Another new Instagram update has arrived, and we’re here to break it down for you.

Instagram’s newest update is called Subscriptions. This new feature is slowly rolling out to select creators, for now, to test. Arguably the most important part of this new feature is that it is meant to allow users to have more predictable income, which we see becoming a more common theme in discussion surrounding Instagram updates. Creators will have the ability to price their own subscriptions. 

There will be three main integrations to Subscriptions. The first are Subscriber Stories. Creators will be able to post stories that are exclusive to their subscribers; think a Close Friends story, but you have to pay to access it. The next integration is Subscriber Lives. This is the same concept as Subscriber Stories, where creators can go live just to their subscribers to have more tight-knit or niche conversations. The third integration is Subscriber Badges. Badges will appear as a purple emblem next to subscriber usernames so the creator will know who is a subscriber in their comments, Dm’s, or anywhere across the app. 

This update comes sandwiched between a slew of other new Instagram updates that lead us to believe that Instagram is in the midst of a major overhaul. While some updates have long been pleaded for by users, (think chronological feeds) some of these updates seem to be made in effort to keep their users in-app, for longer. Instagram has been foreshadowing these changes since mid 2021, when head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, announced that Instagram is no longer just a photo-sharing app. These comments and changes have come in the wake of TikTok’s major success, when users were migrating to and spending more time than ever before on the app in early 2020. 

Overall, we think this update will be a great tool for creators to have more predictable income. It’s also a great way to grow a tight-knit, niche community within your audience if utilized correctly.

So, how will you be utilizing Instagram’s newest feature?