How to Earn Money from Facebook by Uploading Videos

Making a real income from the videos you upload to Facebook is entirely possible, but it requires more than just hitting the publish button and hoping for the best. Success comes from understanding Facebook's monetization tools, meeting the eligibility requirements, and consistently creating content that keeps viewers coming back for more. This guide breaks down the exact steps and strategies you need to turn your video content into a steady source of revenue.

First Things First: Are You Eligible for Monetization?

Before you can earn a single dollar, your Facebook Page (not a personal profile) needs to meet Meta’s standards. These rules are in place to ensure that only legitimate, quality creators are part of their monetization programs. They are grouped into what is now known as the Partner Monetization Policies, but it all boils down to three main areas.

1. Follow the Community Standards

This is the baseline for all content on Facebook. Your videos and your Page cannot contain hate speech, violent content, nudity, or fake news. You also need to create your content authentically - no clickbait, engagement bait ("Like if you agree!"), or sensationalism. The platform wants creators who add genuine value, not ones who game the algorithm with low-quality tricks. Living in an eligible country and sharing content from an eligible surface (a Facebook page, not a profile) are also part of these foundational rules.

2. Meet the Follower and Engagement Thresholds

This is where the numbers come in. Facebook needs to see that you’ve built a real audience before it allows you to start running ads. The criteria have changed over the years, but the core requirements for the most common monetization method, In-Stream Ads, are:

• 10,000 followers: This is a non-negotiable benchmark. It signals to Facebook that you've established a solid community around your content.
• 600,000 total minutes viewed in the last 60 days: This is the big one. It's not just about total views, it’s about watch time. Facebook wants to see that people are genuinely engaged and watching minutes, not just seconds. This metric can come from a combination of on-demand videos, live streams, and previously live videos.
• 5 active videos on your Page: You need a small library of content living on your Page, including at least five videos you've created. Some of these must be your own on-demand (not just shared) videos as an active producer of content on the platform.

It sounds daunting, but these numbers are achievable with a consistent content strategy. Don’t get discouraged - focus on building your audience one great video at a time.

How to Check Your Eligibility

Thankfully, Facebook doesn’t make you guess. You can see your progress in real-time:

1. Go to Meta Business Suite (formerly Creator Studio).
2. On the left-hand menu, navigate to the Monetization tab.
3. You’ll see an overview of your Page's status. It will show you a checklist of the requirements and your progress toward each one. It will turn from red to green once you've met a specific standard.

Use this dashboard as your guidepost. It will tell you exactly where to focus your efforts.

The Main Ways to Earn Money from Facebook Videos

Once you’re eligible, you can unlock several different revenue streams. Let's focus on the most popular methods for video creators.

In-Stream Ads

This is the most common and often most lucrative form of video monetization on Facebook. Just like on YouTube, ads play before, during, or after your videos, and you get a cut of the ad revenue.

• Pre-roll ads: Play before your video starts. These reach people who are actively seeking content to watch.
• Mid-roll ads: Play during your video. You have some control over placement, but it's best to place them at natural breaks in your content to avoid disrupting the viewer experience. Your videos must be at least one minute long to be eligible, but videos over three minutes tend to perform much better as they provide more natural opportunities for ad breaks.
• Overlay ads: These are image-based ads that appear as a banner at the bottom of your video. They are less intrusive but also available.

To make good money from in-stream ads, focus on creating videos that are at least three minutes long. This gives the algorithm more opportunities to insert mid-roll ads, which pay better and allow you to earn without making viewers sit through an ad "before" your content even starts.

Stars

Facebook Stars are a simple way for your fans to show their appreciation by sending you small amounts of money during your live streams or on on-demand videos. Think of them like a virtual tip jar. A viewer can buy a pack of Stars and send them to you during a broadcast. For every Star you receive, Facebook pays you $0.01.

Stars are all about community engagement. To get people to send them, you need to be actively interacting with your audience. Give shout-outs to people who send you Stars, answer their questions live, and build a positive, supportive environment where people genuinely want to contribute.

