How to Make Money on Facebook in 2026

Facebook wasn't really on my radar as a place to make money. Instagram, sure. TikTok, absolutely. But Facebook felt like the platform I used to keep up with my high school friends, rather than the one I'd turn to for creator income.

But things are changing! Facebook has been making a lot of effort to lure over creators from other platforms — especially when it comes to monetization.

As a nano creator, I’ve been keeping a close eye on this for several months now. Brand partnerships make up a small part of my income, but most platforms’ native monetization features are woefully out of reach for me as a small creator.

So Facebook piqued my interest. The idea that I could earn money from content I'm already making was enough to send me down a research rabbit hole.

This article is what I came back with. Down the rabbit hole we go!

Can you actually make money on Facebook?

Short answer: yes, and increasingly so.

Facebook paid creators nearly $3 billion in 2025 through its monetization programs — a 35% increase from the year before, and the platform's highest annual payout ever. The number of creators earning more than $10,000 a year on Facebook grew by over 30% year-over-year, too.

What's changed recently is that Facebook no longer limits payouts to video creators. Through its Content Monetization program, creators now earn from reels, stories, photos, and text posts. In 2025, about 60% of total payouts went to reels, with the remaining 40% split across other formats. So even if you're not making videos, there's still a path to earning.

Whether you're a creator exploring a new platform, a small business owner looking for an additional revenue stream, or someone (like me) who's curious about making money as a nano creator, Facebook has more options than most people realize.

How Facebook monetization works

There are four different routes to native monetization on Facebook (that is, earning money from Facebook itself). The most straightforward is Facebook Content Monetization, but creators can also earn by joining the Creator Fast Track Program, earning Stars, or setting up subscriptions.

Let’s start with the main one, Facebook Content Monetization. It’s an invite-only program that pays creators based on how their content performs. It used to be limited to in-stream ads on longer videos, but it's expanded a lot in recent months to include reels, photos, text posts, and even stories.

It works a bit like YouTube monetization — you post eligible content, and Facebook places ads in and around that content. You earn a share of the ad revenue based on performance.

Then there’s the Creator Fast Track program, which seems to be a bit of a sub-program for eligible folks. No performance-based earnings here — creators get paid just to post. Still, it’s a bit trickier to get into than general monetization.

Stars are completely different — and ‘gifted’ to creators by fans. They’re a bit like tips. For every star earned, Meta pays out $0.01 USD.

Then, subscriptions are a bit like having an exclusive Patreon for your Facebook superfans.

Subscriptions are the only one of these native monetization options that are exclusive to Facebook pages. The rest are available to Facebook professional mode profiles as well.

In all cases, creators can check (and withdraw!) their earnings in their dashboard or in the Meta Business Suite (pages only), along with metrics to help them understand which posts made bank, and which didn’t.

These aren’t the only ways to earn, however — more on that in a sec.

Facebook monetization requirements

Before you can earn from Facebook's official programs, you'll need to meet a couple of requirements. These vary depending on the monetization tool you're going after.

Here’s a big-picture look at them all, but I’ll give the comprehensive list in the section below.

In all cases, you’ll need to have either a professional personal profile or a Facebook Page and be in good standing with Partner Monetization Policies and Community Standards.

Almost all these programs are available pretty widely globally, except Fast Track — that one’s only open to folks in the US and Canada (🥲).

• Stars (fan tipping) is the most accessible — you need 500 followers for 30 consecutive days and to be in an eligible country.
• Facebook Content Monetization program is invite-only and… less clear. Facebook says invites are ‘sent out periodically,’ but has not shared eligibility criteria.
• Fan subscriptions require at least 10K followers (or 250+ return viewers), plus 50K post engagements or 180K watch minutes in the last 60 days.
• The Creator Fast Track program is really for established creators on other platforms. You need at least 20K followers on Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, and at least 30K video views in the last 60 days.

When you’re eligible, you’ll see an invite like the one below in Meta Business Suite (for pages) or in your creator dashboard (for professional profiles).

Yes, there are a couple of hoops to jump through (I’m right there with you!), but there are other ways to make money on Facebook we haven’t touched on yet.

Here’s a comprehensive list on all the ways to make money on Facebook as a creator.

7 ways to make money on Facebook

Here's a full round-up of all the ways creators and influencers and earn on Facebook.

1. Join the Content Monetization program

This is the big one — Facebook's flagship monetization program that pays creators for all types of content, not just video. If you can get invited, it's the most direct way to earn from content you're already posting.

The program works by placing ads around your content, and you earn a share of that ad revenue. What makes it really cool is the format flexibility. While reels are the highest earning format, photos, text posts, and stories all qualify.

Eligibility: Content Monetization is currently invite-only. The best way to improve your chances is to switch to a professional profile, use a page, or post consistently and build engagement. Facebook has been gradually expanding access, so it's worth checking your Professional Dashboard regularly.

2. Apply for Creator Fast Track

This is brand new — Meta launched Creator Fast Track in March 2026, and it's designed specifically for established creators who are new to (or returning to) Facebook. The pitch: guaranteed pay just for posting reels, plus increased reach to help you build a Facebook audience faster.

