Instagram will be expanding its subscription feature outside the U.S. for the first time in the coming weeks.
After successfully rolling out this capability in America last year, the social platform has announced plans to roll it out in 10 more countries, including:
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- Spain
- United Kingdom
Instagram will then continue to expand access to this feature globally over the next few months, enabling content creators worldwide to earn more money from their followers.
Why we care. Through paid subscription services, brands and influencers can develop deeper connections with their most engaged followers, which could result in more conversions and a higher ROI. In addition, it’s also an opportunity for brands and individuals to boost their monthly incomes by granting subscribers access to exclusive content and benefits for a monthly fee.
How it works. Brands and influencers have the freedom to set their own monthly price. In return for paying this fee, fans unlock a Subscribe button on the content creator’s profile. Unlocking that door will give them access to an array of benefits which can include:
- Subscriber Posts, Stories, Reels and Lives: As well as posting on their main channel, content creators can share bonus material in the form of reels, posts and stories, which is only accessible to paying subscribers.
- Subscriber Highlights: Any new content a creator shares is automatically saved to a highlight that is only visible to subscribers. This makes it super easy for subscribers to keep up-to-date.
- Subscriber Broadcast and Social Channels: Fee-paying followers can also be given exclusive access or information in subscriber-only channels.
- Subscriber Badges: Subscribers will appear with badges next to their name when they comment on posts, making them easier to identify so that content creators can prioritize interacting with these accounts in particular.
Get inspired. If you’re thinking about setting up a subscription on your Instagram account, the social platform suggested looking at the following profiles to see what “a successful subscription looks like”:
What Instagram has said. The social platform announced the extension of its subscription feature via a statement on its official blog. A spokesperson said:
- “Sharing exclusive content with subscribers across multiple formats helps build community with your subscribers in different ways.”
- “We will continue to invest in tools that help creators earn money and will have more updates to share in the coming months.”
Deep dive. Read the Instagram Subscriptions Creator Playbook for tips, advice and best practices on setting up a successful subscription service and keeping subscribers interested.
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