With the launch of Instagram Creator accounts and their subsequent folding into the category of Instagram Professional Accounts, you may be wondering if this profile type is the right fit for you.
After all, Instagram’s efforts to cater to professional businesses and brands in more ways than just Instagram shopping are great news – but they may leave you with a bit of an identity crisis!
That’s why we created this guide to the Instagram Creator profile – to help you figure out if it’s the best match for you as a content creator or influencer. And if it’s not, we’ll point you in the right direction to another Instagram profile option!
We also included a helpful Q&A with our Affiliate Manager Chloe – an ace Tailwind marketer by day, and successful fashion blogger and influencer by night. She’ll share her experience with the Creator profile and what prompted her to make the switch!
A Creator Account (or, Profile) is one of two Instagram Professional profiles on the platform (the other is an Instagram business account!)
The Creator profile enables influencers and creators to “access features that make it easier to control [your] online presence, understand your growth and manage messages.” – Instagram.
Ashley Yuki, Instagram product manager, told the Hollywood Reporter, “We want to make sure that Instagram is the best place, and the easiest place, to build fan communities and also build [creators’] personal brands.”
With a Creator Account, you can:
The Instagram Creator account is best for public figures, content producers, artists, and Instagram influencers, according to Instagram.
Businesses can be Creators, and vice versa, which is what can make this choice a little tricky. Generally, we recommend a Creator account if you don’t actually sell products yourself, but collaborate with brands to promote their products. Or, if your main goal is to produce content for your audience!
There are no requirements for an Instagram Creator account, the way there are for say, getting verified on Instagram.
The only thing to be aware of is that you will need to include some type of contact information, but you can control when this is visible on your profile.
Set up of an Instagram Creator account is really simple. Here are the steps to set up your Creator account with a brand new profile or a personal account:
If you have an existing Business account, you’ll find the option to switch in Settings >Account > Switch to Creator account!
Okay, so now we’ve covered the benefits of hopping on the Creator Account train and how to set one up, but maybe you’re second-guessing your decision. No worries, switching back to a Business Profile or a personal profile is easy as can be!
Then, you’ll get a little reminder pop-up letting you know that you can switch back at any time.
Once you’ve officially switched, you’ll see a green banner confirming that you’ve made the change! ✅
Curious what the Creator Profile includes? Here’s a list of the main features and benefits contained in this professional account type.
With a Creator account, you can access the new Instagram professional dashboard from the top of your Instagram profile.
This hub contains all the tools and resources you need to manage your Creator profile, including performance insights, branded content tools, promotions management, and Instagram Shopping.
You’ll also see tips, best practices, and resource guides from Instagram for Creators!
If you find yourself geeking out over tracking engagement and growth metrics, then you are going to love these analytics contained in the Instagram Professional dashboard!
Here’s the kind of insights you’ll find:
If you’re tired of your inbox constantly being flooded with messages, you’re going to love this! With a Creator Account, you’ll be able to filter through your DMs with three inboxes. It’s much more manageable and you’ll never miss the important ones!
You’ll have one Primary inbox for receiving messages from people you follow or interact with often, and one General inbox for first-time communicators.
What about people requesting to DM you for the first time? Instagram thought of that too with the Requests folder!
In that situation, you’ll simply Accept or Decline that user’s request to contact you, and then decide which inbox you want messages to be sent to in the future. It’s as simple as that!
With a Creator Account, you have even more freedom to customize the look and feel of your profile. Take your profile display options for instance.
Want to display your category label for all the world to see? Go for it. You can turn it off at any time. Want to display your contact info so that brands wanting to collaborate are able to get ahold of you? You have that option – and the option to stop displaying it at any time.
Category labels are great for classifying the line of work that you’re in. That way, if a brand wants to collaborate with you, they can easily identify that your brand aligns with theirs so you can both save time.
When you first set up your Instagram Creator profile, you’ll be directed to choose your account category. This identifies the niche or industry you’re in – or basically, what you do!
There are hundreds of category options available for your account – so many that Instagram suggests categories for you based on what’s most popular!
Profile categories like actor, blogger, coach, comedian, writer, digital creator, and motivational speaker are suggested, just to name a few. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Use the search bar at the top to reveal even more industry options.
Wouldn’t it be nifty if your followers could purchase clothes and other products directly through your posts without having to DM you to ask for a link? Good news! Instagram is one step ahead of you.
One of the coolest features of Creator Accounts is the ability to create shoppable posts promoting brands that you love (and that are willing to pay you for sharing!)
When you tag certain items in your posts, your viewers can easily click on the item to learn more about it. Then, they can actually purchase that product directly through Instagram!
The Facebook Creator Studio is a handy additional tool for managing your Instagram account. Using this tool allows you to create and schedule Instagram posts and IGTV videos, view your insights dashboard, and even manage brand collabs!
We’ll be honest, the tool is fairly simple and straightforward. If all you need is scheduling capabilities for your posts, Creator Studio can do the work for you.
It misses some of the important nuances for Instagram marketing that Instagram scheduling tools like Tailwind have, like searching for top hashtags, format your caption with fonts and emojis, visually plan your Instagram feed with drag-and-drop, and post at the best times with SmartSchedule.
But, you know, it works.
As useful as it is to have a Creator Account, there is one main downside to this profile type.
Instagram API limits access to Creator accounts, which means some of your favorite scheduling tool features are not available… like Auto Post.
You can still schedule posts and use push notifications to publish them on time, but if setting-and-forgetting it is your bread and butter, you’d be better of with an Instagram Business profile.
Chloe is our ace Affiliate Marketing Manager at Tailwind and the successful owner of the Chloe Alysse blog! Boasting 55,000 followers on Instagram, she had to carefully consider the pros and cons of the Instagram Creator account vs personal when the feature first rolled out.
Here are her thoughts!
Tailwind: What made you decide to go for it?
Chloe: “Instagram relies on influencers and influencer marketing, so I assumed that they introduced this tool to help me succeed.
There are so many creators and businesses out there, and I think it will help to have these categories defined so that Instagram can better meet all of our unique needs.”
Tailwind: Did you worry about making the change?
Chloe: “Not really! Social media is always changing.
I learn best from trying new features and new things in general, and seeing what works and what fails miserably! I figured I could always go back if I didn’t like it and just took the plunge! ”
Tailwind: How has switching to a Creator Account specifically impacted your brand performance?
Chloe: “I immediately noticed an improvement in engagement. The improved inbox has allowed me more peace of mind and helped me stay organized! In my Priority inbox, I keep my friends, fellow bloggers, and brands I’m in regular contact with.
Everyone else stays in General. I have to approve anyone who hasn’t previously sent me a message. My old inbox was so chaotic, and I could never find important messages!”
It made perfect sense for Chloe to classify her account as a Creator Profile. She explains:
“There are so many different types of businesses on Instagram, so it’s nice to know that my account type is specifically designed for people doing what I’m doing – creating content and connecting with people! I’ve gone through different waves of growth and engagement, and since I switched to a Creator Account, my engagement has been more consistent.
I think in the future differentiating between a Business and Creator Account will be more important, but for now, I’m happy to be part of the experiment!”
At this point, it’s plain to see that there are plenty of benefits of upgrading to a Creator Account and maybe just one possible drawback:
So, are you planning on making the switch to a Creator Account? If not, what is holding you back? Let us know in the comments below.
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