How Much Does Facebook Pay for Views in 2023?

One of the most common questions creators and publishers have is: how much does Facebook pay for views?

Facebook has become one of the top platforms for video content creators to build an audience and generate revenue from their videos. With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook provides a massive potential reach for videos.

The answer isn’t straightforward, as Facebook has different video monetization models depending on the specific program. Payments are based on a number of factors like ad formats, audience demographics, watch time, and more.

In this in-depth guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about how Facebook video monetization works and what kind of payouts you can expect for your views and engagement in 2023 and beyond.

Overview of Facebook Monetization

Before diving into payout rates, it’s important to understand Facebook’s overall video monetization structure. There are a few key programs creators can leverage to earn money from videos on Facebook:

• In-Stream Ads – These are video ads that play before, during or after your video content. This includes skippable ads, non-skippable ads, and branded content.
• Facebook Watch – This is Facebook’s dedicated hub for original video content. Publishers can earn via video ads served on Watch.
• Facebook Ad Breaks – Video creators can insert ad breaks within longer videos to monetize.
• Facebook Creator Subscriptions – Fans can pay a monthly fee for exclusive content from creators.

To start earning money with Facebook, you’ll need:

• An official Facebook page for your brand, business, or as a content creator.
• To meet Facebook’s monetization policies and content guidelines.
• Enroll your Page in the Facebook monetization programs you want to leverage.

The types of videos eligible to make money on Facebook include original content, licensed content, and live streams. You can also monetize embedded videos from YouTube or other sources.

Next, we’ll explore the factors that actually impact how much money you can earn from Facebook video views.

Factors That Impact Facebook Video Earnings

The amount of money you can make from Facebook video views depends on several factors:

Number of Views

At a basic level, more views on your videos will lead to higher potential earnings. However, Facebook has minimum view requirements videos must hit before ads are served:

• In-Stream Ads – Videos must get at least 1,000 views in the first 7 days for monetization.
• Ad Breaks – Videos must be 3 minutes or longer and get at least 300 views in the first 7 days.
• Facebook Watch – Videos should get at least 1,500 views in 4 minutes for monetization.

So while view counts are important, your videos need to drive a certain level of engagement to unlock monetization.

Watch Time and Completion Rate

The percentage of your video viewers watch from start to finish is a key metric. Videos with higher completion rates and longer average watch times tend to earn more ad revenue.

Facebook will optimize ads in videos based on watch time data. For example, placing ads where viewers are most likely to watch and engage.

Ad Formats and Placement

Different ad formats have different earning potentials. For example:

• Skippable video ads – Lower rates as some viewers skip them. But you earn revenue even if skipped before 30 seconds.
• Non-skippable ads – Higher rates but risk annoying viewers with no option to skip.
• Longer mid-roll ads – Such as 60 or 90 second mid-roll ads in longer videos that can pay more.

Ad placement also matters. Mid-roll ads tend to have higher view rates than pre-roll ads. But too many poorly placed mid-roll ads could hurt completion rate.

Audience Demographics and Interests

Videos that reach larger, high-value audiences like in the US earn higher rates compared to smaller or low-value audiences.

Aligning video topics to audience interests leads to better engagement and ad view rates as well. Such as targeting gaming content to a gaming-interested audience.

Next we’ll cover tips for maximizing your Facebook video earnings.

Tips for Maximizing Facebook Video Revenue

Here are some best practices to help earn more money from your Facebook videos:

• Optimize your videos for completion rate – Use compelling thumbnails, hooks, pacing, and calls-to-action in your videos to keep viewers watching. Videos over 10 minutes should be broken into chapters.
• Use captions and cards – Adding captions boosts watch time for silent autoplay. Cards extend watch time by linking to other videos.
• Promote your videos – Cross-promote videos on your other social channels. Use Facebook Ads Manager to run video views or engagement campaigns.
• Analyze metrics – Use Facebook Insights to see top-performing videos. Look at completion rate, 10-second retention, etc. to improve your future videos.
• Post videos consistently – Uploading more videosprovides more ad inventory and helps build a loyal audience over time.
• Partner with other creators – Collaboration videos let you tap into other creators’ audiences for more views.
• Make use of mid-roll ads – Place additional ad breaks in longer videos to increase potential ad inventory. But don’t overdo it.

Optimizing your video content and promotion strategy takes experimentation. But the payoff can be well worth the effort through better Facebook video monetization over the long-term.

Next we’ll look at estimated payout rates for different Facebook video monetization programs.

Facebook Watch Payouts and Rates

One of the top video monetization opportunities on Facebook is the Facebook Watch program. This is a dedicated hub for original video content with a built-in audience.

Facebook Watch follows a revenue share model. This means Facebook pays publishers a percentage of the ad revenue generated by their Watch videos.

Here are some key details on Facebook Watch monetization:

• Publishers earn 55% of total ad revenue generated by their Watch videos.
• Facebook shares 45% of the ad earnings.
• Video ads on Facebook Watch include video ad breaks, as well as branded content created by publishers.
• Watch videos must be at least 90 seconds long.
• Videos must be published directly to the Watch platform. Simply cross-posting videos won’t make them eligible.

