Will Instagram pay its creators to encourage them to use Reels?

INSTAGRAM users are going to be happy to learn this. The social network may consider rewarding its creators if they use the Reels format. This piece of information was discovered in the code of the platform with reference to promises of earning "bonuses."

If Instagram has yet to officially confirm the news, the developer Alessandro Paluzzi has revealed, with the help of screenshots posted on his Twitter account, the new feature developed by the social network. According to him, the platform is working on a new payment programme for its users, planning to grant them "bonuses."

These "bonuses" consist of three separate rewards. The first, "Get Paid for Your Reels," concerns Instagram's new format and involves earning "bonuses through Instagram when you share new Reels," reads one of two screenshots shared on Twitter.

There is no clear indication of whether users will actually earn money or get "paid" through other perks. It remains to be seen what the requirements will be to qualify for this programme. Instagram could reserve this benefit for the most important accounts or those with a minimum number of followers.

The announcement is not surprising given that Instagram is increasingly pushing its users to take advantage of its Reels format, resembling TikTok, to boost it on the platform. Back in February, Instagram said that videos with the TikTok logo used in the Reels format would no longer be featured on the platform.

Instagram's payment programme is not unlike that of Snapchat, which had promised to pay more than a million dollars a day to its most active creators on Spotlight, the social network's new service inspired by TikTok.

A decision that generated buzz and proved lucrative for some users since recently Snapchat revealed that it had paid out more than US$130 million ( about RM538.52 million) to a group of more than 5,400 creators who used Snapchat Spotlight. Does this kind of policy have an impact on subscriber engagement? On the Snapchat side, Evan Spiegel revealed that 90% of 13-24-year-olds use its app in the US, France, UK, Australia and the Netherlands. – ETX Studio, May 26, 2021