Have you heard of Instagram bonuses? You might have seen popular Instagramers talk about getting paid for posting Reels or going live.

Instagram is now giving opportunities to a wider range of creators, not only those with huge followings.

I got access to the Reels bonus last week so today I’m sharing all the details. What exactly is are bonuses? How do you get access? And is it worth your time to make and post Reels??

A bonus is when Instagram pays you for getting views on your content.

Instagram offers bonuses for Reels or for going live.  For Reels, you can publish up to 150 Reels and earn money based on the number of plays (up to 11 million plays and up to $1200). Currently bonuses run for 30 days and includes all the Reels or lives you publish within that time.

How do you get access to Reels bonuses?

Unfortunately you can’t sign up or apply for bonuses, but posting Reels may get you access quicker. For reference, I have about 7000 followers and a friend with 30,000 followers also got access the same day. 

I was taking a break, laying by the pool, reading a book when I opened Instagram to find I had gotten access. I grabbed all my stuff and ran back to my apartment like a dork because I was so excited to set it up.

Getting started with Instagram Bonuses

Once you receive access, follow the prompts to set up payment info and then you can start creating. (see screenshots below)

If you close the notification: go into settings, click business/creator settings, and you’ll find the link to start.

You will need a business or creator account to get these bonuses. It’s a quick change and you’ll receive access to extra stats and features not included with a personal profile. 

Instagram Reels bonus stats

➜ On average I earned about $12 / Reel during the first two weeks (of four). During the second two weeks I earned a few dollars / Reel. This suggests front-loading content may generate more revenue than spreading your best posts across the 30 day period.

➜ My top-earning Reel was “5 Things To Do on a Sunday for a Productive Week”. This was a random video of me working with 5 tips on the screen.

➜ My Reels were shown to approximately 50% followers and 50% non followers. To take advantage of those stats I’m creating Reels for both warm and cold audiences.

My goal was to post Reels every other day to see how much I could earn. I found I was more excited to post because I love a challenge. If you’re also incentivized by a challenge or by playing a game this could help you to show up more often.

What type of Reels should you post?

It doesn’t matter what kind of content you’re creating as long as it’s a Reel. You can talk on video, you can do TikTok dances, you can use trending audio, you can share b-roll with text or a voiceover.

1 ➜ Jump into Dare to Grow membership which includes trainings on how to use Instagram Reels and examples for what to share (none of them include dancing!). 

2 ➜ Make sure you’re following me on Instagram @daretogrow.co for next month’s Reels Challenge. I’ll be sharing 5 days of content and helping you get comfortable on video fast! (Live challenge has closed and is now available inside the D2G Membership)

3 ➜ Scroll through Reels and watch for a trend or an audio clip that will work for your audience and your niche. I spend time every week scrolling and looking for trending audio. If you see a little arrow next to the audio title that means it’s trending and you will likely get a few more views on that type of audio just because it’s popular.

4 ➜ Turn your most popular blog post, email, IG caption, podcast into a Reel. If it worked once it will work again!

Find me on Instagram @daretogrow.co and let me know if you’ve gotten access to bonuses, if you’ve tried it, or if you have any other questions.

P.S. Head over here for Instagram Bonus update number 2!