Despite its reputation for not being the “cool” app, Facebook does have a demographic and they are loyal. Facebook is by no means gaining back the younger audience it craves, but it is still a key platform for lots of different users, according to reports.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Facebook usage is increasing. So, what is causing this rise in engagement? It turns out Reels are. And they’re working too well.
As per WSJ: “Data gathered in the middle of the fourth quarter showed that time spent on [Facebook] was up worldwide, including in developed markets, over the course of a year.”
“Because ads in Reels videos don’t currently sell for as much as those sold against regular posts and stories, Reels’ growing share of content consumption was denting ad revenue. To protect the company’s earnings, the company cut back on promoting Reels, which lowered watch time by 12%.”
Reels have gained 20% more usage, due to Meta’s increased investment in AI causing improvements in relevance in ads and Reels – but it means they’re performing better than paid ads.
This is all good news for affiliate marketers, but not great news for Facebook.