Instagram expands creator marketplace to 8 markets including India

Instagram is also testing a new machine learning-based creator recommendations system in the United States

Instagram said on February 22 that it is expanding its creator marketplace to India and seven other markets over the next few weeks, making it easier for brands and creators to collaborate globally.

This expansion marks Instagram's latest initiative to woo more creators onto its platform.

The Meta-owned company started testing creator marketplace in the United States in 2022. Since then, the company said it has introduced new features and onboarded thousands of creators and brands onto the marketplace.

A screenshot of Instagram Creator Marketplace (Image source: Meta)

Among the other new markets that will get access to the creator marketplace include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Brazil. Chinese export brands will also be invited to connect with onboarded creators in countries outside of China, Instagram said.

The marketplace will help brands easily find relevant creators for paid collaborations or for partnership ads (formerly branded content ads), enabling advertisers to promote their organic content as ads through these creators.

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Creators can join the platform through the professional dashboard in the Instagram app and indicate brands and interests relevant to them. They can also create a portfolio to highlight their unique qualities.

Meanwhile, brands can join the marketplace through Meta Business Suite and see a list of creators who have expressed interest and check out creator portfolios. They can also search for creators, filtering for creator and audience attributes.

A screenshot of Instagram creator recommendation feature (Image Source: Meta)

Brands can then reach out to creators directly or create and send a project to multiple creators outlining the branded content or partnership ad opportunity. Creators will receive these messages through a dedicated Partnership Messages folder on the app inbox. They can review the details and requirements of the opportunity, along with the rates within the app.

Apart from this expansion, Instagram said that it is also testing a new machine learning-based creator recommendations system in the United States that uses Instagram data to help brands more easily discover creators who are the best fit for their campaigns.

Eligible brands will be able to access these recommendations in the creator marketplace through Meta Business Suite in the coming months.