Instagram brings ads to IGTV and paid badges to live streams

Over the past few weeks and months, Instagram has introduced ways for small businesses to make money on the platform, and made it easier for nonprofits to do fundraisers as well. Now, the social network is also giving creators new ways to make money on Instagram, both on Instagram Live and IGTV.

IGTV is Instagram's long-form video platform, which the company introduced back in 2018, but it hasn't been easily monetizable for creators. To change that, the company is bringing video ads to the platform starting next week, with advertising revenue being shared between Instagram and creators. The ads will be designed for mobile devices, and last up to 15 seconds, but the social network says it will experiment with the format throughout the year, testing features such as the ability to skip the ad, to make the experience better for users, creators, and advertisers.

For creators that rely more on Instagram Live, there's also good news. Starting next month, Instagram will begin testing Badges with a small number of creators, allowing their audience to pay to have their name stand out. Badges show up next to the user's name whenever they comment on a live stream, and they'll appear on a list of badge holders for the creator they bought the badge from. They also unlock certain features, such as a special heart reaction that can be sent during a live stream.

Badges will roll out to a few countries in the coming months, including the U.S., UK, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Spain, and Mexico, and creators interested in early access to the feature can register their interest here.