Facebook Reels Monetization Earnings in 2026: Real Data vs Instagram

Facebook and Instagram are both owned by Meta but have fundamentally different monetization architectures in 2026. Instagram Reels: No direct ad revenue sharing with creators (Instagram doesn't insert third-party ads into Reels in the traditional sense). Creator income is through: invite-only bonus programs, brand deals, affiliate links, and Instagram Shopping. Facebook Reels: Facebook has in-stream ad revenue sharing for eligible videos, including Reels. When ads are inserted into or around your Facebook Reels, you earn a share of that advertising revenue — similar in concept to YouTube's Partner Program, though the rates are substantially lower. This is a meaningful difference: Facebook actually pays creators based on ad revenue from their content, while Instagram primarily pays through challenge-based bonuses and indirect means. Facebook Reels monetization eligibility requirements in 2026: 5,000+ followers on Facebook (not Instagram), meet Facebook's Partner Monetization Policies, account must be in an eligible country (US, UK, Canada, Australia, and others), content must be original (not reposts), and minimum 600,000 total minutes viewed in the last 60 days. The minutes-viewed requirement is the biggest barrier — it requires roughly 50,000 views of 12-minute videos or 100,000 views of 6-minute videos in 60 days. This is significantly higher than YouTube's 4,000 hours (240,000 minutes) over 12 months.

Facebook Reels in-stream ad earnings are lower per view than YouTube but are real, recurring, and not invite-only for eligible creators. Reported RPM ranges from Facebook Reels in 2025-2026 (from creators sharing analytics publicly): General interest content: $0.50-2.00 RPM. Finance and business content: $2.00-5.00 RPM. Health and wellness: $1.00-3.00 RPM. Entertainment: $0.30-1.50 RPM. These RPMs are significantly lower than YouTube's equivalent niches ($8-30 RPM) but better than nothing — and Facebook's older demographic (35-65) tends to engage strongly with certain content types. Realistic earnings example: A Facebook page with 100,000 followers posting Reels and long-form video content in the finance niche, averaging 500,000 views per month, at $3 RPM = $1,500/month from in-stream ads. Compare to: Instagram with the same following and view count earning approximately $0-200/month from platform-direct payments (bonus challenge if invited, nothing otherwise). Facebook Stars: Facebook's tipping feature (similar to YouTube Super Thanks) allows viewers to purchase 'Stars' and send them during live streams and videos. Each Star is worth $0.01 to the creator. Active Facebook creators with engaged communities report $100-1,000/month from Stars. Facebook Bonus Program: Meta runs similar challenge-based bonus programs on Facebook as on Instagram. Facebook bonus opportunities are reportedly more common than Instagram bonuses as of 2026 — more creators report receiving Facebook bonus invitations vs Instagram ones.

The comparison depends heavily on your specific situation: For creators with existing Facebook audiences: Facebook wins clearly. If you already have 50,000+ Facebook followers who engage with your content, the in-stream ad revenue from Facebook Reels is available immediately (once eligible) and doesn't require brand deal negotiation. For creators starting from zero: Instagram wins for audience building. Instagram's Reels discovery algorithm is superior to Facebook's for new account growth. Building to 10,000 followers happens faster on Instagram Reels than on Facebook for new creators in 2025-2026. For brand deals: Instagram wins. Brands pay significantly more for Instagram sponsored content than Facebook sponsored content at comparable follower counts. A 50,000-follower Instagram sponsorship might pay $400-1,200; the same creator on Facebook might receive $100-400. For older demographics (35-65): Facebook wins for both reach and monetization. This demographic is more active on Facebook, creating better engagement rates and ad RPM. For younger demographics (18-35): Instagram (and TikTok) far outperform Facebook for reach into this age group. Optimal strategy: cross-post Reels to both platforms simultaneously. The incremental effort to post to both after creating content for one is minimal (Reels can be published to both Facebook and Instagram from one post in Meta Business Suite). Cross-posting captures both Facebook's in-stream ad revenue and Instagram's brand deal potential.

For creators serious about Facebook monetization, these specific strategies maximize earnings: Prioritize video length for in-stream ads: Facebook in-stream ads require videos of at least 3 minutes. Videos 3-8 minutes can have mid-roll ads. Longer videos (8-20 minutes) earn more from in-stream ads. Unlike Reels (which are short-form), Facebook Watch content (regular videos) earns the highest RPM. A mixed strategy of Facebook Reels (for discovery/reach) + Facebook Watch videos 5-15 minutes (for revenue) is the highest-earning approach. Build a Facebook Group alongside your Page: Groups have dramatically higher organic reach than Pages in 2026. A Facebook Group in your niche (not just a fan page) builds a community that watches your videos and drives the minutes-viewed metrics needed for monetization eligibility. Facebook Live for Stars and engagement: Regular Facebook Lives (even weekly 20-minute sessions) earn Stars tips and dramatically increase your average engagement rate, which improves your organic reach for all content. Facebook Reels as short-form hooks: Use Reels (under 90 seconds) to preview or hook viewers for your longer Facebook Watch videos. 'Watch the full breakdown on my page' CTAs within Reels drive long-form views that earn significantly higher RPM. Cross-promotion with Instagram: For creators with both accounts, promote Facebook Live events through Instagram Stories — your Instagram audience may follow you on Facebook for the Live content, building your Facebook audience and in-stream ad eligibility.