Meta said it would prioritize original content. It is going to pay for it.

Meta announced this week that it will give more bonuses to creators of original content on Facebook. The company warned that the change to payouts could cause some creators to lose money and others to gain. Facebook Reels creators will be able to earn up to $4,000 per month for meeting certain goals, thanks to a new incentive.

Facebook's Challenges are a way to progress through a series of bonuses to reach a maximum payouts.

Each month, creators will be able to participate in a set of cumulative challenges which build upon one another. When at least 5 of their reels reach 100 plays each, the creator will make $20. After they accomplish that goal, another would be unlocked, like earning $100 when 20 Reels reach 500 plays each. This progress would continue throughout the 30 day period and then be reset at the beginning of the next month to start a new set of challenges.

The Reels Bonus program has only invited a few creators. The company plans to test various incentive programs and adjust payouts as it learns more. It also notes that they are testing out a new type of ads on Facebook, called overlay ads, where they will expand to more over time.

Facebook Reels rolls out worldwide along with new creative tools and ads

During the company's NewFronts presentation earlier this week, Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg said that over 45% of the accounts on the photo-sharing service like to comment on or share Reels at least once a week. She said that they are supporting them with tools to monetize, both through ad revenue share bonus programs and support from fans.

Meta also announced its virtual tipping system, Stars, has expanded tests on Facebook and will soon be able to crosspost their Reels to Facebook. As part of the expansion, Meta will allow creators to earn an ad revenue share on their crossposted Reels via Overlay ads.

Meta has a revenue share of 45% to Facebook and 45% to the creator. That's a bit higher than the 50% share that TikTok just announced. It is the first and only ad share for TikTok creators, and it is a different type of ad product. Since Facebook ads are more expensive than TikTok's, it's hard to say which is more beneficial to a creator.

Facebook is taking a step to make earning bonuses less of a black box.

Last year, creators were earning outsized rewards, even as much as $10,000 or more, but the numbers have since come down, some creators have said. The number of views it was taking to meet a bonus target had increased, which made it harder to achieve their threshold. It can be hard to understand what Meta's targets are.

Instagram is offering huge bonuses for posting on Reels, its TikTok clone

Individual creators will be able to track their bonuses in one place to see how well they are doing, thanks to Meta.

They will be able to see how many plays their eligible reels received within a given earning period, thanks to a new Reels Play Bonus Insight page on Facebook.

The company has recently changed its algorithm to prioritize original content over reposts and other aggregated content from other sources. Meta had already said that it didn't want TikTok reposts, and that content that included a watermark from another site would be down ranked.

Instagram to improve its ranking system to better highlight original content

Meta took to the NewFronts this week to promote its progress in challenging TikTok, as it moves to monetize more of its Reels with ads. The company said that 50% of the time spent on Meta's platforms now involves video, that over 2 billion people watch videos with in-stream ads, and that 700 million people are using augmented reality.

During the company's NewFronts presentation, Nada Stirratt, Meta VP, Americas, said thatReels, the newest video format, is now the biggest engagement growth driver.