Instagram has yet to settle payments for long-form video creators
Instagram is testing long-form video through its new Features format, but has not decided how creators might earn money from it. The uncertainty matters because creators say ad revenue and other payments are essential to making long-form work, while Instagram hopes the format will attract them from platforms such as YouTube.
Features is being tested with a small group in the US and Brazil, and supports videos up to 90 minutes, compared with a 20-minute limit for Reels. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the company is exploring ways to pay creators, but argued that pre-roll or mid-roll ads could harm the viewing experience and that its existing performance-based scheme costs more than it earns. Creators can currently earn mainly through brand deals and, for some, fan payments; Meta retired Facebook’s previous ad revenue-sharing model in 2024.
In short
- Instagram is testing videos up to 90 minutes.
- It has no settled payment plan for Features creators.
- Mosseri says video ads could harm user experience.
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The case for
Instagram has a reasonable basis for taking time to settle payments: it is testing the format with a small group, and its existing performance-based scheme reportedly costs more than it earns. Avoiding pre-roll and mid-roll adverts could also protect the uninterrupted viewing experience that may help attract audiences and creators. The company may want to establish that the format works before committing to a sustainable payment model.
The case against
Creators have a strong case that dependable income is essential to producing long-form work, which takes more time and resources than short clips. Inviting them to move to Features without a clear route to earn from views leaves them reliant on brand deals or limited fan payments, and risks making the format less attractive than platforms with established creator revenue. If Instagram hopes to build a lasting long-form community, creators can reasonably expect its payment plans to be part of that offer.
Explained simply
Instagram is part of Meta, which also owns Facebook, and has built much of its video offering around short clips called Reels. It is now testing Features, a format for videos up to 90 minutes, with a small group of creators in the US and Brazil.
Creators can earn through sponsorships and brand deals, and some receive payments from fans. Instagram has not settled on a way to pay creators for Features; its head, Adam Mosseri, has said that adverts within videos could disrupt viewing and that an existing performance-based scheme costs more than it brings in.
Reliable ways to earn money can influence whether creators invest time in making longer videos and which platforms they use. Instagram hopes Features will attract creators from services such as YouTube, where long-form video is established.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Instagram doesn’t have a plan to pay long-form video creators”.