Instagram’s TikTok copycat product, Reels, is officially joining the fold of parent company Facebook.
Creators will now have the ability to make Reels within the Facebook app on both iOS and Android, the company said. Reels will be distributed across users’ News Feeds and within Facebook Groups. They will be distributed platform-wide, not just to creators’ followers, based on user interests and what’s popular across Facebook at large.
Facebook began testing Reels in August, according to The Verge.
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Facebook is also readying ways for creators to both increase their Reels viewership and monetization. A small test will see Instagram creators get the option to have their Reels recommended on Facebook, while the company is also launching bonus payments for eligible creators based on Reels performance. (Bonus payments, part of Facebook’s $1 billion commitment to invest in creators through 2022, are invite-only in the U.S. right now on both Facebook and Instagram).
Facebook says it’s also testing sticker ads and banner ads in Reels, and exploring integrations with Stars — a virtual currency of sorts that enables viewers to tip creators. Facebook will also test fullscreen, immersive ads between Reels, it said.
Creators can use all of the same tools to make Reels on Facebook that are currently available on Instagram, including: audio from Facebook’s music library, AR Effects, timer and countdown tools, the ability to speed up or slow down a video, and the ability to stitch multiple clips together.
