How to Make Money From Facebook Pages and Groups (With Reels, Stories, and Photos)

A lot of posts out there list “ways to make money on Facebook”… but most of them either repeat the same thing or talk theory.

I’ve been running Facebook pages for years, driving traffic to websites and working inside the Content Monetization (CM) program.

So here’s how I’d break it down in reality, based on what I know actually makes money.

If Your Pages Are NOT Invited to Content Monetization Yet

This is where most people are.

And honestly, this phase is where I made my first real money from Facebook.

1. Driving Traffic to Websites (My #1 Method)

This is still the most realistic and scalable way to make money from Facebook, even today.

You post on your Facebook pages → drive traffic to your website → monetize with ads (Mediavine, Raptive, Ezoic, AdSense…).

Here’s the game plan.

Why this works:

• You are not limited by Facebook payouts
• You fully control monetization
• One or two viral posts can make real money

And here’s the part most people don’t talk about:

You don’t even need viral posts.

If you consistently post decent content with good hooks and place links in the first comment, you can build stable daily traffic.

I’m talking about:

→ 1,000 to 10,000 sessions per day

Ad RPM (Revenue Per 1,000 sessions) usually ranges from $10–$50, with ~$30 being a common average.

So:

→ 1,000 sessions ≈ $30
→ 10,000 sessions ≈ $300/day

That’s how a lot of publishers quietly make $1K–$10K+/month without ever touching Facebook Content Monetization.

The chart you see above is from one of my fandom websites.

It pulled nearly 90K sessions in the last 30 days, with ~95% coming from organic Facebook traffic.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Along with ads, you also send traffic to:

• Amazon products
• SaaS tools
• Digital products

You earn commissions per sale.

This works best when:

• Your content solves a problem
• Or your audience trusts your recommendations

One important note:

Some affiliate programs don’t allow posting affiliate links directly on Facebook, so always check their policies first.

3. Sponsored Posts (Small Deals First)

Even without CM, brands will still pay you.

Especially if you have:

• Niche audience
• Good engagement

From my experience, this method is more time-consuming than people think.

You need to:

• Reach out to brands
• Negotiate
• Go back and forth

It’s not passive at all but it can still be a solid income stream.

4. Selling Your Own Products

You can sell:

• Digital products
• Templates
• Guides
• Courses

Facebook becomes your top-of-funnel traffic engine.

The flow is simple:

Create viral (or high-performing) content → add product links in the comments.

Conversion rates are usually low, but with enough reach, sales become very real.

5. Lead Generation

This is huge for:

• Agencies
• SaaS
• Local businesses

You use Facebook to:

• Collect emails
• Drive DMs
• Book calls

Money doesn’t come from Facebook directly, but from what happens after.

If Your Pages ARE Invited to Content Monetization (CM)

This is where things start stacking.

Content Monetization is Facebook’s program that pays you based on post performance.

(If you’re new, I’ve already explained how CM works and how to increase your chances of getting invited.)

6. Content Monetization (Reels, Photos, Text, Stories)

Facebook now pays for:

• Reels
• Videos
• Photos
• Text posts
• Stories

This is the easiest way to monetize directly on-platform.

Payout per 1,000 views depends on your niche and how consistently you post. When done right, the earnings can scale fast (I’ve shared my own numbers in another post).

The screenshot above is what I’m currently earning from one Facebook page in the last 7 days. It’s in the fandom niche (think Harry Potter, Marvel, Lord of the Rings…).

A few notes:

• The ~$500/day spike isn’t typical, it includes bonus payouts
• A more realistic baseline is around $100+/day for the page above.

I mostly post photo content on this page. You might wonder why? Because in fandom niches, reels can run into copyright issues very quickly.

That said, I’ve seen other pages do extremely well with reels.

The best approach is always test different formats and double down on what works.

Also, most of our earnings come from US traffic, so targeting US audiences makes a big difference.

Once you’re in CM, every post becomes an asset.

