Sources: Instagram is offering select creators $50K to $500K to cross-post their long-form YouTube content to its new "Features" product

You can now get paid to upload your YouTube videos to Instagram.

Instagram is reportedly offering significant financial incentives, ranging from $50,000 to $500,000, to select content creators to encourage them to cross-post their long-form YouTube videos to its new "Features" product. This initiative aims to bolster Instagram's long-form video content, a segment where YouTube currently dominates. The "Features" product revives IGTV's concept, allowing for horizontal, wide-screen videos up to 90 minutes long. These new deals do not require exclusivity and ask creators to upload their YouTube long-form content to Instagram on the same day it's published elsewhere. A Meta spokesperson confirmed direct funding for "Features" content with some creators, though deal specifics remain confidential. This move follows Instagram's past efforts to attract creators, including bonuses for Reels and previous funding for IGTV.

Instagram's aggressive payouts signal a strategic push to capture the lucrative long-form video market currently dominated by YouTube. By directly funding creators, Meta aims to seed its "Features" product with high-quality content, potentially diverting creator attention and audience viewership away from YouTube's established ecosystem. This tactic, while expensive, demonstrates Meta's commitment to diversifying its video offerings beyond short-form Reels and its willingness to invest heavily to compete in new content verticals.

The success of this strategy hinges on whether Instagram can replicate YouTube's monetization appeal for long-form content beyond these initial paid deals. Creators and users alike will be watching closely for the development of sustainable ad revenue sharing or other payment models. If "Features" can offer creators a compelling alternative for long-form video viewership and monetization, it could significantly alter the competitive landscape, forcing YouTube to respond and potentially fragmenting creator audiences across platforms.