Instagram today announced that it is expanding its marketplace tools to connect brands and creators for paid partnerships and advertising in eight new countries. New markets with access to this marketplace include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Japan, India, and Brazil.
The company first began testing the platform in the U.S. in 2022. Since then, it said it has brought in “thousands” of creators and brands. Last year, the social media company added API capabilities to empower creators and build briefs. He encouraged agencies to use the platform.
Mehta added that in addition to making the platform available to brands from these eight countries, it will also encourage Chinese export brands to connect with creators outside China.
The company said it will be inviting both brands and creators to these eight new regional marketplaces over the coming weeks. Marketers can approach creators for paid partnerships and partnership ads, which allow advertisers to promote organic content as ads.
Image credits: Instagram
When creators join the platform through the Instagram app's professional dashboard, they can highlight their own content and list brands and interests they find relevant.
In the marketplace, Meta helps brands match relevant creators for specific marketing campaigns through machine learning algorithms. Businesses can also manually search for creators, apply filters by creator and audience categories, and apply advertising experiences to narrow results.
Creators can see all requests and conversations initiated through the marketplace in a new folder on Instagram called “Partnership Messages.” You can also view details of Marketing Her campaigns within the app.
Image credits: Instagram
Instagram's rivals Snap, YouTube, and TikTok all offer creator marketplace features. Additionally, there are startups that are trying to solve the problem of connecting brands and creators. Catch+Relase, powered by Accel, helps brands better discover licensable content. Agentio, which he raised $4.25 million in seed investment funding co-led by Craft Ventures and AlleyCorp, has built a platform that organizes the process for YouTubers to sell ad slots in their videos. Breaker, whose investors include Marc Benioff, a16z/TxO, former Tik Tok CEO Kevin Mayer, and RGA Ventures, connects record labels and artists with influencers to run promotional campaigns.