Instagram is paying creators for photos again. The platform’s Bonuses programme now rewards creators for the performance of their photos and carousel posts, not just Reels, with payouts coming directly from Instagram itself.
That is more interesting than it sounds. For roughly five years, every major platform payout scheme has rewarded one thing: video. Reels bonuses, TikTok’s creator funds, YouTube Shorts revenue. Paying for static posts again is a quiet admission from Instagram that attention has not gone all-in on video, and that the photo and the carousel still earn their place in the feed.
What Instagram Is Actually Offering
According to Instagram’s own creator pages, Bonuses reward creators for the performance of “reels and photos, including carousels and single image posts”. The money comes from Instagram, not from brands, and it is tied to how content performs rather than a flat fee.
Now the caveats, because they matter. Instagram describes Bonuses as “limited time and invite-only as we build toward a sustainable program”. There is no public application. Instagram has not published a list of eligible countries, and its previous bonus schemes began with US-based creators before expanding anywhere else. If you are reading this from Riyadh, Dubai or Manama and have not received an invitation, that is the expected state of things right now.
What It Means for Creators in the Gulf
Honestly? Patience, plus preparation. We cannot tell you when invitations will reach GCC accounts, because Meta has not said. What we can tell you is what every previous rollout has favoured: professional accounts in good standing, and original content.
That second point has teeth. In April 2026, Instagram extended its originality rules to photos and carousels, removing accounts that mainly re-upload other people’s work from recommendations entirely. The creators who eventually get paid for static posts will be the ones who actually make them. Switch to a professional account, post original photos and carousels consistently, and keep your account status clean. If invitations reach the region, that is the shortlist.
What It Means for Brands
When a platform pays creators for a format, supply follows. Expect more carousels, better-crafted ones, and creators who treat static posts as a revenue line rather than filler between Reels. Expect rates to shift too: a deliverable that earns platform money on top of the brand fee is priced differently from one that does not.
Carousels have quietly been the strongest organic format for saves and shares for a while, so this rewards behaviour smart creators already had. For brands, the practical move is to look hard at deliverable mix in upcoming contracts, and to be rigorous about choosing and vetting the right creators before the market reprices itself.
Planning an influencer campaign in the GCC? Talk to Fabianca about building a creator roster that performs, whatever Instagram pays for next →
