Instagram might be sending out some mixed signals to photographers with this latest announcement.
After making the announcement that they were focusing on video from here on out, now we’re getting word that they’ll pay you, along with Facebook, to share your work on their platforms.
How much money do they have in this treasure chest to award talented creators? Only $USD 1 billion or, in other words, enough to make this marketing stunt something worth noticing.
Word came from none other than Zuckerberg himself: “We want to build the best platforms for millions of creators to make a living, so we're creating new programs to invest over $1 billion to reward creators for great content they create on Facebook and Instagram through 2022. Investing in creators isn't new for us, but I'm excited to expand this work over time. More details soon.”
Of course, for those of you that paid attention to our coverage of Facebook and Instagram, none of this is that out of step with what they’ve promised for some time now. Basically, they want to make it worthwhile for creators to use their platforms.
As FStoppers points out, this statement from Zuckerberg comes after an earlier one made to a similar effect, “To help more creators make a living on our platforms, we’re going to keep paid online events, fan subscriptions, badges, and our upcoming independent news products free for creators until 2023… And when we do introduce a revenue share, it will be less than the 30% that Apple and others take.”
This comes in addition to ads during livestreams, product shop, collaboration tools and brand partnerships, as well as a bevy of other programs to make Instagram and Facebook a one-stop-shop for whatever you might need – content or otherwise. Think YouTube, Amazon, and even Patreon, among other things.
To learn more about Facebook’s monetization efforts, you can check them out at this link right here. A new “Bonuses” section will be added to Instagram in the coming weeks that will detail that platform’s specific monetization efforts.
Are you going to check out Instagram and Facebook’s offer? Let us know what you think of their pledge to give away $USD 1 billion to creators in the comments below.
Check out some of our other photography news on Light Stalking at this link right here.
