Shortly after expanding ads in Instagram Reels to all regions last year, Meta announced the Reels Play Bonus program. The program incentivized creators to make Reels on the platform in return for a handsome reward ranging from $600 to an eye-watering $35,000. However, the company has reportedly slashed the payout rates of late, and creators aren't happy.

According to a recent Financial Times report, several creators enrolled in the program say that Instagram has cut Reels payouts by as much as 70 percent per view over the last few weeks. The company has also raised the threshold for getting paid, and it's now more than ten times higher than before.

One of the creators who could initially receive up to $35,000 for reaching 58 million views says that Instagram now requires 359 million views for the same amount. Instagram hasn't provided any official information about the revised payout, and it hasn't alerted creators of the same.

In addition, the creators also say that they've noticed a significant drop in engagement on Reels in the past month, with Instagram's algorithm allegedly favoring image carousels.

When asked for clarification, a Meta spokesperson told Financial Times that the company was "currently testing Reels Play on Instagram and Facebook, which means bonus payouts may fluctuate as we refine our pricing models. Our goal is to ensure that the best Reels content gets rewarded on our platforms."

Instagram introduced the Reels Play Bonus program to reward creators for using its TikTok clone. But now that Instagram is slashing payments, creators might switch back to TikTok or other alternatives like YouTube Shorts and Snapchat.

It's worth noting that TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat also offer similar financial incentives to keep creators on their respective platforms. However, the payout rates vary from platform to platform.

Are you enrolled in the Reels Play Bonus program? Have you noticed this change? Let us know in the comments section below.


Source: Financial Times