Instagram to Incentivize Reel Creators via New “Bonuses” Payment Option

Instagram seems to be taking inspiration from the success of Snapchat’s Spotlight feature.

Spotlight has been a success through its payment program that pays top Spotlight creators an estimated $1 million per day. It has been so effective that 125 million Snapchat users visit this feature every month.

This approach’s ability to attract attention appears to be so effective that Instagram now is looking to implement a similar payment program. An announcement screen discovered by researcher Alessandro Paluzzi in the back-end code of the app may have confirmed this move from Instagram:

Instagram seems to be testing this “bonus” program which would focus on Reels promotion. For those who haven’t heard of Reels, it’s Instagram’s response to TikTok -- a feature that lets you record, edit, and share 15-second videos.

The notes on the screen do not specify if the user will earn cash from the payouts but the strategy is obviously inspired by Snap’s Spotlight program.

We’ll get more information on this “bonus” program as Instagram officially launches it in the near future.