Instagram’s New Creator Marketplace API and How to Use It

Instagram’s new creator marketplace API is the latest feature that will change how influencer marketing managers do their job.

This comes after a change in September of 2022 to Meta’s API and service guidelines which forced companies operating in the influencer marketing space to remove any usage of third-party creator data, instead opting to use first-party data with creators’ consent. 

As a consequence of the update, the influencer marketing platforms that rely on third-party data have had to put a halt on any software features that use data collected from non-authenticated creators on Instagram and Facebook. However, the platforms that have always prioritized first-party creator relationships through opt-in authentication processes have not been affected and some will even get first access to this new creator marketplace API feature. 

What does Instagram’s creator marketplace API do?

Starting today, Meta is rolling out a series of APIs to let brands and agencies access Instagram’s creator marketplace via a third-party influencer marketing platform of their choice. 

The first two APIs being released are:

• Messaging API: This allows brands to send messages into the Partnership Messages inbox folder on Instagram’s creator marketplace, directly from a third-party platform. 

• Projects API: This enables brands to publish private or discoverable projects to Instagram’s creator marketplace, directly from a third-party platform. 

Why is this a big deal? Prior to these APIs, brands who preferred to use a third party platform had to either leave the platform to send Direct Messages (DMs) to creators via the Instagram app — which is hard to do at scale — or they could reach out via email from their influencer marketing platform where the creator might not see it. 

Brands and agencies can now reach creators on Instagram’s creator marketplace directly through their chosen influencer marketing platform and their proposals will go to a priority inbox on Instagram. Simultaneously, creators will now receive collaboration proposals from brands using third-party platforms — directly in the Instagram app — ensuring that they’ll never miss out on a partnership opportunity.

Ultimately, this makes the life of an influencer marketer easier, by allowing proposals to be sent from their tool of choice with priority, while also increasing proposal acceptance rate since creators prefer communicating via DM.

How can you start using Instagram’s creator marketplace API? 

Any brand can join Instagram’s Creator Marketplace and utilize these functions natively, but if you want to use the features through your third-party platform, it’s only available to a select few such as Aspire.io. If you already have an influencer marketing platform, ask your contact if they are a Meta partner and if they have access to the new API. The name of the feature itself may vary platform to platform.

For example, Aspire is using the creator marketplace API for their new Instagram Direct Messaging integration which allows users to invite creators to their campaigns through Instagram’s native chat feature, directly from Aspire. The integration solution also includes Social Listening capabilities that will provide insights into brand mentions on Instagram Stories. 

What’s the difference between Instagram’s creator marketplace API and TikTok’s creator marketplace API?

Both Instagram’s creator marketplace API and TikTok’s creator marketplace API are designed to help brands connect with content creators for collaborations. This speaks to a broader trend in the market where social media platforms are prioritizing better relationships between brands and creators. 

Instagram’s creator marketplace offers tools for creator discovery, partnership messages and project details, while TikTok’s creator marketplace offers creator search, outreach and results. Both platforms offer analytics to measure campaign performance, but TikTok’s creator marketplace API provides more granular data on audience demographics, growth trends, best-performing videos and real-time campaign reporting. Many brands are leveraging both to ensure they have omnichannel coverage and drive the best results.

Take your Instagram campaigns to the next level

Instagram’s creator marketplace API is a gamechanger for creators and brands alike. It’s a new way for Meta’s marketing partners to build effective tools to help optimize brands’ influencer marketing workflow, while still prioritizing first-party data. If you’re not already using an influencer marketing platform to streamline your partnerships, Instagram’s new creator marketplace API might be the perfect reason to invest in one.