Instagram Tests The OnlyFans Formula With New Creator Subscriptions

 Instagram Subscriptions are currently in the alpha phase and limited to 10 creators in the US, but there are plans for expansion in the coming months.

Taking inspiration from the OnlyFans model of putting content behind a wall of payments, Instagram has launched Subscriptions for a small bunch of creators in the US, giving them an opportunity to share exclusive content with subscribers. While subscriptions are new to Instagram, its parent company is no stranger to it. Meta has been offering that money-making tool to creators on Facebook for a while now.

Instagram was first spotted testing its subscription tool in July last year. Back then, the feature was in an internal testing phase and the only key feature that was officially confirmed to be in development at that time was Exclusive Stories. While Instagram was occupied testing its subscriptions offering, Twitter went ahead and launched its own take on the idea called Twitter Blue. But it appears that Instagram’s version is finally ready for prime time.

Instagram has announced the arrival of Instagram Subscriptions, but it is currently in the alpha stage of testing and is available only to ten creators in the US. Some of those lucky Instagrammers include basketball player Sedona Prince, actress and dancer Kelsey Lynn Cook, and celebrity astrologer Aliza Kelly. With subscriptions at hand, creators will be able to go live with broadcasts that are only available to their paid followers. Additionally, they can also post subscriber-exclusive stories. As for the subscribers themselves, they will get a purple insignia alongside their profile name as a badge of honor. The purple budge will also serve as an identification marker for creators, allowing them to distinguish their paying subscriber’s comments or message requests, and engage with them on priority.

Promising & Polarizing

Subscriber Stories will also be surrounded in a purple halo to make them stand out from the regular stories that are visible to all. Instagram says it will expand the Subscription feature to more creators in the coming months. However, the company hasn’t any plans of expansion beyond the US market. As for the pricing structure for subscriptions, it remains the same across Instagram and Facebook. The most pocket-friendly plan goes for $0.99 per month, while the most expensive option touches the $99.99 per month mark. “I’m excited to keep building tools for creators to make a living doing creative work and to put these tools in more creators’ hands soon,” Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. But there’s both good and bad news here.

Meta won’t be taking a cut from the subscription revenue of creators. At least not until 2023. However, Apple and Google will. All subscriptions are processed through Apple’s own in-app payments system, and the same applies to the Android app that relies on Google Play Store’s payment gateway. And that means a percent share of the subscription fee is going into Apple and Google’s coffers. However, just like custom Facebook subscription links, Instagram might also offer an external destination to let fans pay the subscription fee, which is then reflected in the mobile app. “In this alpha, that’s not implemented yet. But that’s something that we could definitely consider for the future,” Instagram co-head of Product, Ashley Yuki, was quoted as saying by TechCrunch. That way, Apple and Google are robbed of their 30 percent cut, and the revenue is shared only between creators and Meta.