Instagram is now expanding the availability of its Badges feature, and this time all it is eligible for all creators in the United States. Starting Nov. 16, users over the age of 18 with more than 10,000 followers can apply for the feature.

Instagram's Badge Feature

The social media company introduced Badges in May of 2020. Then, in October of this year, it expanded their availability to approximately 50,000 creators, according to Engadget.

Badges represent a way for Instagram creators to earn money from their fans. Users can purchase them to make themselves during livestreams. Instagram sells them in increments of $1, $2, and $5.

Instagram recently stated that it would not collect any feeds on Badges until 2023. In the future, the feature could help Instagram diversity its revenue beyond the advertising sales it depends on almost exclusively at the moment.

More broadly, Badges could be the prelude to more monetization features making their way to the social media app in the future, according to Social Media Today.

Also Read: Instagram Launches Live Rooms Feature Allowing Four People to Group-Stream

Supporting Instagram Creators

Creators have always been at the center of the social media community. Since the earliest days of Instagram, they have inspired people around the world with their talents, shared their lives and created their personal brands from the ground up, according to Tube Filter.

Instagram have always been committed to supporting creators as they turn their passion into livelihoods, because every creator is unique, that means giving a mix of monetization tools to help creators of all sizes, from the emerging to the more established.

Given the uncertain circumstances many are facing today, that commitment is more important than ever. Instagram announced new ways for creators to make money through Instagram Live and IGTV.

During the COVID-19 crisis, people supported their favorite creators in Live with comments, likes and even donations. To give fans another way to participate and show their love, Instagram introduced badges that viewers can buy during a live video.

In the past few months, Instagram's creators embraced Live in new ways, this led to a 70% increase in views from February to March.

From fitness instructors to dancers, artists to chefs, Live has helped creators and businesses stay connected to their followers and bring people together. With badges, creators can generate income from the content that they are already creating.

Badges will appear next to a person's name throughout the live video. Fans who have purchased badges in Live will stand out in the comments and unlock additional features, including placement on a creator's list of badge holders and access to a special heart.

Badges will start testing next month with a small group of creators and businesses. Over the coming months, it will expand across the US, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Mexico.

IGTV Ads

Instagram also introduced ads in IGTV, the long-form video destination of Instagram. The platform wants to support creators investment in IGTV by sharing advertising revenue with them.

IGTV ads will initially appear when people click to watch IGTV videos from previews in their feed. The video ads will be created for mobile and up to 15 seconds long.

Related Article: Instagram: Live Scheduling, Practice Mode Comes to Better Livestream Experience by Users

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Written by Sophie Webster