Which Social Media Platform Has The Best Rewards Program?

Instagram has two reward schemes that it calls “bonus programs.” They are open to professional account holders over the age of 18 in the US.

Breakthrough Bonus Program

• Entices creators to join Facebook and Instagram by paying them for their first three months of content creation
• Earn money across photos, text posts, reels, and longer videos
• Earn bonuses of up to $5,000 during the first 90 days
• Apply on a mobile device through the Breakthrough bonus site

Eligibility: You must have an existing social media presence (applications from those with over 20,000 followers on another platform are prioritized)

Seasonal Bonus Programs

• Two separate seasonal bonus programs to earn money on either public reels or photo posts
• Earnings are calculated by the number of reel plays or post views received
• Available for limited times throughout the year, through invite only

Eligibility: you must have at least five million bonus reel views for at least three calendar months

Facebook offers the same Breakthrough bonus program as Instagram, giving a monthly payout to new creators. On top of this, you can make money on Facebook through one other program:

Content Monetization Program

• Earn money across videos, reels, photos, stories, and text posts
• Earnings are based on views, plays, and engagement
• Available through invite only, but you can express interest in an invitation on the content monetization page

Eligibility: You must adhere to Facebook’s Partner Monetization Policies and Content Monetization Policies

TikTok has a generous rewards program for creators. It’s not available for business accounts though, so you’ll have to use your personal profile to promote your brand if you want to earn from it.

Creator Rewards Program

• Earn money on videos over one minute long
• Rewards are calculated per 1,000 views, after the first initial 1,000 views
• Apply on the “Creator Rewards Program” tab of the TikTok Studio settings on the mobile app

Eligibility: You must have a personal account with a minimum of 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views per month

YouTube’s rewards program is one of the most varied, allowing creators to earn through a number of different methods.

YouTube Partner Program

• Earn money through ads, channel memberships, fan funding, and YouTube Shopping
• YouTube pays 70% of net revenue from fan funding methods, 55% of net revenue from video ads, and 45% of net revenue from Shorts ads
• Apply via the “Earn” tab in YouTube Studio

Eligibility: To start earning, you must have at least 1,000 subscribers, as well as either 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months, or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days. Additionally, YouTube’s new monetization policies mean inauthentic, mass produced content is ineligible for monetization.

Social media bonus programs are often exclusive, so how do you get the invite? While each platform is different, here are some tips that will increase your chances across the board:

• Post original, high-quality content: Recently, platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are cracking down on monetization policies, penalizing unoriginal and inauthentic content
• Post regularly: Most platforms require you to post consistently and hit performance milestones every month to qualify for rewards. Even once you gain monetization status, this can be revoked if you aren’t consistent!

With the search landscape changing, social media is becoming one of the most popular methods for businesses to connect with their audience. Being aware of the rewards on offer from each platform will help you maximize your earnings.

It’s important to note that most platforms won’t automatically enroll you on their rewards schemes when you’re eligible. I recommend bookmarking this list and keeping track of key metrics so you can enrol your business as soon as it’s eligible.