Instagram's creator marketplace is Meta's own place for brands to find creators and for creators to get found. Its name has shifted over time (Instagram creator marketplace, Meta Creator Marketplace), which is why guides disagree about what it is called, who can join and where the button is. This page sticks to what Meta's Help Center and Business Help Center say right now, and flags the places where Meta's own pages do not line up.
What Is the Instagram Creator Marketplace?
The creator marketplace is a Meta tool that helps creators connect with brands to work together on branded content and partnership ads. Brands use it to search for creators and evaluate their content. Creators join it to become discoverable and to get partnership messages.
A note on naming, because it trips people up:
- Meta's Help Center now calls it Meta Creator Marketplace on the creator side.
- The brand side is called Meta Creator Marketing Hub, found in Meta Business Suite under Creator marketing or in Ads Manager under All tools.
- What used to be called branded content ads are now called partnership ads.
These all refer to the same ecosystem. Meta's pages also carry the banner "This product or feature may not be available to you yet," so what you see in the app can differ from what you read here.
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Who Can Join the Instagram Creator Marketplace?
As a creator, Meta's Help Center lists these requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You need a professional, public Instagram account.
- You need at least 1,000 followers.
- You must agree to Meta's partner monetization policies.
It is available to eligible creators in countries where Meta advertising operates, with exceptions: Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Russia. A separate Business Help Center page adds that you must follow Meta's Branded Content Policies and Partner Monetization Policies, and stay compliant with its Community Standards and Content Monetization Policies.
You can check your eligibility in the app: Meta says creators can see it in the Professional dashboard under Monetization.
If you do not have a professional account yet, switch to one first: here is how to set up a professional Instagram account. Meta requires it for the marketplace.
How Do You Join the Creator Marketplace on Instagram?
From the Instagram app, per Meta's instructions:
- On your profile, tap Professional dashboard.
- Tap Branded content, then tap Join creator marketplace.
- Tap Accept to make your information and insights visible to brands and allow them to message you through a new Partnership messages folder.
- Tap Accept changes, then review and accept the Terms.
Meta notes that if you do not see the join option, the feature is not available to you yet.
After joining, brands can see the content you have posted and insights such as your average reach and follower count, and message you directly about partnerships.
Choose preferred brand partners. Go to your profile, tap Menu, then Branded content, then Preferred brand partners, and select the brands you want to work with. Those brands will see you under "Interested creators" when they search. You can only select brands that currently take part in the program.
To leave: Professional dashboard, then Branded content, then Partner discovery settings. Tap the three dots, choose Opt out of creator marketplace and confirm. You can rejoin later.
How Do Creators Get Discovered by Brands?
Joining makes you searchable. Standing out takes a creator portfolio. Meta describes it as a way to show brands what makes you unique. To set one up you must already have joined the marketplace:
- From the Professional dashboard, under Your tools, tap Branded content, then Creator portfolio.
- Choose a cover image.
- Add sections: Text to describe your work, Posts to show your posts and Reels, and Profiles to share people or brands you have worked with.
- Tap Save.
By default the portfolio is visible only to you. Use Change visibility to make it public, which means anyone with the link, including brands in the marketplace, can see it. Meta says portfolios also feature badges for responsiveness and partnership ads experience, and show your active ads.
What brands see when they evaluate you matters. Meta's Creator Marketing Hub materials mention insights such as hook rate and interaction rate, plus whether a creator has experience with partnership ads. To prepare, check your own numbers with our free Instagram engagement rate calculator before a brand does.
Practical ways to improve your odds:
- Keep a clear niche. Brands search with keywords and filters, so a feed about "everything" is hard to match. Say it in your bio too: our Instagram bio ideas by niche and free bio generator can help.
- Fill in the portfolio and keep it current.
- Reply to partnership messages promptly, since responsiveness is one of the portfolio badges.
- Show finished results, such as Reels that sold something, not only follower counts. For selling through DMs, see our DM-first Instagram sales playbook.
How Do Brands Use the Creator Marketplace?
Brands work through Creator Marketing Hub. According to Meta, a business has to meet these requirements:
- Be based in a country where Creator Marketing Hub is available.
- Have a verified business portfolio.
