Meta is 'Accelerating' Plans to Introduce More Ads to Reels on Facebook and Instagram

Meta is adding additional advertisements to Reels on Facebook and Instagram, as well as modifying the way creators can monetize their work. The adjustment comes two months after Meta “paused” a bonus program that paid creators for reaching certain milestones.

Meta claims it is “accelerating” its effort to put adverts into Facebook Reels, with “thousands” of creators now eligible to participate in the monetization initiative. The business intends to test a similar scheme on Instagram for Reels producers in the “coming weeks.”

Evidently, Meta has structured the program in a way that differs from traditional revenue sharing arrangements. According to the firm, it would compensate artists using “a new payout model that pays creators based on the performance of their public reels, not the earnings of ads on their reels,” and that “payouts in the test will initially be determined by the number of plays.” In other words, regardless of other engagement measures or ad money generated by their clips, creators with the most views will receive the most.

The move to emphasize views appears to have resulted from earlier testing conducted by the firm, with Meta noting that rewards based on ad performance might sometimes severely effect creators for circumstances beyond their control, such as the company’s own ad inventory. Those terms are also likely to reflect the fact that, while Reels produce a lot of interaction for Meta, the feature hasn’t proven to be as easily monetizable as its feeds and stories sections. (According to the company’s blog post, it is continuing to “optimize the ad experience for advertisers” on Reels.)

It’s also unclear how much money producers can expect to make through the new initiative. When Meta introduced the Reels Play bonus program in 2021, it guaranteed Reels developers monthly bonuses of up to $35,000 each month. However, the corporation reportedly reduced those payments last year before “pausing” the program entirely in March. According to a Meta representative, the “overarching goal” is for creators to be able to receive continuous payouts, but these figures “will vary widely by creator.”