Short-form, vertical video content has defined the internet of the 2020s, but the creators behind these clips don\u2019t actually make much money directly from platforms like Instagram \u2014 the Meta-owned platform has some monetization<\/a> tools like subscriptions, but it doesn\u2019t typically pay creators on a per-view basis.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can get paid by the platform directly, you can get paid by a fan, and you can get paid by a brand,\u201d Instagram head Adam Mosseri explained on the Colin and Samir Show<\/a>, an interview show about the creator economy. \u201cAnd right now, the way that it works on Instagram primarily is you primarily get paid by brands. Some people get paid by fans. We have still a small performance-based program, but\u00a0\u2026 we spend more money than we make back by a long shot, and so it doesn\u2019t really make sense to scale up because we\u2019re just burning capital.\u201d<\/p>\n YouTube\u2019s payment model is more straightforward: There are ads on videos, and creators enrolled in YouTube\u2019s Partner Program get 55% of the ad revenue YouTube earns from their videos. That adds up. The platform said last year that it paid more than $100 billion<\/a> to creators, artists, and media companies in the previous four years.<\/p>\n Instagram and TikTok haven\u2019t been able to replicate YouTube\u2019s model with short-form content, which is inherently trickier to monetize<\/a> than longer videos because there\u2019s less room to place ads. Many creators see those accounts more like promotional arms for their YouTube channels than meaningful drivers of revenue.<\/p>\n Instagram is encouraging creators to upload longer videos, as it already did eight years ago with the now-defunct IGTV<\/a>. It\u2019s possible that its parent company, Meta, which makes its billions on advertising, will put ads in those long-form videos, too.<\/p>\n If Meta does add ads, could Instagram meaningfully compete with the YouTube Partner Program for the first time?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s too early to share a long-term monetization model, but we\u2019re exploring ways for creators to earn from brands, fans, and Instagram, including performance-based incentives,\u201d a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. \u201cOver time, we think there will be compounding benefits for creators to tell new stories, reach new audiences, and find new partners, which should lead to many monetization opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a particularly promising answer, but it\u2019s also not a no.<\/p>\n Mosseri explained in a video<\/a> announcement why the platform is suddenly embracing long-form content after scrapping its old video product, IGTV.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a long time, I have been against doing long-form video on Instagram,\u201d Mosseri said, noting that shorter content like Reels drives more shares and DMs among users. Instagram VP of Product Tessa Lyons, who has been advocating for this change, finally convinced Mosseri to give long form another shot.<\/p>\n \u201cReels is still going to be a core part of Instagram. But when you want to go deeper with the creators you love and the content that they\u2019re creating, you should be able to do that on Instagram,\u201d Lyons said in the video.<\/p>\n In other words, Instagram would rather keep fans on its own platform to enjoy both short- and long-form content from a creator than lose them to YouTube. Instagram is testing a feature called \u201cClips as Reels,\u201d which lets creators make Reels out of their long-form content. The Reels link viewers to the longer video. Viewers can also save the longer video to send to the Instagram app on their TV.<\/p>\n Instagram is currently testing \u201cFeatures\u201d and \u201cClips as Reels\u201d in Brazil and will now expand to the U.S. in a small test. The platform is also working on improved discovery features for Live video and a hub on a creator\u2019s profile for episodic Reels, meaning a series of connected Reels similar to TikTok\u2019s playlist feature.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing that the team has been working on that we\u2019re excited to share with you is trying to make it so that the short-form and the long-form video can be symbiotic,\u201d Mosseri said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to try to support these different types of formats, both in the mobile app, but also on the TV app, which I think is\u00a0\u2026 going to take some time to get right. But I\u2019m actually very excited about it, and we\u2019re very committed to it long term.\u201d<\/p>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Live-Series-Feature-TV-16_9.png\")
Image Credits:Instagram<\/p>\n