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Announcement

November 16, 2021

Bringing Badges in Live to All Eligible Instagram Creators in the U.S.

BY: Instagram Business Team

San Francisco, CA

We want to make Instagram the best place for creators to make a living doing what they love and we think the key to this is to offer a portfolio of tools to help them achieve their goals.

We have been inspired by the various ways creators have used Live to bring communities together, particularly over the last eighteen months. We started testing badges in Live last year to give creators a way to earn money from content they were already creating. Today we’re excited to announce that all creators in the U.S. who meet our eligibility criteria will be able to apply in-app to get access to this feature and start earning money.

How to check if you’re eligible and apply

For now, creators will need to meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply to use badges in Live:

  1. Reside in the United States
  2. Be over 18 years old
  3. Have a Creator or Business account
  4. Have at least 10,000 followers
  5. Pass and remain compliant with our Partner Monetization Policies, Content Monetization Policies and Community Guidelines.

Creators who meet the eligibility criteria will need to update to the latest app version and will be able to apply by going to “Profile” and tapping “Professional Dashboard”. If they’re approved for monetization, they’ll see a button to “Set Up Badges.” If they’re eligible, but not yet approved for monetization, they can apply in-app by tapping “Apply for monetization” and check their Professional Dashboard for status updates.

How to make the most out of badges

Supporters can purchase badges, available in increments of $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99, that give them additional visibility in Lives.

“[Fans] can support your career in a way you didn’t think was possible -- they feel like they’re helping you in your career and it also helps them feel connected to you.”
- @rubenwan

Check out these tips from some creators who have found success with badges, so you can make the most out of them:

Promoting lives: Creators can use the Countdown Sticker in Stories to promote upcoming Lives that feature badges, reminding followers to subscribe to receive notifications when the Live begins.

Practice before going live with Practice Mode: Creators can meet with their live guests in a private space to adjust their staging, rehearse, experiment with new content, or simply to practice if going live for the first time so they can feel more comfortable when going live with badges.

Recognizing supporters: Creators can encourage the purchase of multiple badges, which helps them earn more, and gives Live viewers more ways to support and be recognized. Creators get reminders from Instagram during the Live to thank supporters, and supporters who buy multiple badges will stand out with a glowing avatar.

Thank supporters with a Thank You sticker: Creators can say thank you with the Thank You Stories sticker, which tags and notifies supporters from a specific Live.

example of Professional Dashboard and @rubenwan's Live

Earlier this year, as part of our commitment to supporting creators, we shared that Facebook would not collect any fees on badges purchases until at least 2023. We are excited to see how creators in the U.S. use badges in Live and will be looking to expand access globally soon.

BY: Instagram Business Team

San Francisco, CA