Facebook plans to pay $1bn to creators

Facebook and Instagram plan to invest $1bn (£720m) globally in creators by the end of next year. 

Available by invitation only, the platforms will award bonuses in different ways. On Facebook bonuses will be offered to creators making videos with in-stream ads enabled. The platform is also expanding bonuses through its Stars system to include select gaming creators – these creators will receive a monthly bonus by reaching certain milestones during livestreams. 

On Instagram, creators can get cash rewards by enabling ads on their IGTV videos, creating popular Reels, and receiving badges when they meet certain milestones in their livestreams. 

The company appears to be serious about turning creators into a new source of revenue and being unambiguous about the process. 

In a blog post, the platform stated “We want to be transparent as we develop these programs so it’s clear to creators where and how they can earn. To do so, we will follow a set of principles to guide how our bonus programmes distribute the investment.”

These include having easy-to-understand requirements that creators can take action on to help them grow their businesses and supporting creators of all sizes across a wide range of verticals, with earning opportunities for a variety of content on its apps.

Facebook is not the first to invest in content creators on its platform.

Apps such as Snapchat and TikTok are already paying creators outright for posting viral videos, with TikTok launching a $200m creator fund last year, and Snapchat handing out $1m each day to the most popular videos in its short-form video product, Spotlight.