Last week, Instagram said users would be able to post videos up to 90 minutes long, a move aimed at attracting long-form YouTube creators. But, aside from offering a handful of select creators between $50,000 and $500,000 to post long-form content through its new “Features” feature, it has offered no concrete monetization pathway for creators, saying it’s “too early to share a long-form monetization model.”
Early reactions are mixed: Without a clear ad revenue plan, creators may hesitate to make original content for Instagram, while others see promise in the platform’s discovery tools and new TV app.
Digiday spoke with seven creator economy experts about what the change could mean for creators, agents, and marketers.
The revenue question
Instagram is known for reach, but engagement on Reels can vary (marketing software platform Cropink reports Reels get 36% more reach than carousels and 125% more than single-photo posts, but engagement lags). And creators question how that engagement translates into income.
Digital strategist and creator Gabriella Zutrau said that Instagram has great discoverability compared to other platforms, which is helpful for creators looking to build awareness. However, she was “disgusted” that it appears, at least for now, that the platform is “offering discoverability as a form of payment.”
Several of the creator managers and creators Digiday spoke with expressed concerns about the lack of an ad revenue structure for long-form content — especially in comparison to what is widely considered the best platform for earning, YouTube. But it’s increasingly difficult to get monetized on YouTube because of the thresholds required, and it may be harder after its requirements change next year.
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