Instagram drops new educational portal “by creators, for creators”

Ever wondered “how to creator”?

Instagram says it’s got the answers—straight from established creators.

The platform announced this morning that it’s launching the Instagram Creator Lab, a free educational hub that offers videos by creators, for creators sharing “what they wish they had known when they got started and what they’ve learned along the way through trial and error.”

To make the hub’s debut material, Instagram tapped 11 creators: @carolinagelen, @deepica, @kerwinfrost, @kali.ledger, @karenxcheng, @lauriseirl, @meganjaynecrabbe, @newyorknico, @nicolemclaughlin, @plantkween, and @presidentkennedy.

Participating creators filmed short video episodes—generally between two and five minutes—about their experiences and how their knowledge could apply for the broader population.

One four-minute episode, for example, features @lauriseirl, @deepica, @kali.ledger, @presidentkennedy, @plantkween, and @carolinagelen talking about how they built their content strategies; another three-and-a-half-minute clip brings in @plantkween to talk about learning production essentials; and another from @nicolemclaughlin pushes creators to stick up for themselves when it comes to getting paid what they’re worth.

In a blog post, Instagram cautioned that the lab “isn’t a guide to guaranteed success as a creator, but our hope is that these proven tips and best practices can give you a place to start.”

For now, the Creator Lab has 18 videos from these first 11 creators, all addressing various branches of three topics: self-expression, building community, and growing long-term.

Instagram says it plans to add more topics and community programming in the coming months.