The program pays out monthly, with tiers based on your follower count on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube:

• 20,000-99,999 followers: $100-$450/month
• 100,000-999,999 followers: $1,000/month
• 1,000,000+ followers: $3,000/month

To unlock your payout each month, you need to post 15 eligible reels on Facebook, uploaded across at least 10 separate days. There are no Facebook view counts to hit.

Bonus: You can crosspost content you've already made for other platforms. It just needs to be your original work and not already posted on Facebook. So you may not even have to make new content.

On top of the guaranteed pay, accepted creators get increased reach on eligible reels (very appealing as well) and immediate access to Content Monetization. That means you can earn even more from the performance of your content, and you stay in the Content Monetization program after Creator Fast Track ends.

Eligibility: To be eligible, you need to live in the US or Canada, be 18 or older, have (or create) a Facebook Page with an account that's at least 30 days old, and not have posted a Facebook reel in the past six months. You'll also need at least 20K followers and 30K video views in the last 60 days on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.

3. Collect Stars from fans

Stars are Facebook's tipping feature — viewers can buy Stars for $0.01 each and send them to creators during live streams, on reels and for other content. If you get 5,000 Stars, that's $50.

It might not mean loads of money, but it’s pretty accessible. You only need 500 followers for 30 consecutive days to be eligible, which puts it within reach for a lot of creators who aren't close to the thresholds for other programs yet. It's especially valuable for creators who do live content — Q&As, tutorials, behind-the-scenes streams — where audiences feel personally connected enough to tip.

To enable Stars, head to Creator Studio, select Creative Tools, then Live Dashboard, and toggle Stars on.

Eligibility: You need at least 500 followers for 30 consecutive days, and you need to be in an eligible country (though it’s pretty widely available!). Stars are available on both Facebook Pages and professional mode profiles, and there's no minimum view count or engagement threshold — which is why it's the most accessible of Facebook's native monetization options. You do need to be 18+ and have a payout account set up to actually receive earnings.

4. Set up fan subscriptions

Fan subscriptions let you put some content behind a paywall for a monthly fee that you set. Think of it as a mini-membership: subscribers might get exclusive behind-the-scenes content, early access to posts, subscriber-only Lives, or special badges.

The eligibility requirements are steeper — you'll need at least 10K followers and strong recent engagement. But if you've built a dedicated audience, the recurring nature of subscriptions makes your income a lot more predictable than ad revenue (which can swing wildly month to month).

A word of advice from creators who've done this well: make sure the subscription price reflects the value. Research what other creators in your niche charge. Too high and you'll alienate followers; too low and you're undervaluing your work.

Eligibility: You'll need at least 10K followers (or 250+ return viewers), plus 50K post engagements or 180K watch minutes in the last 60 days. Subscriptions are only available on Facebook Pages — not professional mode profiles. You also need to be 18+ and in an eligible country. Availability is broad; there are only a handful of countries that aren’t on the list. Check here for your specific country's status.

5. Partner with brands on sponsored content

If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: You don’t need to have thousands of followers to earn from brand partnerships. As a creator with under 30K followers on all my platforms combined, I can personally attest to this! gets off soap box

You don't need to be in any official monetization program, either — you just need an audience that a brand wants to reach. This is how a lot of creators (including me, as a nano creator) earn the bulk of their income.

My best partnerships have come from one of two ways:

1. Personally reaching out to a brand I love and want to create content about
2. Tagging a brand in content I’ve already made about their product

There’s a third option, and that’s applying for a creator program or marketplace like Collabstr, Passionfroot, or Aspire.io — there are hundreds of marketplaces out there that help match brands with creators, and they’re worth exploring for sure.

Once you’ve landed a partnership (yay, you!) you should explicitly label it as such on Facebook. When creating a post, tap the handshake icon at the bottom of the composer, search for the brand's Page, and tag them. This adds a "Paid partnership with [Brand Name]" label to your post. There's also a toggle to let the brand boost the post as an ad, which many will want — it's worth discussing upfront.

Eligibility (for paid partnership label): Any creator with a professional mode profile or Facebook Page can use the paid partnership label. Creator Marketplace has its own thresholds (1,000+ followers and engagement minimums). For the brand deals themselves, there's no official follower minimum — it comes down to what brands are looking for.

6. Set up a Facebook Shop

If you have an established product line (physical or digital), a Facebook Shop lets people browse and buy without leaving the app. You can tag products directly in your posts, reels, and stories to make content shoppable.

This pairs well with the creator monetization tools — imagine earning ad revenue on a reel while also driving product sales from tagged items in that same reel. For small business owners, it turns Facebook from a marketing channel into a direct sales channel.

Eligibility: Facebook Shops are available in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, and most of Western Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, and others), plus Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. You'll need to comply with Meta's Commerce Policies, have an online store or product catalog, and demonstrate trustworthiness through an authentic, established presence on the platform.

7. Promote affiliate products

Affiliate marketing involves sharing products you use and earning a commission when someone buys through your link. Commission rates typically fall between 5% and 25%, depending on the program and product category.

