Instagram Creator Week is a virtual conference hosted by the social media platform itself, Instagram. It’s geared to educate thousands of current and aspiring content creators about the tips and tricks of the trade. The event itself only lasted about 3 days but each day offers something for everyone. It kicked off on June 8th with a message from Mark Zuckerberg himself (which not gonna lie was a little jarring to view up close and personal) and ended on June 10th.
If you’re looking into how to get invited for Instagram creator week next year then you’re in luck! There’s no time like the present.
Every social media platform (and major brand tbh) has an influencer marketing manager. They’ll often share opportunities directly on their personal handles when they’re looking to fill campaigns with extra slots. Please do not take this as an opportunity to harass them about tech issues, getting verified, or removing your “shadowban” (more on that later). Think of it more like a behind-the-scenes look at how this world works and an invaluable resource.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have received press for my take on influencer marketing after 6 years in the industry. Consequentially, I’ve been able to be invited to events like these despite having modest micro-influencer numbers. But they always say sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know. Or in this case, follow! Following the accounts, @creators and @mosseri on Instagram and Twitter will help keep you up to date on what’s happening. I’d also suggest following influencer reporters like @stephmcneal, @amandaperelli, @taylorlorenz, etc. Not only will you understand your industry more but interacting with their content will undeniably put eyes on your account from some very important people.
There were breakout sessions over the digital event that featured celebrities like Saweetie, 50 Cent, Jojo Siwa, and more. They covered a range of topics like how to succeed in podcasting, finances, pitching, and Instagram growth. However, I’ll share the biggest surprises I learned with you below.
IG now lets creators make money from going live in the app for at least 15 minutes. With each “star” that you earn you can earn more income. Initially, it’s $100 but I’ve seen another creator now hit the $250 badge for going live for 15 minutes! It’s easy money with very little work but it will be interesting to see if this is enough incentive to motivate people to use the feature. You can also have your followers essentially tip you when you’re live with “badges.”
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Instagram is coming for LTK crown! Which if you’re not familiar, LiketoKnow.It is an app developed by RewardStyle to monetize influencer recommendations. When a follower purchases an item through a specified link, the influencer makes a small commission. RS brokers the deal between retailers and creators so they can have the links all in one place while keeping the back-end percentages of the sales earned. Other notable affiliate networks such as ShopStyle, Rakuten, Shareasale, and MagicLinks work the same way. HOWEVER, the real update here is that Instagram is offering the option to cut out the middle man. According to the news, influencers can potentially create their own affiliate shops directly in the app.
I see this as a potential option for influencers but a few things will need to happen to make it take off. 1) There needs to be a large number of retailers available to link on the app. 2) The affiliate percentages need to be more than what’s on these competitor affiliate networks. 3) The payout time needs to be significantly shorter to compete. On similar networks, it can take anywhere from 90-210 days AFTER a sale has been made for creators to recoup their cut. If Instagram’s latest feature can improve upon that I’m sure they’ll see quite a few people sign up.
You can learn other ways to make money from blogging in this post.
Reels are here to stay, folks! I made the mistake of hearing about the TikTok clone and assuming the Instagram audiences wouldn’t care for it. But one of my biggest tips regardless of the app is to use a new feature as much as possible when it’s released. They want to highlight how great it is and will push that content to the top of feeds whenever they can. It doesn’t have to be a choreographed dance by high schoolers or filled with fancy transitions. Just figure out what you love to do with your content and put it in video form! Using reels seems like the key to authentically (and consistently) growing on Instagram in 2021.
Did anyone else feel the chill in the air? At this point, the algorithm is almost like a “he who shall not be named “to me. It’s an infuriating system but this post on Instagram’s blog breaks down a few key points. Essentially, nothing new was denoted but it’s important to share that video is not going away on the platform. And if you’re looking to grow more on Instagram it’s time to lean into reels, constant video stories, and other video storytelling devices. They’ll always be ranked higher. Essentially if you show up consistently on their app (24/7/365 sell your soul kind of thing) they won’t penalize you. 🙃
While I didn’t learn anything new besides their new releases, I still found the event encouraging. Instagram working to communicate with the biggest users of the platform is a sign they realize they need to improve if they want to keep user retention. Here’s hoping events like Creator Week is a step in the right direction!
If you attended or have questions about something I shared, let me know in the comments below! I’m always down to chat about social media strategy.
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Great information I see you with the Telfar Bag love it.
Thanks, Kolette! Glad you enjoyed :)
Thanks so the info! Do you know exactly how we monetize a LIVE? I’d be apt to go live if I knew that I’d earn $100 each time. Do we sign up somewhere? Thanks! Stacie
Hi, Stacie! Yes! I linked the article. But make sure you’re a creator account on Instagram first. Then, go to your settings, select creator, and then select badges. Once that is set up with your payment information you should be good to go! If you don’t have that option yet in your settings after switching to a creator account, it means it hasn’t been rolled out to you yet. But it should be soon! Let me know if you have any other questions. :)