Instagram Is Testing Paid Subscriptions To See Exclusive Creator Content
You can keep up with your faves, but it’ll cost you.
Instagram is testing a way to help you more easily keep up with your favorite IG Creators, but it’ll cost you. On Wednesday, Jan. 19, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Instagram’s new Subscriptions test feature as a way to help Creators earn money on the platform and help fans stay connected with exclusive Creator content. It’s aptly called Instagram Subscriptions, and here’s what to know about what you’ll get with a subscription, how much they cost, how Creators and fans alike might benefit from the feature, and what its future looks like beyond the test phase.
Zuckerberg announced the Instagram Subscriptions test on Facebook, writing, “Launching a test of subscriptions on Instagram in the U.S. today. This will help Creators earn more by offering benefits to their most engaged followers like access to exclusive Lives and Stories.” The Facebook founder continued, “I'm excited to keep building tools for Creators to make a living doing creative work and to put these tools in more Creators' hands soon.” As of mid-January 2022, Instagram Subscriptions is testing for select U.S.-based Creators. The service is meant to provide a regular paycheck for Creators while keeping followers engaged with the content they love, which means it might be time to decide how much you do love what your fave IG Creators share.
Here’s what to know about what subscribing to your favorite Instagram Creators might look like, and how much it might cost.
Instagram Subscriptions Pricing:
Instagram Subscriptions will provide Creators with the ability to make a monthly income, based on what they choose to charge fans for a subscription. Creators will have the option to charge subscribers between as low as 99 cents or as high as $99.99 per month for a subscription. Creators who are part of the Subscriptions test are able to unlock a “subscribe” button on their IG profile, which fans, in turn, can click on to complete a subscription to receive exclusive updates.
Creators can also use Subscriptions as a tool to help them earn money through advertising and brand partnerships.
What’s In A Subscription?
People who subscribe will receive fun exclusives, including Subscribers-only Lives, Stories, and Badges. If you subscribe, you’ll have access to Lives that non-subscribers won’t see, as well as Stories reserved only for subscribers with behind-the-scenes vids, polls, and more. Finally, if you subscribe, a Creator will see a subscriber badge next to your comments or any direct message (DM) requests you send.
Testing & Beyond:
The new Instagram Subscriptions test follows Facebook’s launch of Subscriptions in June 2020, which received great feedback from Creators.
If you’re hoping to check out Subscriptions in its early phase on the ‘Gram, you can check out the Creators who have access, like Alan Chikin Chow (@alanchikinchow), Sedona Prince (@sedona._), Aliza Kelly (@alizakelly), Kelsey Cook (@kelseylynncook), and more.
Like the Facebook Subscriptions program, Meta won’t collect fees from Creators with Subscriptions until at least 2023.
Looking at Facebook’s existing Subscriptions, it’s likely that Instagram’s Subscriptions will also have perks like a personalized link to promote their subscription on the platform and more features to help them begin monetizing on their following.
If you’re an Instagram Creator who doesn’t currently have access to Subscriptions or an Instagram user who wants to start using Subscriptions on Creators not already enrolled in the test, you’ll need to wait for the test to expand.
As far as when that could happen, per Instagram, there isn’t a specific launch date set for a wide release of Subscriptions and it’s currently invite-only. However, the brand wants to offer a variety of ways to help Creators make money for their work.
With a new way to keep Creators earning and you caught up on literally ~all~ the content, you’ll want to keep scrolling and tapping through your days. To see if Instagram makes Subscriptions a permanent option, stay tuned for all the deets.
