Meta offers some creators thousands of dollars in bonuses for posting on Threads

Meta is offering some creators thousands of dollars if they go viral on Threads. The payouts are part of a new invite-only bonus program that rewards creators who use Meta’s latest app.

Instagram offers some details about the bonus program that Meta has not officially announced. It states that creators can earn money “based on the performance of your posts on Threads” or “the number of posts you create.” It appears that the specific terms of the bonuses are individualized for each creator. “Bonus program details may vary by participant,” the company notes.

The program appears to be small-scale for now — the company calls it “testing” — but it offers a preview of how Meta may look to ramp up its efforts to use creators to boost engagement on the service. Meta has already offered bonuses for Facebook and Instagram, but this is the first time the company has paid for posts on Threads. The Threads bonus program was first from Business Insider earlier this month.

Some creators are already being offered thousands of dollars for high performing posts. According to going around Threads, at least one creator has been offered “up to $5,000” for posts or replies in Threads with 10,000 views or more. This is not as high as the $10,000 bonuses Reels creators could on Instagram, but it’s still pretty generous considering that posting to Threads takes a lot less effort than shooting and editing a compelling video.

Meta isn’t the only platform trying to lure creators with promises of potential payouts. X also offers creators directly based on their engagement, but this program is a revenue-sharing arrangement for users who pay for premium subscriptions.

Threads has been growing steadily since its launch last year and has more than monthly users, Mark Zuckerberg revealed last week. Facebook’s founder speculated that the app could one day be the company’s next billion-user platform, though it will likely take several years to reach that milestone. Either way, including popular Instagram creators would be an important step to increase engagement on Threads. The company also recently partnered with the team to get the pop star on the app to promote her latest album. Meta didn’t share what, if any, terms were attached to that agreement, but the effort includes custom animations and other “easter eggs” for Swift fans.