Instagram Creator Accounts: Your Step-by-Step Guide [2024]

Instagram creator accounts: if you are an influencer, public figure, or content producer, these accounts are specifically designed for people like you.

Are you dreaming of growing a following on Instagram? Do your goals include making money online through Instagram marketing features or shareable content? Fortunately, there are countless tools on Instagram for Creators!

This article will delve into the details of the Instagram Creator account, including its key features, the biggest pros and cons, and how to set up an Instagram Creator account.

What is an Instagram Creator Account?

Instagram Creator accounts are intended for people who earn an income through the content they create and share on Instagram. They’re a special category of Instagram account that is separate from a Business account or a Personal account, although some features overlap. 

Examples include recipe creators who share cooking videos, fashion influencers who share their outfits of the day, and photographers who post their professional photos and advertise prints.  

If you’re using Instagram to make income or to gain a following within the platform, you’ll likely benefit from the additional tools and capabilities that Creator accounts offer. Many of these features are valuable for social media marketing efforts and are not available for personal accounts. 

Business vs Creator Account Instagram

If you’re running a business in which you sell products or services, you may find a smoother experience with an Instagram Business account instead of a Creator account. Business accounts are equipped with unique Instagram marketing features, some of which are not found in Creator or Personal accounts. 

Instagram Business features include:

• The ability to run ads
• Audience insights on organic traffic
• Conversion and ad attribution data
• Contact buttons 
• Direct selling opportunities
• Third-party integration for tools like Simplified

Business accounts also offer a different set of labels than Creator accounts do, which might help guide you toward the account type that best suits your needs. For example, you’ll find “Public Figure” under Creator accounts and “Beauty Salon” under Business. 

In the majority of cases, individuals are served well by Creator accounts and larger companies will get the most out of a Business account.

Bonus: Create viral Reels with our AI-powered Instagram Reels Maker Tool

Instagram Creator Account Features

Instagram Creator accounts come with a wealth of exciting features built to help content creators, influencers, and artists reach their intended audience and grow their following. Here are a few of the most exciting features. 

Advanced Analytics

To best serve your audience, you first need to understand them! When are they active on Instagram? Which types of posts do they interact with most? Are there any patterns in the posts that result in new followers?

Instagram Creator accounts shed light on questions like these through detailed mapping and helpful social media marketing metrics. 

Schedule Posts

It’s possible to schedule Instagram posts and Reels in advance using the Meta Business Suite. Use this free tool to create and schedule posts, then view and edit them in a content calendar within your profile alongside your Facebook content. 

Linking your Instagram Creator account to your Facebook is simple and can save you time as you create and schedule posts across platforms. 

The easiest way to schedule your Instagram posts? With Simplified. Simplified has all the features needed to streamline the process so you can plan, schedule, and automate your Instagram posts, reels, and stories efficiently.

Leverage the templates and tools in the design dashboard or let AI take the lead in your design and copy creation with the Simplified AI Writer. Then, download your creation and load it into Meta Business Suite to schedule your post. 

Sell Products 

Instagram users with both Business and Creator accounts can open an Instagram Shop. Whether you’re a jewelry influencer connecting your sponsored catalog of products and collecting a commission or an artist connecting your own business website, you can easily drive attention and sell your products straight through Instagram. 

Managed Messaging 

Graduating from a Personal Instagram account to a Creator account means you can take advantage of helpful filters in your Direct Messaging inbox to keep your conversations streamlined and organized. 

Within Instagram, Creators can filter the messages in their Instagram inbox into three buckets:

• Primary messages, which will send you notifications throughout the conversation
• General messages, which are from people you follow but do not trigger notifications
• Requests, which are from people you do not follow and do not trigger notifications. You can choose to accept or reject these messages. 

You can sort messages, mark them as unread, or even flag them for later follow-up to speed up your message management process. You can even store saved replies in your account that you can quickly drop into messages and tailor as needed!

If you run your business out of various social media platforms including Instagram, you might find that even this streamlined version of the Instagram inbox is still overwhelming. In this case, opting for a Business account may be the best solution. 

With an Instagram Business account, you can connect with Simplified and leverage the time-saving power of an all-in-one social media inbox manager. With Simplified, you can manage all social interactions, including messages, comments, and mentions, from a centralized dashboard. It also allows you to respond, engage, and keep track of conversations efficiently. 

Profile Management 

Manage your Instagram Creator profile with additional contact information and category labels that aren’t available to display on personal accounts. Share as many or as few contact details as you’d like, so your audience can find you on other channels and keep in touch. 

