December 2018, The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Instagram has started testing a new Instagram Creator Account for select high-profile users.
This new type of Instagram account offers additional features, specifically tailored to the needs of influencers and content creators.
Instagram Testing New Instagram Creator Account For Influencers
A small beta testing group of influencers have been given access to the creator-specific features included in the Instagram Creator Account.
The new Instagram Creator Account features are:
- Detailed daily and weekly growth insights, tracking follows and unfollows
- Direct messaging tools that allow users to separate messages from brand partners and followers
- A tagging system where influencers can rank pending email requests by relevance
- Extended analytic reporting showing how their content performs on a per-post basis
These specialized tools work across the Instagram feed, Stories and IGTV.
The new Instagram Creator Account offers extended tools to suit the needs of people who earn their living by way of influencer marketing.
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
– Ashley Yuki, an Instagram product manager
Instagram Creator Account Adds The Third Type Of Instagram Account
Currently, the two types of Instagram accounts available to users are either ‘personal’ or ‘business.’
Influencers typically use ‘business’ Instagram accounts, but Yuki mentions that the features in a business account weren’t really tailored for them.
Furthermore, as it stands currently, influencers (using business accounts) who are not verified can only access limited data on their accounts.
Likewise, brands and influencers connect, make deals and produce sponsored work all from within the Instagram app already.
This new technology aims to make the work more seamless for brands and influencers alike.
The Rise Of Influencer Marketing
With the rise of influencer marketing and micro-influencer marketing over the past 5 years, much of the business is taking place within the app.
Influencer marketing is a content-driven form of marketing where ‘regular’ people (not traditional celebrities) promote products to their followers via brand-sponsored product placements within their social media posts.
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Influencer marketing works because brands are able to reach wider audiences in a more organic-seeming way than traditional advertising of celebrity endorsements in magazine and TV commercials.
The reasoning being it’s considered that consumers nowadays tend to be more likely to try a product if their favorite Instagram influencer is seen using it.
This first set of tools is just the first step in a broader vision to support creators
– Ashley Yuki, an Instagram product manager
Instagram Creator Account Release Date
The new Instagram Creator Accounts are currently being tested with a small group of users. Currently, there is no way to sign up to be a tester for the Instagram Creator Account.
A release date for the Instagram Creator Account has not been set. It is expected that the new features will be rolled out next year.