For example, if a publisher’s Watch videos generated $5,000 in total ad revenue in a month, the publisher would earn $2,750 (55% of $5,000).

In addition to the 55% revenue share, Facebook offers bonuses on Watch:

• A $1,000 bonus for videos that reach 1 million views in a month.
• A $2,500 bonus for videos that reach 5 million views in a month.
• A $10,000 bonus for videos that reach 25 million views in a month.

For publishers creating very popular and engaging videos, these bonuses can become a significant added income stream.

Next, we’ll look at estimated earnings per 1,000 views on Facebook Watch and other monetized videos.

Estimated Payouts Based on Views

It’s difficult to pinpoint exact payout rates on Facebook, as earnings fluctuate based on many factors. However, based on averages reported by content creators and social media experts, we can estimate potential video ad earnings.

Here are benchmarks for average payouts per 1,000 video views on Facebook:

• Facebook Watch – $2-$5 per 1,000 video views is a reasonable range. With $3-$4 per 1,000 views being common.
• In-Stream Ads – $1-$3 per 1,000 views is typical based on audience and content type. Gaming and entertainment content tends to earn more.
• Ad Breaks – $2-$4 per 1,000 views is average. Certain niches like finance or technology can earn on the higher end.

Applying those CPM rates, here are estimated earnings for different Facebook video view milestones:

• 100,000 views: $100-$500
• 500,000 views: $500-$2,500
• 1 million views: $1,000-$5,000

However, top performing videos from leading publishers can potentially drive $10+ RPMs on Facebook Watch.

And videos that achieve truly viral view counts in the millions can generate tens of thousands in revenue thanks to Facebook’s bonuses and premium ad rates.

But for most creators, the $1-$5 CPM range is typical based on current averages. Next we’ll look at ways to maximize earnings.

Maximizing Your Facebook Video Earnings

While Facebook video ad payouts are passive income, you can take steps to optimize your videos and increase your long-term earnings potential:

• Fine-tune custom thumbnails – Test different titles, images, and text overlays to make your videos stand out in the feed.
• Frontload your best content – The intro is critical for hooking viewers. Use the first 10-20 seconds to feature your most compelling clips.
• Use captions, cards and end screens – Captions boost watch time and cards/end screens help viewers continue to more videos.
• Promote new videos heavily at first – When you first publish a video, promotion is key to building momentum with the algorithm.
• Collaborate with other creators – Cross-promote videos and collaborate with non-competing creators to expand your audience.
• Post consistently – Building a regular upload schedule (such as weekly) keeps your audience engaged and expands your back catalog of videos.
• Run some Facebook Watch-specific ads – Promote your best performing Watch videos using video view ads to capitalize on their success.

While Facebook video monetization takes experimentation, the potential earnings make it worthwhile for creators to fully utilize this revenue stream.

Other Facebook Monetization Models

In addition to video ads, creators can leverage other monetization features on Facebook:

Facebook Stars

Fans can purchase virtual gifts called Stars to support creators during live videos. 1 Star equals 1 cent that goes to the creator. Fans can send 100-5,000 Stars at once.

Facebook Subscriptions

Creators can offer exclusive content and experiences to loyal fans for a monthly fee. Works for both videos and live streams.

Facebook Gaming

Live streamers can monetize gaming content through ad revenue shares, subscriptions, and Stars on Facebook Gaming.

Facebook Reels Play Bonus

Eligible creators can earn a bonus for top performing Reels based on views and engagement.

Facebook Marketplace

Sellers can leverage Marketplace to list products for sale. Facebook takes a small fee on sales.

Facebook commerce shops

Creators can create digital storefronts on Facebook to showcase and sell products directly.

Diversifying income with multiple monetization models can help creators maximize their earnings from the Facebook platform and community.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Determining exact Facebook video earnings is tricky due to many variables. However, based on current benchmarks, creators can expect average payout rates of:

• $2-$5 per 1,000 views on Facebook Watch
• $1-$3 per 1,000 views on monetized videos with In-Stream Ads
• $2-$4 per 1,000 views on videos with Ad Breaks

Top creators on Facebook can potentially earn $10+ RPM for very popular content.

To boost your Facebook video monetization, focus on:

• Creating engaging video content optimized for completion rate
• Promoting new videos heavily, both organically and with ads
• Using captions, cards, end screens to extend watch time
• Analyzing metrics to improve video strategy over time
• Collaborating with relevant creators to expand your audience

Facebook offers multiple ways to monetize beyond just video ads too. Models like Facebook Stars, Subscriptions, Gaming, and Commerce give creators options to diversify their revenue streams.

The Facebook Creator Studio is an invaluable free tool to provide insights and help manage your video strategy and monetization.

With over 2 billion monthly users, Facebook’s massive audience presents a tremendous opportunity for creators to build their brand, following and earning potential.