Make a clear statement about your brand and your account purpose with labels like Influencer, Author, or Artist. As always, the Instagram app makes it easy to navigate quickly between profiles if you’re managing multiple accounts.

Bonus: Design an Instagram Post in Minutes

Pros & Cons of Instagram Creator Accounts

When compared to other Instagram account types, there are a few key benefits and drawbacks to Instagram Creator accounts. Keep these in mind if you’re thinking of creating a new account or making a switch to a new account type. 

Advantages

• More analytics and follower insights than Personal accounts
• Broader music library for Reels than Business accounts
• Customizable contact information
• Organized inbox
• Ability to schedule posts for later using Meta Business Suite
• Ability to boost posts and run promotions

Limitations

• Fewer contact buttons than in a Business account
• No access to the more in-depth Professional Dashboard on Business accounts
• Limited ad creation abilities

Bonus: Instagram Reels: What They Are And How You Can Optimize Them For Highest Engagement

How to Switch to an Instagram Creator Account

Switching your Instagram account to a new account type is easiest on the mobile app. Follow these simple steps to switch to an Instagram Creator account:

1. Navigate to your main profile page.

From here, tap the three horizontal lines in the upper right hand corner. This will open the page for Settings and Privacy.

2. Scroll down and tap “Account type and tools.”

Here, you’ll see different options depending on whether you currently have a Business or a Personal account. From a Business account, select “Switch to Creator Account.” From a Personal account, tap “Switch to Professional Account” and then “Creator.”

3. Fill in your information.

Choose the category that fits you best. You can use the search bar to expedite the process. Then, link a Facebook page if you would like. Next, fill in at least one form of contact information.

4. Start using Instagram Creator tools

You can choose whether to display or hide your category and contact information on your profile. 

That’s it! Now you’re ready to view audience insights and start earning through Instagram content. 

How to Turn Off a Creator Account on Instagram

Turning off a Creator account is very similar to turning it on. If you’d like to switch to a different account type, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to your Profile page. 

Just as you did to turn your Creator account on, click the three horizontal lines and then the gear icon to open the Settings menu. 

2. Tap “Creator tools and controls.”

Now, you can choose “Switch account type” and choose “Switch to personal account” or “Switch to business account” according to your future plans for the account. 

That’s it! If you’d rather delete your Instagram account completely, select “Delete Account” and follow the prompts – but know that this is not reversible.

Bonus: Exploring Instagram Subscriptions: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started

More About Instagram Creator Accounts

Still, deciding whether an Instagram Creator account is right for you and your specific goals? These common questions and explanations might help!

Is an Instagram creator account free?

Yes! An Instagram Creator account is completely free of charge. 

What is the Instagram creator account cost?

There is no cost to run an Instagram Creator account, so share away! If you do choose to sell products or services through Instagram Shop, just know that Instagram will take a selling fee of 5% per shipment over $8. For shipments $8 or less, Instagram will take a flat fee of 40 cents.  

Why can’t I switch to a creator account on Instagram?

The most common snag to hit in trying to set up a Creator account is incompatible profile settings. Before you switch your account from a Personal to a Creator account, it needs to be set to Public instead of Private. 

Switching account types also requires specific contact information, so double-checking that all required fields are filled in may help. 

If you’re still having trouble, Instagram’s servers may simply be having issues. Sometimes these problems will be resolved in a matter of hours, but if you are seeing them persist, reach out to Instagram’s support team. 

What is the Instagram Creator account login?

The easiest way to use your Instagram Creator account is through the Instagram mobile app, but if you’d like to schedule a post in advance or engage with more in-depth tools, the Meta Business Suite is the place to go. 

Are there disadvantages to an Instagram creator account?

The advantages and disadvantages associated with each Instagram account type are dependent on your specific goals for the account. If you’d like to grow a following, share Reels with trending audio, and sell products through Instagram Shop, you might not find any disadvantages to an Instagram Creator account! This account type allows users to carry out countless social media marketing strategies to connect thoughtfully with their followers. 

On the other hand, since it’s harder to connect Instagram Creator accounts to third-party tools, they can easily become an unsustainable burden on your schedule.  

Bonus: Guide to Conducting An Effective Audit of An Instagram Account

Scale Your Instagram Creator Account

Once you’ve selected and set up the right type of Instagram account for your goals, it’s time to start creating! With Simplified, you can leverage the power of AI using built-in templates, engaging Instagram captions, and more. Although there’s no way to directly connect your Creator account to Simplified, you can still create strategic content using these time-saving tools. 

Ready to kick things up a notch and fully utilize the power of Simplified? With an Instagram Business account, you can connect to third-party tools like Simplified so that creation, scheduling, and inbox management can happen all in one tab.