Social Media
Monetization
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The professionalization of the creator economy has been accompanied by a proliferation of platform-facilitated opportunities for social media users to generate revenue.
Revenue can come from audiences, brands, but also platforms themselves.
Who is eligible to monetize from platforms?
Anyone with a valid social media account that meets a platform’s monetization terms and policies, as well as a program minimum eligibility requirements, can apply for access to revenue-sharing programs or other monetization products.
Platform Monetization Policies
Platforms typically prohibit the participation of minors, political and government actors, and actors engaged with prior monetization policy violations. Some platform further prohibit the monetization of state-sponsored media or company employees.
Minimum Eligibility Requirements
Requirements vary from platform to platform and program to program, but typically revolve around an account’s demonstrated audience and engagement and the country of location of its admins. In some cases, language requirements also apply.
Social media companies must also abide by laws and regulations, which prohibit them from entering into business and processing payments to certain actors and entities, and require them to maintain responsible business practices across their supply chain.
How does monetization work?
Participation in revenue-sharing programs and other monetization features typically follow the following steps:
Monetization Prompt
Platforms prompt accounts to sign up once they reach a program’s minimum eligibility requirements.
Monetization Contract
Account admin signs on to a set of monetization terms and policies.
Onboarding Review
Platforms review applicants and confirm the monetization access.
Payout Account Setup
Approved monetization partners register their payment method of choice and sign on to payment terms.
Payout Calculation
Platforms determine partners’ earnings, based on performance (as determined by the program), applied restrictions and fees.
Payments
Platforms issue monthly or bi-monthly payouts, to the registered payout account.
Why do we need responsible creator monetization governance?
Content creators and publishers are the backbone of the content economy and need to be compensated fairly and sustainably.
Social media companies, meanwhile, have a responsibility to ensure that their monetization decisions do not fuel illegal activity, and adverse impact on society, the environment, and their own business (→ see risk assessment recommendations).