Rivals TikTok, Instagram Offers Higher Bonuses To Reels Creators

Instagram continues to increase payments for Reels. (photocopy of doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA – Instagram is reportedly paying up to $10,000 in bonuses to popular influencers for posting videos on Reels as part of its 'Reels Play' bonus program announced earlier this year.

Instagram's emphasis on video and attracting more personality to the platform is part of its plan to keep the platform relevant among the younger generation at a time when teens attracted to TikTok flock to it. By attracting new users and keeping influencers happy, the company hopes to continue its growth trajectory even in the face of increasingly fierce competition.

As part of its plan to encourage more influencers to create Reel, Instagram is now paying bonuses of up to $10,000 to creators who post videos on the platform.

According to TechCrunch, the payouts are part of Instagram's monthly Reels Play bonus program and are currently only available to select creators. Regarding what the program requires, Instagram says the feature is in the process of being rolled out.

But this feature is only available to a handful of content creators for now. Once it is available to creators, they must join the program to become a part of it. Once they join, they will have 30 days to get the bonus.

They can select as many or as few Reels as they wish to count towards their bonus earnings. Payouts will be directly based on their Reel performance, the post added.

Talking to TechCrunch, creator Maddy Corbin, who has more than 51,000 followers on Instagram, claims she has been offered up to $1,000 per month to make Reel. Another user, with more followers, reportedly made just $600. Another content creator with around 24,000 followers claims they are offered $800 if their video reaches 1.7 million views in a month.

While Instagram hopes to keep content creators happy with its new bonus program, many are complaining about some of the other issues they're facing on the platform. At the top of the list there seems to be frequent service-facing server outages these days.

One influencer, who recently earned a nearly $700 bonus on their Reel, said they were disappointed by the recent outage of the service that prevented their videos from reaching more people.

Interestingly, Instagram paid significantly higher bonuses this month than last month. The new rates are said to be higher on a 'pay per view' basis when compared to TikTok. As for where and for how long the bonus program will be available, the report states that it's currently only available in the US with no word on when (or if) Instagram wants to expand this to other markets in the future.