Instagram Now Allows All Eligible Creators in the United States to Use Live Stream Badges

Instagram is now making its badges in Instagram Live broadcasts available to all qualified profiles in the US, after rolling them out to a restricted group of creators over the last few months. When a commenter has paid to add 'additional flair' to their contribution, Instagram's live-stream badges display alongside comments, as shown in the second image below.

The badges are available for purchase on Instagram, with prices ranging from $0.99 for one heart to $4.99 for three, with all proceeds going to the designer (after any fees). This gives you a chance to directly support your favorite streamers in the app while also allowing viewers to highlight their comments, which may give the streamer more reason to notice and connect with them.

The first image highlights the new 'Apply for Monetization' option in your Instagram dashboard, which will allow more authors to gain badge access. Creators who match the requirements can apply by heading to "Profile" and selecting "Professional Dashboard." If they're eligible for monetization but haven't been accepted yet, they can apply in-app by pressing "Apply for monetization" and checking their Professional Dashboard for updates.

So, what exactly are the requirements?

Creators must be over the age of 18 and have a Creator or Business account in the app to access live badges. They must also have a minimum of 10,000 followers and adhere to the platform's numerous partner monetization standards and community guidelines. To be clear, badges are currently only available to creators in the United States.

It's the latest addition to Instagram's growing list of creator monetization tools, which the company is continuing to extend as the struggle for top creative talent between the major social media platforms heats up. Almost every app today has a creative monetization pathway in place to incentivize users to keep posting - LinkedIn, for example, has unveiled a new $25 million Creator Accelerator program to keep its top talent.

Instagram's Reels incentives program, which is based on several content performance drivers and is part of Meta's wider, billion-dollar funding effort for artists, is also available. Instagram has also launched a digital storefront option for affiliate program participants, a new 'Partnerships' chat folder to better encourage brand partnerships, and is working on a variety of other monetization capabilities, such as gated content, user subscriptions, and more.

Another element is live badges, which could be a good way to enhance community connection if you're regularly streaming in the app and looking to build an audience, as well as entice more creators from other platforms to IG Live instead, as a way to either expand their audience reach or diversify their revenue. Via any case, it's fantastic news for creators, who now have more choices for establishing a presence and earning money by streaming in the app.