Back in January, we told our readers that IGTV would be a hit in 2020 and in March we helped businesses understand how to use IGTV, so we wanted to update readers on IGTV's newest features.
IGTV Adds Ads
The latest on IGTV is ads. Instagram announced last month that not only will they be showing ads on IGTV but they will be splitting that revenue with influencers on IGTV. 55% of the revenue created by these ads will go to creators! This is not a new concept; it is what YouTube does as well.
These ads are only 15 seconds at most. There is no information regarding how Instagram will split this revenue with the creators.
At the beginning of June, IGTV started this roll out. Advertising partners like Puma and Ikea were featured on popular creator accounts like Avani Gregg and Salice Rose.
This move by Instagram is an attempt to compete for creators. YouTube is the ideal spot for creators because they can make anywhere from $3-10 per view. It is not clear yet how much they will make on Instagram.
Purchase a Badge
But it does seem like Instagram is thinking of a variety of ways for creators to make money on their platform. Another recent change has been badges. Viewers can buy a badge while viewing a video on IGTV. Viewers can buy heart badges. There are 3 different price points for these badges- $.99, $1.99 and $4.99. This is basically a tipping mechanism.
As the buyer of the badge comments, the badge will appear next to their name helping them to stand out. The creator will also be able to display all of the badges they have earned.
Other Ways Instagram is helping users make money
IGTV is not the only part of Instagram that has gotten updates and new features since the beginning of the year. In May, Instagram rolled out Instagram Shopping for business pages. This allows users to visit a business’s shop through their profile, Stories and Feed. Users can browse products and purchase them all from the app.
It is FREE for a business to add a Shop to their page and all businesses are eligible for a Shop.
While we were all staying home because of COVID-19, Instagram’s saw a huge increase in usage of its platform. They were able to use this opportunity to make improvements to the platform in order for it to be more competitive, while also helping out small businesses.
Instagram even implemented simple ideas like as introducing a Small Business Sticker in Stories where creators can promote small businesses of the choice. By adding a Small Business sticker to your story, you give your viewers a preview of that account. It is yet another way Instagram is trying to support small businesses and attract more users, creators and businesses.
2020 wasn’t what any of us pictured it being. And while we expected IGTV to play a big role in our online life, I can only wonder what it would have looked like if we were not all stuck at home and searching for ways to connect!
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