Instagram tests out paid subscription feature

It’s no surprise that one of the frequent-used media platforms, Instagram, has decided to put the paid subscription feature to the test with a small group of influencers and creators. The feature includes access to the exclusive content of creators and has been made available to a few profiles around the US.

Essentially the paid subscription feature has fans and followers paying a monthly fee to access some exclusive subscriber-only content from the creators and influencers they follow. This content includes exclusive Lives and Stories that will be available only to paid subscribers.

Subscribers will also get a purple badge by their name that will show their exclusive status to the creator they are subscribing to.

Price tiers for this subscription model will range from $0.99 to $99.99 per month and creators can pick the price point for the subscriptions.

Instagram is not going to take a cut out of the creators’ subscription earnings till at least 2023, Co-head of Product at Instagram told TechCrunch.

Currently, only 10 creators are a part of the early test that the platform is running, including Olympian Jordan Chiles, basketball player Sedona Prince, and astrologer Aliza Kelly.

“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,” Mark Zuckerberg, wrote in a Facebook post. Facebook/Meta has its own version of a subscription program for creators on its platform.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a video that subscriptions are “one of the best ways” for creators and influencers on the platform to bring in a “predictable income”.

He said in a tweet:
Subscriptions allow creators to monetize and become closer to their followers through exclusive experiences:
– Subscriber Lives
– Subscriber Stories
– Subscriber Badges
We hope to add more creators to this test in the coming months. More to come.

This is Instagram streamlining the monetization process on the platform since some creators have already started monetizing some of Instagram’s features like Close Friends. These creators charge fans a fee off-platform to give them access to Stories.

However, the paid feature is not a recent concept on social media. Platforms such as Youtube and Twitter have previously introduced their respective subscription feature on their platforms. Similarly, there are other existing off-platform sites such as Patreon and Substack where most of the creators are currently posting their exclusive content and works.