James Walker Indeed, Instagram is the eternal abode of all our favourite opinion leaders. Strangely, the worldwide social media platform didn’t have an influencer-oriented account type until the new year. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case.
Instagram’s new Creator Account, which was first announced as a Business Account alternative and beta-tested with a small group of influential users, is available to the public. Hurrah!
The new and interesting social media marketing alternative for developing one’s own unique brand is the Creator Account.
When, why, and who are Instagram’s Creator Accounts?
Instagram suggests that “public individuals, producers, artists, and influencers” use the Creator Account.
And if that still doesn’t make a lot of sense, the Instagram Product Manager explained it like way in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter: “[creators] are a crucial component of our community… We want Instagram to be the finest and simplest platform for [creators’] fanbases and personal brands.
It’s good news for Instagram stars
Nonetheless, it appears that the platform’s numerous influencers get the majority of the rewards of their work. With the new rules in place, they no longer have to appear to be legitimate firms and may instead utilise an account more suited to their requirements (more on that later).
After receiving feedback from its influencer network that they were unhappy with recent algorithm changes, Instagram apparently created the account to pacify them.
Who is eligible for an Instagram account for creators?
Instagram has not established any qualifying requirements for the wider rollout, despite reports during the test phase suggesting there might be.
Everyone will be able to sign up for a Creator Account. Few!
Now that Instagram is available globally, it’s time to take a deeper look at what its users may expect.
Why should Instagram users sign up for a Creator Account?
Creator Accounts, in its own words, provide “a suite of tools that make it simpler to govern your online presence, monitor your progress, and manage your communications.”
This is great in theory, but how does it manifest in practise for the influencers, Instagram marketers, content managers, and other creatives who are now in line?
Revised and enlarged understandings
Since Instagram’s public API was discontinued, its users have had fewer metrics against which to measure the app’s performance. This is because the data used by these ancillary analytics tools came from the public API.
The Creator Account helps start fixing this by providing additional metrics that influencers and artists with fan bases require than are currently available through the Business Profile’s Insights. More robust follower analytics features within the app.
Follower and unfollow data for Creator Accounts will be updated daily instead of weekly or monthly. More remarkably, users may click the See Posts link to view the postings that discuss these figures.
The idea is that content creators, including influencers, would be able to monitor which of their own pieces are receiving favourable and negative feedback. In other words, focus on what is successful and abandon the rest.
Seeing these Insights, along with a plethora of other graphs available only to those with a Creator Account, is now possible within the Creator Studio ( yes, the same one recently rolled out for Facebook).
If you want to utilise Maker Studio with your Instagram account, you’ll need to…
To access Instagram, click the app’s logo, which is located next to Facebook’s in the screen’s upper-center.
If you don’t already have a Facebook Page set up in Creator Studio and want to connect your Instagram account to it, click “Connect to Instagram,” add the Instagram account via the Facebook Page you’re already managing in Creator Studio, then choose “Connect another Instagram account” or “Continue with connected accounts” if you already have multiple Instagram accounts and a Facebook Page set up in there.
More effective handling of inboxes
The Inbox mechanism is also being disrupted by Instagram’s latest account. There are three subfolders in the Creator Account:
- Primary
- General
- Requests
For both professional and personal accounts, a single inbox houses all incoming messages and a separate Message Requests folder allows users to ignore requests from individuals they don’t already follow. The Creator account’s inbox, however, features not one but two tabs in addition to the Message Requests one.
Modular Profile Management
Thankfully, the Creator Account gives you greater control over your profile settings than any other account type. Labels for categories and options for sharing contact info are two examples.
Labels for groups
Creator Account holders have a far wider variety of precise phrases to define oneself as, as opposed to the generic and perhaps embarrassing “Public figure” category available to influencers using the Business profile.
After selecting a label, the user may decide whether or not to make it public with their name and contact details.
The integration of shoppable posts
Only chosen users with Creator Accounts have access to shoppable posts, a feature normally only available to Instagram’s certified web retailers.
Users may label the things they’re using in their postings, such as the watch they’re wearing or the tools they used to win a competition. Afterwards, their followers may buy the tagged items without leaving the app by clicking on the tags. It works well in conjunction with Instagram’s new “Checkout” function.
Should you move from a personal or business Instagram account to a Creator Account?
Whether you’re looking to move from a Business Account or upgrade from a Personal Account, the Creator Account is the way to go. Some major pros and cons are listed below to help you make up your mind:
Pros
- In-depth analysis that can inspire you to write better articles
- Mailbox management to facilitate contact with relevant parties
- Easily monetize your profile with shoppable posts
- In case you need to get in touch with someone, your information will remain confidential.
- Insights to help you expand your fan base.