Instagram could start paying you for your Reels

Instagram is testing a feature called “Bonuses” that will let creators earn through their Reels.

Instagram Reels

Instagram has been deeply investing in Reels with new features, and expanded visibility for the short video product. Like every other Facebook product, the company has started monetising options in Reels too. Last month Facebook announced it will start showing ads in Reels in India, Brazil, Germany and Australia. Instagram is now planning to let creators earn through Reels on the platform.

Instagram is testing “Bonuses” that will let creators earn money through their Reels. This feature was spotted by Alessandro Paluzzi who shared screenshots of it on Twitter. According to the screenshots, creators will be able to earn bonuses from Instagram when they share new Reels. They will also be able to track their progress to see how much they have earned. It also asks creators to keep an eye out for new earning opportunities which means that Instagram may introduce more bonuses later.

#Instagram is working on "Bonuses", a new way to monetize with your content 👀 pic.twitter.com/Xa8jZLn6I3

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) May 21, 2021

Based on the screenshots, it looks like Instagram will offer bonuses only to professional accounts. It may not be available to personal accounts. But nothing is official yet since the feature is still in testing. Instagram regularly tests new features on its platform, and some take months to release. It's also not necessary that the feature tested will become official. But offering creators earning opportunities through Reels seems quite plausible seeing how the company has been cashing on the TikTok clone.

Snapchat also launched a fund for creators to earn through Spotlight, its TikTok-like short video feature. Snap said over 5,400 creators have earned more than $130 million collectively so far. It also plans to change this program by letting creators earn monthly instead of daily. Twitter has also kicked off its user monetisation plans with ‘Tip Jar' that allows users to earn through their followers.