Facebook recently held its first-ever App event in Nigeria, introducing its creator products and monetisation tools to the Nigerian market.
This exclusive roundtable discussion, held in Lagos, comprised of Facebook spokespersons including Oluwasola Obagbemi, corporate communications manager, SSA; Rof Maneta, strategic partner manager, global partnerships, SSA; Betty Ansah, product communications manager, EMEA; and Maria Cubeta, communications manager for Facebook.
An in-depth look at how these tools can help Nigerian content creators build businesses, and groom communities on the platform, as well as the dos and don’ts to enjoy this new feature, were the focus.
Starting with the success stories of Nigerian creators who have been leveraging Facebook to grow their brands and impact global communities, Obagbemi highlighted four creators among many.
One was Mark Angel, a well-known content creator with a massive following of 22 million on Facebook. Obagbemi shared how Facebook’s reach and tools have helped Mark Angel connect with a global audience, even to the extent of impacting the mental health of individuals positively.
Facebook’s reach made it an ideal platform for Mark Angel to share his humour with a larger audience. He is creating for the world, not just Nigeria.
Another inspiring story was David Obi, who runs a Gen Z group on Facebook, Facebook, (@YorochiTv Facebook Community) with 537k members.
His initiative, “Open Mic Week,” has become a popular online event, showcasing young talents and helping community members achieve huge successes, boosting engagement and providing opportunities for young Nigerians.
“First winner of Miss Yorochi TV signed by a prestigious modelling agency, two other community members reached the finals of The Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant, had contestants in The Voice and Nigerian Idol, achieving remarkable success. In 2022, partnered with Motive Africa Visual Academy to train 40 members in videography and photography.”
Aproko Doctor, a medical doctor who uses Facebook to share health-related content was also spotlighted. With over 1 million followers, the platform has greatly impacted his career.
In his words, “Facebook gives me the opportunity to connect with a broad spectrum of people and with its diverse audience, I can share my content, and build a community around my brand. Leveraging on features like Live streaming, I can creatively express myself, share my passion for healthcare advocacy and also share my vision for improved healthcare and wellness.”
Gina Ehikodi, a former TV personality known as Foodies&Spice, transitioned to a full-fledged Facebook creator. She found that Facebook provided instant audience feedback that traditional TV lacked and now has 1.8 million followers.
Rof Maneta gave positive feedback about engaging with the Nigerian creator community, noting, “For a very long time, I’ve seen the capabilities of African creators. It’s thrilling to see them now have the tools to monetise their creativity on Facebook.
Betty Ansah spoke on the energy and passion she observed in local creators. “Meeting the creators and seeing their focus was truly great. Their work ethic and the quality of content they produce is awesome,” she said.
Facebook Monetisation Tools for Creators
The core of the event was the introduction of Facebook’s new monetisation products: In-Stream Ads and Ads on Reels.
These tools are designed to help creators earn money directly from their content. Rof Maneta explained the importance of these Facebook monetisation tools, stating how creators can be in control of their careers, as they receive the opportunity to turn their passions into sustainable pay cheques.
“We believe that autonomy is really important and we want creators to be in control of their careers.
“By providing various tools and features that enable creators to earn money from their content, Meta is helping them turn their passions into careers. This not only benefits the creators themselves but also leads to higher-quality content on Meta’s platforms.”
Ansah further reiterated that “Facebook is for social discovery that opens your world in big and small ways.”
She explained that Facebook’s strategy is guided by two major trends: the evolving expectations of social media among young adults and advances in AI technology.
“We are especially focused on the younger generation aged 18-29 years old, as they are often the ones driving the changes in how social media should work.”
Young adults are in a phase of exploring and expanding their horizons in areas such as living arrangements, relationships, family, education, identity, work, and interests, Ansah explained. They often seek out content from others rather than relying solely on their existing friends.
One young adult from Los Angeles highlighted this by saying, “Experienced people – that’s the best thing about Facebook, they’re experienced, they’re real, and they have a lot of content that shows me they know what they’re talking about.”
In-Stream Ads
In-Stream Ads are ads placed within the content itself, and they come in four types: pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll, and image ads. They are brief advertisements integrated into video content, which can be shown at various points during the viewing process.
Pre-Roll ads appear before the video starts, targeting viewers who search for content, such as on a Page timeline or Watchlist in Watch.
Mid-Roll ads are displayed during the video, ideally at natural break points, to provide a seamless viewing experience.
Post-Roll ads are shown after the video has concluded, reaching viewers who have finished watching the content on Watch or on a Page timeline.
Finally, image ads appear below the content, bringing a non-interruptive way to engage viewers without disrupting their viewing experience.
Ads on Reels
Ads on Reels allow creators to earn money from short-form videos without interrupting the viewer’s enjoyment of your content. This feature is currently invite-only, but it presents a huge opportunity for creators who meet the criteria.
Eligibility for Monetisation
For creators aiming to leverage the Facebook monetisation tools, the following criteria must be met to qualify for In-Stream Ads:
- Professional Profile or Page: Creators must have an existing page or professional profile to publish their videos.
- Follower Count: A minimum of 5,000 followers on the professional profile or page.
- Watch Time: At least 60,000 total minutes viewed in the past 60 days.
- Content Restrictions: All content must adhere to Facebook’s Partner Monetisation Policies. This includes publishing original content and avoiding prohibited formats such as unedited meme pages or engagement bait tactics.
- Active Videos: Creators need to have at least five active videos posted directly to their page or professional profile.
For Ads on Reels, you must be invited to the program, as creators cannot request access.
Even if you meet all requirements, there is no guarantee of an invitation due to the random selection involved in product testing.
To ensure continued monetisation for Ads on Reels, creators must publish original content and avoid prohibited formats like uneditorialised meme pages.
Watch and engagement baiting, such as “follow for follow” tactics, is also prohibited.
Facebook has upgraded its Reels and Feed ranking technologies, introduced new model architectures, and aims to have the world’s best recommendation technology by 2026.
Added to this, Meta Llama is building a collection of generative AI models and tools, offering new opportunities for social discovery.
Facebook has improved the video experience, making it easier to explore and connect over various video formats. Features like an updated fullscreen video player and a slider for longer videos are now available globally.
The platform has also seen an increase in private sharing, leading to new quick video-sharing options across Facebook and other platforms like WhatsApp.
To support creators, Facebook introduced Professional Mode for public posting and follower growth, and evolved its payout model to reward creators based on content performance across all formats.
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