David Bridges
Creators are a key focus for Instagram, because it knows that if it can rope more creators in, and get them posting more often to its platform (instead of, say, the clock app), that will keep their fans coming back for more, helping to improve its engagement stats.
It’s already testing out a range of revenue share and creator funding options, which will provide variable means of supplemental income for IG creators. And now, it’s working on another option to help creators showcase what they offer to brands for potential promotional partnerships.
As you can see in this screenshot, posted by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Instagram’s currently developing a new ‘media kit’ option, which would guide creators through the process of building their pitch to brands.
Creators will be able to write a bio, showcase their top posts and point to past collaborations as examples. The process would also add in key analytics and audience stats, essentially simplifying the process of packaging your IG presence as a potential promotional channel.
Which is similar to Meta’s Creator Marketplace platform, which already does most of this work for creators.
The difference here is that creators would have more direct input over how they represent themselves to potential partners, while they’d also be able to share this new media kit with potential collaborators themselves, as opposed to referring them to the Creator Marketplace listing (IG’s Creator Marketplace is also currently only being tested on an invite-only basis with brands active in the US).
Instagram has confirmed that it is experimenting with the option, though it’s only an internal prototype at this stage.
It’s an interesting consideration, which could have big value for aspiring stars, and could further assist in Instagram’s efforts to win over more creators from its rivals.
As Insider notes, YouTube announced a similar media kit tool for its creators earlier this year, as it also looks to sweeten its offering for top talent, with both Meta and YouTube hoping that their more lucrative revenue share offerings will prove increasingly attractive to TikTok stars, who can’t earn nearly as much in that app.
TikTok, which isn’t able to offer in-stream ads or similar direct monetization tools, is still working to establish its creator payment options, and its rivals will be hoping that, eventually, the top stars will realize that they would be better served focusing on their apps instead – which is what happened to Vine leading to its demise.
TikTok, of course, is much bigger than Vine ever was, and its focus on entertainment over social connection has it much better placed for ongoing success. But history shows us that, eventually, people will follow the money, which could see many big name stars de-prioritizing TikTok at some stage.
I would suspect, too, that Meta and YouTube will look to exclusive content deals to hasten this. Such arrangements haven’t always worked out so well in the past, but if they can lock in top creators, and their audiences, and get them away from TikTok, that could deal a significant blow to the app’s growth momentum.
It’s hard to say how effective that might be, because TikTok doesn’t necessarily focus on individuals, more on content. But if YouTube, for example, really wanted to juice Shorts, they could sign up the top TikTok stars to Shorts instead, which could be a big power shift.
Till then, however, each platform will continue to refine their offerings, and brand-building tools like this could be another valuable enticement.
Maya Kensington
Cameron Steel
