TikTok‘s ban lasted only a few hours (at least for now), but Meta is still trying to capitalize on its competitor’s uncertain future. Meta has launched a new “breakthrough bonus program” that offers up to $5,000 to authors who are just starting to work with the company’s apps.
According to Meta, the bonus program is open to adult US residents who “already have a presence on a third-party social app that you can link or have already linked during the application process.” Participants will also have to create a professional Instagram account and a Facebook page.
If accepted, authors will be able to earn up to $5,000 over a 90-day period in exchange for posting “at least 20 Facebook videos and 10 Instagram videos posted directly to each app during each 30-day bonus period,” as well as posting “at least 10 separate days during each 30-day bonus period.” (Meta notes that individual payouts for authors will be calculated based on “an assessment of your social presence.”) Authors will also be able to participate in Facebook’s Content Monetization program, which allows them to earn money for text and photo posts in addition to video content.
Although Meta doesn’t specifically mention TikTok, the timing of the program’s launch seems to be clearly aimed at TikTok creators who are not active on Facebook and Instagram. It is also noteworthy that the terms of the bonus program require creators to post twice as many videos on Facebook as on Instagram, which suggests that Meta is looking to increase the amount of original content on Facebook.
Breakthrough bonuses are just one way Meta is trying to lure TikTok creators to its platforms. The company also offers some creators, including those in the breakthrough program, a free one-year trial subscription to Meta Verified, which provides a blue checkmark and additional benefits such as imitation protection. The company also recently increased the length of Instagram videos from 90 seconds to three minutes and redesigned the Instagram grid.
It has also been reported that Meta is signing bigger deals with individual, more well-known authors. Recently, The Information reported that Meta is offering some TikTok stars bonuses of up to $50,000 per month in exchange for publishing their content on Reels first. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the details of these arrangements, but said that the company has “recently expanded our investment” in content deals “to support more creators.”
