Instagram Begins Testing Subscriptions for Creators

Instagram on Wednesday launched testing of a new subscription service for creators in the U.S.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of parent company Meta and co-founder of Facebook, announced the news via social media. “Launching a test of subscriptions on Instagram in the US today,” he wrote on Facebook. “This will help creators earn more by offering benefits to their most engaged followers like access to exclusive Lives and Stories. 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.”

The test, which is currently only available to a selection of creators, will allow participants to earn a recurring, monthly income on the social media platform while fostering a stronger connection with their most loyal followers. Creators will be able to choose a monthly price, unlock the “subscription” button on their profile and offer a slew of subscribers-only benefits.

Once unlocked, creators can broadcast Lives and create exclusive Stories that will only be visible to those who subscribe. Additionally, creators will be able to save Stories to a subscribers-only highlight.

Subscribers will receive a badge next to their comments and primary and request inbox messages so that they can be easily identified by the creator.

While the feature is currently only available to a handful of U.S. creators during the alpha program period, Instagram has plans to “expand access to more creators in the coming months.”

Elsewhere in tech, the Brooklyn Nets have become the first professional sports team in America to join the metaverse.