Currently in the testing phase, Instagram is to launch a new suite of features that will help creators monetise their content and earn a living through the platform. In a recent press release, it was announced “We’re introducing a suite of new tools that help creators and brands connect and collaborate on Instagram through brand partnerships, commerce and more”
The new branded content partnership features are to help creators get discovered by more brands and make it easier for them to communicate in the Instagram app. Here’s what we know so far:
Preferred brand partnerships
This allows creators to add brands they would like to work with to a ‘preferred brands list’, which will help creators to be found when the brand is searching for a creator to potentially collaborate with.
Partnership messages
Creators are inundated with DMs, making genuine opportunities easy to miss in an overflowing inbox. Instagram has come up with the solution to make work-related enquiries easier to manage by introducing a new folder within Instagram DMs exclusively for partnership messages. This feature will help creators and brands alike to easily find messages about potential collaborations. These partnership messages skip the requests folder and get priority placement.
Data-driven search
Instagram has also announced that brands will be able to use data and unique filters to discover and select the best creators for their campaigns. They can then “organize shortlists to easily manage multiple campaigns. This is great news for brands, as they’ll be able to take control of their marketing campaigns by looking at verified data for potential creators, before embarking on any collaborations.
NOTE: All these features are being tested with a small-group of US-based creators and brands, so watch this space.