Creators inspire their communities and push culture forward — and that’s never been more true than in 2020. Creators have been there for their fans, shared their talents and brought people together, often using Live.

Earlier this year we started testing badges that viewers can purchase during a live video as a new way for fans to show their support and for creators to make money. Once purchased, badges appear next to a person’s name throughout the live video. Fans who have purchased badges will stand out in the comments and unlock additional features, including placement on a creator’s list of badge holders and access to a special heart.

Throughout the test, creators like @youngezee and @ronnebrown have told us that, in addition to helping them stay connected to their fans, badges are a vital tool to make money on Instagram.

Today we are expanding access to badges in Live to more than 50,000 creators internationally.

Quote from creator and founder of Girl CEO Ronne Brown:

To further support creators during this time, we will also temporarily match earnings from badges starting in November.

We’re excited to bring this feature to more creators today. We want Instagram to be the best place for creators to turn their passions into a living by reaching new audiences, engaging their communities and building long-lasting, diversified businesses. This is another step forward in our vision to build a suite of tools that helps creators make money through branded content, shopping, content monetization, and direct support from fans. As we test and gather feedback, we’ll continue to expand badges to more creators around the world.

In addition to ongoing expansion in the US, badges in Live will be expanding to France, UK, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and Japan.

To learn more about badges in Live follow @creators on Instagram.