7. Facebook Stars (Community Money)

This is more about audience loyalty.

People send Stars when:

• They like you
• They support you

It’s not massive money for most pages, but it’s promising if you build a strong community.

To be honest, I rarely earn meaningful numbers from this.

8. Facebook Subscriptions

Monthly recurring income.

You give:

• Exclusive posts
• Private content
• Extra value

This works best if you have a personal brand or loyal fanbase.

9. Facebook Affiliate Support

Facebook is starting to support affiliate product integrations directly.

I haven’t personally tested this yet, so I won’t overpromise here.

But it’s something worth watching.

10. Hybrid Model (Where the Real Money Is)

This is what most beginners don’t realize.

The real money is not from ONE method.

It’s from combining:

• Content Monetization
• Traffic to websites
• Affiliate links
• Sponsored posts

One post can:

• Earn from CM
• Send traffic to your site
• Generate affiliate sales

That’s how you scale.

From My Experience

If you’re just starting:

→ Focus on traffic + content consistency

If you’re already in CM:

→ Treat CM as a bonus, but it can grow really quick if scale correctly.

If you want to grow healthily:

→ Stack multiple income streams from the same content.

So How Do I Earn Money From My Facebook Groups?

Unlike Facebook Pages and eligible personal profiles, Facebook Groups themselves aren’t currently supported by the Facebook Content Monetization (CM) program.

So even if your group has 100,000 members and your posts get millions of views, Facebook won’t pay your group through CM just for those views.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t make money from Facebook Groups.

You can still earn money from groups in several ways, just like with Facebook Pages. For example:

• Driving traffic to your website: Share useful content and links that bring people to your website, where you can earn money from display ads.
• Affiliate marketing: Recommend products related to your group’s niche and earn commissions when someone buys through your links.
• Sponsored posts: Work with brands that want to promote their products to your group members.
• Selling your own products: This could be physical products, digital products, courses, or even services.

However, you can’t use Facebook’s regular Page/Profile monetization features like Stars or Subscriptions directly on a Group in the same way.

Another thing worth mentioning is the difference between public and private groups.

Public groups have more potential to reach people outside their existing members, which can be helpful if your goal is traffic and monetization.

Private groups, on the other hand, can be better for building a more engaged community where members feel comfortable sharing and discussing things.

For me, if the main goal is driving traffic and earning money from that traffic, I’d probably start with a public group.

But remember, having thousands of group members doesn’t automatically mean you’ll make good money. You still need people to actually engage with your posts, click your links, or buy what you’re promoting.

What Kind of Content Should I Post to Make Money: Reels, Stories, or Photos?

This is a hard question to answer because every niche, Page, and Group is different.

Some Pages do really well with photos. Others get most of their reach from Reels, while some can get surprisingly good engagement from simple text posts or Stories.

There isn’t one content type that works best for everyone.

As Facebook Page owners, we have to test different content types ourselves and see what actually works with our audience.

But here’s something that can save you a lot of time.

Instead of testing everything from scratch, start by looking at what other successful Pages in your niche are already posting.

What kind of posts get the most likes, comments, and shares? Are they mostly photos? Reels? Funny memes? Interesting stories?

You can learn quite a lot just by studying what is already working.

This is also what the Watchlist feature in Insight Hive helps you with. You can track other Facebook Pages in your niche, find their best-performing posts, and see which content formats and topics are getting the most engagement.

From there, you can learn from those posts and create your own content.

One thing worth mentioning is that Facebook has been putting a lot of focus on Reels recently. So if you can create original Reels in your niche, I’d definitely recommend testing them.

But don’t assume Reels will automatically earn you more money.

I personally have made good money from photo posts alone, so I wouldn’t ignore photos just because Facebook is pushing Reels.

And one last thing: be very careful with copyright and Facebook’s originality policies, especially when you’re making Reels using clips from movies, TV shows, or other creators.

Trust me, you don’t want to get your Page flagged or lose monetization because of that.

