The availability of Facebook Reels is expanding for iOS and Android to more than 150 countries across the globe. Facebook is also introducing better ways to help creators to earn money, with the new creation tools and more places to watch and create Facebook Reels.
Watching video is half of the time spent on Facebook and Instagram, and Reels is the fastest-growing content format, according to Meta. The company is focused on making Reels the best way for creators to get discovered, connect with their audience and earn money. It also wants to make it fun and easy for people to find and share relevant and entertaining content.
Since launching in the US, creators like Kurt Tocci (and his cat, Zeus) share original comedic skits, author and Bulletin writer Andrea Gibson offer a reading of their published poetry, Nigerian-American couple Ling and Lamb try new foods and dancer and creator Niana Guerrero do trending dances, like the #ZooChallenge.
Meta is creating a variety of opportunities for creators to earn money for their reels. The Reels Play bonus program, part of the $1 billion creator investment, pays eligible creators up to $35,000 a month based on the views of their qualifying reels. These bonuses have helped creators like Jason the Great fund their reels creation and better understand what types of content works on Facebook. In the coming months, the bonus program will expand to more countries, so more creators can get rewarded for creating reels that their communities love.
Building on their experience in helping creators earn meaningful income from the monetization products like in-stream ads and Stars, Meta is also building direct monetization options for Facebook Reels through ad revenue share and fan support. Tests are expanding for Facebook Reels Overlay Ads to all creators in the US, Canada and Mexico, and to more countries in the coming weeks. It will start with two formats: banner ads that appear as a semi-transparent overlay at the bottom of a Facebook Reel, and sticker ads: a static image ad that can be placed by a creator anywhere within their reel. These non-interruptive ads enable creators to earn a portion of the ad revenue.
Any creator in the US, Canada and Mexico who is part of the in-stream ads program is automatically eligible to monetize their publicly-shared reels with ads. By mid-March, these tests will expand to creators in nearly all countries where in-stream ads are available. Creators can learn more about overlay ads on the Meta for Creators blog. Stars will also begin testing on Facebook Reels in the coming weeks so that people can buy and send Stars while watching reels to support creators. Both overlay ads and Stars are designed so that as more people view and engage with Reels on Facebook, creator payouts can grow.
Meta is also launching brand suitability controls, including Publisher Lists, Blocklists, Inventory Filters and Delivery Reports for Banner and Sticker Ads in Facebook Reels in every region they are available, giving advertisers more control over how their ads appear in places they don’t consider suitable for their brand or campaign. Additionally, full-screen and immersive ads have been tested in between Facebook Reels since October of last year, and will be roll-out to more places around the world over the coming months. Just like with organic content on Facebook, people can comment, like, view, save, share and skip them.
More Editing Features
In addition to the features announced last year, creators around the world will be able to access:
- Remix: Create your own reel alongside an existing, publicly-shared reel on Facebook. When you create a Remix, you can create a reel that includes all or part of another creator’s reel.
- 60-second Reels: Make reels up to 60 seconds long.
- Drafts: You will soon be able to create a reel and choose to “Save As Draft” below the Save button.
- Video Clipping: In the coming months, we’re planning to roll out video clipping tools that will make it easier for creators who publish live or long-form, recorded videos to test different formats.
Over the coming weeks, Meta will roll out the following updates to make it easier to create and discover reels in new places:
- Reels in Stories: You can share public reels to Stories on Facebook, making it easy to share favourite reels with friends and giving creators more visibility and reach. You’ll also be able to create reels from existing public stories.
- Reels in Watch: You’ll be able to watch reels directly within the Watch tab and we’re developing tools to help you create reels in the Watch tab as well.
- Top of Feed: We’re adding a new Reels label at the top of Feed so you’ll be able to easily create and watch reels in just a few clicks.
- Suggested Reels in Feed: In select countries, suggested reels that you may like in your Feed from people you do not already follow will be starting to be shared.
We’re also exploring ways to make it easier for creators to share Reels to both their Facebook and Instagram audiences, such as crossposting.
You can find Facebook Reels in Feed, Groups and Watch. When viewing a reel, you can follow the creator directly from the video, like and comment on it or share it with friends.
