Meta expands monetization support for Reels

Creators on Instagram and Facebook can now explore new ways to earn money, according to a news release from Meta. 

In the ongoing battle for creator content, social media platforms are continuing to increase monetization opportunities.

Just this week, TikTok announced they’re exploring an advertising share revenue program with creators, and now Meta has announced they’re updating the Reels Play bonus program and launching a “Challenges” program on Facebook. 

“We believe that creators who do the hard work of crafting and promoting original content should be rewarded in distribution, growth and monetization,” Meta says in a new blog post. 

“As part of these efforts, we recently rolled out ranking changes that prioritize the distribution of original content in places where we recommend Reels, like the Reels tab and Feed on Instagram and Feed and Watch on Facebook. As we continue this work, we’re making a few changes to our incentives program that give creators ways to reach new followers and uncover new opportunities.” 

For the Reels Play bonus program, Meta is changing how payouts are calculated. The goal is to reward creators of varying audience sizes who continue to make high-quality original content that resonates with people. In the news announcement, Meta did not explain what those calculation changes will be exactly. Notably, Instagram did just bump up Reels from 60 seconds to 90 seconds, which may be tied to creating more opportunities for revenue. 

In regards to Facebook “Challenges,” Meta says they’re launching a new incentive to help creators in the Reels Play bonus program earn up to $4,000 in any given month. 

Meta explains:

• Creators can participate in a series of sequential, cumulative challenges each month. A challenge might look like: Earn $20 when 5 of your Reels reach 100 plays each.
• After a creator finishes a challenge, another challenge will become unlocked. So if they completed the example above, they would see a new one like: Earn $100 when 20 of your Reels reach 500 plays each.
• Progress on Challenges will reset to #1 at the start of each 30-day bonus period. 

To help creators learn how well their Reels are performing, Meta is also introducing insights for Reels Play creators on Facebook. Creators will be able to view how many Plays each of their eligible Reels receive within an earning period.