When it comes to Instagram Creator vs Business Accounts vs Personal Accounts, having a business account as an influencer has many benefits for us.
As Instagram becomes more complex, different types of accounts are more important than ever for influencers and brands looking to get the most out of their Instagram marketing strategy.
But, what is the difference between Instagram Business and Creator Accounts?
The results may surprise you! There are many similarities between business and creator accounts, but each focuses on a slightly different consumer side.
Here is a detailed differences between Instagram Creator Accounts and Business Accounts
| Feature / Aspect | Creator Account | Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Target Users | Influencers, public figures, content creators | Brands, businesses, service providers |
| Profile Category Options | More specific to content creation (e.g., blogger, public figure) | More specific to businesses (e.g., restaurant, retail) |
| Contact Options | Flexible with options for Email, Phone, Address | Email, Phone, Address, Shop button |
| Insights / Analytics | Detailed insights on audience growth, engagement, and content performance | Detailed insights on audience, engagement, and ad performance |
| Message Filters | Primary, General, and Requests tabs for better message organization | Primary and General tabs |
| Branded Content Tools | Enhanced branded content tools, direct access to brand collaborations | Branded content tools available |
| Shoppable Posts | Available for eligible accounts with product tagging | Available for eligible accounts with product tagging |
| Monetization Options | Access to monetization features like badges, IGTV ads, and brand collaborations | Access to monetization through product sales, ads, and partnerships |
| Creator Studio Access | Yes, with more focus on content insights and audience management | Yes, with more focus on business performance and ad management |
| Promotions / Ads | Can run ads and promotions, focus on content promotion | Can run ads and promotions, focus on business growth |
| Scheduling Posts | Can use Creator Studio to schedule posts and IGTV | Can use Creator Studio and third-party tools to schedule posts and IGTV |
| Product Tagging | Available for eligible accounts, especially beneficial for creators partnering with brands | Available for eligible accounts, particularly beneficial for businesses selling products |
| Verification Process | Similar for both account types, based on notability and authenticity | Similar for both account types, based on notability and authenticity |
| Account Switching | Can switch to Business or Personal Account | Can switch to Creator or Personal Account |
| Instagram Shop | Accessible with product tagging for eligible creators | Full Instagram Shop feature with product catalogs and direct sales |
| Third-Party App Integration | Integration with tools for content creation and management | Integration with business tools and platforms for marketing and sales |
| Customer Support | Standard support, with focus on creator needs | Standard support, with focus on business needs |
Instagram Creator Accounts are adapted for individuals who largely focus on creating content and building a personal brand. These accounts offer tools that cater to the needs of influencers and public figures, such as advanced insights into follower demographics and engagement, better message management, and specialized monetization options like brand collaborations.
Instagram Business Accounts are specially made for companies and brands that aim to promote their products or services. These accounts provide extensive tools for business analytics, customer engagement, and direct product sales, containing features like Instagram Shop and detailed ad implementation metrics. Both account types offer robust insights and monetization opportunities, but they are optimized for different types of users.
Personal Instagram account or Instagram Creator Account
The personal account is very self-explanatory, so we will not elaborate on it here. A personal account is perfect for the average Instagram user, but it does not have the bells and whistles of business or creator accounts.
That’s why this article is mainly examining Instagram Creator vs Business Accounts.
These users usually share Instagram stories and posts about their daily lives and do not consider their Instagram account to be a personal brand or business.
Business Instagram Account
Business Instagram accounts are intended for brands and other businesses, so these accounts are made with features that help businesses.
With business accounts, you can add additional call-to-action buttons so that visitors can book an appointment, contact customer service or make reservations.
Your business Instagram includes
- Detailed insights into your audience population, best times to post on your timeline.
- Add extra call-to-action buttons to your profile so you can add contact info or website.
- Integration with third party tools so that you can publish to your profile automatically.
- Ability to promote Instagram posts as ads.
- The label below your presentation name lists your business.
- Instagram shopping posts, when you sync your stores like shopify or magento with Instagram.
- Customized audience aimed at expanding your social media content.
Your creator Instagram Account Includes
- Detailed insights into your audience population, best times to post and other metrics.
- Add contact options with additional call-to-action buttons. Creators have fewer options for buttons than business accounts.
- Get the following numbers daily and do not follow so that you can see which content works best.
- Access Instagram’s “Creator Studio”, which displays all your stats in one convenient location.
- Inbox sorting so you can sort your DMs into basic, general and request boxes.
- Your display name is a label listed below so visitors know what your niche or specialty is.
How do I switch to an Instagram business profile?
Before we speak about the Instagram account switch remember, you can also change the account type at any time to suit your needs.
Step 1: Go to your Instagram account settings
Go to your profile, and then tap the hamburger menu in the upper right corner of the app. Tap Settings to get started, and then tap Account.
Step 2: Switch to Instagram Professional Account
Once in the account settings, you will see a blue call-to-action at the bottom of the page to switch to a professional account.
Step 3: Select the business account
Business Choice allows you to start collecting impressions, reach and video views in your reporting insights, as well as schedule content in advance using third-party tools such as Sprout Social and hoot suite.
