Instagram Tests Long Form Video Without a Clear Payday for Creators

Instagram is currently testing a new long form video feature aimed at attracting creators from YouTube, yet the platform has not finalized a strategy for compensating its video artists. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced the launch of these Features on Monday. Immediately after the announcement, a wave of criticism emerged on Threads and Reddit. Many creators expressed frustration over the absence of clear monetization opportunities, noting a stark contrast with the ad share and performance based incentives that YouTube offers.

Mosseri acknowledged the concern in a post on Threads the following day. He stated that the company understands how important economics are to creators and that they are exploring multiple options to help long form creators get paid. However, the specific details of these potential solutions remain unclear to the public.

The new format is being tested with a small group of creators in the United States and Brazil. These Features videos can be up to 90 minutes long, significantly longer than the 20 minute maximum for Reels. The content appears to focus on landscape orientation rather than the vertical format typical of the platform. This design choice seems intended to make the content suitable for Instagram’s TV apps, as the company attempts to capture user attention across various screens.

Creator Sidney Raskind, known online as Sidneyraz, voiced strong criticism on Threads. He described the situation as if Mosseri and Meta were making fun of creators. Raskind pointed out that the platform lacks the ability to place long form monetization ads into these new videos. He argued that Meta knows how ad revenue works and understands that long form creators need it to survive, yet they are being asked to upload content for free.

Tech creator M. Brandon Lee also shared his disappointment on Threads. He highlighted the complete lack of monetization options for the new long form videos. Lee questioned why he should post his content on Instagram if there is no direct benefit. He noted that creators cannot easily post affiliate links unless they pay for a limited number of link slots, and they do not receive ad share revenue. He summarized the situation by saying the platform wants more content but does not provide more compensation.

Meta previously had limited monetization tools for Reels, but these did not pay creators directly per view like YouTube does. Some longer form video creators on Facebook had reported good earnings through an older ad revenue sharing model, but Meta retired this system in 2024. It was replaced with a performance based system, which has not proven to be as lucrative for many.

Mosseri discussed the monetization challenges during a podcast with Samir Chaudry and Colin Rosenblum. He explained that introducing pre roll or mid roll ads would be problematic from a user experience perspective. He also noted that scaling up the existing small performance based program does not make financial sense because Meta spends more on it than it recovers.

According to Mosseri, there are three primary ways creators can be paid: by the platform directly, by fans, or by brands. He stated that on Instagram, creators are currently paid primarily by brands, with some receiving income from fans. Mosseri added that creators do not produce significantly more content when the platform pays them compared to what they already create. This suggests that the main incentive for posting a Features video is the reach of Instagram, though creators must accept that Meta will use their content to train its AI models.