It’s hard to deny that Instagram is a huge business by itself.
But it’s also pretty hard to ignore the fact that the platform is making some strides towards making it easier for creators to make money off of it.
This is despite repeated calls for better protections for original work and more robust content sharing options (that give original creators credit). These changes, in some eyes, would do a lot to get some of us to even trust putting our stuff out there in the first place.
After all, with companies attempting to snatch photo rights via a hashtag, you’ve gotta be careful where you display your work.
Engadget reports that Facebook’s darling division is testing out a dedicated sponsorship inbox feature that would bypass the regular message request system and prioritize missives from brands and the like. Supposedly this would help creators discern legitimate offers from the rest as well as helping connect relevant accounts and brands with one another for sponsorship purposes.
That’s actually not a bad idea given how many scams there are on the platform; that is until the scammers figure out how to “bypass” the regular message system and come off as brands. However, such a move might be harder than it sounds as Facebook is partnering with brands and sponsors initially and we imagine there will be some kind of vetting process going forward. We don’t know what that would look like but we imagine having a threshold for spending on the platform for advertising would cut out most scammers right off the bat.
Engadget further reports that all of these changes at Instagram regarding eCommerce, sponsorships, and beyond is to enable content creators to “monetize” their work to create what the website quotes the mogul as calling a “creator middle class.”
What do you think of Instagram as a platform for making money off of your photography or video? Does making it easier to connect with sponsors make it a more attractive place than before? Let us know what you think of Instagram’s various monetization options below.
Check out some of our other photography news on Light Stalking at this link right here.
[Engadget]
