Instagram has officially rolled out Badges in the U.S., a feature that lets creators who use its Live feature accept tips from their fans. Instagram Live lets people broadcast to their followers in real-time, which has made it an obvious outlet for musicians, comedians, podcasters and other such creatives. Indeed, as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world last year, many celebrities and artists took to the platform as a way of staying connected to their fans.
Though live streams have served as an outlet for creatives to express themselves for a while now, it hasn't always been easy for audiences to show their appreciation directly. For a time, creators who wanted to accept financial support from their fans had to rely on third-party websites such as Patreon or Ko-fi. While such services have bridged a gap, they don't necessarily help with moments of spontaneous generosity. Twitch was one of the first mainstream platforms to tackle the issue of fan-supported content, introducing paid emotes (stickers) and premium subscriptions. YouTube also offers channel subscriptions, along with Superchat, a feature that lets users pay to feature their comments during a Livestream prominently.
Instagram is now catching up with other platforms by letting audiences directly support their favorite live-streamers with Dubbed Badges. The tool enables fans to purchase hearts that sit alongside their username and serves to elevate their comments during a live broadcast. The hearts are available in three packs — one heart costs $0.99, two cost $1.99 or three for $4.99. Followers who have purchased hearts are added to a supporter list that is viewable by the creator for 90 days.
Instagram Will Not Take A Fee Until 2023
Creators who activate Badges for Instagram Live will keep 100 percent of the proceeds — minus any taxes and fees — until 2023. (It's unclear what levy Instagram will eventually institute.) The platform makes clear that Badges purchased via its mobile apps are subject to Apple and Google's 30 percent in-app payments fees, though. It's of note that sibling company Facebook recently introduced a method for circumventing such charges.
While Badges is now open to all U.S.-based Instagram Live creators, those that want to opt-in must first ensure they have a business account. They can check their Professional Dashboard to see if their profile is already eligible for monetization. If it isn't, users can apply for the status within the app itself. And while Badges is broadly available in the U.S. only, some creators in several other countries have been given early access to the feature.
Source: Instagram