Meta Is Ending Its Reels Play Bonus Program: What That Means for Creators

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Last week, Meta announced plans to pause Reels Play Bonus payments — a monetization program that paid creators monthly based on the number of views their Reels received.

While the program is on pause, Meta will focus on advertising within Reels with the hopes of developing a revenue share model which is currently being tested on Facebook.

The program launched in late 2021 to incentivize Instagram and Facebook users to share short-form video content. Since its inception, creators report being offered between $100 to $35,000 to post Reels. Meta will continue honoring Reels bonus payments for those currently participating in the program for the next 30 days.

Will the end of this program be a devastating blow to creators on Facebook and Instagram? Not necessarily.

While the bonus payments were a nice incentive, there likely weren’t many creators who relied on them for regular income. During the duration of the program, creators were confused about how payment rates were determined and saw a large variance in payments from month to month. Some creators even expressed concerns that their reach decreased after enrolling in the program.

With this program on hiatus, Meta will likely push creators to consider other monetization strategies including its paid subscription features on Instagram and Facebook.

The end of the Reels Play Bonus program coincides with other major announcements from Meta including the introduction of Meta Verified and Instagram broadcast channels, and the end of live Instagram shopping.

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