Instagram Is Paying YouTube Creators Up to $500,000 for Long Videos

Instagram is offering YouTube creators cash deals reaching $500,000 to post longer videos on its app, Business Insider reported. Some offers came in at $50,000, others in six figures, and Meta confirmed it is directly funding content in the test. What Meta hasn't confirmed: payment schedules, contract duration, or how many creators have signed.

The videos feed "Features," Instagram's limited test for horizontal uploads up to 90 minutes long. Creators link short excerpts in Reels to a full video — up to eight clips per upload — so viewers can move from a teaser to the full piece without leaving Instagram. One person familiar with the offers said Instagram wants videos posted the same day they go up on YouTube.

What does this change for creators?

Two practical things. The deals are nonexclusive, so creators keep their YouTube presence intact, and existing sponsor placements can travel with the video. Instagram product vice president Tessa Lyons told The Hollywood Reporter that creators can bring sponsored videos to Features, and that Instagram also intends to help creators without brand relationships find deals.

The catch is durability. Meta told TechCrunch its long-term Features monetization model remains unsettled. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has described the economic problem plainly: earlier payout programs cost substantially more than they returned, while creators often supplied no more content than they had already posted for free. He said he would welcome expanding payments if they could break even. That's a promise with a condition attached, and the condition is the hard part.

How this stacks up against YouTube

YouTube's Partner Program gives eligible creators a defined cut — 55% of net ad revenue from public videos for partners who enable watch-page ads. One eligibility route requires 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 qualified public watch hours in the preceding 12 months, followed by a channel review. Instagram is offering selective upfront cash instead, with no published revenue-share formula and no stated plan for creators outside the test group.

YouTube also already supports the mechanics Instagram is testing. Verified accounts can upload up to 12 hours or 256 GB, whichever is less, and Shorts creators with advanced-feature access can link short clips to longer public or unlisted videos.

Where the test stands

Instagram confirmed a small US Features test on October 26, plus testing with some creators in Brazil. The Hollywood Reporter reports Instagram plans to expand US access to tens of thousands of creators.

Reza Izad, a partner at Underscore Talent, told Business Insider that a promoted new format could give creators more visibility through algorithmic preference and a less crowded field of long videos. That's speculation about the algorithm, not a Meta commitment — treat it accordingly.

The product still has gaps. Business Insider's October account noted Features lacked playback while using other apps, plus automatic transcripts and subtitles. Meta said it plans to add those functions, without giving dates.

Mosseri's own record cuts both ways. In July 2024, he argued against prioritizing long-form video because extended viewing displaced friends' posts and interaction. In October, he framed Features as complementary — podcasts or comedy specials that can run in full and split into short clips. Whether upfront six-figure deals turn into a lasting monetization model, or another program that costs more than it returns, will decide if this survives the test phase.