Instagram Adds More Tools to Help Creators Maximize Branded Content Partnerships Instagram is testing some new features for Creator monetization options ahead of its Christmas shopping campaign, with the goal of helping its top users maximize their earning potential through branded content arrangements.
First, Instagram is testing a new “Partnerships” message folder within Instagram DMs, which will be a dedicated space for tracking sponsored content opportunities and connections.
As you can see here, along with the “Primary”, “General” and “Requests” folders, Instagram is also testing a new “Partnership Messages” section in your inbox, where these specific connections will live.
These messages will be filtered through the Facebook Collabs Brand Manager platform, or via a new brand search option, making it easier to connect with Creators who follow their brand profile or have specifically reported willingness to work with them.
It also means that all brands that will communicate via this volume will adhere to partner monetization policies, as a qualifier for the new communication tools.
This could be an easier way to facilitate collaborations, and while it seems like Instagram would be better off adding another swipeable tab in the live inbox, rather than clicking on a folder at the top of the stream, maybe four tabs is too many. , This is a better choice for the user interface.
Instagram is also trying out a new digital storefront option for creators who participate in its affiliate program, providing another way for individual creators to promote sponsored products to their audience.
As you can see in these screen mockups, creators will now essentially be able to create their own stores for the products they endorse, providing more exposure for brands, and more revenue-sharing options for creators.
This can be a very tempting option, as it gives brands the ability to access the active communities of those users with direct endorsements on their profiles. The option is currently being tested with American content creators who share Instagram The original affiliate program.
Finally, Instagram has also launched brand new content ads in Reels, which is another step toward monetizing the short video format.
according to Instagram:
“We brought branded content to Reels earlier this year, and we are now continuing to introduce branded content ads into Reels.”
The option is very similar to the Instagram branded content tags for Reels, though with a “Sponsored” tag, rather than just a “Paid Partnership.” That would give brands more ability to boost collaboration of Reels creators, which, as the TikTok model has shown, is the only real way to gain traction in the format, with traditional annoying ads failing to trigger the same levels of response in a short video feed.
Although, in general, effective short video monetization is still problematic, because, unlike longer videos, you can’t insert pre-roll or mid-roll ads in 30-second clips. This limits your ability to assign revenue share to certain uploads, which is why branded content formats like this are a major way for creators to monetize, and provide more incentive for popular Reels stars to keep posting.
Instagram is also adding the ability to boost organic stories and feed posts into ads with Instagram’s Boost branded content option.
These are key additions within Instagram’s broader creator monetization campaign, which the platform has promoted, time and time again, as a way forward for the app. And this, again, is especially true for Reels, but even for Instagram in general, as more users look to TikTok, and TikTok develops its own revenue-sharing tools, which could eventually see more popular users spending more time on this app instead unless Instagram can keep it up with more enticing and lucrative revenue-sharing deals.
And with its broader push into e-commerce, they could end up becoming mainstream add-ons — but there’s still a risk that Instagram could become too focused on e-commerce as well, and lose some of its usage appeal as a result.
