Meta Pauses Bonus Payouts for Instagram Reels Creators — Retail Bum

Meta is phasing out its Reels Play bonus program, one of the key initiatives that helped the company drive content creation on its Facebook and Instagram app.

According to reports, Meta is “evolving” the program and will “stop extending new and renewed Reels Play deals for creators on Facebook and for US creators on Instagram at this time.”

The program originally launched in December of 2021 to rival TikTok and offered creators a monthly incentive (payout) if their Reels hit specific view targets.

Now, the tech giant is looking to move away from the payout models as it looks to expand advertising on Reels, which would result in a more traditional revenue-sharing arrangement for creators.

“We’ll continue expanding our ads on Facebook Reels tests to help more creators earn ad revenue for their Reels and grow virtual gifting via Stars on Reels,” said Tom Alison, the head of Facebook, in a blog post.

Creators can still continue to earn money through subscriptions and brand partnerships.

Similar incentives on other social media platforms have also been slowly fading. In 2020, Snapchat launched a $1 million a day max payout to creators who developed TikTok-esque content via its Spotlight feature. Over time…