How to Tell if a Facebook Page Is Monetized

Curious if that popular Facebook Page you follow is making money from its content? Or maybe you're a creator wondering what the signs of a successfully monetized page look like. You can spot the telltale signs of monetization easily if you know what to look for, both as a viewer and as a page administrator. This guide will walk you through exactly how to tell if a Facebook Page is monetized, ditching the guesswork and giving you clear, actionable methods.

What Facebook Monetization Actually Looks Like

First, it’s important to understand that "monetization" on Facebook isn't a single on/off switch. It’s a collection of different tools and programs creators can use to earn money. A page might use one of these methods or several at once. The most common forms of direct monetization you’ll encounter include:

• In-Stream Ads: These are short ads that play before (pre-roll), during (mid-roll), or after (post-roll) a video. This is one of the most common ways established video creators make money.
• Fan Subscriptions: This feature allows followers to pay a monthly fee in exchange for exclusive content, special badges, and other perks. It’s like a Patreon-lite, built directly into Facebook.
• Stars: During live video streams, viewers can buy and send "Stars," a digital currency, to support creators in real-time. Each star has a small monetary value for the creator.
• Branded Content & Partnerships: This is when a creator gets paid by a brand to feature its product or service in a post. Facebook requires this to be disclosed with a special "Paid partnership" tag.
• Facebook Shops: Some pages, especially those connected to brands or e-commerce businesses, set up a dedicated Shop tab to sell products directly to their audience.

Knowing these different types makes it much easier to spot the clues, which is exactly what we'll cover next.

How to Tell if a Page is Monetized From the Outside

As a user, visitor, or brand looking for potential collaborators, you don't have access to a page's backend analytics. However, the signs of monetization are often hiding in plain sight. Here are the top five indicators to watch for.

1. You See Ad Breaks in Their Videos

This is the most obvious sign of Facebook monetization. If you're watching a page's video and an advertisement interrupts it, that page is enrolled in the In-Stream Ads program. These ads can appear in a few different formats:

• Pre-roll ads: A short ad that plays before the video content begins.
• Mid-roll ads: The most common type, these ads pop up in the middle of a video. Facebook's eligibility rules generally require videos to be at least one minute long for a mid-roll ad to be inserted. If you’re consistently seeing ads appear a few minutes into a longer video, that’s a sure sign of monetization.
• Image ads: Sometimes, instead of a video ad, you might see a static image ad appear below the video while it continues to play.

If you see any of these on a page's video content, you can be 100% certain they are monetizing through In-Stream Ads. They have met the follower, watch-time, and policy requirements set by Meta.

2. The Page Has a "Subscribe" or "Become a Supporter" Button

Fan Subscriptions are a direct line of financial support from followers to creators. Pages that have this feature enabled will have a clear call-to-action button, often appearing near the top of their page or on their posts.

Look for a button that says “Subscribe”. When you click it, a pop-up appears explaining the monthly cost and the perks you’ll receive as a supporter. These perks often include:

• A supporter badge that appears next to your name in comments.
• Access to exclusive content, like behind-the-scenes videos or Q&A sessions.
• Entry into a supporters-only Facebook Group.

Seeing this button is definitive proof that the page is using Facebook's Fan Subscriptions tool. Not every page is eligible for this, it’s typically reserved for established pages with a highly engaged community willing to pay for extra content.

3. Their Posts Have a "Paid Partnership" Tag

When a brand pays a creator to promote a product, this is called branded content. To maintain transparency, Meta requires creators to disclose these relationships using a straightforward tag that appears right below the page's name on a post.

Look for the words "Paid partnership," "Branded content," or similar phrasing. It signals that the page owner has received compensation - either money or free products - to create that post. This is a common monetization method for influencers who have built a dedicated following and can offer brands access to a specific niche.

Beyond the official tag, also keep an eye out for other signs of sponsorships in the post copy itself, such as:

• Hashtags like #ad, #sponsored, or #brandambassador.
• Custom discount codes for a particular brand (e.g., "Use code CREATOR15 for 15% off!").
• Affiliate links, which are trackable links that give the creator a commission on any sales they generate.

4. They Receive "Stars" During Live Videos

If the creator you follow frequently goes live, take a look at the comments section during their next stream. Facebook Stars is a feature that lets viewers send creators small digital gifts that translate into real money. It’s essentially a "tip jar" for live streaming.

You can tell if a creator is monetizing with Stars by looking for a few key things:

• Animated Star Icons: In the comment feed during a live video, you'll see animated star icons appear when a viewer sends them. Often, a banner notification will pop up as well, like "Jane Doe sent 50 Stars!"
• Creator Shoutouts: Listen to what the creator is saying. They will often pause to thank viewers by name for sending Stars, as this encourages others to participate. They might say, "Thank you so much, John, for the 200 Stars!"
• On-Screen Goals: Some creators set up "Star goals" for their streams, displaying a progress bar on the screen that tracks how many Stars have been sent.

5. The Page Features a Facebook Shop

Some pages monetize less like a creator and more like a business. A Facebook Shop allows a page to list and sell products directly on the platform. This is common for e-commerce brands, artists, authors, and anyone with merchandise to sell.

To see if a page has a shop, look for a "View Shop" button near the top of the profile or a "Shop" tab in their main navigation menu. Clicking it will take you to a catalog of their products, where you can browse and even make a purchase without leaving Facebook (in some cases).

While an empty shop doesn't necessarily mean it's making money, a well-stocked, actively managed shop is a clear indication that the page is monetizing its audience through product sales.

How to Check Your Own Page's Monetization Status

If you're a creator or page admin, you don't need to look for clues - you can see your exact status on the backend. This is also where you check your eligibility for different monetization programs and see if you have any policy violations.

Inside Your Command Center: Meta Business Suite

Meta has centralized all business and creator tools into the Meta Business Suite. This is your one-stop shop for checking monetization.

Here’s how to check your status:

1. Navigate to the Meta Business Suite and select the Page you want to check.
2. On the left-hand navigation menu, look for the “Monetization” tab. Click on it.
3. Here, you’ll find a "Status" overview. This tells you if your page has any monetization policy violations that might be limiting your ability to earn.
4. You can also click into specific programs like "In-Stream Ads" or "Stars" to see your eligibility status. The dashboard will show you exactly what requirements you’ve met (like follower count) and which ones you still need to work on (like minutes viewed).

For each monetization tool, Facebook will display one of the following statuses:

• Eligible: Green means go! You meet all the requirements and can apply to set up the tool.
• Not Eligible: A yellow or red status means you haven't yet met all the criteria. The dashboard will show you what’s still needed.
• At Risk of Demonetization: This warning appears if your page has violated policies, and your earnings might be paused.

This dashboard is the ultimate source of truth for your page's monetization potential. Regularly checking it helps you stay on track with your goals and quickly address any issues that pop up.

Final Thoughts

In short, spotting a monetized Facebook Page comes down to knowing the signs: ad breaks in videos, subscription buttons for exclusive content, "Paid partnership" tags on posts, and Stars showering in on live streams. For page owners, the Meta Business Suite monetization tab provides a crystal-clear dashboard of your status and eligibility for all of Facebook’s money-making tools.

Building a page that qualifies for monetization requires consistency, engagement, and a smart content strategy, which can be a lot to juggle. As creators who've been there, we built Postbase to simplify this exact challenge. Our visual calendar makes it easy to plan and schedule the kind of video content that gets you to those watch-time goals for In-Stream ads, and our clean analytics dashboard shows you what’s working so you can double down on it. It’s designed to help you build your audience organically, so you can achieve your monetization goals without the burnout.