You know Meta, yes? The company formerly known as Facebook that owns Facebook and other social media platforms. As it turns out, Meta owns 3 of the top 5 social media platforms in the world: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Yes, we know Facebook has older users and Instagram is looking over its shoulders at TikTok. But we still think creators who want to monetize their content should look at Facebook and Instagram. These platforms have too many users and offer too many money-making programs to ignore. So, we’ve gathered the information you’ll need to understand how to get paid on Facebook and Instagram.
Before we start, we note that we’re not going to profile WhatsApp. WhatsApp is a messaging platform. You can send group messages, but a WhatsApp Group is limited to 512 members. So, the app doesn’t fit the needs of a creator who’s trying to reach as many fans as possible. This is why this article will only focus on Facebook and Instagram.
We’re also profiling Facebook and Instagram in one article because Meta owns them both. As such, creators can often manage their Facebook and Instagram content together. But the platforms pay their creators separately. We’ll first go over how to get paid on Facebook. Then we’ll cover how to get paid on Instagram.
How to Get Paid on Facebook
Facebook is the biggest social media platform in the world. Yes, it has its problems and newer content platforms with a younger userbase are nipping at its heels. And Facebook knows this.
That’s why Facebook is trying hard to retain its users. One of the things Facebook is doing is trying to keep its creators happy. This way, the creators can create entertaining or useful content for the Facebook users, and the users will stick around. That’s why Facebook has a lot of programs that will pay creators.
With some programs, Facebook pays creators directly. With other programs, Facebook builds software functionalities to help creators collect money from their fans. The programs usually target just a few types of creators. So, if you’re a creator wondering how to get paid on Facebook, you have to look at each specific program to see if it fits with what you do.
Facebook Has Many Payment Programs for Many Types of Creators
The Facebook platform can accommodate a lot of different types of media. Whether you make videos or music, whether you’re a writer or photographer, you can find a place to show your content on Facebook.
Facebook’s payment programs reflect this diversity. Here are the different ways on how to get paid on Facebook:
- In-Stream Ads Revenue Sharing
- Paid Subscriptions
- Brands Collab Manager
- Stars
- Paid Online Events
- Instant Articles
Of the above, Facebook pays creators directly for in-stream ads revenue sharing, Instant Articles, and Stars. With everything else, Facebook offers software functionalities to help creators make money.
Each of these programs have minimum requirements. We’ll cover the requirements when we go over each program.
The Creator Studio Helps Creators Monitor Their Content
Before you can make any money on Facebook, you’ll have to first set up a Facebook Page for your creator business.
Once you have a Page, you can sign up for a dashboard called the Creator Studio. Creators can link their various Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts to the Creator Studio. Then, from the Creator Studio, you can see user analytics for your content as well as your earnings.
Here are the monetization programs you can manage through the Creator Studio.
In-Stream Ads Revenue Sharing
Facebook will share ad revenue with you for the videos you generate. The exact amount you can earn depends on the number of views per video and the bidding by advertisers.
To qualify for In-Stream Ads revenue sharing, you must have 10,000 Page followers. You also have to have at least 5 videos on the Page. Each video has to be at least 1 minute long. Your videos also must have had at least 600,000 total viewing minutes in the last 60 days.
If you wish to stream ads during your live videos, of the 600,000 minutes, 60,000 must be minutes viewed when you’re streaming live.
Stars
Facebook lets your viewers reward you directly by sending you Stars. Typically, a viewer awards Stars if they really liked your live or on-demand video content. You can redeem Stars for actual cash from Facebook. The current conversion rate is $0.01/Star.
To qualify for Stars, you must have 1,000 followers on your Page for 60 consecutive days.
Instant Articles
Instant Articles is a Facebook service for writers. You have to have your own website and publish content on the website. Then, through Instant Articles, you can show your content through the Facebook app. Facebook then loads ads in the articles and gives you a share of the revenue. You keep 70% and Facebook gets 30%. You can run your own native ads on your website. With those ads, you get 100% of the revenue.
Facebook hasn’t made it very clear, but it seems you can’t participate in Instant Articles if you run third party ads on your website. This means that you can’t sign up for Instant Articles if you’re already a part of, for example, Google’s AdSense Display Network.
To qualify for Instant Articles, you have to have 50,000 unique visitors to your Page in the last 28 days.
Paid Subscriptions
You can sell subscriptions on Facebook. Facebook can help you segregate paid subscribers from free viewers. Then, you can offer your subscribers exclusive content or gift them thank-you items.
To qualify for paid subscriptions, you need to have 10,000 Page followers or 250 returning viewers every week. You’ll also need 50,000 post engagements in the last 60 days or 180,000 viewed minutes of your videos in the last 60 days.
This feature is not the same as the Facebook Bulletin Subscriptions. Facebook announced closure of that service in October 2022.
Brands Collab Manager
The Brands Collab Manager is a place on Facebook where advertisers can reach out to creators to collaborate on projects. The collaboration can be an endorsement or a tailor-made video about the advertiser’s product or service. Or anything in between.
To qualify, you have to have 1,000 followers on your Page and, in the last 60 days, have:
- 15,000 post engagements, or
- 180,000 minutes of your videos viewed, or
- 30,000 minutes of 1 minute views of 3-minute videos
Paid Online Events
Facebook can help creators set up in-person online events. Examples of such events include an online meet-up for ticket holders, classes, etc. Facebook can help you take payments and set up the streaming.
