Instagram Rolls Out New “Income Generation” Tools for Creators

Facebook recently announced new income generation tools for creators to earn through Instagram and Facebook. Both Facebook and Instagram have remained effective social media marketing platforms for businesses of all scales. However, the recent initiatives announced heavily focused on content creators and how they can use their Instagram as a comprehensive platform to partner with brands, earn money from their supporters, sell their merchandise, and earn a portion of revenue from ads that run against their video content. Some announced features are available to a selected group of creators in the United States, while others are available immediately. Below is a walkthrough of some of these key income generation tools that explicitly focus on supporting creators’ careers.

Instagram affiliate and shops

Instagram announced that they are testing a native tool that is expected to allow creators to drive in more sales and thereby earn commissions from the products they promote. This entire affiliate experience lives within the Instagram app. So when people or users come across an affiliate post from a creator who features a tagged product, they will be able to see a mention as “Eligible for commission” at the top of the post. This is done to make it clear for the users that their purchase will help support that creator. 

However, this feature is expected to roll out to a selected group of us-based creators who will test it over the coming months. The test group includes Benefit, Kopari, MAC, Pat McGrath Labs, and Sephora and will expand to more partners in the future.

Easier to open a shop on Instagram

The Facebook announcement also revealed that the Instagram advertising platform would make it easy for creators to open shops to sell their merchandise. Besides, they can also conduct exclusive product launches by linking their account with one of these four Instagram merchandise partners: Bravado/UMG, Fanjoy, Represent, and Spring. 

This tool is limited to creators in the US and is expected to fully roll out by the end of the year, hopefully before Christmas. So that means creators who have their product line can now link their shop to their respective personal profile alongside their business profile. 

Earn more from fans

As we know, Instagram and Facebook advertising and content creation are all about the fan base. The recent announcement revealed that creators who broadcast Instagram Live videos could earn “tips” from viewers in the form of heart badges. So when a user purchases a badge, a heart icon will appear next to their name in the live chat. The cost of a badge is between $.99 and $4.99, with a cap of 250 USD per viewer per session.

Besides this, Instagram is also starting to reward creators with bonuses for what they call hitting specific “Instagram live millstones.” This includes live streaks and teaming up with different accounts. So creators on Instagram are now eligible to earn an extra payout when they meet these milestones while using badges in live. Bonuses start at $100 and can go up to $250, depending on the milestone. This works as follows:

• Milestone 1: $100 when you go Live with badges once for at least 15 minutes. 
• Milestone 2: $150 when you go Live with badges with another account for at least 30 minutes. 
• Milestone 3: $250 when you go Live with badges for at least 15 minutes once per week.