Breaking Down Instagram Creator vs. Business Profiles

[Originally published on the Dash Hudson blog.]

First there was the Instagram profile, and then came the one-size-fits-all Business Profile. Now the Creator Profile has been added to the mix. This begs the question, who should have which profile?

While there’s no denying that influencers are some of the most prominent players on Instagram, they’ve been stuck in a mysterious grey area between being considered a business and a typical Instagram user. Many influencers and other celebrity personas opt for business profiles to gain access to follower insights, call-to-action buttons on their profile, and other exclusive tools that aren’t available to regular users. Although business accounts provide beneficial tools to influencers, they have been an umbrella solution for everything under the sun, from micro-influencers to celebrities, and conglomerates. So, it was due time that Instagram launched an alternative with influencers and content creators in mind.

Instagram first launched the Creator Profile option as a test at the end of 2018, and now any user can elect to have a creator account. You heard that right — it’s not exclusive to users with a certain number of followers, or who have been blessed with the sacred blue checkmark. The launch of creator profiles was primarily aimed at users who have been using a business account, but don’t operate under a traditional business model. Think: influencers, celebrities, politicians, authors, or any household name. Many of these users have larger audiences than companies, and often leverage Instagram to build personal brands and to earn a little extra dough. This makes access to analytics to understand follower growth and trends on their account important to finding success on the ‘Gram.

Since brands have been leveraging Instagram as a revenue generating channel with the opportunity for a link in bio, shoppable links, and paid partnership tools, Instagram is acknowledging that there is another category of users who require a unique set of tools to get the most out of the visual channel.

The Perks

Creator profiles equip users with a set of tools to “control your online presence, understand your growth and manage your messages.” The three key features that come with a creator account include a streamlined inbox, growth insights, and alternative options for displaying contact information and category labels. Ashley Yuki, a product manager at Instagram, says that creators are “an important part of our community.” She adds, “we want to make sure that Instagram is the best place, and the easiest place to build fan communities and also build [creators’] personal brands.”

The introduction of creator profiles ultimately gives users with a side hustle or who have earned a name for themselves, the chance to have an Instagram account with the best of both worlds. Users don’t have to sacrifice the analytics of a business account for the privacy and personal benefits of a regular account.

Creator Account vs. Business Account

Let’s get down to business: how does a creator profile differ from a business profile? The differences between the two options are not significant, but the nature of the creator profile is designed for an individual user, whether it be an actor, athlete, or designer for example, while the business profile is aimed for accounts that represent companies that are selling products or services.

1. Next Level Insights: creator accounts get more granular when it comes to follower analytics than regular business profiles. Creator profiles can access daily data on audience growth, and the specific content that was connected to either the spike or dip in followers. Business accounts currently only give users access to weekly data, and it doesn’t include the functionality to connect it to the content that was posted in that timeframe.
2. Inbox Upgrade: creator profiles can organize their inbox with three tabs, Primary, General, and Requests. The Primary folder is intended for messages that users want to receive notifications for. The General folder is for any messages that a user does not want to receive a notification for, and the Request folder is for messages from anyone that user does not follow. Creators can move messages between folders and allows them to prioritize messages from friends and family. This means users are no longer forced to mix business with pleasure on the ‘Gram, they can have a separate inbox for each.
3. Profile Options: unlike business accounts, creator profiles have more flexibility on what they choose to include as a CTA on their pages. Creators can remove the click to call and email options. This is Instagram’s solution for non-traditional businesses that are solely operating on social media, without a storefront or office, and of course for users who aren’t look to share their digits with the world.

The social media landscape never stops evolving. The introduction of creator profiles is evidence that Instagram sees how the space is changing, and is addressing the features that are needed to make the social world a better place. The birth of influencers has pushed us all to reconsider what it means to be classified as a “business,” and the launch of creator accounts appears to be Instagram’s answer to the nontraditional business category of influencers. The creator profile provides a clearer path for influencers to leverage all that Instagram has to offer, while differentiating individuals from business entities.

Header image: @majestyspleasure

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