Facebook Reels are short, entertaining videos that users can create and share on Facebook. Reels are a great way for brands, businesses, creators, and influencers to reach new audiences and get discovered on Facebook.
One of the best things about Facebook Reels is that there are multiple ways you can actually earn money from creating and sharing them. Facebook provides monetization features and tools that enable eligible creators and publishers to generate revenue from their Reels content.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the various options you have to earn from Facebook Reels and make money as a content creator.
Ways to Earn Money from Facebook Reels
Here are some of the main ways you can generate income from your Facebook Reels:
In-Stream Ads
One of the most popular ways to earn from Facebook Reels is through in-stream ads. If you are in the Reels Play Bonus program, you can monetize your public and original Reels content with ads playing in between.
When a viewer watches your Reel video, short ad breaks will be inserted. You will then earn a portion of the ad revenue generated from these ads. The earnings will depend on the number of views and engagement your Reels receive.
To be eligible for Reels Play Bonus, you need:
- At least 600 followers
- To have posted at least 5 public, original Reels in the last 30 days
- Content that follows Facebook’s monetization policies and guidelines
The more views and engagement your Reels get, the higher your potential payouts from ad earnings. Top creators can earn thousands of dollars per month from Reels ads alone.
Facebook Reels Creator Fund
Facebook has committed over $1 billion to pay creators for making great Reels content through 2022. This is part of their Reels Creator Fund initiative.
To qualify for payments from the fund, you need:
- At least 10,000 profile followers
- To have posted at least 5 public, original Reels in the past 30 days
- Content that follows Facebook’s monetization policies
Eligible creators can earn money based on the views and engagement their qualifying Reels receive in a 30-day period. The more views your Reels get, the higher your payout will be.
This presents a predictable way for top creators to earn good money from their top-performing Reels on Facebook.
Stars
Fans can support their favorite creators by purchasing and sending Stars during a Facebook Live or on demand videos. One Star equals one cent that goes to the creator.
As a creator, you can earn money from Stars on Reels by going live or posting on demand videos. The more engaging your content, the more likely fans are to support you with Stars purchases during your videos.
Stars payouts are processed monthly when you’ve earned at least $25 from Stars.
Brand Sponsorships
Popular creators and influencers with a large, engaged audience on Facebook can earn money by collaborating with brands.
You can work with brands to create sponsored Reels as part of broader influencer marketing campaigns. The brand will pay you a pre-agreed sponsorship fee and/or a share of the revenue from the branded content.
The key is building an audience that brands want to work with in your niche. Brand sponsorships can be very lucrative for top influencers in their field.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing presents another great way to monetize your Reels audience. You can promote relevant products or services within your Reels and make a commission when viewers purchase through your links.
The key is integrating affiliate links, promo codes, product tags, etc. seamlessly into your Reels content. When viewers click through and complete a purchase, you earn an affiliate commission.
You can partner directly with brands or use affiliate networks like RewardStyle and CJ Affiliate to find affiliate deals that resonate with your audience.
Sell Merchandise
You can also earn by creating and selling merchandise associated with your brand, channel, or Reels content.
Many top creators offer t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, posters and other products that fans love to buy to support them. You can make each merchandise sale highly profitable.
Use sites like Teespring or Spreadshop to create and sell merch with minimal upfront costs. Or create an online store through Shopify to sell both physical and digital products.
Promote your merchandise seamlessly within your Reels content and descriptions.
Tips to Earn More Money from Your Reels
Here are some tips to increase your Reels income potential:
Create Regularly
Post new Reels frequently and consistently. The algorithm rewards active creators. The more content you put out, the more chances for views, engagement and earnings.
Analyze Performance
Analyze which of your Reels perform best in terms of views, comments, shares and engagement. Then make more content based on those themes and formats.
Optimize Your Reels
Capture attention right away with eye-catching thumbnails. Use popular music and audio. Include intriguing captions. Use relevant hashtags. These tips will help your Reels get discovered more in Facebook feeds.
Go Vertical
Vertical video performs much better for Reels. Shoot Reels in 9:16 vertical aspect ratio tailored for mobile screens.
