Why an Instagram Creator Account Might Be Right for You

Launching your brand or business comes with a lot of decisions to make. One of the most important is deciding what kind of Instagram account you’ll have.

Instagram currently offers people the option of a Personal, Influencer, or Business account. There are features unique to each type of account, although Instagram has expanded on the features offered to Influencer and Business accounts recently.

But usually, maximizing your brand’s growth means taking your business content out of your Personal account and transitioning to a type of account that offers robust analytical tools and business planning features. You may have heard a lot about Business accounts but don’t feel like the features fully align with your needs. In some cases, a Creator account is the best fit.

We’ll look at what a Creator account is and the main features you’ll find there. But first, who are creators?

The Creator Economy

The creator economy as we know it is a relatively new phenomenon comprising of bloggers, vloggers, YouTubers, live streamers, and more. Creators within this economy range from new and amateur to polished and professional. Approximately 50 million content creators are producing content across all social media platforms. Around two million are considered professional creators. Instagram is the top choice for content creation.

Creators often establish relationships with other brands that lead to affiliate marketing. The other brand can use the trust that the creator has built. The creator showcases the brand or product in some way and discloses the relationship. In this way, creators are influencers, leveraging their trustworthiness and expertise to showcase a product or service to their followers.

Whether the creator is running their business by benefiting from affiliate marketing, collaboration, or offering their own products and services, it all hinges on their ability to produce engaging and popular content. Other brands that affiliate benefit from a much less expensive marketing strategy, and the creator generates an income stream or exchange of products.

So how does a Creator account help? And who is it for?

What Is a Creator Account?

Creator accounts offer several features you can’t get with a Personal account and even some features that you won’t find in a Business account. The people who are most likely to benefit from a Creator account are:

• Influencers
• Artists
• Public figures
• Content producers
• Personal brands looking for monetization

For these types of people, examining detailed analytics around follower growth and response to individual pieces of content is crucial. But creators must also manage aspects of business without losing their personal, approachable touch. The Creator account helps them straddle that line.

Critical Creator Account Features

Since many creators start out building a following on their Personal accounts, there must be a reason why someone would want to switch. And in fact, creators can switch to a Creator account and get the following features for free:

• Instagram Insights

  Flexibility and fast reactions are invaluable for creators, and Instagram offers an Insights tool that helps them map how their followers are engaging with their content. While the Business account provides this information on a weekly basis, the Creator account offers a more nimble response, letting creators see this information daily.

• Creator Studio

  The Creator Studio allows you to create your content and schedule it for when you want it to post, allowing you to batch your work. While you cannot use the Creator account with any third-party apps, the built-in features still will enable you to establish a work/life balance and create consistent messaging.

• Filtered DMs and streamlined inboxes

  One of the most significant ways that creators establish trusting relationships with their followers is by being reachable. In addition, new collaboration and affiliate opportunities also often arrive through the DMs. However, it can quickly get overwhelming trying to sort genuine messages from spam. And as much as a creator would like to respond to everything personally, sometimes it just isn’t possible. Instagram’s Creator account now comes with three filter tabs, including Primary, General, and Requests. And finally, Creator accounts can also create some simple custom keyboard shortcuts to save time.

• Tags and shopping

  Many creators work with multiple brands and, in the past, had to direct followers to a specific website or link. With shoppable posts in the Creator account, creators can tag items (with the brand’s permission or approval) within the creator’s post that will take the person directly to the page where they can buy the items. With fewer steps between seeing the item and completing the purchase, followers are more likely to end up where the brand wanted them to go.

Even More Reasons Why the Creator Account Might Be Right for You

While some lament the inability to use third-party apps to help manage content creation and scheduling, others are more than willing to forgo these features in lieu of others that you can only get on the Creator account.

For example, Creator accounts offer a more extensive list of labels. These labels help you create an even more personal touch and tell people exactly what you do rather than just giving a vague idea. But additional label choices also make it easier for your target audience to find you, saving you the work of searching for them.

One difference that often helps people decide between a Business or Creator account is choice of music. Creator accounts have more access to music choices for their content than Business accounts, and music is a critically important tool for many when producing viral content. Many younger consumers are more likely to engage with and respond to content with trending music, and Business accounts offer a very limited library.

Moreover, musicians don’t want businesses they don’t align with using their music to promote products, and the Creator account manages to circumvent this in many cases.

Test Out Your Instagram Account Options

Fortunately, you don’t have to decide once and for all time which Instagram account to use. You can try out the Business and Creator account options to see which best fits your brand and needs. For many, the Creator account blends the personalization they need with the business and analytical tools that help them monetize their content.