After starting a small paid subscription service at the beginning of this year, today, the META subsidiary, Instagram announces more features to further build out the experience — and compete better with Twitter in this area. In a recent video, the CEO of Instagram, Adam Mosseri said the platform aims to be “the best online platform for creators to earn a living” and that these new additions are the direct result of feedback from creators who’ve participated in subscription service earlier.
One of the most important new features is the ability to only publish feed posts to subscribers. Previously, creators could offer exclusive, traditional Instagram feed posts to their paying supporters through Instagram stories. According to Mosseri, this has been the company's top request. On creator profiles, subscribers will have access to a new "subscriber home" tab where they can filter photos and Reels that are only available to them.
A purple badge indicates a subscriber's support of a creator or influencer, and subscriptions can range from $0.99 to $99.99. Subscribers can watch creators' stories and feed posts as well as go live exclusively to their subscribers. Another feature announced today will allow them to chat (via group DM) with up to 30 subscribers at the same time.
Instagram has gradually increased subscriptions and made them available to "tens of thousands" of creators in the United States, but Mosseri admits that the company needs to expand to other regions. "This is just one step on a much longer path to provide creators everywhere with a variety of tools to make a living online," he said in the video. "However, we're very excited about this one."
The Instagram app is currently undergoing major changes, including the addition of a full-screen feed. Mosseri has stated that it will be many months before this redesign is available to all users, with Instagram responding to feedback — particularly from photographers — as it works to refine the new, video-optimized feed without detracting from the presentation of still images. Earlier this year, Instagram reintroduced a chronological feed (along with a new favorites option) for users who want more control over how the app sorts what they see.