TikTok's popularity has only grown since its release in 2017, forcing both Facebook and Snapchat to come up with their own ways to approach short-form video content.
Snapchat would introduce Spotlight, a dedicated tab within its app for TikTok-like videos. Meanwhile, Facebook-owned Instagram would add something very similar called Reels—and again, it's taking inspiration from the competition.
Get Paid for Making Instagram Reels
App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi was digging through Instagram's back end, and he found what appears to be the announcement screen of a new upcoming payment system called Bonuses.
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) May 21, 2021
Instagram has yet to say a word about this feature officially, so all we have is the info in Paluzzi's screenshots. You'll be able to access Bonuses From the Creator menu. The tab will let you "see how much progress you've made towards your earnings goals."
That said, it looks like the Bonuses program is tied to Reels content in particular, and not regular photo posts. Should it work similarly to Snapchat's Spotlight payouts, then users will be paid for Reels that rake in a lot of views and interaction (likes, comments, etc.).
Paluzzi was also responsible for leaking Instagram's potential Clubhouse-like audio rooms and implementation of two-factor authentication codes.
Back in April, Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri held a livestream to discuss monetization opportunities for creators. They didn't specifically mention Bonuses then, but we're still happy to see the executives working to deliver on their promises.
More Platforms Are Starting to Back Their Top Creators
If there's anything to learn from watching social media trends over the past few months, it's that having official, company-backed creator/influencer programs is a total win-win. They give opportunities to up-and-coming talent, while boosting the visibility and popularity of the platform they're on—which is why they're so common now.
Seeing that Bonuses are in the works, Instagram has probably come to this realization too. After all, its rival Snapchat has proven to be a great success story in this regard.
The yellow messaging app may be paying out $1 million to its top creators each day (says CNBC), but it's numbers are growing because of it.
According to Statista, Snapchat had 280 million daily active users (DAU) worldwide in the first quarter of 2021. That's around 50 million more DAU than it had in the corresponding quarter of 2020.
Now, Backlinko data claims that Instagram is still miles ahead of Snapchat with 500 million DAU, but perhaps that's exactly why it needs to play the copycat game—to stay ahead. Facebook has never seemed to really have a problem with borrowing ideas anyway.