The setup is simple: find affiliate programs in your niche (search "[your niche] + affiliate program" or check whether your favorite brands offer one), get approved, create your referral links, and share them in your Facebook posts and video descriptions. Just be transparent about affiliate relationships — your audience will appreciate the honesty, and it's required by law in many countries anyway.

You can also tap into Facebook Affiliate Partnerships, a native system that lets creators tag shoppable products directly inside posts and reels and earn commissions on qualifying stuff. It's currently available with Amazon (US), Shopee (Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Taiwan), and Mercado Libre (Brazil, Mexico), with eBay and Temu in the US expected to follow.

Eligibility: There's no follower minimum for traditional affiliate marketing — anyone can share affiliate links in their posts. You can link existing affiliate accounts through Meta Business Suite and manage everything from your Professional Dashboard.

How to get paid on Facebook

Once you've earned money through any of Facebook's official programs, you'll need to set up your payout account.

Here's how it works:

Facebook processes payments monthly, usually between the 17th and the 22nd of each month for earnings from the prior month. There are two payout thresholds depending on the monetization tool: $25 for some features and $100 for others. Payment options vary by country but typically include bank transfer and PayPal.

To set up your payout information: go to your Professional Dashboard, navigate to Monetization settings, and follow the prompts to add your bank account or payment method. Make sure your tax information is up to date too — Facebook requires this before processing any payments.

A few more bits and bobs to help you earn and grow

Getting monetized is the first step — growing what you earn comes down to a couple of things I keep coming back to in my own research.

The biggest one is consistency across formats. Facebook rewards creators who show up regularly, and with Content Monetization paying for reels, photos, text posts, and stories, you're not boxed into video.

Our data on the best times to post on Facebook can help you figure out when to publish for maximum reach. And if you're already creating for other platforms, crossposting to Facebook is one of the easiest ways to expand your earnings without doubling your workload — tools like Buffer make that pretty painless (have you tried our duplicate feature? swoon).

The other thing worth mentioning: Facebook is actively prioritizing original content and cracking down on reposted and spammy stuff. Original content qualifies for higher monetization rates too, so there's a direct financial incentive to create for the platform rather than just reshare.

Understanding how the Facebook algorithm works helps here — the more your content gets distributed, the more qualified views you earn, and the more you get paid.

I'm still early in my own Facebook experiment, but the monetization options are more developed than I expected going in — and they're growing fast. If you're a creator who's been sleeping on Facebook (like I was), it might be worth a second look.

Facebook monetization FAQ

How many followers do you need to make money on Facebook?

It depends on which monetization tool you're using. Stars has the lowest bar at 500 followers for 30 consecutive days. Fan subscriptions need 10K (or 250 return viewers). The Content Monetization program's exact threshold isn't publicly listed, while the Creator Fast Track Program requires at least 20K on other platforms.

How many views do you need to start earning on Facebook?

For in-stream ads, you need at least 600K minutes viewed in the last 60 days. For the Content Monetization program, Facebook uses "qualified views" as the metric — not every view counts toward earnings. Only unique views that last around 5 seconds will count as qualified, for example.

Do Facebook Reels make money?

Yes — and they're the top earner. Reels accounted for about 60% of total creator payouts on Facebook in 2025. They're monetized through the Content Monetization program via ads that play before, during, or after your reel.

Can you make $500 a day on Facebook?

Technically possible, but not where most people start. Earning $500 daily would take some combination of very high view counts, strong CPMs, a successful product operation, or solid brand deals. Most creators start small and build — which isn't a bad thing. Consistent smaller earnings from content you're already making add up faster than you'd expect.

What's the minimum payout on Facebook?

Either $25 or $100, depending on the monetization feature. Payments go out monthly, usually between the 17th and 22nd.

Should I switch to a professional profile on Facebook?

If you’re looking to earn money, you’ll need create a Facebook Page, or convert your personal Facebook profile into a professional profile. If you already have followers there, I’d go this route. It unlocks monetization tools, audience insights, and the Professional Dashboard.

How do I switch to a professional profile on Facebook?

Open the Facebook app, go to your profile, tap the three dots (⋯) menu, and look for Turn on professional mode. It takes about 30 seconds, and you can switch back to a personal profile at any time. Once it's on, you'll see a new "Professional Dashboard" option in your menu — that's where you'll manage monetization, check eligibility, and track your content's performance.

One thing to know: turning on professional mode makes your profile public by default. Your existing posts stay with their original privacy settings, but new posts will default to public. If you'd rather keep a separate presence for your creator content, setting up a Facebook Page is the other option — and the only one that supports fan subscriptions.

How do I check if I'm eligible for Facebook monetization?

Open your Professional Dashboard on Facebook, go to the Monetization tab, then Content Monetization on Meta Business Suite (for pages), navigate to All Tools > Monetization. If you're not eligible yet, you’ll be able to turn on a notification for if (when!) you get invited.

More creator resources

• The best time to post on Facebook
• How the Facebook algorithm works
• How to get more followers on Facebook
• Facebook Reels: what you need to know
• How to start and grow a Facebook Group
• Facebook benchmarks for engagement
• How to make money on Instagram
• How to make money on TikTok
• How to make money on YouTube

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