Creating content on Facebook used to be just for fun. You post pictures and videos to share your memories or talent with others. Suppose you are a gamer. You likely posted your amazing gameplay for bragging rights. Or maybe you wanted to be a celebrity in the gaming world.
But Facebook has evolved. Like its social media peers, YouTube and SoundCloud, it now exerts effort to support the platform’s Content Creators. And it is on perfect timing. Video content was already popular before the pandemic. But the global health crisis further amplified the demand for such content. It is only right to reward the creators for providing entertainment to millions of bored people stuck in their homes.
Last year, Facebook launched a handful of features that support Content Creators. At the same time, said features helped people feel closer to the Content Creators they love. Facebook Stars, for example, allowed creators to earn money and fans to show their support.
But Facebook is not done yet. This year, in 2022, it has a line-up of cool features that it plans to launch.
Professional Mode for Creator Profiles
Currently, Facebook supports Content Creators running Facebook Pages. But the company acknowledges that not all creators do that – many are on profiles. So, Facebook has decided to expand the feature.
On a blog on December 8, Facebook announced the Professional Mode for content creator profiles. Facebook wants to give Content Creators access to insights and ways to earn money. The company can enable Content Creators to reach their full potential through that. So, in Professional mode, creators can access post, audience, and profile insights. It will let the creators see how many comments, reactions, and shares their posts have. That will help them determine what types of posts resonate with their fans and communities. Furthermore, the Professional mode will allow Content Creators to review their follower growth rate.
Also, in this mode, creators will retain control over who sees their posts. But, anyone will be able to see their public content in their feed. So that separates this tool from pages.
More importantly, Facebook says this feature will give Content Creators on profiles easy access to monetization features.
According to Facebook, they have already begun testing this feature with a small number of profiles in the US. And, the company plans to roll it out in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa this year.
Shinier Facebook Stars
To let Content Creators earn money, Facebook introduced Stars. These are virtual goods fans can send to their favorite streamers. For every 1 star that the content creator receives, Facebook will pay them $0.01.
Previously, Stars were only for live streams. But since Facebook launched its feature for live audio content, Stars found another space to be in.
Users can buy and send Stars on live audio rooms, live streams, and past streams where Stars are enabled. That is the flaw that Facebook solves in the changes it will be introducing.
Facebook says they want Stars to be in all places creators engage with their fans and communities. So, Facebook is testing Stars on videos in News Feeds, the Watch Feed, and the gaming tab. That way, creators can monetize their live streams as well as their on-demand videos. This change is probably in line with the launch of Facebook’s Professional mode.
Facebook did not announce changes on how to be qualified for Facebook Stars. So it is safe to say the criteria stay the same. You have to stream at least 4 hours for the last 2 weeks. Also, you should broadcast for at least 2 days. And, you have to have at least 100 followers. On who can send stars, that also stays the same. However, Facebook announced that the feature would be supported in more countries soon.
Facebook also announced the Stars Store. That is a place where you can buy Stars via Facebook Pay at lower rates. When you buy Stars through the store, Facebook will store them in your virtual wallet. Then, you have the choice of when or to whom you want to send them. Of course, the creator you are watching should still be eligible for Facebook Stars.
Facebook says that it will be introducing more useful features along with these updates. The said features will help Content Creators to earn more money. Also, it will help bring them and their fans closer. Last December, Facebook introduced the Stars Party. That gives the Content Creators a bonus of $50 dollars per completed Stars Party from December 22 to January 3. That is just a sample of this promise. Users can expect more of that to come this year.
Facebook Reels
Meta’s TikTok competitor, Reels, is no longer on Instagram only. In September last year, the company launched Facebook Reels for Android and IOS in the US. Facebook announced that it would be launching this feature in EMEA in the first half of this year. That will provide a new space for content creators to showcase their talent and creativity. Also, Reels will help them grow their communities, increase their visibility, and extend their reach.
Facebook Reels will consist of video effects, audio, and music. They will be in News Feed and Groups. And like Instagram Reels, there will be a button you can tap to subscribe from the Content Creator directly from the video. You can also comment and share the Reel with your friends who can access the creator’s content.
So who can access their Reels? It depends on the privacy setting of the content creator. But when shared publicly, the Reels will not reach only the creators’ current followers. Instead, it can reach everybody on Facebook. That makes it an excellent tool to increase discoverability on the platform.
If the creators shared the Reels on a Group, it depends on the Group’s privacy setting. If it is private, only the members can view the videos. On the other hand, anyone who will stumble upon the Group can watch them if the Group is public.
And that’s it for the plans revealed by Facebook. With these, Content Creators on the platform can expect 2022 to be more prosperous than the previous years.
