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Facebook, Instagram working on tools to help creators make money

One upcoming feature includes a marketplace to match creators with brands that could sponsor them.

Queenie Wong Former Senior Writer
Queenie Wong was a senior writer for CNET News, focusing on social media companies including Facebook's parent company Meta, Twitter and TikTok. Before joining CNET, she worked for The Mercury News in San Jose and the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon. A native of Southern California, she took her first journalism class in middle school.
Expertise I've been writing about social media since 2015 but have previously covered politics, crime and education. I also have a degree in studio art. Credentials
  • 2022 Eddie award for consumer analysis
Queenie Wong
2 min read
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Facebook and Instagram are doubling down on attracting new creators to their platforms.

Angela Lang/CNET

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday the social network is working on new tools to help people who do creative work make more money , including a marketplace to match brands with creators.

Zuckerberg also said the company is building online shops so creators can sell items directly on the social media platform and a way for them to get a cut of the sales of products they're recommending. The development of the new products underscores how social media companies are trying to fuel the creation of more content that keeps users engaged on their sites. Social networks also compete with one another to attract creators. Twitter has also been experimenting with new creator tools, including a "Super follow" feature that gives people access to exclusive content for a subscription fee. 

"Our view is that if we help creators make more money on their content that will help a broader creator economy emerge," Zuckerberg said in a chat on Instagram Live with Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. 

One way Instagram influencers make money is from advertising products from brands in their photos and videos. But Mosseri noted that companies tend to work with more well-known social media users, so a marketplace could help connect people with a smaller following with a brand for sponsorship deals. 

"I think historically Instagram specifically has done better creating value for creators who are already established and we haven't done as well with ... people trying to just get started," Mosseri said. "I think that's a big miss on our part. We're trying to really pivot towards that."