What is Instagram’s New Creator Profile?
For years now, users of Instagram have been able to adapt their accounts to function better for the purpose of business. User were able to brand their profile with their title, whether that be public figure, business, restaurant or agency. This has allowed businesses and creators to access functions and analytics that allow them to perform at a higher level and use Instagram for personal gain. With the rise of social media creators and monetisation options on various platforms, it's important that all platforms are catering to this user profile. Instagram's creator account is a newer option compared to their business account and it comes with various capabilities and options compared to personal and business accounts. Interested? Keep reading.
Where to Find the New Creator Account
The creator account is available to all users, here's how to find it.
- Step 1: Tap the three horizontal bars at the top right corner of your Instagram Profile
- Step 2: Tap 'Settings' and then 'Account'
- Step 3: Tap 'Switch to Professional Account' at the bottom of the screen, then continue through the next couple of windows.
- Step 4: Tap which type of professional account describes you. Then tap 'Creator' and you have successfully set up your creator account on Instagram.
What Is a Creator Profile?
The idea behind the new profile customisation is to give Creators more control over their accounts. According to one of Instagram's Product Managers, Ashley Yuki "The idea is to create this space where we can now start to specialise the experience for the needs of creators.”. This means this new account style will cater mostly to the big creators within the space. She also goes on to say that creator profiles "are best suited for public figures, producers, artists, and influencers." So, are there any differences between the creator account and business account?
The creator account does have more features, one example of these is that you are able to filter direct messages (meaning you can limit who has the ability to contact you). As an influencer, you can also see more in-depth analytics with your follower counts, like how many people are following or unfollowing the account.
What You Need to Know
While it's exciting to see this new account format, there are a few things that are limited once you switch over. With it still being in beta testing, some features that you previously had are no longer available. For example, auto-posting with apps such as Planoly has not been supported yet through the creator account. So, if you rely on auto scheduling tools you may need to stay on a business profile for the time being.
Other Things to Note
With the creator profile limiting specific features, it also limits the big perks of having a business profile. For example: When you're trying to connect to third-party platforms, Facebook isn't recognising a creator account as a business account and will not give you access to certain features. This could prove to be difficult when it comes to granting social access to the brands you're working with for sponsored content or completing paid campaign deliverables. Another thing to keep in mind too - When switching, some analytics and stats from previous posts might even disappear too! Moral of the story is - be very careful and considered before making the decision to switch your profile over and make sure it is going to be the profile that best caters to you and your business needs.
Im curious to see how this feature changes and evolves after beta testing, and if it will ultimately benefit creators and influencers on Instagram in the long run.
What are your thoughts? Life changer or unnecessary?
Nikki X
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