Fan Subscriptions

Fan Subscriptions are a step up from Stars. This allows your most loyal fans to pay a recurring monthly fee (which you set) in exchange for exclusive perks. It’s like a private membership club for your top supporters.

To make this work, you need to provide real value to your subscribers. Here are some ideas:

• Exclusive content: Behind-the-scenes videos, tutorials, or Q&A sessions just for subscribers.
• Special access: A subscriber-only Facebook Group where they can interact with you and other fans.
• Discounts: If you sell merchandise or products, offer subscribers a special discount code.
• Supporter badge: Subscribers get a badge next to their name when they comment, showing everyone they're a top fan. Creating a feeling of insider status is valuable.

Branded Content and Sponsorships

This route involves working directly with brands to promote their products or services in your videos. This is often the most profitable method once you have a dedicated audience, as you get to set your own rates. Facebook’s Brand Collabs Manager helps connect creators with brands looking for partnerships.

To get started, you need to apply to the Brand Collabs Manager. Once approved, you can create a portfolio showcasing your page metrics and audience demographics, making it easier for brands to find and contact you. When you create sponsored content, you must use the branded content tool to tag your business partner. This adds a "Paid Partnership" label to the post, which is necessary for transparency.

Your Game Plan: Creating Videos That Actually Make Money

Knowing the monetization options is only half the battle. Now you need a content strategy that will help you meet the requirements and keep viewers engaged once ads are turned on.

Choose a Niche and Stick to It

The Pages that grow the fastest are the ones that focus on a specific topic. Whether it's home cooking, strategy gaming, DIY home repairs, or fitness coaching, your niche defines your audience. When people know what to expect from your Page, they're more likely to follow it and share your videos with like-minded friends.

Create High-Quality, Engaging Content

Your video quality matters - both technically and creatively. This doesn’t mean you need a million-dollar studio, but it does mean a few basic things:

• Good Lighting and Clear Audio: People will forgive mediocre video before they forgive bad sound. Use a simple microphone and make sure you’re well-lit. Natural light from a window works great.
• Have a Strong Hook: The first 3-5 seconds are everything. Grab your viewer's attention right away with a question, a surprising statement, or a quick preview of the most exciting part of the video.
• Tell a Story: Even a simple tutorial has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Structure your videos to guide the viewer on a journey.
• Add Captions: The vast majority of Facebook videos are watched with the sound off. Adding on-screen captions is non-negotiable.

Understand the Importance of Watch Time

The 600,000-minute requirement should tell you everything you need to know: Facebook values content that holds people's attention. Your main goal should be to get viewers to watch as much of your video as possible.

How do you do that? Check your analytics inside Meta Business Suite. Look at your Audience Retention graph for each video. Where are people dropping off? Is it during a long intro? A section that drags? Use this data to identify boring spots and make your next videos tighter and more engaging. If a video has exceptionally high retention, study it. What did you do differently? Replicate that success.

Engage with Your Community Relentlessly

A monetized Facebook Page is built on community. Don’t just upload and walk away. Get in the comments section and reply to people. Ask them questions in your videos and tell them to share their replies below. When you see your audience as a community to serve, not just a number to grow, they’ll become loyal fans who keep coming back - and that’s what advertisers love to see.

Final Thoughts

Earning money from Facebook videos is a marathon, not a sprint. By focusing on meeting the eligibility requirements, choosing the right monetization methods for your Page, and creating a consistent stream of valuable, community-focused content, you can build a sustainable income doing what you love.

Growing a Page strong enough to monetize requires serious consistency, which is a major challenge for many creators. To stay on track, especially when you’re building your presence across multiple platforms, a good scheduling tool that simplifies your workflow is a game-changer. At Postbase, we designed our platform specifically for today's video-first social media world. You can plan all your content on one visual calendar and upload videos once to publish natively to Facebook, Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. It helps you stay consistent without the headache of managing each app individually.