Last month, Instagram rolled out its Testimonials feature, an ad format that allows brands to pay creators for sponsored content that includes comments.

• 40% of consumers use creator recommendations while shopping on Instagram, per Meta.
• Nearly half of US adults (49%) said commenting is one of the features they would most prefer to have available on their ideal social media platform, per a March 2023 YouGov study.
• When it comes to conversions from social, creators beat out brands—49.5% of US social shoppers have been influenced to buy from a creator recommendation, compared to 44.0% that have bought from brands, according to a March 2024 EMARKETER survey.

“As feeds become flooded with #sponsored posts and shoppable content, and the perception that influencers are inauthentic, feeds have begun to feel more commercial and less personal,” said Sara Wilson, founder of community strategy consultancy SW Projects. “Comments are one of the last remaining spaces that have an aura of authenticity.”

While brands have taken swings at comment section relevance from their own accounts, sponsored comments from creators could be a more natural segway and a fresh take on partnerships.

Creating low-lift content

While video content can come with a high price tag and a lengthy approvals process,

comment-based partnerships could offer both creators and brands an option that is easier to execute.

“It’s a clever option for brands looking to stay visible when a full-scale creator campaign isn’t in the cards,” said Emily Weiner, manager of product monetization at A+E Global Media, who specializes in creator partnerships.

These partnerships could be efficient and mutually beneficial for both creators and brands, said Weiner.

“It gives brands an authentic voice right where people are already engaging, and creators get a monetizable moment that doesn’t require a whole production,” she said.

Testimonials could also bring new marketers into the creator space, said influencer marketing consultant Lindsey Gamble, who used luxury brands as an example.

“Maybe you don't want the short-form video made on a phone and want the high-quality product shot, but then you incorporate a comment from a creator that has a name in the fashion industry,” said Gamble. “You can kind of get the best of both worlds.”

Commemorating commenters

Sponsored comments are an opportunity to recognize the role of a creator’s audience in legitimizing their influence, said Tameka Bazile, senior social media manager at Elevate Labs.

“A creator can create a piece of content and it can be impactful, but it's the people who comment under the post that really get the conversation going,” she said, adding that a comment can sometimes "completely change the context of the original post.”

Instagram's Testimonial feature could give brands the opportunity to work with the social media users who may not have a main feed following, but generate major engagement in the comment section, said Bazile.

“TikTok is the only platform that has comment culture, where comments start to become a part of the narrative,” she said. “This is an opportunity to come up with a new type of creator and creative.”

Considering the risks

While sponsored comments could be another strong revenue stream, it could also become a risky move for both creators and brands given the nature of discourse in the comment section, said creator Eric Struk.

“It is no different from a traditional endorsement on a website, but I do think that the public comments pose a risk,” said Struk. “Instagram audiences can be quite hostile and I think this opens the door to ‘trolling’ and might damage a creator's reputation.”

When developing a creator comment strategy, brands must consider where their presence will truly be welcomed, said Wilson.

“We've already seen brands overwhelm comments sections on videos, so there's definitely a risk of creators working on behalf of brands doing the same, which is why the comment has to feel organic to the conversation,” she said.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.