Content creators pay attention, Facebook has Monetization Guidelines for you

Acting proactively to avoid the propagation of hate speech, violence, clickbait and other forms of unacceptable, guideline violating content, Facebook has specified monetization guidelines for content creators.

Under these monetization guidelines, Facebook has granted relief to brands and businesses to make sure their brand names are not associated with unsavoury and objectionable content, while at the same time, dispensing their civic duties to curb the spread of such content.

Facebook is home to more than 5 million advertisers, and like many social media platforms, faces trouble every now and then when it comes to eliminating content that does not belong on the platform that ‘connects friends and family’. Now that includes violence, pornography, hate speech and extremism, fake news, and other unethical practices that many unscrupulous publishers and content creators thrive on.

“That’s why today, we are introducing monetization eligibility standards. These standards provide clearer guidance around the types of publishers and creators that are eligible to earn money on Facebook, along with guidelines on the kind of content that can be monetized.” writes Nick Grudin, VP of Media Partnerships at Facebook.

In order to avail monetization on Facebook, publishers must adhere to Facebook’s Community Standards, Payment Terms, and Page Terms. “Those creators and publishers who are violating our policies regarding intellectual property, authenticity, and user safety, or are engaging in fraudulent business practices, may be ineligible to monetize using our features.” the blog post states further.

The following may not be eligible for monetization:

Misappropriation of Children's Characters

Content that depicts family entertainment characters engaging in violent, sexualized, or otherwise inappropriate behavior, including videos positioned in a comedic or satirical manner. For example, situations where characters sustain serious personal injury, are involved in vile or shocking acts, or involved in behavior such as smoking or drinking.

Tragedy & Conflict

Content that focuses on real world tragedies, including but not limited to depictions of death, casualties, physical injuries, even if the intention is to promote awareness or education. For example, situations like natural disasters, crime, self-harm, medical conditions and terminal illnesses.

Debated Social Issues

Content that is incendiary, inflammatory, demeaning or disparages people, groups, or causes is not eligible for ads. Content that features or promotes attacks on people or groups is generally not eligible for ads, even if in the context of news or awareness purposes.

Violent Content

Content that is depicting threats or acts of violence against people or animals, where this is the focal point and is not presented with additional context. Examples includes content featuring fights, gore, beatings of either animals or people, or excessively graphic violence in the course of video gameplay.

Adult Content

Content where the focal point is nudity or adult content, including depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions, or activities that are overly suggestive or sexually provocative.

Prohibited Activity

Content that depicts, constitutes, facilitates, or promotes the sale or use of illegal or illicit products, services or activities. Examples include content that features coordinated criminal activity, drug use, or vandalism.

Explicit Content

Content that depicts overly graphic images, blood, open wounds, bodily fluids, surgeries, medical procedures, or gore that is intended to shock or scare.

Drugs or Alcohol Use

Content depicting or promoting the excessive consumption of alcohol, smoking, or drug use

Inappropriate Language

Content should not contain excessive use of derogatory language, including language intended to offend or insult particular groups of people.

Publishers and content creators that repeatedly fail to adhere to the Content Guidelines for Monetization, indulge in clickbaiting and sensationalism, or post false reports and fake news stories will altogether lose their ability to avail monetization on Facebook.

It appears that the monetization guidelines are only applicable to video content for now, but Facebook says it will extend them to Instant Articles over time.

Nick Grudin explains how the monetization guidelines are only in their initial phase. “While the guidelines do not cover every scenario, they are a good indicator of what types of content are likely to generate more revenue. Keep in mind that even if your content is eligible for ads, some brands and advertisers may choose to use brand safety controls to tailor where their ads run.”

Hopefully, it will only get more comprehensive and accurate as Facebook understands more about the entire process.

Publishers and content creators will be notified if their content violates the specified standards, Facebook will remove the ads and notify the publisher. Of course, the ability to reach out for reconsideration through the appeals channel has been made available.

Facebook also reiterates that these monetization guidelines are strictly eligible for ads only, and the content will continue to remain on Facebook, unless it violates Facebook’s Community Standards, meaning content that should not be on the social network altogether.

The blog post concludes with the following note, “We hope these standards and guidelines help you understand how to successfully earn money from your content on Facebook. This is part of our ongoing process to provide our partners with more clarity and transparency, and we remain committed to improving our products and experiences for people, publishers, creators and advertisers.”