Does the Subscription Model Work for Creators?

I hit 30k followers on Instagram this month and decided to launch a subscription…

After 2 weeks I had 5 subscribers.

And one of them was a friend because I asked him to.

Here’s what I learned…

My subscription on Instagram failed… but is it only about timing?

For context, Instagram launched the paid subscription feature for creators in 2022 and in 2023 they launched the broadcast feature.

Broadcasting is essentially a group chat where the creator can send updates to whoever joins for free.

Sadly, they are rolling the feature out across the accounts slowly - so I don’t have access to it.

I tried the subscription option instead. But here, I HAVE to charge people. With the lowest price £0.49 per month.

After a couple weeks of promotion and engaging with the handful of subscribers I closed it.

It was a failure.

It's not just me. Other creators are failing to gain paid subscribers.

At the beginning of 2024, Meta said there are 1 million active subscriptions to Instagram creators, just over a year after the subscriptions feature launched.

But this number is tiny because… Instagram has 2 billion monthly users.

Meanwhile Patreon, has more than 30 million paid subscriptions — there did have a 10 year headstart though!

Interestingly though, Patreon has exited Brasil and closed its HQ in Berlin. This is most likely a reflection of our post-pandemic global economic wobble - but it does suggest to the underlying fragility of the paid subscription model.

Paid subscriptions work for certain creators… but your average creator must offer more than just subscriptions if they want to monetise.

Ultimately it is a far small revenue stream - and it depends on what type of creator you are and what platform.

You can see what I offer in my ‘link in bio’.

We live in a world where if you provide value to the world, you deserve to capture that value back - you deserve to monetise.

But depending on your niche, your platform and your content your way to monetise will vary. And on that note…

I launched a bucket hat and T-shirt! For sale now!

I even went around Paris getting people to model it…

artistjsong

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If you are looking to launch merch too for your business - you can get $30 discount using my referral link: https://link.fourthwall.com/ref/notsoviral