Helping creators earn more and diversify their revenue on Facebook

We’ve made a lot of great progress , but we still have work to do. That’s why we’re taking this opportunity to share more ways you can monetize on Facebook:

Earn money from all types of videos

From Live to short and long-form, you share an eclectic mix of videos on Facebook. Since launching in-stream ads, we’ve expanded the format to include pre, mid, post-roll and image ads as well as formats specific to Live.

You can now earn money from videos as short as one minute long, with a minimally interruptive ad running at 30 seconds. For videos three minutes or longer, an ad can be shown 45 seconds in with automatic insertion. Previously only three-minute or longer videos could monetize with in-stream ads, with an ad shown no earlier than 1 minute.

This has translated into growing payouts for creators — in-stream ad payouts grew over 55% from 2019 to 2020 — with video creators of all sizes earning meaningful revenue. For example, from the end of 2019 through April 2020, Korean chef Seonkyoung Longest’s in-stream revenue increased roughly 50% per month.

Looking ahead, we’re especially focused on short-form video monetization. In the coming weeks, we’ll begin testing the ability for you to monetize your Facebook Stories with ads that look like stickers and receive a portion of the resulting revenue. While the initial test is small, we hope to soon expand to more creators, and then broaden it to short-form videos on Facebook.

Increasing access to video monetization

Now that we’ve expanded the types of videos that can monetize on Facebook, we’re updating our eligibility criteria so that more creators can monetize their videos with in-stream ads. To join our in-stream ad for video-on-demand program, Pages must now have:

Our previous requirements only considered at least three-minute-long on-demand videos. This updated criteria helps video creators that primarily create Live and short-form videos to monetize their recorded videos.

Keep in mind, you must still publish from a Page (not a profile) with at least 10,000 followers, be 18 years old and located in a supported country, and your Page must pass and remain compliant with our Partner Monetization Policies.

Expanding in-stream ads for Live

When the pandemic struck, Dena Blizzard went from performing in comedy clubs across the United States for a living, to live streaming on Facebook from home. With in-stream ads for Live, she’s been able to make up for lost revenue. She saw 65% growth in earnings after joining the program and in-stream ads for Live generates over 50% of her total earnings.

Because of stories like this, we’re excited to now make it possible for more creators to monetize their Live videos with in-stream ads. This program previously was invite only.

To qualify for our in-stream ads for Live program, you must have 60,000 Live minutes viewed in the last 60 days, in addition to meeting the video-on-demand program requirements. Watch time or uploads from cross-posted videos don’t count towards qualification for both programs.

You can check your eligibility and submit your Pages for review for both in-stream ad programs in Creator Studio.

Earning revenue on Live with Stars

While ads can be a great way to monetize livestreams, the built-in engagement of Live also lends itself well to earning money with Stars. With a focus on rewarding fan loyalty, we’ve seen Stars enhance the connection between creators and their community of fans.

For example, Vincenzo Girasoli — also known as Idressitalian — uses Live to bring his fans on virtual tours of Italy and monetizes with Stars. From May to September 2020, he averaged 634 people sending him Stars every month and received over one million Stars just in one day.

We’re happy to announce that Facebook is investing $7 million over the next few months in consumer education and adoption via free Stars. During certain Star-enabled livestreams, some people will see an offer to claim free Stars that they can send at their discretion to their favorite creators to boost their visibility and connection with the creator and add to the creators’ earnings.

We’ve also introduced several enhancements to Stars. In addition to badges Stars senders already receive, now comments sent with Stars visually stand out and are pinned inside the Live player where other viewers can see them. We’re also introducing virtual gifts that people can send creators.

We’re rapidly expanding Stars to Live-focused video creators in 15+ markets. Those invited can now get access to the feature from their mobile device before they go Live and earn Stars, and then finish their account set-up on their computer in Creator Studio afterward. You can check eligibility and express interest in getting access here.

While Stars has been primarily for Live streams, over the coming weeks we’ll start testing Stars for video-on-demand, exploring features for both short and long-form recorded videos.

Products and tools built for you

Creators can earn money from ads via our in-stream ads program, from the support of their fans through our Stars feature and with paid partnerships via branded content and brand collabs manager. This means that you can choose the mix of products that best matches the community you’ve built and the content that you share.

To access any of our monetization programs, creators must abide by our partner monetization policies and content monetization policies. These sets of policies include our Community Standards and an additional level of standards above and beyond our Community Standards that govern both Pages and Page content to ensure that monetized content creates value for people.

We are committed to continuing to improve all our monetization products so that you can thrive on Facebook. Visit Creator Studio to learn more about our offerings and for tips, best practices and to check eligibility for all products.