Encourage Engagement
Ask viewers questions and encourage them to comment on your Reels to drive engagement. Highly engaged Reels get promoted more by Facebook.
Reuse Top Content
Repurpose your best videos into Reels edits. Trim longer videos into 15-30 second Reels versions that highlight the most engaging parts.
Cross-Promote
Leverage your other social platforms to direct viewers to your Facebook Reels and profile. Cross-promotion is key to driving more traffic.
Collaborate
Create Reels collaborations with other creators to tap into each other’s audiences and gain new fans. Duets and stitches especially can help expand your reach.
Maximizing Your Reels Earnings
Here are some additional pro tips to boost your income from Facebook Reels:
Leverage Facebook Analytics
Analyze Facebook Analytics to see which Reels resonate most with your target audience. Double down on those formats and topics to maximize views and engagement.
Go Live with Reels
Reels creators can make money with Stars when they go live. Your fans will be notified when you go live allowing for real-time engagement.
Make Trending Audio Your Own
Use trending songs and audio in your niche to make Reels on timely, viral topics. But offer a unique take to stand out.
Partner with Brands
Proactively pitch yourself to brands that align with your audience and content style. Offer to make custom branded content as part of their influencer campaigns.
Sell Digital Products
Offer digital products like online courses, ebooks, stock photos, graphics packs and more. Digital downloads are easy to create and promote within your Reels.
Reels Content Ideas
Here are some top-performing types of Reels you can create:
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Funny reaction videos
- Interesting fact shorts
- Beauty or fashion hacks
- Food recipes
- Sports highlights
- Dance trends
- Music covers
- DIY tutorials
- Lip-sync challenges
Test different content formats to see what your audience responds to best. You can drive more earnings opportunities by mastering the type of Reels your niche loves.
Case Studies: How Real Creators Earn from Reels
Here are some real-world examples of creators monetizing Facebook Reels successfully:
Natalia Mogollon – @natalinature
Natalia Mogollon is a nature and travel content creator from Colombia. She shares Reels of gorgeous scenery from her adventures.
Key stats:
- 633K Facebook followers
- Earns ~$5K per month from Reels
- Gets ~250K views per Reel
Natalia earns from Reels Play Bonus ads and affiliating with travel brands. Her scenic Reels receive millions of views, driving big ad earnings.
Oscar – @oscar_the_grouch
Oscar is a furry dog influencer from Seattle with over 2.3 million Facebook followers. His owners share cute and funny dog Reels starring Oscar.
Key stats:
- 2.3M Facebook followers
- Earns ~$7K per month from Reels
- Gets ~500K views per Reel
Oscar’s viral dog Reels earn him big money from Facebook ads. He also promotes dog products through affiliate links.
Nisha Madhulika – @nishamadhulika
Nisha is a popular food blogger from India known for her simple Indian recipes. She shares quick recipe Reels on Facebook.
Key stats:
- 5.9M Facebook followers
- Earns ~$10K per month from Reels
- Gets ~800K views per Reel
Nisha earns significant income from the Reels Creator Fund thanks to her useful, engaging cooking content. She also promotes kitchen tools as an affiliate.
The Future of Making Money with Reels
Facebook is heavily promoting Reels and introducing new monetization features for creators:
- Instagram-style affiliate commissions are coming soon to Reels
- The Reels Play Bonus program will expand to more countries
- More ad formats like banner ads and sticker ads will be introduced for Reels
- Facebook plans to pay out over $1 billion to Reels creators through 2022
As Reels keeps gaining popularity, the opportunities to earn from it will continue growing as well.
Conclusion
Facebook Reels present a lucrative way for content creators to earn income and get discovered by new audiences. As a creator, you can monetize with in-stream ads, the Reels Creator Fund, Stars, brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, selling merch, and more.
The key is consistently creating high-quality, engaging Reels optimized for the platform. Take advantage of viral trends and audio. Promote your Reels across your other social channels. Analyze performance data to iterate and improve. With the right strategy, any creator can turn their passions into profits with Facebook Reels.