Instagram is one of the preferred social media platforms for content creators and influencers to make money. It has its own monetization program for creators called Instagram Subscriptions. It allows creators to earn money by sharing exclusive content with followers. The program launched last year and has now crossed 1 million subscribers. The team has further introduced new ways for creators to boost their paying subscribers.
In an official blog post, Instagram has revealed it now has more than 1 million paid subscriptions. The platform managed to reach the milestone within a year of the program’s launch. The number is certainly not huge considering the platform has billions of users. It seems to be the reason the team is working on adding more ways for creators to boost subscriptions.
Instagram says followers will see a Subscribe button next to posts in their feeds. They will be able to tap the button to check the subscription fee and what kind of content they will receive in exchange for that. Creators can even send a DM or post a Story to welcome new subscribers to form a community.
Creators can also use Reels and Stories to promote their subscriptions to encourage followers to subscribe. They can choose to offer a free 30-day trial so that followers can try out subscriptions before deciding to pay. Instagram will let creators set their own pricing by offering them more control.
For the uninitiated, Instagram Subscriptions are a way for creators to earn money directly from their followers. They can set a monthly fee that followers will pay to get access to exclusive content from their favourite creators. The content can include subscriber-exclusive Stories, Reels, Lives, Posts, Highlights, Broadcast and Social Channels, and badges. Subscriptions are currently available to eligible creators in over 35 countries including India.
It is important to note that Instagram’s parent company Meta currently does not charge subscription fees from creators. It says a six-month notice will be shared with the creator before any changes are made to this policy.
However, Meta does offer a Meta Verified subscription where users can pay to get the verified checkmark next to their usernames. It is available for both Android and iOS users for Rs 699 per month. The team has plans to introduce a Rs 599 plan for web users but a specific release timeline is unknown. All Meta Verified users will also have direct access to customer support for common queries and they will be answered by a real human.