Instagram has recently created a new type of business account – Instagram Creator Account.
These are specifically for influencers, the public, or other types of content producers, but a business account is good for brands and businesses that sell a product or service and especially eCommerce websites.
Press it to move forward with your big switch.
Instagram Creator vs Business Account – Which is better?
Switching to a business account can help you unlock the extra insights you need to succeed.
Why create an Instagram business profile
If you are a brand looking to create the following on Instagram and use the platform strategically, you need an Instagram business profile.
Also Read: Understanding the Differences between Product Marketing vs Product Management
Because there are a lot of additional features in instagram business accounts to improve usability as a brand. Let’s get into some big benefits by using a business profile as opposed to a basic personal profile.
1. More Insights with Business Profiles
Business profiles share the industry, address, and contact button of the brand within the profile. (Our germinated social business Instagram has story headlines and I do not have a personal profile – that feature is available on personal and business profiles.
Being able to provide advance information and additional contact information will give your business profile a more professional look.
And it’s not always a bad thing to offer your audience even more ways to stay in touch with you.
Because the differences between the two types are so obvious, Instagram users can automatically notify when a profile is for business and it provides more confidence.
2. Analytics for the Business Accounts
Switching to a business account gives you the ability to access built-in insights about your account and its performance.
You can examine your post-performance, followers activity and audience insights.
While these insights may not be very deep, it can give you a great look at your account success and a basic understanding of how well your content works.
3. You can tag products in your posts
Finally, another great perk available only for business accounts is the ability to turn your feed into an online shop.
Tagging products and turning photos into shopping malls is a great way to open up a whole new revenue stream for your brand, but you must first convert or set up your profile as a business account.
If 46% of consumers buy a product after seeing it on Instagram and do more research on that product after viewing it, it makes sense to make this type of browsing as easy as possible.
4. Select a business profile to be identified in the Instagram feed
The Instagram algorithm is changing how and when users view the content you post. Upgrading your Instagram account to a business profile can help you overcome inconsistencies.
Access Insight tools to find out what content works for you, what content to create in the future, and when to share to view and get engaged.
Try to promote one of the posts that works best with advertising tools and promote your profile to get your content in front of more people.
You will increase engagement and followers, and these customers will be more likely to interact and buy directly with your business with the new contact button in your business account.
Tips after you create Instagram for Business
- Brand Use relevant hashtags and images that represent your brand
- Sell your product through links
- Use Instagram Influencers to promote your business
- Use professional looking professional photos
5. You can add links to your Instagram stories
Instagram is notorious for not being able to link directly from your posts to blog posts and landing pages, hence the popularity of tools designed to gather ‘link in bio’ and all your recent or important links on an Instagram-accessible page.
However, accounts with more than 10,000 followers will have access to swipe links in Instagram Stories, but only if that account is an Instagram business profile.
It takes some time to get your Instagram account to 10,000 followers, and if you create a successful Instagram strategy you will be able to link the content in your stories anytime.
Using story links is a great way to highlight your latest content, highlight short-term deals, or revitalize content and products in a timely manner based on what is trending.
Instagram Creator Account Requirements
10,000 followers for your instagram business account is the sole requirement for instagram creator account.
Conclusion
The article is more tending towards a business Instagram profile, as there are many additional features this Instagram business profile has, and also there is a wide coverage.
While there are some fun new features for creator accounts, there are also some disadvantages to be aware of.
Creator accounts do not have an API connection for third-party tools. The Instagram API only supports business profiles for third-party tools. This means that any scheduling tools, analytics tools or other applications require a business profile.
By switching to the creator account, you will lose that connectivity and will not be able to rely on the scheduling tool, auto-publishing, or content creation dashboard to post your content from the desktop.
You need to compose all your posts in the Instagram app and publish immediately. Even if you open the API for Instagram Creator accounts, those tools will still need to record their applications to accept and process those additional account formats.
There is no guarantee that all tools will have Instagram Creator accounts in their support.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the creator does not allow the studio to post on Instagram. Creator Studio is a great feature for accessing Instagram from the desktop.
But it still does not support posting content for Instagram.
By losing the functionality of your dashboard management tool, you have no choice but to post on Instagram from the desktop.
Is it worth switching to a creator account? Honestly, at this point, the creator account is not worth it for most businesses. Some brands and influencers see value in additional insights into the app for audience growth and loss.
And as long as those brands do not rely on scheduling tools or third-party applications, they will see the benefits of this new account option.
However, most businesses do not see enough value in the creator’s design to switch.
Additionally, creator accounts are only available to a limit of 10,000 or more followers.
Instagram has created this profile format for influencers and heavy-hitters and they are unlikely to open this option to smaller accounts.
As shopping able posts for branded partners enter more creator accounts in the future, a larger group of brands will find real value in these new profiles.
Hopefully, at that point, Instagram will have creator accounts in API access to allow scheduling and metrics access, making the switch to those accounts even more valuable.
Just as consistently adding more features to business profiles, it is also safe to assume that Instagram will release more features specifically for creator accounts.
As these new features become available, businesses may find more value in switching to creator accounts.
