ICYMI: Instagram Will Pay Creators for Reels

[Facebook Reels Ads; coming soon to Instagram]

⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY

• Instagram will pay Reels creators based on views, not ad revenue

• LinkedIn is the most trusted social platform for news

• TikTok’s GRWM trend means nothing is off-limits for beauty influencers on social media

• Gamers as Olympians?! The Olympic Esports Series launches this summer

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💻 ROADMAP

📲 Meta Updates:

Instagram is testing a new way to pay creators for Reels! 

The tl;dr version: Ads are coming to Instagram Reels and a select group of creators will be paid for the “plays” on their Reels.

And if views equal dollars, trying to go viral and get on Instagram’s Explore page is likely to become even more of a priority for creators. 

What You Need to Know: Instagram will begin to test ads on Reels. And creators will get paid. Those are two separate and distinct facts, loosely tied together since creators will be paid based on the performance of their Reels but not the earnings of ads on their Reels. Still with me?

Meta announced the update to their Ads on Reels program this week but explained the payout model was based on performance, not ad revenue. 

“Initially, payouts in the test will be determined by the number of plays. The better their reels perform, the more creators can earn. Over time we may begin to incorporate other signals into payouts.”

An Instagram version of this will begin testing soon with a small group of creators and advertisers in select markets. Meanwhile the Facebook program, which got a head start, is rolling out to more eligible creators. 

(To check if you’re part of the initial program on Facebook, visit the Professional Dashboard and go to the Monetization Tools section. If you are invited, you should see "Ads on Reels" and will be able to select “Set up” to begin onboarding.)

I emailed some follow-up questions I had to a Meta rep, who provided some detail on what creators can expect:

Lia Haberman: What counts as a play?

Meta: We are not sharing these details at this time.

LH: Is there a CPM rate you're sharing or is there some other way of calculating the payment?

Meta: No. The payouts are performance-driven and not directly determined by ad revenue in order to create a simpler experience for creators that’s more in line with their goals. Payouts initially will be determined by performance-related metrics such as number of plays. Over time we may begin to incorporate other signals.” 

LH: Is there a cap on the payout?

Meta: No

LH: Will the ads on Instagram Reels display in the same way they do on Facebook?

Meta: IG is starting to test just with overlay ads. For reference, here are the formats: 

Overlay ads, available on Facebook and beginning to test on Instagram, are placed on the bottom of a public reel as either a single static image ad or a horizontally scrollable carousel of image ads. 

Post loop ads, available only on Facebook, are shown after a person has viewed a public reel, before it starts playing again. 

LH: If the ads run on Reels versus in between, this seems to solve the attribution problem so why not tie payment to ad revenue?

Meta: While running in-content ads helps with attribution, there’s still a lot of other factors outside a creator’s control that influences their earnings when payments are strictly tied to ad revenue. For example, how many ads have already been shown to the person viewing their content or whether or not there’s a relevant ad to deliver that person. By primarily determining payouts based on views and engagement, we intend to reward the creators who are making engaging Reels.

Potential Outcomes: This is the closest Instagram has gotten to YouTube’s ad-revenue share model. Sort of… But not really since the payout will be based on views versus ad revenue.

Still, it could potentially be good news for Instagram creators who saw their monetization options shrink when the Reels Bonus program was put on pause. It might also encourage other creators and advertisers to focus their efforts on Instagram, which benefits everyone.

Meanwhile, app users can expect an emphasis on over-the-top Reels aiming for Explore page placement. If creators are getting paid based on views, they’ve either got to be super creative and entertaining (yes please!) or engage in attention-bait videos (ugh, countertop spaghetti) to rack up those numbers. It all depends on your definition of “engaging” content.   

Related: Personal Influencer Connections Vs. For You Page Viral Moments

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📲 TikTok Updates:

TikTok just announced two new resources for brands which could be useful for anyone looking to understand the platform and to see what’s trending: 

1. TikTok World Hub, which features learning tracks for Branding, Commerce, Performance and Creative

2. TikTok Fundamentals, which features insights about what works on the platform

📲 Pinterest Updates:

You get a link and you get a link and you get a link! Pinterest is enabling external links on all pin types (images, videos and livestream). The company also announced video pins and idea pins will now be one and the same experience; and they’re rolling out new editing features, scheduling and measurement tools.  

📲 Twitch Updates:

Twitch announced a new tool to edit and export portrait-mode clips of their livestreams to share as TikToks and Shorts.

📲 Twitter Updates:

It’s almost impossible to talk about Twitter without an eye-roll and today’s no different: 

• Elon Musk announced a new Twitter CEO would start in six weeks. The WSJ reported that NBCUniversal’s advertising head, Linda Yaccarino, is a contender. 

• Musk tweeted that the app would purge dormant accounts but users are pleading with him to not remove accounts belonging to deceased users. 

• Tucker Carlson reportedly plans to become a Twitter vlogger. 

👆🏻 CLICK THRU

💄 How ‘Get Ready With Me’ Videos Became the Ultimate Confessional

“When an influencer says GRWM (get ready with me) it’s never just about makeup.

Plastic surgery, anxiety medication and embarrassing pasts: Nothing is off-limits for beauty influencers on social media,” writes Ashley Wong.

I’m grateful to Ashley for including my thoughts in this Wall Street Journal piece but also helping to humanize these videos in ways I hadn’t even considered. 

Yes, applying makeup while unpacking trauma is a hook. And even GRWM queen Alix Earle acknowledges she was responding to audience demand for increased transparency. 

But Ashley did a really masterful job of showing how the format has become therapeutic for creators and their audiences. 

🧮 DATA OF THE WEEK

Instagram remains the top platform for sponsored content and more creators worldwide report being paid to create Reels compared with TikTok videos, according to Insider Intelligence’s Influencer Monetization 2023 Report.

📖 ON YOUR RADAR…

• ByteDance denies a Wall Street Journal report that it would delay the launch of TikTok’s shopping platform based on growing concerns about the platform's U.S. future -Reuters

• Amazon’s TikTok-like Inspire shopping feed is now available to all customers in the US -TechCrunch

• Creative thinking is No. 1 on the list of Top 10 Skills on the Rise in the 2023 Future of Jobs Report -World Economic Forum 

• How Creators Build an Expert-Based Content Business -The Tilt

• LinkedIn is the most trusted social platform for news, while Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok, respectively, rank as the least trusted platforms for news shared -YouGov 

• What creators can learn from Hollywood’s Writers Strike -Passionfruit

• MrBeast is buying out his neighborhood houses for himself, family and employees -New York Post

• Fortnite is now an official Olympic (e)sport and part of the inaugural Olympic Esports Week line-up -Gamespot

• Bud Light’s backpedaling on its Dylan Mulvaney partnership with Mulvaney caused a largely preventable brand identity crisis -Marketing Brew

• Who’s To Blame For The Tarte F1 Miami Fiasco? It Isn’t Black Influencers -Refinery29

Come talk shop with me, creator Asa Dugger, author Brittany Hennessy and the American Influencer Council as part of a current events round table on Wednesday, May 17 at 3pm PT. RSVP here!

I wasn’t very familiar with OG blogger and influencer Heather “Dooce” Armstrong’s work or TikToker Bobby Moudy so I don’t feel qualified to comment on their passings but if you or someone you know is struggling, please call 988 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.