Getting views is one thing. Keeping your Page healthy enough to make money in the long run is another.

FAQs

1. Can I make money on Facebook without showing my face like influencers do?

Yes, absolutely. I’m just a normal person like you, and I’ve never shown my face on any of our Facebook Pages.

That said, showing your face can give you an advantage because people tend to connect more with real people. But it’s definitely not required.

You don’t need to be an influencer or have a personal brand to make money from Facebook. Just look at the methods I’ve shared above.

2. Do I need thousands of followers before I can earn my first dollar?

No, you don’t need thousands of followers to earn your first dollar. But without a decent audience, things will probably move very slowly.

From my experience, I recommend growing your Page to at least 10,000 followers as quickly as possible. I personally prefer running Facebook ads to get there faster.

It costs some money upfront, of course, but having an initial audience makes our lives as Facebook Page owners a lot easier.

3. What kind of Facebook Page should I create to make money?

I’d recommend starting a niche Facebook Page.

By niche, I mean a Page focused on one specific topic, like gardening, fandom, hobby or finance.

From my experience, niche Pages are easier to grow, get better engagement, and can be easier to monetize because you know exactly who your audience is.

The important part is picking a niche that people (& you) are genuinely interested in and that has some potential to make money.

4. What should I post if I have no idea where to start?

Then start by looking at what other successful Facebook Pages in your niche are posting right now.

Seriously, you don’t need to figure out everything yourself.

You can also check Reddit, YouTube, Quora, or other platforms to see what topics and stories people in your niche are interested in.

If you want to make this process easier, I recommend checking out the Watchlist feature in Insight Hive.

You can add other Pages in your niche to your Watchlist and find their best-performing posts based on likes, comments, and shares.

This way, you can see what’s already working, learn from their content formats, topics, and ideas, and create better posts for your own Page.

That’s actually how I research content for some of my Pages.

5. Will Facebook automatically pay me when my posts get lots of views?

Not necessarily.

If your Page is already in the Facebook Content Monetization (CM) program, then yes, you can earn money from eligible views and content performance.

But if you’re not in CM, Facebook won’t automatically pay you just because your post gets thousands or even millions of views.

You’ll need other ways to monetize that attention, like driving traffic to a website with ads, affiliate marketing, or selling products.

That’s why I recommend having more than one way to make money from your Page.

6. How do I know which money-making method is best for my Page?

If your Page can join Facebook Content Monetization, I’d say that’s probably the easiest way to start earning money directly from Facebook.

You just keep posting content, and Facebook pays you based on eligible content performance.

The second method I’d recommend is driving traffic to your own website and earning money from display ads. This is actually my favorite method, and it’s how I made my first real money from Facebook.

Of course, there are other methods like affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and selling products.

I’ve already explained all of them above, so you can go back and see which one makes the most sense for your Page.

7. Do I need to spend money on Facebook ads to grow my Page?

No, you don’t have to.

You can grow a Facebook Page organically by consistently posting good content (images, reels,…) that people want to engage with and share.

But for me, I prefer spending some money upfront on Facebook ads to grow my Pages faster.

My thinking is simple: if I can afford to invest a little money now to build an audience, I can hopefully earn that money back later through Content Monetization or website traffic.

Of course, there’s no guarantee you’ll earn back what you spend. So if you’re just starting out with a limited budget, growing organically is perfectly fine too.

8. What should I do first if I want to make my first $100 from Facebook?

If I had to start from zero again, here’s what I’d do.

First, pick a niche and create a Facebook Page around it.

Then, research what other successful Pages in that niche are posting and start creating your own content consistently.

If you have some budget, I’d recommend running Facebook ads to grow your Page to around 10,000 followers faster.

If you can get into Facebook Content Monetization, great. That’s probably the easiest way to work toward your first $100.

Otherwise, I’d focus on driving traffic to a website and making money from display ads.

That’s basically the system I’ve been using for years.

If you want to see exactly how I do it, check out my Facebook Game Plan 101 article.