Instagram Is Testing ‘Creator’ Accounts with Special Features for Influencers

similar to how YouTube awards specialized features for “partner” channels or those with high view rates and subscriber count, Instagram might be testing a new collection of features designed for “influencers” or high-profile Instagram users.

Part of the reported progress involves giving celebrities more control over their accounts, such as the ability to filter their direct messages and access more deep analytics over their follower counts.

Instagram is going to Give High-Profile Accounts More Control

The company is experimenting with the new feature with a small group of users, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It might become available to more high-profile accounts starting next year.

One of the features is filters for direct messages, which lets creators enable specific people to contact them. Influencers can also access data about how many users are following or unfollowing their Instagram account, and they can even use different labels to help point media queries to the right channels.

Instagram growth insights

Growth insights can give influencers a wider overview of their profile’s progress, and it works across the feed, posts, Stories, and IGTV. It also shows creators what content was a hit, so they can find out how that might have led to more users following their account, and vice versa.

Creators are “an important part of our community,” according to Ashley Yuki, product manager for Instagram who oversees media solutions and IGTV, among other services.

“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.”

More upcoming tools

Without specific features for creator accounts, celebrities are virtually similar to regular Instagram profiles, lacking customized experience. Some creators choose to assign themselves as business accounts instead as a resource, but they say the feature isn’t tailored to meet their needs.

As such, Instagram tried to create a “space where we can now start to specialize the experience for the needs of creators.”

Specialized features for creator accounts are only the first set of tools it intends to roll out in support of influencers. The company declined to provide specific release dates for future initiatives, however.

In any case, more precise control would be a massive boon for high-profile Instagrammers, especially since notifications can get pretty crazy for someone big on Instagram. Twitter already solved this issue with “Verified” tags, and although Instagram is a little late in the game, it’s at least catching up firmly.