What you need to know:

• Facebook is testing targeted instream videos by topic, sticker ads for Stories, and will put ads on Instagram’s Reels
• The social media platform says more than two billion people watch Facebook’s videos each month, and 70 per cent of ads for those videos are completed
• It says it has numerous studies showing the ads’ efficacy 
• To be eligible, an account or user must have more than 10,000 followers

Facebook has announced it will test a suite of products aiming to boost the monetisation of its video streams, including non-skippable in-stream ads and larger stickers for retail sales in Facebook Stories.

More than two billion people watch videos on Facebook that would be eligible for these in-stream ads, the social media giant says, and 70 per cent of those video ads are completed. To be eligible, a Facebook account needs at least 10,000 followers and for users to have watched 600,000 minutes in the previous 60 days.

Facebook says it will test topics for its in-stream videos, which would let advertisers place ads across 20 broad subject areas. For example, a baseball bat company would be able to choose to place ads in “baseball” content.

Instagram will also be testing ads on its Reels in Australia, which can be commented on, liked, viewed, shared and saved like organic Reels. Users will be able to “hide” or “report” ads they don’t want to see.

On Facebook’s stories, the platform will be testing sticker ads to allow creators to monetise their stories and receive a portion of the revenue.

“Every day brands are finding innovative ways to connect with audiences using our video tools, and that includes new formats like Instagram Reels,” Will Easton, Managing Director of Facebook Australia, says.

“Australians are embracing the short-form video format, so it’s fitting that we’re one of a handful of countries to begin testing ads across the Reels platform today.”