Instagram is testing a new business model in the US. The company has started a new subscription based service that will let its American users subscribe to a small number of creators and influencers on its platform.

In a recent blogpost, the Facebook owned brand announced that it began testing the new subscription model earlier this week. Furthermore, new creators will also be included in this program in the arriving weeks. As the name suggests, ‘fans’ will be able to pay a monthly fee to access the subscriber only content from known influencers and creators. This includes the Exclusive Lives and Stories as well. Back in November 2021, we had covered a report that talked about this new subscriber only feature, and now, it seems that the company has made it official.

Notably, these subscribers will also get a purple badge by their username that signals their status to the creator they are subscribed too. Talking about the pricing, the tiers have range of 0.99 US Dollars to 99.99 US Dollars a month. Although, the creators can select the price point for their subscriptions. Addressing the elephant in the room, this new model is quite similar to another popular website called OnlyFans. However, there is one aspect that sets it apart from OF.

According to Co-head of product Ashley Yuki told TechCrunch (Via TheVerge) that Instagram will not be taking a cut from the creators’ subscription revenues. Although, this will only be in effect “until at least 2023.” As of right now, there are 10 creators that are a part of the early test, which includes basketball player Sedona Prince, Olympian Jordan Chiles, and astrologer Aliza Kelly. CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg also added that “I’m excited to keep building tools for creators to make a living doing creative work and to put these tools in more creators’ hands soon.”

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Meta-owned social media app Instagram has been testing a subscription feature that seems heavily inspired by OnlyFans. It will let creators earn extra money by letting fans pay a fee to unlock exclusive content like stories and live videos.

A new “Instagram Subscriptions” category under the “In-App Purchases” section for the Instagram App Store listing has popped up. These subscriptions cost between $0.99 and $4.99 in the US. The same has made an appearance on the Indian App Store as well, showing a subscription fee of ₹89 per month.

The new subscription option is visible along with Instagram Badges that users can buy to gift creators during live sessions. It is expected to work in a similar way to Twitter Blue, where users can gain access to exclusive tweets and other content.

This isn’t the first time a subscription-based feature has come to attention as Instagram head Adam Mosseri had announced earlier this year that the company is exploring the same (via Business Insider).

Alessandro Paluzzi, a reverse engineer working on Instagram’s subscription-based fan has been posting updates related to its development.

#Instagram continues to work on Fan Club subscriptions by adding the ability to start a Live video for your subscribers pic.twitter.com/DJieV1lmWE

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) October 13, 2021

Instagram is experimenting with a subscribe button on a creator’s profile. Subscribers will have access to special content such as stories and live videos. When you DM (direct message) the creator or comment on their posts, a special member badge will appear next to your username. This badge will make interactions prioritized with the creator.

And on the creators’ end, there will be options to view approximate earnings, active members, and expired memberships. Instagram will also allow them to customize their subscription name and plans.

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