So today's video is a fun one. I've not done one of these in a while, and it is essentially one of my Instagram new features update videos. I obviously haven't come up with the title yet as you can tell, but essentially, how these videos work is I take you through all of the new features which have already come to Instagram or which are coming to Instagram. I tell you what they are, why I think Instagram released them, how you can use them, and also my thoughts on them in general.
The first new feature and potentially the biggest new feature to come to Instagram since Reels is that, a big statement. Well, I've said it now, a big new feature. What's coming to Instagram is Instagram subscriptions. So what is Instagram subscriptions? Essentially, it is a feature which will allow creators to charge their audience a small fee (I mean small depending on how you look at it) to access specific exclusive content from them. So this content can appear in a variety of different forms. For example, people who subscribe to a creator's channel and pay a monthly fee may get access to exclusive lives, they may get access to exclusive story content, and they also get this little badge next to their name...
In my opinion, the reason why Instagram has released or is going to release this new feature is because it is a really smart way for them to allow creators to monetize their presence on their platform even more. And if you've watched any of my recent videos, you'll know that's a really strong priority for Instagram and social networking platforms in general at the moment. They're refocusing a lot of their efforts on really making sure that creators can make a living on their platform...
My thoughts on this, I have a lot of thoughts on this. It is risky, so I'm obviously speaking from a creator's point of view. My whole channel is about helping creators, whether you're business owners, service providers, content creators, influencers, whatever, that is what I do right full time, literally. So I'm speaking from a creator's point of view, right? This is a risky thing to take part in...
Now, my thoughts on this new feature is that it's good. I think it's a good shout. I think this new feature, as well as the ability to schedule your Live, which they released a few months ago, when you pair them all together, I actually think it provides a really great suite of tools which allow you to create more noise and get more awareness for your Lives. And the thing to bear in mind with Instagram Lives, or any form of Live, is that the value for creators really comes from people who tune in Live, right? Because when people tune into your Lives, when it's actually happening, and they're not just watching it on replay, right? They are actually able to speak with you one-on-one in real time.