Topline
Instagram launched a test of a new subscriptions mode that allows creators to provide exclusive content to paying subscribers, a feature popularized byby OnlyFans, Substack and Patreon, the company announced Wednesday.
The buttons of the photo app Instagram, surrounded by WhatsApp, Facebook, Messages and other apps on … [+]
Key Facts
Select creators are able to provide exclusive live stream sessions, stories and badges to paying subscribers which will be signified by the shade of purple, a move that will “help creators earn more,” Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of parent company Meta, said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
The program is being tested with 10 popular U.S.-based creators who each have tens of thousands of followers and it will become available to more creators in the coming months, the company said.
Creators will have the ability to set their own subscription price from a range of $0.99 to $99.99 a month, according to The Verge.
When Facebook launched a subscription service last year, the company promised it would not subtract fees until at least 2023, which will also apply to Instagram’s program, the company said.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said that the company is working on a way for creators to utilize their subscriber list outside of Instagram on other platforms.
Crucial Quote
“Creators do what they do to make a living, and it’s important that that is predictable. And subscriptions are one of the best ways to have a predictable income, a way that’s not attached to how much reach you get on any given post,” Mosseri said.
Key Background
Instagram is the latest social media platform to try to follow on the success of content sites like OnlyFans and Patreon and newsletter platform Substack. Last year, Twitter launched its version of a subscription model, Super Follows, that allows users to pay $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 a month to receive exclusive content from creators they’ve subscribed to. Twitter and Facebook also launched newsletter services last year. YouTube launched channel memberships in 2018.
Further Reading
Instagram is testing paid subscriptions with a small group of creators (The Verge)
Twitter To Test Subscription Feature Allowing Users To Charge Followers For Exclusive Content (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/01/19/instagram-testing-subscription-service-for-creators-to-sell-exclusive-content/