In a recent announcement, Instagram revealed the expansion of its creator marketplace into 10 new countries, further enhancing connections between brands and creators for collaborative ventures. The newly included regions are South Korea, Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain, Israel, Turkey, Mexico, Argentina, and Indonesia.

Meta, Instagram’s parent company, initially introduced the marketplace in the U.S. in 2022 to facilitate paid partnerships with select users. Since then, it has broadened its scope, incorporating “thousands” of creators and brands. In February, the feature was launched in eight additional markets, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, and Brazil.

Despite Instagram being inaccessible in China, Meta enables China-based brands to engage with creators in regions where the marketplace operates.

To participate in the program, creators must be at least 18 years old, possess a professional account, and fulfill the platform’s requirements, including maintaining a “significant following.” However, Meta does not specify the exact number of followers needed to meet this criterion.

Upon joining the program through the professional dashboard, creators can indicate their areas of interest and relevant brands, thereby increasing their visibility to potential collaborators. They can also manage collaboration inquiries through the “partnership messages” inbox.

Similar initiatives have been undertaken by other social networks such as Snap, YouTube, and TikTok, which have expanded efforts to bridge the gap between brands and creators. Notably, VSCO, a popular photo editing app, recently launched its own marketplace for brands to discover and engage professional photographers. Additionally, startups like Catch+Release and Agentio have sought to streamline brand-creator interactions, backed respectively by Accel, Craft Ventures, and AlleyCorp.