guide is a general overview and should not be considered as professional tax advice. ## Conclusion: Which Social Media Platforms Can Help You Earn Money in Pakistan? Every social media platform has its advantages and disadvantages. In reality, the most successful influencers in Pakistan utilize multiple methods of making money from social media. In particular, it is common to see people posting videos on YouTube and promoting local products/services on Facebook. Most importantly, it is crucial to understand that the longer and more consistently one invests time and effort into maintaining an account, the greater the rewards will be. In the early stages, it makes sense to focus on one social media network: post consistently (at least once per week) and start monetizing once the account gains enough followers/views. A creator can invest the first earnings into improving the quality of the account or diversifying into new platforms.