Instagram creators earn monthly recurring income with Subscriptions by offering exclusive content and benefits to their most engaged followers. We recently published our essential checklist for how to succeed with Subscriptions, but today we’ll delve into the stories of three wonderful Indonesian creators - @fuji_an, @azizahsalsha_ and @mailsyahputra, who shared practical advice on launching and growing a successful subscription.

Where to Start: Launching an Instagram Subscription

There are a number of aspects to consider when launching an Instagram Subscription, but first on that list is to think about what specific program or expertise you’re sharing that is valuable enough to your fans that they’ll pay monthly for it.

Personal assistant Mail works behind the scenes with Indonesia's celebrity set. This means his fans love to see what goes on in his daily life. “On Subscriptions, I share spontaneous and random daily activities, including what happens within my celebrity circles - people love it! Make sure this content is exclusive and not the same as your free content. It needs to be consistent so people understand the value of your paid content. For example, consider a behind-the-scenes version of content you usually share on IG for free.” Mail priced his subscription at IDR 9K (USD 0.49) per month and now over 7K fans a month subscribe to Mail’s BTS bites via Instagram Subscriptions, where he earns approximately IDR 40M (USD 2.5K)/ month.

Fuji is one of the most popular creators in Indonesia and she shares lifestyle and daily activity content with over 24K subscribers, a community she built in less than 6 months, where she deliberately charges an accessible price of IDR 9K (USD 0.49) per month. As a result, she is earning approximately IDR 156M (USD 10K) monthly. From launch, Fuji’s strategy has been to share BTS of her daily activities, her personal opinions and how she’s feeling exclusively with her subscribers. She regularly informs her followers to subscribe for access to this content via using the ‘Subscribe’ sticker in Stories.

Lifestyle creator Azizah takes a more personal approach to what she shares with her over 4K subscribers at a higher price than our other creators, at IDR 69K (USD 4.25) per month. She divulges, “I share more exclusive Stories about my daily life as well as interactions with friends, and videos of me and my husband.” It’s been 6 months since her Instagram Subscriptions launch, and she’s now earning approximately IDR 180M (USD 11K)/ month.

Growing a Close-Knit Community

Once you’ve launched your subscription and you start to grow your community of subscribers, you’ll hopefully notice a closer connection forming. According to Azizah, a subscription “makes me interact with my fans - I’m on Instagram subscriptions to be closer with them, so I communicate with them more than before.”

Use this connection to help inform your approach - Mail’s community actively submit their content requests with him. He shares, “My subscribers are very active DM-ing and requesting what content they want to see about my connections.” Fuji also leans on her audience to get inspired about what content to offer, saying “The key is to identify the kind of content your loyal fans like. I like to scan through the comments on Instagram and reply to those who regularly support me. From there, I also know what content they actually like.”

It’s important to regularly engage with your fans and understand what exclusive content they’re interested in. Mail advises “Listen to your fans and communicate your next Instagram Subscriptions content to keep them excited”, while Azizah says “post a ‘Subscribe’ sticker - I usually post one at least once a month.”

A Content Plan that Works for You and Your Subscribers

Instagram Stories and Live are the two most popular content formats used by Fuji, Azizah and Mail to connect with their subscribers. Not all creators lean on these two formats - every audience has its own unique content preference and creators should identify what works best for their communities.

“Stories are the quickest and easiest format to share my daily content and activities,” says Fuji. Mail agrees, sharing “I don’t overthink the format I choose. However, due to my busy schedule and because I manage my Instagram myself, Stories is the easiest format for me. My fans love a fast paced update on what’s going on in my personal life so I’m less focused on creating content that requires more time, such as live.” Finding what works for you as a creator is important, but it’s also good practice to try new things to keep your audience interested, Mail recommends you “think about renewing the type of content you share - ask yourself, what’s new for this month?”

Consistency is key to Azizah’s successful strategy, “Almost every day, I post 5-7 Stories. For going live, I aim to do it twice a week to once a month.” She shares, “ When I have free time, I also go live to read comments and interact with my subscribers.” Azizah also noted that part of the reason she likes going live so often is that her subscriber community is particularly supportive and positive.

Hopefully this can serve as inspiration to you as you think about your own plans for an Instagram Subscription. Look out for more updates as we build new features for Subscriptions in the coming months.

Key Takeaways:

1. Find your niche! Identify the topic or area of expertise you can offer that fans will find valuable enough to pay a monthly subscription fee.
2. Cultivate a strong relationship with your subscribers. Frequently engage with your audience through comments, direct messages, or casual formats like Stories and Live to figure out what resonates best with them and to help shape your content strategy.
3. Consistency is key. To cultivate a thriving subscription make sure you promote and share exclusive content regularly while incorporating fans' requests and feedback over time.