With the shadow of a tumultuous ban still looming over TikTok in the United States, billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is offering to pay a large sum of money to popular content creators on the “third party” social media app who join Facebook and Instagram. The company said select creators will get up to a $5,000 bonus if they post content on Meta platforms for over three months.
On its website, Meta said the influences who get accepted into the so-called “Breakthrough bonus programme” will be paid the money during their first 90 days on the app, so long as they post regularly. They will get the cash based on “an evaluation of your social presence.
By sharing content across Meta’s platforms, creators will also get access to Facebook’s content monetization program that enables users to earn additional income from their posts. In addition to the bonuses, Meta is also offering these popular faces a free trial of Meta Verified– the sought-after blue checkmark that provides exclusive features and helps accounts stand out. Normally, this feature comes at a monthly cost ranging from $15 to $120.
Meta Going After TikTokers?
Though Meta did not say the tempting cash offer was exclusively for TikTokers, it came just days after the rival platform was removed from US app stores. Though President Donald Trump delayed the short video app’s departure from the US market by 75 days, TikTok still remains unavailable to download from app stores.
The timing of Meta’s offer suggests it is attempting to capitalise on the uncertainty surrounding the ByteDance-owned platform’s users.
According to TikTok, it has 170 million users in the US – many of whose livelihood depends on its survival. This means a lot of people would be looking for an alternative platform to establish themselves if the Chinese company disappeared.
This is not Meta’s first move to go after ByteDance’s users. Earlier on Sunday, the firm announced an app called “Edits” which shared striking similarities with ByteDance’s CapCut– a video editing app which went offline when the ByteDance ban took effect on January 19.
Meta has also launched a “new affiliate link experience” for users’ “shoppable content”– a system where Meta users will be able to add prominent affiliate links directly on their videos – rather than in the comments – just like how it works on TikTok.
But, perhaps the most visible influence of TikTok is seen in how Instagram looks. After the new update, posts and videos on Instagram are now appearing rectangular, like on TikTok.