To qualify for paid online events, you need to have a Facebook Page. You have to apply for the program, and Facebook will review your content to make sure it follows their Monetization Policy.
Fees Related to Getting Paid on Facebook
Facebook helps you take payments from your followers. The Facebook app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. This means that any payment a user makes through the Facebook app is an in-app purchase.
If your follower pays through Apple, then Apple takes 30% of that payment. If your follower pays through Google, then Google takes a 15% cut for the first million (you have to apply with Google) and then 30% after. For subscriptions, Apple takes a 30% cut for the first year and then 15% after. Google takes a 15% cut.
Facebook has recently started to give Meta Pay (formerly Facebook Pay) links to creators. If your followers pay through Meta Pay, Meta takes no additional percentage. But you would have to pay a payment processing fee to your payment processor. For more information on finding and setting up your own payment processor, see our series on how to take credit and debit card payments.
How to Receive Payouts from Facebook
Before you can receive money from Facebook, you’ll have to set up your payment information. This includes bank information and tax information. Here’s the Facebook page with more payout details.
Once your Facebook account reaches $100 or more, you can take your money out and deposit it into your bank account. All the properties you’ve linked together on the Creator Studio will be paid out together.
You’re paid on the 21stof each month, in USD, for the money you earned in the previous month. The money may take several days to arrive to your bank account.
How to Get Paid on Instagram
In the US, Instagram is still incredibly popular with younger users. Most of Instagram’s users are in the 18-24 and 25-34 age group favored by advertisers. And, because advertisers need creators, Instagram is a great place for creators to earn money.
Originally, people knew Instagram as a place to showcase still photography. Recently, it has moved more towards videos, live streaming, and short form videos. While you can add music to your videos, Instagram isn’t known as a place to post original music. Nor is it a place completely suited for writers.
There are many ways a creator can get paid on Instagram. You can, of course, negotiate endorsement deals or sell your own products. But these are done off-platform without Instagram’s involvement. There are three money making programs that Instagram is partially involved. Below, we go over how to get paid on Instagram through these three programs.
Instagram Badges
A creator’s fans can support the creator by buying Badges during the creator’s live streams. A supporter who’s bought a Badge will stand out during the live stream. This makes it easier for creators to spot them and thank them for their support.
Badges are in-app purchases. So, Google and Apple will each take a 30% cut for each purchase. Instagram does not take more from your revenue, so you get the rest of the 70%.
You have to have at least 10,000 followers to enable Badges. Supporters can buy multiple Badges, but their purchases are capped at $250 per live video. Badges look like hearts. One heart costs $0.99, 2 hearts cost $1.99, and 3 hearts costs $4.99.
Subscriptions
Instagram Subscriptions are not the same as Facebook Subscriptions. They’re managed separately.
You can give exclusive content and special benefits to your subscribers. Subscribers get a special badge, so you can recognize them during live streams. You can also make exclusive content for your subscribers, content such as Lives, Stories, posts, Reels, and group chats.
Right now, Subscriptions is an invite-only program. If you qualify for Subscriptions, you’ll get to set the price, which will be charged monthly on a recurring basis.
Bonuses
Instagram will pay a bonus to creators with a large number of views to their posts. Details vary, and it seems the program can apply to several of Instagram’s features. However, the one feature that Instagram specifically mentions is the Reels Bonus Program.
You can’t apply for the Bonus program. Instead, Instagram contacts you if you qualify for specific Bonus programs. For the Reels Bonus Program, you have to be in the US, be at least 18, and have less than 1 million followers.
Branded content isn’t eligible for the Bonus program. For other types of Bonus programs, each will have its specific rules that you’ll have to follow in order to collect the bonus.
How to Receive Payouts from Instagram
In order to receive payments from Instagram, you first have to have a creator or business account. Then, you have to apply by giving them various information such as tax information.
You’ll only receive a payout when you reach a monetary threshold. For most earnings, the threshold is $100. For Subscriptions and Badges, its $25.
You can direct Instagram to send the money to your bank or to your PayPal account. You’re paid on the 21st of each month in USD, for money earned the previous month. The payout can take from 1-7 days.
Facebook and Instagram are the Biggest Players but Don’t Keep all Your Eggs in One Basket
This article is a part of our series on How to Run a Creator Business. Creators generate intellectual property (IP). So, in our first group of articles, we went over the basics of IP. We want you to have a firm understanding of what you actually own.
The nice thing about owning your IP is that you get to decide where to put it and who can use it. Facebook and Instagram are huge content platforms with billions of active users. As a business person, you can’t go wrong with putting at least some of your content on these huge platforms. And this is especially true when these platforms are willing to pay you to do it.
Still, there are worrying signs that newer platforms are catching up, at least in some of the younger age groups prized by advertisers. Since you own your IP, nothing stops you from putting your content on these newer platforms too.
Keep reading our series on content platforms for creators. We’ll go over other big and smaller platforms you can use.
We give unbiased advice, so we don’t do affiliate marketing. We limit the ads we run to give you a better reading experience. So, we need your help to keep going. Please consider sending us a $3 one-time tip through Ko-fi (or support us on Patreon). We appreciate every dollar!
Questions? Comments?
