Facebook says it paid content creators $2B this year

Are creators sleeping on Facebook? Though the social network has been more enticing for AI Shrimp Jesus than young people, Facebook is consolidating its monetization programs into a more streamlined Facebook Content Monetization hub, which will reward creators for their Reels, longer videos, photos, and text posts. This change could incentivize more creators to work […]
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Are creators sleeping on Facebook? Though the social network has been more enticing for AI Shrimp Jesus than young people, Facebook is consolidating its monetization programs into a more streamlined Facebook Content Monetization hub, which will reward creators for their Reels, longer videos, photos, and text posts. This change could incentivize more creators to work on the platform, since it’s now easier to understand and track the three different monetization opportunities: in-stream ads, Ads on Reels, and the performance bonuses.

Meta says that creators have earned over $2 billion on Facebook this year, and in that time, payouts for Reels and other short videos has grown over 80%. Since Facebook began offering monetization opportunities in 2017, the company has paid more than 4 million creators.

Though impressive, Facebook’s stats still pale in comparison to YouTube, which paid creators $70 billion over the last three years through its partner program.

Any additional revenue stream for a creator is useful, but certain Meta initiatives, like its performance bonus programs, have proven unreliable. A few years ago, when Reels was a newer product, creators could earn thousands of dollars a month for meeting certain view count goals. Now those payouts have significantly dwindled, though as Meta prioritizes Threads, creators have been offered financial incentives to post there. For Facebook, the bonus program is currently invite-only.

This week, Facebook will invite 1 million creators who are already monetizing on Facebook to join the beta for the Content Monetization hub. Next year, creators can join through an open enrollment system.