Instagram are Introducing Subscriptions for Creators

Instagram is testing a new Subscriptions feature that will allow creators to charge for exclusive Instagram Stories and Live broadcasts.

As part of the new feature, creators will be able to add a “subscribe” button to their profile, and set a monthly price of their choice for exclusive content.

Subscribers will receive a special badge that will help them to stand out in a creators’ comments section and their DM inbox.

Creators will also be able to easily filter their DM inboxes to see messages from their subscribers.

The new Instagram Subscriptions service is currently being trialed with a select number of creators based in the US, with plans to roll out further “over the next few months,” according to the Instagram @creators account.

According to TechCrunch, creators can select from eight price points for subscription content, ranging from $0.99 per month to $99.99 per month.

Subscription payments will be taken via traditional in-app purchases across iOS and Android – and for the time being, Instagram will not take a cut of any payments. 

This feature is the latest in a bid to make Instagram more monetisable for creators, including built-in affiliate tools (i.e. commission-based payments for in-app sales) and a new creator marketplace to facilitate brand partnerships. 

So, what does this tell us? 

If we weren’t sure before, we certainly are now: the creator economy is going to be bigger than ever in 2022.  

And as Instagram continues to invest in monetisation features for full-time content creators, we can expect the quality of content to increase too.