Should You Switch to an Instagram Creator Account?
While Business and Creator accounts have quite a few similarities, there are some key differences when it comes to what you need to build your brand, so which one should you choose?
Posted 3 years ago
Written by
Mackenzie TaylorPosted 3 years ago
It seems like every single day Instagram decides to update their app and confuse users on what they have to do to make sure their content is seen and heard. And that includes what kind of account you need to have for your Instagram. If you’re an influencer, brand, small business, or anything in-between, you’ve probably seen the words Instagram Creator and Business Account—but which one do you choose? That’s why we’re here! While Business and Creator accounts have quite a few similarities, there are some key differences when it comes to what you need to build your brand.
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Who is the Instagram Creator Account for?
Back in 2019, Instagram introduced Creator Accounts for creators who don’t quite have a business yet. These accounts help bridge the gap between personal profiles and business accounts to help those accounts with large amounts of followers. What type of people use Creator Accounts?
- Public Figures
- Content producers
- Artists
- Influencers/Content Creators
- Bloggers
While in the past you had to have at least 10,000 followers to switch to a business account, anyone can start an Instagram Creator profile. No matter how many followers you have.
Who is the Business Account for?
Instagram Business account is for actual businesses who are using Instagram to make money or sell something. Because of this, Business Accounts have API access. With API access, you’ll be able to schedule through Facebook Creator Studio and have the ability to access third-party analytics for your account.
What special features do Instagram Creator Accounts include?
Music Library
One of the biggest selling points to switch to an Instagram Creator Account is the music licensing. With a Business Account, your music library is … limited. And, we mean, limited. You only have access to royalty-free music with a Business Account. However, an Instagram Creator Account is intended for influencers—people creating content for brands but they aren’t brands themselves. This means that Creator Accounts have access to all of the music in addition to business features like analytics and branded content.
Detailed Growth Data
With an Instagram Creator Account, you’ll get a full in-depth look at your followers with info like:
Daily number of follows and unfollows
Unlike a Business Account where you only have access to weekly unfollow/follow count, the Influencer Creator Account tracks the follows daily. This way, you can see which content your audience liked/disliked and you can better tailor your content in the future.
Demographic data (age, location, etc.)
Offered in both Business Account and Instagram Creator Account, the demographic data helps creators and businesses have better insight into who exactly their followers are and content to create for them.
Instagram Creator Dashboard**
Recently, Instagram introduced a new “Creator Studio” to help influencers/content creators get all of their insights on their accounts in one handy dandy dashboard.
**Keep in mind that on the Creator Dashboard, you will only be able to collect insights from the past 7 days and only at an account level. However, you can go to the Instagram Insights section of your account and get up to 3 months’ worth of data from the app.
Messages
We all know that influencers can get thousands of messages each day. Some they want and some … they would rather set fire to (please stop requesting feet photos!). When you have a Creator Account, you can actually divide your account into a few different folders:
- Primary: Messages you want to receive and be notified of.
- General: Messages you don’t want notifications for.
- Requests: Messages from people that you don’t follow and don’t necessarily want.
The best part? You can move the messages around based on your interactions! So if one of those Primary messages you’ve been receiving has been getting a bit … ick. You can always move them to your request!
Label Yourself
What do we mean by “label yourself”? Well, just like the Business Accounts allow you to label yourself a “clothing store” or a “restaurant,” the Creator Account allows you to pick what kind of content you promote! From actor to artist to blogger to Fjord (yes, you can say you’re a Fjord), you have a lot of niche labels that could be perfect for you!
Control Over Who Contacts You
Similar to how content creators have control over who messages them, Creator Accounts also have more control over how they’re being contacted.
With a Creator Account, you can designate your preferred method of contact on your profile (call, text, or email) and have more flexibility on which one you choose to be your CTA on your page.
By putting the control in the Creator’s hands, allows creators to filter out which interactions to actually engage with and which brands they actually want to work with.
Shoppable Posts
Being able to shop on Instagram has been around for a while, however, in 2019, Instagram Creator Profiles can now share featured products in their posts and stories.
Now, if you are working with a brand and have an item that you want to promote, you simply tag the item and your followers can be taken to a product description page where they can complete their purchase!
Reminder: Creators can only feature products from brands that have approved access to their products.
FAQ: Business Account vs. Creator Account
With a Business account you are able to:
- Get access to Instagram Analytics about your followers and posts
- Promote Instagram posts as ads
- Add links to Instagram Stories
- Schedule and Auto Publish your posts to Instagram*
Can’t:
- Go private on Instagram
With an Instagram Creator Profile you are able to:
- Get access to the Instagram Creator Studio on your desktop
- Access creator-specific analytics, including follow/unfollow metric and engagement stats
- Filter your Direct Message inbox
- Tag products from brands directly within a feed post
- Get access to Flick’s analytics, best times to post, and benchmarks features
Can’t:
- Connect your Instagram to any third-party apps
Now that you have all the pros and cons on whether or not you should switch to a Creator Account, it’s time to start boosting your content and making sure you’re engaging your audience! Dig deep into the analytics of your account with your Flick account, learn all the details of what those analytics means, and learn how to create engaging content for your Instagram.
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