Instagram Pays You to go Live
Did you hear Instagram pays you to go live? It just released a new feature called “Badges” and you can earn up to $500 if you use it. Badges are only available to a select number of influencers, so you may or may not see it on your Instagram account. If you have it, though, I suggest you try it out and start making that cash!
Instagram releasing this feature is opening a whole new world for creators and influencers. I’ve heard many of you say how exhausting it is to show up on Instagram day in and day out without much reward, and I guess Instagram realized that too. The release of Badges is only the beginning to making Instagram more user-friendly for influencers. I couldn’t be more excited about it!
I’ve already tried out the new feature and I made a little over $100 from one live! I dare you to try Badges out with me and see for yourself how Instagram pays you to go live! Keep reading to learn all you need to know before you try out Badges.
What are Badges?
Badges are a way for you to get paid for your lives through your viewers star ratings. They will have the option to rate you with one, two, or three stars.
- 1 star: $.99
- 2 stars: $1.99
- 3 stars: $4.99
As your followers rate you, they will have special access to a new heart and be recognized as one of your followers who donated. This is just another way for your followers to show you support and help you stay funded in sharing your content.
If you have access to Badges, you should see it on the left hand side of your screen when you are set up to do a live. You should have the option to “enable Badges” and then your followers will see it as an option when they are watching you.
How do Badges Work?
First, you must have a creator account and have it set up so you can get paid directly in the app. I connected my Paypal account and was done, so it’s super easy to set up! Once you’ve been given access to use the Badges (if you don’t have access already) all you have to do is enable it, so your viewers can use it during your live.
You can also see more under your Instagram settings under “Badges” and see your earnings under “Estimated Earnings.” It really is so easy to use for you as the influencer and as the viewer. You can read more details about this new feature here.
What are the 3 Milestones to Meet when Using Badges?
There are three milestones you can reach when using Badges. If you hit all three you can earn up to $500. Instagram does not take any of that amount for themselves, so you get the full $500–for now. Instagram rewards early adopters, but I’m almost positive this aspect will change within a month or so.
- Win $100 cash bonus if you go live for at least 15 minutes in the first 7 days of onboarding to the Badges milestones.
- Win $250 cash bonus if you go live with at least one other account for at least 30 minutes within 30 days of meeting the first milestone.
- Win $250 cash bonus if you go live for at least 15 minutes a week for 4 consecutive weeks. (**You can win this bonus multiple times until the program ends!)
Why Would People Want to Pay You for Going Live?
Your audience follows you for a reason. You add value to their feed and to their lives. They already like what you have to say, so they’ll support you in continuing that. We’ve seen time and time again where followers will give generous donations or something similar to their influencers for special occasions. Badges is a system inspired by that idea. It was put in place for your followers to have the option to keep supporting you with a small amount whenever they want.
Promoting Badges is where you can get creative. You could offer a free coaching session or a mini giveaway of some kind if your viewers purchase a star on your live. You could also treat the badge as a tip jar. You could invite your viewers to buy a badge if they liked what you had to say and want to keep supporting you.
There are so many ways you could invite your audience to make a purchase on your live. This is really a game changer for creatives and influencers on Instagram, so if I were you I’d jump on this opportunity right away! (I actually have! Check out my first Instagram live using Badges here!)
What Does This Mean for Your Business Going Forward?
As I mentioned earlier, this is a turning point for Instagram influencers! Instagram is making it easier for influencers and creatives to make money for their content, and Badges is just the beginning. (Just so you know, I’m not abandoning what I’ve already said about Instagram. I still think Instagram should be used as an aid rather than your main source of income. Read more about this thought here.)
I recommend trying out Badges as soon as it’s available to you. Remember, Instagram rewards early adopters, so the earlier the better! Just think about that $500 cash bonus Instagram pays you to go live! Add a shoutout for the Badges feature to your content already planned and you’re golden.
I’m planning to do a tutorial on how to go live to help you get started, so stay tuned! Going live doesn’t have to be out of reach for you. Just try it, it will be rocky at first, but you’ll quickly get the hang of it. (Believe me, my first live was definitely cringe-worthy…) Follow me @iammichellegifford to get updates on using Badges. Plus, I’m always sharing more tips and tricks to have a built to last business!
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