Meta is reportedly making an urgent effort to attract influencers from TikTok to Instagram. A report from *The Information* indicates that Instagram is providing creators with monthly incentives ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 for putting Instagram Reels ahead of competing platforms like TikTok. Meta did not respond to *Mashable*’s request for comment.
The lasting effects of these incentives on creators are still unclear. In the past, Meta has attempted similar approaches, but these financial offers have frequently been short-lived. For instance, Instagram once ended its *Reels Play* bonus initiative, which was similar to TikTok’s Creator Fund, causing many creators to scramble for alternatives to replace the $500 to $1,000 they had relied on each month. This new “incentive” also seems to lack any assurance of durability.
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Beyond financial motivation, Instagram has taken additional steps to rival TikTok. The platform has recently altered its traditional square grid layout to rectangles to highlight short-form videos such as Reels better—a modification that has received a variety of responses from creators. Instagram also introduced a new video editing app called *Edits*, seemingly meant to compete with TikTok’s widely-used editing tool, CapCut. Moreover, the duration of Reels has been lengthened to three minutes, further aligning with TikTok’s style.
These initiatives follow Meta’s assertive moves to seek a ban on TikTok in the U.S. While TikTok experienced a temporary outage over the weekend, it quickly resumed operations, albeit with certain limitations. The app is no longer present in U.S. app stores, but users who have it previously installed can continue accessing new content, and the desktop version still works.
In spite of Meta’s endeavors, numerous creators remain cautious about redirecting their attention to Instagram or other platforms owned by Meta. This hesitation partly stems from recent controversial actions taken by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Under his guidance, Meta has implemented various divisive changes, including the removal of fact-checkers in favor of Community Notes, the lifting of bans on specific hate speech, the cessation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the elimination of trans-inclusive features, and the reinstatement of political content recommendations. These actions have alienated a significant number of users and creators, complicating Meta’s bid to compete with TikTok.