instagram is paying youtubers up to $500k to post long videos there too

the deals

per a business insider report covered by net influencer, instagram offered select youtube creators between $50,000 and $500,000 to publish long videos in features, its new format for horizontal videos up to 90 minutes.

meta confirmed it's funding features content directly with some creators. it didn't confirm amounts.

one source said instagram asks creators to post on the same day they upload to youtube. the deals are reportedly nonexclusive.

everyone else

for creators outside the funded group, there's no ad revenue share for features.

a meta spokesperson said it's "too early to share a long-term monetization model".

the test is limited to creators in a couple of markets for now, with wider expansion planned.

why it's happening

instagram wants people watching longer, on phones and on tvs. paying big names is the fastest way to fill a new format.

it did the same during its igtv push in 2021, and igtv was shut down in 2022.

why it matters for a creator business

when a platform pays to fill a format, it usually pushes that format hard in the feed too.

that's free reach for anyone who can use the format early.