Australian influencers escape Meta’s pause on Reel Play

Meta has paused its Reels Play bonus program in the US, a key driver of revenue for many creators on Facebook and Instagram.  

The program, which started in December 2021, offered creators a pay-out if they reached a benchmark set by Meta, receiving a certain number of views and likes from their short-form videos.  

Influencers in Australia have avoided the pause, which will only impact content-creators in the US, as ANZ users are not currently testing Reels Play. 

A spokesperson from Meta: “We are evolving the test of our Reels Play bonus on Instagram and Facebook as we focus on investing in a suite of monetisation solutions to help creators earn steady streams of income. 

“We will stop extending new and renewed Reels Play deals for creators on Facebook and for US creators on Instagram at this time. We will look into ways to run the program in a more targeted form, for example in potential new markets.  

“Creators can still monetise directly from Meta, and from the support of fans and brand partnerships, all of which have seen significant progress over the past year.” 

Aundrea Worsley, CEO of Reale - influencer and content focused marketing agency, said: “Various platforms have been exploring diverse approaches to recognise and adequately compensate creators for their short-form content.  

“Meta has recently decided to pause its Reel Creator Fund, presenting an opportunity for the platform to refine its strategy and develop a more effective method of measuring revenue attribution.” 

Sharyn Smith, chair of AiMCO (Australian Influencer Marketing Council) and CEO of Social Soup, said: “We are in a very dynamic time where the creator economy is driving a lot of the engagement on social and digital platforms and in the future will be the engine of social commerce. Creators are no doubt the glue of the whole social ecosystem and hugely important.” 

Smith believes that despite this pause and the difficulties of monetising short-form content, this move from Meta is another shift from their side to align with the ever-changing digital economy. 

Smith: “All the platforms are looking at how they can best incentivise creators on there so we expect to see more changes coming.  

“Retiring the reels bonus is an example of platforms iterating models and perhaps aligned with Instagram’s signal move away from a singular focus on short video. For creators the constant adaption process can be tiring as this is a fast moving train.” 

Worsley believes it’s a positive, strategic move from Meta in order for them to better focus on how they can support the creators who are utilising their platforms for work. 

“This pause enables Meta to take a step back and evaluate the current system's effectiveness to ensure that content creators are adequately compensated for their work.  

“It creates an opportunity for other platforms to learn from Meta's approach and adapt their strategies to better support their own creators. 

"Ultimately, this could lead to a more prosperous and sustainable future for the short-form content creator community which is incredibly exciting,” said Worsley. 

All other bonus programs currently in place remain unhinged.