Meta announces addition of new tools for content creators to make money on Instagram

Meta has announced that content creators will soon be able to make their own digital collectibles on Instagram and sell them to fans, both on and off Instagram. 

They’ll have an end-to-end toolkit — from creation (starting on the Polygon blockchain) and showcasing, to selling. People can easily support their favourite creators by buying their digital collectibles directly on Instagram. 

Instagram is testing these new features with a small group of creators in the US first and will expand to more countries soon.

Meta is also expanding the types of digital collectibles that one can showcase on Instagram to include videos and adding support for the Solana blockchain and Phantom wallet, in addition to the blockchains and wallets that it already supports. Lastly, information for select collections where the metadata has been enriched by OpenSea, such as collection name and descriptions, will now be available on Instagram.

Meta is also expanding access to subscriptions on Instagram to all eligible creators in the US, so more creators can earn predictable income and connect more deeply with their most engaged followers. 

Meta said, “Since launching subscriptions earlier this year, we’ve seen creators like Cole Sprouse (@colesprouse), Alan Chow (@alanchikinchow) and Skai Jackson (@skaijackson) use subscriptions to get even closer to their most engaged supporters.”

Meta has made it easier for people to discover Stars on Facebook by automatically enabling Stars on public creator content — including Reels. 

“This means that people can learn about and use Stars in more places across Facebook. We are testing with a select number of creators globally,” said Meta. 

For creators already using Stars, Meta is launching new features to make it easier to earn Stars and interact with Star senders:

• Bringing Stars Party to Reels. A Stars Party is a Stars community challenge that ends in a celebration of the creator reaching their goal. 
• Testing a new set of virtual gifts tailored to specific content. For example, if you’re watching a puppy reel from your favourite pet creator, you’ll be able to send that creator a dog-themed gift. 
• Giving creators more tools to engage with Stars senders, like adding a filter in Comments Manager that displays all of a creator’s Stars comments in one place. On this surface, creators will be able to reply to multiple comments at once.
• Bringing Stars to non-video public content like photos and text posts.

Meta will be introducing gifts on Instagram, starting with Reels. To support their favourite creators, fans can send gifts on Reels by purchasing Stars on Instagram. Meta is testing this with a small group of creators in the US first and hopes to expand to more creators soon.

Meta has launched professional mode for Facebook profiles, a new profile setting that allows creators around the world to build a public presence while maintaining their personal Facebook experience. Professional mode offers creators and anyone that wants to become a creator, a set of tools and opportunities to begin growing a global community from their personal profile. With professional mode, creators can become eligible to earn money through Stars, ads on Facebook Reels, in-stream ads and Reels Play. They will also have access to content and audience analytics, educational resources and more.