Should You Switch to an Instagram Creator Profile?
Should you switch to an Instagram creator profile?
Instagram is currently rolling out new Creator Profiles, created specifically for their MVPs: Instagram influencers.
Instagram Creator profiles are similar to Instagram Business Profiles, offering exclusive features and analytics.
But there are some major differences! In this post, learn how to set up an Instagram Creator Profile and whether it’s the right move for you:
What You Need to Know About the New Instagram Creator Profile
Instagram’s new creator profiles are giving influencers a way to take back control of their accounts.
And it’s no surprise — Instagram influencer collaborations and sponsorships have nearly replaced traditional ads and are a huge part of social media strategies today.
So it was only a matter of time before the platform offered a profile that’s equipped with tools suited for influencers’ specific needs.
Instagram product manager, Ashley Yuki, reiterated how important influencers are to the platform in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter stating, “[creators are] an important part of our community… We want to make sure that Instagram is the best place, and the easiest place, to build fan communities and also build [creators’] personal brands.”
As we can see from the screenshot provided by @wongmjane, creator profiles are best suited for “public figures, producers, artists, and influencers”.
By choosing the creator profile, users will have access to flexible profile controls, simplified messaging, and more growth tools:
While influencers have recently complained that the platform is working against them in regards to the ever-changing algorithm, now Instagram is coming up with a way to makes things easier for their most valuable users.
So what will the new profiles include? Here’s what we know about the Instagram creator profile features so far:
Instagram Creator Profile Feature #1: More Growth Tools
One of the biggest concerns for Instagram influencers is taking back control of their reach – so it makes sense the new Instagram creator profiles are designed with analytics in mind.
According to an Instagram spokesperson, “We’ve gotten feedback that existing tools around business profiles make it difficult to track creator follower growth and engagement over time and that existing business tools weren’t designed with them in mind.”
Facebook is currently testing a new Instagram Creator Studio dashboard, which would be added to the existing Facebook Creator Studio app launched last year.
The Instagram Creator Studio dashboard will be packed with the analytics influencers are looking for. This data will give influencers insights to daily and weekly analytics, and will work across posts, IGTV, and Instagram Stories.
Influencers will also have access to data around when their followers are online, growth insights, and new discovery data:
As reach and engagement continue to be a top concern for influencers, the Instagram Creator growth metrics will give them insights into ways they can better reach their followers.
While many of these analytics are currently offered within the Instagram business profile, the new Creator Studio Dashboard will make it easier for users to access their metrics directly from their desktop.
Instagram creator profile’s will also have access to follow/unfollow data, which will make it easier than ever for influencers to see exactly what content is resonating (or isn’t) with their followers.
Previously, influencers looked outside the Instagram app for follow/unfollow data, until Instagram’s API changes disabled many third-party apps.
Instagram creator profiles will include the metrics that matter to influencers the most, making them easily accessible and ready to be shared with brand partners.
Instagram Creator Profile Feature #2: Simplified Messaging
Instagram influencers are bombarded with Direct Messages, ranging from “where is your top from?” to hundreds of collaboration requests a day. As you can imagine, this can be quite overwhelming for influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, “The creator profile being trialed includes high-quality filters that allow influencers to limit the types of people who can make direct contact with them on the platform.”
This means the new feature will give influencers back control over their inbox.
The Instagram creator profile will also have more DM filtering options, allowing them to prioritize messages from brands and friends, or rank them by relevance or time to make sure they never miss an important request.
While the new simplified messaging tools will give influencers control over their inbox, it may make it more difficult for brands looking to collaborate. Now, it will be more important than ever for businesses to make genuine connections with their influencer partners so their messages aren’t missed among the masses.
Instagram Creator Profile Feature #3: Flexible Profile Controls
While Instagram influencers will have more control over who is messaging them, they will also have more control over how they are being contacted, too.
The new Instagram creator profile will give users the ability to quickly designate their preferred method of contact on their profile.
By giving users with creator accounts more control over how they are contacted, influencers will be able to filter out “cold” messages and spend more time engaging in meaningful interactions with brands they prefer to work with.
The new profile controls are a way to give Instagram influencers more control over their profiles, and the connections they make on the platform.
Shopping From Creators
Instagram announced a new way for influencers to connect with their followers: shoppable posts for creators.
Starting next week, users can shop directly from a creator’s account without ever leaving Instagram. With the ability to tag products in their posts, creators can make it easy for their followers to shop their favorites directly from their feed.
In a blog post about the new feature, Instagram wrote, “Instead of taking a screenshot or asking for product details in comments or Direct, you can simply tap to see exactly what your favorite creators are wearing and buy it on the spot.”
Until today, shoppable posts were only available to retailers driving sales from their accounts. With the new release, influencers will be able to tag brand products and make sales directly from their own account.
Last month, Instagram introduced Checkout, a new feature that allows shoppers to make a purchase without ever leaving the app. Prior to the update, viewers would be taken a product description page after tapping on a product tag.
Together, these new shopping features will create a completely streamlined and seamless approach to shopping on Instagram.
While this new feature is great news for for businesses looking to drive more sales, it’s great news for creators, too!
Instagram also commented, “Today, creators tag the brands they are wearing, add details in the caption and respond to countless comments and DMs. With the ability to tag exactly what they’re wearing, creators can get back to expressing themselves and sharing what’s on their mind, which will make their followers happy too.”
Again, in a push to give influencers more control over their profiles and messages, making shoppable posts available to influencers will give them the opportunity to spend more time to focus on what they do best – creating great content.
According to the New York Times, the new feature will initially rollout to 55 creator accounts working with 23 different brands. They also reported it will include “celebrities whose followers number among the platform’s highest, like Kim Kardashian West, Kylie Jenner and Gigi Hadid.”
While there is no news on when the feature will be widely-released, we expect to see it make its way to more accounts later this year.
Is the Instagram Creator Profile Worth the Switch?
The Instagram creator profile is currently in beta testing, which means it is not yet available to the public. Instagram has invited a small, select group of beta users to test the new account features before making it available to a wider user base.
Instagram creator accounts could be a big game changer for influencers on the platform – while Instagram is finally putting a higher priority on their biggest user base, it’s likely they’ll continue rolling out new features tailored to their needs.
However, while many of the new features offered on Instagram creator profiles are appealing, there are some downsides to making the switch. For example, Instagram creator profiles aren’t connected to the Instagram API, which means they won’t be able to use features such as Auto Publish or analytics tools.
It’s also rumored that the new profiles will only be available to Instagram influencers who have reached a specific account standing, similar to the 10K follower limit for access to the Instagram Stories swipe-up feature.
Influencer Marketing Hub predicts, “We are unlikely to see these features made available to everyday Instagram users. They will most likely remain the privilege of those users beyond a certain threshold of followers, i.e., they will become the tools of genuine Instagram influencers.”
Only time will tell if the new creator account is worth the switch, as more information becomes available.
As always, we’ll keep you in the loop as we learn more about these new Instagram features are and when they’re set to release.
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