Instagram’s latest update is going to bring a big change in the form of content creation on the platform. Users will now be able to subscribe to their favourite Instagram accounts for exclusive features.
This new update was announced in January, following the success of the subscription model on Facebook/Meta since 2020. In a statement, the social media platform said, “With Instagram Subscriptions, creators can develop deeper connections with their most engaged followers and grow their recurring monthly income by giving subscribers access to exclusive content and benefits, all within the same platform where they interact with them already.”
Previously, creators could earn an income from the platform by partnering with brands for sponsored content, but that could only happen if you had a huge following or decent engagement.
This Subscription model was tested with a handful of US-based creators. It allowed them to set a monthly price of their choice and unlock a ‘subscribe’ button on their profiles.
While this benefits the creators by allowing them to monetise the previously free platform, it also offers exclusive benefits to the followers who choose to subscribe. Followers can get access too exclusive Subscriber Lives, Subscriber Stories, and Subscriber Badges that would let them stand out from other followers when commenting or sending Direct Messages.
Meta and, in extension, Instagram has stated that they won’t be collecting any fees from the creators who choose to add the ‘Subscribe’ option to their profiles till at least 2023.
Indian users can subscribe to US creators but will have to wait a while before the option is available for Indian content creators as well.
What do you think of this new Instagram feature?
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