Instagram has continued to evolve since its beginning back in 2010, but its latest move could affect creators’ pockets in a big way.
Back in 2020, Facebook launched subscriptions, which helped its creators grow their businesses online with the help of their communities. Now Instagram is bringing that idea to its content creators.
What are Subscriptions?
Influencers will be able to set a monthly price with a “subscribe” button on their profile. The subscribe option will include:
- Subscriber Stories: Allowing creators to make stories just for their subscribers. This will let influencers to connect and engage only with their closest community members.
- Subscriber Lives: Influencers can go live on their account, but only for subscribers, making Instagram Lives more engaging and direct with your closest followers.
- Subscriber Badges: Instagram influencers will be able to decipher who is a subscriber easily in their comments and messages with the Subscriber Badges. These subscribers would then likely get more replies from the creator.
- Earn Recurring Monthly Revenue: With Instagram’s subscriptions, content creators can earn monthly revenue from paid subscribers when they offer unique, specialized content on the app just for them.
According to Meta, “we strongly believe in enabling creators to make a living through our platforms and have built a suite of tools to allow them to do that — helping them get support from their audience, partner with brands and earn money from advertising or bonuses directly from Instagram and Facebook.”
What does this really mean for creators?
As of Jan. 19, 2022, Instagram began testing subscriptions with a small batch of creators on the app. While this is currently only being tested in the United States, if things go well, Instagram is hoping to push this out to other influencers. If you’re wanting to see what the subscriptions look like in real time, check out these 10 influencers who are testing out the subscription model and how it will benefit creators. (Make sure you’ve updated your app to the latest version first!)
- @alanchikinchow
- @sedona._
- @alizakelly
- @kelseylynncook
- @elliottnorris
- @jordanchiles
- @jackjerry
- @bunnymichael
- @donalleniii
- @lonnieiiv
While the change will start out with all revenue going to influencers, that will change by 2023. According to Mark Zuckerburg, “To help more creators make a living on our platforms, we’re going to keep paid online events, fan subscriptions, badges, and our upcoming independent news products free for creators until 2023. And when we do introduce a revenue share, it will be less than the 30% that Apple and others take.”
If you’ve been growing your Instagram feed and hoping for a way to monetize on Instagram directly, Instagram’s new Subscription feature may be just what you’re looking for. This feature allows influencers to create specialized content for followers willing to pay to be a part of a tight-knit subscriber community.
Bunny Michael, one of the 10 lucky testers of the Subscription feature said, “Having subscriptions on Instagram makes building a more intimate relationship with my followers and fans possible. I am so excited to nurture those connections and make a lasting impact that will help keep my work sustainable.”
Will Instagram’s users embrace Subscriptions? Time will tell, but Subscriptions will benefit the creators who have the most loyal and engaged followers.
Will Subscriptions save Instagram?
The move shows Instagram is trying to compete with other platforms with creator funds, like YouTube and TikTok. But eMarketers says that this won’t make content creators any more loyal: “While Instagram’s subscription feature does give creators another way to monetize their content, it won’t be enough to keep them loyal to a single platform.”
“Brands should take note: Instead of focusing influencer spend on Instagram, they should be exploring opportunities on platforms less saturated with sponsored posts,” eMarketer added.
Stay tuned for more updates about this Subscription feature on Instagram and when it will be rolled out to other influencers on the platform!