- Have an Instagram account linked to a Facebook Page that meets Meta's eligibility rules for partnership ads and branded content, with both as business assets of that portfolio.
To open it, log in to Meta Business Suite and click Creator marketing in the left navigation, or find it in Ads Manager under All Tools, then Advertise. An admin of the business portfolio must grant users permission first, and creating campaigns needs creator management permissions.
Inside, brands can:
- Browse personalized creator recommendations on the Discover creators tab.
- Search by keyword, with AI-suggested keywords, and filter by interests, age and follower count, or by target audience.
- Open a creator profile with past and active partnership ads, branded content, past partners and metrics.
- Message a creator from the Contact button on their card, or save them to a list. Brands can also upload a .csv of creator handles to find similar creators.
- Find ads-ready creator content and run it as a partnership ad.
One inconsistency worth knowing: Meta's Instagram for Business page for joining the creator marketplace says to contact your account representative, while the Help Center describes a self-serve sign-up by clicking Get started under Creator marketing in Business Suite and agreeing to the terms. Availability appears to vary by account, so use whichever your Business Suite shows.
What Are Partnership Ads and the Paid Partnership Label?
Two terms come up in every deal.
Branded content is organic content a creator posts after being compensated by a brand, which Meta says can include free products. Meta's policies require creators to tag the brand using the paid partnership label. When you tag a brand for the first time, a request is sent to them. Once they approve it, their name appears in the label. If they deny it, the label is removed from your content.
Partnership ads let an advertiser run ads with a creator. Both accounts appear in the ad header, and the ad uses signals from both accounts. For creators, Meta lists benefits such as reaching new audiences and more ways to earn, including producing videos or text-only testimonials.
Use the label whenever a post is paid or gifted. Meta's branded content policies require it.
Is the Instagram Creator Marketplace Worth It?
For most creators who meet the requirements, joining is low effort and the Help Center pages we reviewed do not list a fee. Whether it pays depends on your niche, content and how you handle inbound requests. Meta does not publish rates, and it does not set them: compensation is agreed between you and the brand. Some creators in online discussions describe early inbound offers as small or product-only, so treat the marketplace as one source of leads, not a steady income.
To judge a deal, estimate what your reach is worth with our Instagram money calculator, then compare. The marketplace is also only one way to earn. Meta's Creators site lists badges, gifts, subscriptions and bonuses as other options (see the follower and view requirements for each tool), and our Reels monetization guide breaks down what Reels can pay, while what 1 million views pay on Instagram works through the numbers.
Where Does DM Automation Fit?
Partnership messages from brands arrive in their own folder, and you should read those yourself. DM automation helps with the other half of being a creator: your own audience. If you sell a guide, offer a lead magnet, or send affiliate links, a tool like FlowGent can reply to comment keywords with the link and handle common questions through the official Instagram API. Starter is $19 per month for comment-to-DM and keyword flows, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial. See the DM sales funnel page for an example.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does creator marketplace on Instagram mean?
It is Meta's tool that connects creators with brands for branded content and partnership ads. Brands search for creators, review their content and insights, and message them. Creators opt in to become discoverable and can build a portfolio to show their work. Meta's current name for it is Meta Creator Marketplace.
Can anyone join the Instagram creator marketplace?
No. Creators need to be 18 or older, have a professional public account, have at least 1,000 followers and agree to the partner monetization policies. It is also unavailable in a few countries, and Meta notes it may not be available to every account yet.
How do I get to the creator marketplace on Instagram?
Open your profile, tap Professional dashboard, tap Branded content, then tap Join creator marketplace and accept the terms. If the option is missing, Meta says the feature is not available to your account yet. Brands reach their side through Creator marketing in Meta Business Suite instead.
Is the Instagram creator marketplace free for creators?
The Help Center pages we reviewed describe no fee for creators to join. Any money comes from the brand deals you agree, and Meta does not set rates: compensation is negotiated between you and the brand. Always disclose paid or gifted posts with the paid partnership label.
How do brands find me in the creator marketplace?
Brands search by keyword and filters such as interests, age and follower count, browse personalized recommendations, and open your profile and portfolio. Keeping your niche clear, your portfolio filled in and your replies to partnership messages quick improves how you show up in their results.