On Thursday, Facebook announced that it would begin testing ads on its TikTok clone Instagram Reels in India, Brazil, Germany, and Australia, as the social media giant seeks to monetize its short-form video feature.
The business is attempting to capitalize on its success in India, a rapidly rising social media market, while competitor TikTok has been banned in the country since last year. Facebook has stated that it intends to test additional features in India, including allowing content creators to post Reels videos on their Facebook accounts.
In an interview, Carolyn Everson, Facebook’s vice president of the global business division, said that the launch of advertisements is an “indication of how big the momentum is for Reels.” Everson refused to share Reels consumption statistics.
Ads on Reels, like other content, can be up to 30 seconds long, and users can opt to skip them, according to Facebook.
Facebook also revealed on Thursday that advertisers would be able to choose the types of video content they want to advertise on, such as videos about children and parenting, animals and pets, or fitness and workouts. This is Facebook’s most significant step yet in allowing brands to advertise alongside content subjects. Advertisers commonly use Facebook to reach specific users based on their interests.
Everson said, “This is a big deal for marketers.” In the coming weeks, Facebook will begin testing sticker advertisements for Facebook Stories. Brands can create stickers that creators can use in their Stories, and influencers can receive a percentage of any revenue generated by the sticker advertising.
The feature is part of Facebook’s drive to court content creators, who are increasingly earning money directly from fans and followers through platforms like audio chat app Clubhouse and membership site Patreon.
Pooja Dhingra, Ashish Chanchlani, Awez Darbar, and Bong Guy are among the Instagram creators who will be able to post their Instagram Reels as suggested videos on Facebook. Creators who participate in this test will be able to post their Reels on Facebook. These Reels would be recommended to everyone on Facebook who has the creator’s Instagram username. It introduced Instagram Reels here shortly after the TikTok ban, as well as a dedicated Reels Tab for the first time in India. It also made Reels available for the first time on the Instagram Lite app for users in India.
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