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Facebook is trying to entice creators with more monetization options

Facebook is trying to entice creators with more monetization options

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Viewers can send Stars to support creators and join private groups

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Illustration by Alex Castro / Th

Ahead of VidCon, Facebook has announced a slew of monetization options for its creators, which include more paid groups, ad placement options, and packs of Stars that viewers can buy and send as tips during live streams. Facebook has been trying to lure video creators away from competitors like YouTube and Patreon with monetization features like Fan Subscriptions, a $4.99-a-month digital tip jar that gets fans exclusive content, which opened up to more creators earlier this year. The features announced today are meant to add more ways for creators to make money from the platform and customize fans’ experience when they visit their Facebook pages.

Facebook is also updating a bunch of backend tools to make managing pages and profiles a bit easier. There’s an updated Brand Collabs Manager that lets creators better manage audience engagement and improve ad-targeting, and the Creator Studio, a dashboard for admins to keep track of page metrics, is getting updated with a Monetization Overview section that shows earnings from Facebook, Instagram, and IGTV. Here, creators will also be able to choose where to place ads on their videos so viewers don’t have to be subjected to interruptive ads in the middle of videos and decide if the ads will be pre-roll or image-based if it’s a shorter video.

Facebook is also testing Stars, a tipping feature currently in use for gaming streams, which is now being expanded to a small group of video creators. Viewers can purchase packs of 100 Stars for $1.40, and streamers will get 1 cent per Star sent during live streams. For fans who want even more access, Facebook is testing paid, supporter-only groups for monthly subscribers, which let them connect with creators in a more private space.

If you’re a creator who runs a Facebook page and you received an invitation to Fan Subscriptions, make sure to read the terms of service thoroughly before joining. The contract stipulates that Facebook can take up to a 30 percent cut of subscriptions when the feature formally launches, and it asks for a lifetime license to use creators’ work even after they stop using Fan Subscriptions.

Image: Engadget