Instagram Creator Accounts: Should You Make the Switch?

Wondering if you should switch to an Instagram Creator account?

While the platform offers three account types: personal, business, and creator — the features you can unlock with each is different. 

Stick around, we’re breaking down what an Instagram Creator account is all about, its pros, and how to make the switch.

What Is an Instagram Creator Account? 

Launched in 2018, creator accounts (also called creator profiles), are specifically designed for the platform’s MVPs — Instagram influencers and creators.

This specific profile category provides creators with features to help build their personal brand and better support their overall social media needs.

From streamlined messaging to brand partnerships (more on that, later), Instagram’s creator profile is full of unique tools to support its pool of talent. 

What's the Difference Between an Instagram Creator Account and a Business Account?

Instagram Business accounts are geared more toward brands, organizations, local businesses, and service providers with a clear monetization strategy on Instagram.

While both account types have an overlap in features, business accounts have a slight leg up on the competition with what they can access via third-party social media management tools (*cough* like Later's Auto Publish feature).

To learn more about Instagram Business accounts (including the features they can use on Later), read this blog post: Should You Switch to an Instagram Business Profile?

Who Should Be Using an Instagram Creator Account?

Instagram Creator accounts are meant for individuals looking to build their personal brand.

Think public figures such as Chris Klemens, influencers like Chrissy Rutherford, and even artists, chefs, and other creatives. 

Why? Because creator accounts are all about fulfilling the needs of individuals who don’t already have a full-fledged business (yet). 

It’s the perfect profile option for those looking to foster community, gain brand partnerships, and build brand awareness. 

So, if you identify as a content creator or influencer, this account is for you — established companies and brands need not apply. 

Did you know: Later is trusted by millions of creators, brands, and social media managers to drive traffic and manage their social content. Create a creator account, today:

What Are the Benefits of an Instagram Creator Account?

By switching to a creator account, you’ll gain access to a slew of features that can jump-start your growth and monetization opportunities on Instagram.

Let’s take a closer look! The top five benefits are:

1. Access To Built-in Analytics 

2. Music Library

3. Streamlined Messaging

4. Flexible Profile Control 

5. Shoppable Posts 

Benefit #1: Access To Built-in Analytics 

Understanding follower growth and activity on your account is about to get a whole lot easier!

With an Instagram Creator profile, you’ll gain access to a mobile dashboard of in-depth insights such as follow/unfollow data, post-performance, and more. 

You'll be able to see what’s resonating and what isn’t resonating with your followers, so you can tweak your strategy accordingly. Can you say, major bag alert 💰

Though, depending on how much analyzing you want to do, desktop could be easier.

With Later, you’ll find all of the must-have analytics from Instagram in a digestible format, as well as several extra data points — including your best time to post.

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Plus, Later’s Instagram Analytics have separate “Post Performance,” "Reel Performance," and “Story Performance” dashboards — so you can see exactly how each channel is driving value for you.

Looking to level-up your Instagram performance tracking? Sign up to Later and explore the Instagram Analytics dashboard today!

Benefit #2: Full Music Library

Access to Instagram's full music library is where the creator account really delivers.

Due to commercial music limitations and copyright concerns, it can be tricky for those with business accounts to use trending Reels audio. 

However, with a creator account, you’re in luck!

According to Later's Social Media Specialist, Chantal Hermetz, “If you have a creator profile on Instagram, you'll have access to a massive library of Reels sounds.”

This means you’ll never miss out on an opportunity to hop on a trending audio’s momentum and potentially go viral. 

Speaking of Reels audio, learn our top tips for finding trending songs and sounds on Instagram Reels by watching this video:

Benefit #3: Streamlined Messaging

Creators are often bombarded with DMs, ranging from “where’d you buy that top?” to collaboration requests, and more.

So, as you can imagine, with thousands of followers, this can get overwhelming. 

Thankfully, Instagram Creator profiles make managing messages a breeze with three DM filtering tabs, including:

• Primary: Allows notifications.

• General: No notifications.

• Requests: No notifications. These are from users you don’t follow (you can choose to accept or deny these requests).

This allows creators to prioritize messages from brands and friends, or rank them by relevance or time to make sure they never miss out on an important request!

NOTE: If you don’t fancy these filters you can also change your messaging tab notifications in your settings, too.  

Benefit #4: Flexible Profile Control 

On top of having more control over who is messaging you, Instagram Creator profiles also have more control over how you’re being contacted.

Creators can designate (or hide) their preferred method of contact on their profile (including call, text, and email), and have more flexibility on what they choose to include as a CTA on their page.

Translation: You’ll be able to filter out “cold” messages and spend more time engaging in meaningful interactions with brands you prefer to work with.

Benefit #5: Shoppable Posts and Shops

Creator profiles have access to both Shopping Tags and Shops — opening up a ton of e-commerce opportunities!

With the Shopping Tags feature, users can tap a product tag on a post, where they’ll be taken to a product description page to complete their purchase.

Instagram Creator accounts can also create an Instagram Shop. 

In it, creators can curate a list of shoppable products that are directly accessible through the “View Shop” button on their Instagram profile page.

By clicking on a suggested product, users can see pricing information, other products from the same retailer, and how to purchase.

NOTE: Keep in mind that creators can only feature products from brands that have approved access to their products.

To learn more about how content creators make money, check out this post: 8 Ways to Make Money as a Content Creator

How to Switch to an Instagram Creator Account (A Step-By-Step Guide)

Now that you’ve heard all about the bells and whistles of creator accounts, here’s how to officially make the switch from either an Instagram Business or Personal account:

How to Switch From a Personal Account to a Creator Account:

To switch to an Instagram Creator profile, head to your Instagram profile and tap “≡” in the top right corner, then tap “Settings”, and select “Account”:

Tap “Switch to professional account”:

Here, you’ll swipe through Instagram’s prompts and tap “Continue”:

Now it's time to set up your account.

Select a category that best describes what you do and toggle whether you’d like it to be displayed on your profile:

Select “Creator” and tap “Next”:

Here you’ll be prompted to get acquainted with Instagram’s creator tools, including: "Complete Your Profile", "Get Inspired", "Grow Your Audience", "Share Content to View Insights", and "Explore Tools and Insights":

And voila, just like that, you’ve officially made the switch to an Instagram Creator account!

How to Switch From a Business Account to a Creator Account:

To switch to an Instagram Creator profile, head to your Instagram profile and tap “≡” in the top right corner, then tap “Settings”, and select “Account”:

Next, tap “Switch account type” and select “Switch to creator account”:

From here, it’s time to set up your account. Select a category that best describes what you do and toggle whether you’d like it to be displayed on your account:

Next, you’ll have the option to connect your Facebook Page. If you’d prefer not to link your account tap “Skip."

You'll then be able to review your contact information (at least one), and be prompted to get acquainted with Instagram’s various creator tools.

Once you’ve toured Instagram’s creator features you can officially claim creator account status.

NOTE: If time is not on your side you can also dive into the creator tools at a later time. 

Ready to create a more efficient workflow? With Later's creator tools, you can schedule your social media content, find your best time to post, and more. Start your free trial: