Instagram has been doing all it can to make its platform more competitive in comparison to other social media platforms including Facebook. Its newly introduced “creator account” shows that the social media platform cares about the influencers on its platform.

Everything Marketers Need To Know About Instagram Creator Accounts

Prior to the introduction of the Instagram creator account, the only available options for influencers to assess their profile and posts performance was to switch to an Instagram business account. Now, there is no need for that. Instagram now has a special account for its MVPs e.g. Creators. 

What is an Instagram Creator Account

The photo-sharing platform (Instagram) basically has (now) three types of account ― personal and business. The difference between the first two accounts type are obvious as their names indicate Business accounts are for Business users and Personal accounts for personal users. In contrast, Influencers are just in-between the category of being a person and yet presented as a brand on their own. This is why there is a need for an account that specially caters to their needs.

To confirm the inefficiency of the use of the business accounts for influencers demand, an Instagram spokesperson was quoted by Adsweek to have said:

“We’ve gotten feedback that existing tools around business profiles make it difficult to track creator follower growth and engagement over time, and that existing business tools weren’t designed with them in mind,”

The people the account is specially designed for include public figures, content producers, artists, and influencers. 

Instagram’s Creator account offer some set of tools that make it easier for creators to use Instagram effectively. New features are centered around tracking growth, managing communication, and improved insights. Creators can also enable or disable some details they don’t want their followers to see.

How to Switch to a creator account?

The criteria of switching from a personal or business account to the creator account is currently unknown. Some experts claim you only need to have more than 10,000 followers and have your account linked to a Facebook page. However, Instagram’s Support Documentation, highlighted that linking a Facebook page to your account is optional when switching to a creator account.

Other experts reported they have seen accounts with as low as 5,000 followers get approval to switch to the new creator account. The truth is, we started a completely new account with just a little over a 100 followers and the option was available to us. In the near future, every user might be allowed to switch.

To Switch to a creator account:

• Launch the Instagram app on your smartphone to open your profile.
• Tap the three-line button at the top right corner of the profile page.
• Select the settings gear icon at the bottom of the page.
• Select the Account option in the settings menu.

If you currently have a business account and the option is available to you should be able to see the “Switch to Creator”

If you currently have a personal account as opposed to a business account the option may be presented as “Get More Tools” wherein you’ll be prompted to select between a business or creator account.

Select the “Creator” option which will lead to a screen describing what a creator account is.

Select your preferred category. A creator category describes what your account will be about. Once you’ve selected a creator category click next. Note, the app may suggest categories it believes best fits your content and or audience type.

Toggle (turn on / off )  your flexible profile options. These options include contact information and creator category.

Select Done. Congrats! You can now enjoy your new Creator Account.

Instagram Creator Account Features

Now that you’ve set up your creator account there are features worth exploring. These features include:

• Creator Analytics
• Creator Inbox
• Creator Categories

Let’s go through each important section below in further detail.

Creator Analytics

In addition to the features offered by the business account tools, creator account analytics include;

•         Growth metrics which influencers can use to get insights on better ways to reach their followers. The metric will analyze followers by age and gender or both just as in the business account. In addition, the creator account will show insights on number of follows and unfollows for a given day.
•         Posts performance data to examine the impression of posts (videos, photos, carousels, stories, and IGTV) and how they affect the rate of influencers’ account followers. This feature was initially offered by third-party tools until Instagram disabled most of them from accessing its API.
•         Ad or paid advert reach is boosted for creator accounts. The Instagram algorithm will extract information from influencers account analytic and use it to target a more specific audience instead of being generic. This allows influencers to reach more relevant people. 

Creator Inbox

It is not unusual for influencers to receive different kinds of messages in their account such as “where did you get that sneakers?”; “Is that shirt from Walmart? And many more. This category of messages distracts from replying to important messages such as “endorsement deal offers”.

The Creator Inbox is designed in two tabs ― Primary Inbox and General Inbox. This allows influencers to organize messages from fans, businesses, and friends. They will also be able to move messages between folders.

There are also filter options like “Top Requests” and “Standard Requests” to organize messages from people they do not follow or accepted into their inbox before. The algorithm grades these requests based on the popularity of the account sending the message request. Prominent accounts will be displayed under the “Top Requests” category.

The read and unread message flag enhance the inbox organization. Instead of having the read and unread looking alike, the flag differentiates them. With this, influencers can identify messages that need attention and those they have attended to before. 

The ultimate benefit of the creator inbox is the ability of influencers to choose who can message them. Message requests will not be marked as seen until the user accepts them.

Instagram Creator Categories

Unlike private and business accounts, the creator account allows for a flexible profile. Instagram creators are now allowed to choose the best category that describes them. This means a blogger can display the “Blogger” title while an “Author” or “Chef” can do the same. It is like freedom given to creators to display their professions. There are other options like Actor, Architectural Designer, Athlete, Chef, Coach, etc.

It is not mandatory to display the preferred category on the profile. There is a toggle in the creator account dashboard that can be switched to either hide or display category and contact info on the profile shown to the public.

Creator Desktop Access

Marketers can recall that Instagram analytics are only available in the Instagram business account when accessed through the mobile app. The new Creator Studio has been added to the Facebook Creator Studio launched last year (2018). Creator account users will be able to access their analytics and insights through the creator studio dashboard on their desktop without the need of using a third-party tool.

This option allows influencers to vividly analyze their insights. The Facebook account and all associated Facebook pages along with the Instagram creator account can be connected to the Creator Studio to get real-time analytics. Admins of a Facebook page can also post content directly to the linked Instagram account through the Creator Studio.

Final Thoughts on Creator Accounts

As a final note, users may not be able to switch to the creator account. There are some major benefits to an Instagram creator account. These benefits include: 

• Better personalized profile with contact options.
• Powerful analytics to track posts performance and net followers changes.
• Easy inbox organization features.
  

An Instagram creator account is essentially a marketing suite for Instagram content creators who are ready to take account growth to the next level. Are you an influencer currently using the creator account? Or considering making the switch. Let us hear your thoughts in the comments below.