Let’s go back to the start: at the very beginning of Instagram’s existence, we had one universal type of account, so there was no choice: everyone had the same possibilities, the same statistics view, the same features. Then, the new profile type came up: a business profile. Now, the range is significantly wider, as we have three options: the creator account has been added to the list. 

Wait, isn’t being a creator and producing content a business as well? What about influencers’ personal brands? And how many differences are there between those types of accounts? Today we’ll break down Instagram creator vs. business profiles. Which one is better for your purpose? How does a creator profile differ from a business profile if both of them are made for professional use? Are you ready to find out?

Why isn’t a private account even an option? 

Before we dive into why you should analyze your social media needs and distinguish which account type suits you more, let’s jump to the quick revision of why business or creator types of account are the only options you should consider. And why a private account isn’t even a solution (we’ve talked about it in detail in our previous article – we highly recommend reading it, so you’ll be armed with complex knowledge, and nothing ever will surprise you, ha!). 

Let’s get down to business. The harsh truth: a private account can dramatically hinder your social media growth. Why? 

When you have a private account:

• you are not getting any extra exposure from trending hashtags or the explore page
• by making your account private, you abandon almost every practical form of audience discovery (hashtags, trending hashtags, explore page)
• your content won’t be embedded anywhere (because your posts won’t be visible for anyone who isn’t following you, so there’s no point in embedding them on any blog with a massive follower base)
• a private profile isn’t going to get the same traction as a public one – due to how the algorithm works
• too many lost opportunities

So as you can see: that’s not a brilliant marketing move. Let’s discuss other, much more business-savvy solutions!

The business account

The top advantage of a business account? It gives you full access to analytics, which are indispensable when it comes to analyzing follower growth, and trending tendencies. It literally equips you with a set of tools to manage your messages and create your Instagram shop (with shoppable links)!

The creator account

Business accounts provide many marketing features that are great for tracking the traffic, observing reach ups and downs, and quickening strategic growth. Still, it turned out that influencers have more specific needs – that not every business owner has. That’s why the Instagram team decided to come up with a different account type – aligned more precisely with content creators’ requirements. 

Who can choose the creator account? Do you need to have 10k on your follower count to be able to switch it on? Surprise, surprise! Luckily it’s not exclusive to creators with a specific audience’s size or those who already have the sacred blue checkmarks.

 

 

Creator account versus business account 

So, what are the most crucial differences between these two pro account types? The creator account is designed for individual creators – while the business account is often used by whole marketing teams responsible for a particular brand’s online image. Needless to say, the business account is perfect for businesses aiming to drive sales (because they’re promoting their own services/products). 

Creator account provides some extra features, helping creators communicate with brands, and there are also slight differences in message options. 

Extra benefits of creator account:

• paid collaborations and partnerships tools
• more specific follower base analytics 
• additional messages sorting (three folders: general, primary, and requests waiting for approval)
• CTA button (business account has it as well, but the creator account lets you personalize it, so it’s much more flexible)
• possibility to remove the call and email buttons from the profile

 

 

To wrap-up! 

So what’s the final say? Should you use a business or creator type of account? Here’s our take: if you want to reach your target audience and dream client, boost brand awareness, and increase sales through Instagram, choose the business account. If you have a personal brand, you’re a freelancer, photographer, filmmaker, aspiring celebrity, actor, writer, blogger, or solopreneur, and you want to dive deeper into personal content creation, the creator’s account is probably the way to go.