Meta Begins Testing Instagram Subscriptions

Meta began the next steps of helping creators on Instagram monetize their efforts, kicking off a test of Subscriptions with a handful of creators in the U.S. Fan Subscriptions debuted on sister platform Facebook in June 2020, and the option was renamed Subscriptions last November. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday, “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. 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." Creators who are part of the test group will be able to set a monthly price, unlock a Subscribe button on their profile and provide benefits to their subscribers, including: Subscriber Lives: Creators can broadcast exclusive Instagram Live videos to their subscribers in order to engage them more deeply.Subscriber Stories: Creators can craft subscriber-only Stories, where they can share exclusive content and use interactive stickers.Subscriber Badges: They will appear next to comment and messages from subscribers, enabling creators to more easily spot those interactions. Meta said last November that it would not collect any fees on Facebook Subscriptions until at least 2023, and this applies to Instagram Subscriptions, as well. Creators in the initial test group for Instagram subscriptions include @alanchikinchow, @alizakelly, @bunnymichael, @donalleniii, @elliottnorris, @jackjerry, @jordanchiles, @kelseylynncook, @lonnieiiv and @sedona._. Meta also detailed some changes that were added to Facebook Subscriptions. Creators received the ability last December to download email addresses of new subscribers who agreed to share them, in order to maintain relationships off-platform. A personalized link now enables creators to promote their Subscriptions and keep 100% of the money they earn, excluding taxes. In the coming months, creators will gain access to new metrics on estimated earnings that will help them determine where their purchases come from, estimate the taxes they owe and decipher how much they pay to Apple and other third parties in fees. Finally, as part of the $1 billion the company pledged last July to invest in creators by the end of this year, select Facebook Subscriptions creators were invited to take part in a bonus program that rewarded them for new subscribers, and Meta said more bonus programs are coming soon. Meta wrote in its blog post, “Creators inspire people around the world with their talents and push culture forward every day. At Meta, we strongly believe in enabling creators to make a living through our platforms and have built a suite of tools to allow them to do that—helping them get support from their audience, partner with brands and earn money from advertising or bonuses directly from Instagram and Facebook.”

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Meta Begins Testing Instagram Subscriptions

As with the option’s Facebook counterpart, fees will not be collected until at least 2023

David Cohen

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