Skip to main content

Instagram wants people to make more longform IGTV content, but it still isn’t giving them a way to monetize

Instagram wants people to make more longform IGTV content, but it still isn’t giving them a way to monetize

/

The new @creators account encourages people to keep making content

Share this story

Instagram is launching a new branded account today called @creators, which is meant to encourage wannabe influencers and content makers to keep creating for Instagram. The account page says it’ll address “tips, tricks, updates, IGTV, BTS (behind-the-scenes), access, insights, and tutorials.” Instagram-chosen creators, including dancer Susie Meoww and comedian Adam Waheed, will walk people through their process for creating content and offer advice that ranges from the equipment they use to the sound effects they like. The page also seemingly serves as a FAQ for Instagram. Its first Story highlight answers basic questions about verification, the algorithmic feed, and comment filtering.

The account unsurprisingly focuses on IGTV, the longform video arm of Instagram and a focus point for the company. Justin Antony, head of content and creator partnerships at Instagram, says the talent they choose to highlight “embodied best practices and creation on the platform,” especially around IGTV.

People don’t want to create content just to create, though. Most aspiring creators want to make a career out of it. So far, Instagram hasn’t given anyone a native way to make money on the platform, although Antony told The Verge in April that IGTV will be the first place the company monetizes. In a call last week, however, he said the platform isn’t “there yet.” In the meantime, people should keep making content for it, though.

Of course, creators worry about topics other than making money, like bullying, mental health, and burnout. Brooke Ozaydinli, Instagram product marketing manager, says the account will also touch on these topics in addition to how to make money on the platform, even if it isn’t Instagram-sanctioned. “We’ve really been trying to focus on creative best practices, so focusing on the inspirational content creation aspect of being a creator,” she says. “That’s not to say that we’re going to shy away entirely from branded opportunities, but the real focus is: how do you up level as a creator?”

When it comes to talking about negative comments, Ozaydinli points out that one creator might choose to talk about Instagram’s comment filtering and how that can help. She also says, depending on the creator, they can talk about burnout or how they maintain a personal life while churning out content. Granted, there’s not an Instagram feature to help with that, so it’s unclear how Instagram creators will encourage people to take time for themselves. When I met comedian Waheed at Instagram’s Los Angeles office last April, I was genuinely worried about his health. He told me he didn’t really take vacations unless they were sponsored. That’s not good!

While creators need a space on the platform to learn about new product features and to get to know their favorite accounts, I hope Instagram doesn’t shy away from the real questions people have, whether it’s related to burnout and taking a content-making break or how to make money without coming up with something that might be considered a “scam.”