Beware Meta’s Performance Bonus Program

My promotion has been on autopilot lately, but I do have something to share with you: a warning of sorts.

It concerns Meta’s Performance Bonus Program, which you probably haven’t heard of unless you received an email like this:

Honestly, I’m surprised I clicked through because it looks super spammy. Rest assured the images did actually load when I received the mail in October.

I figured there was nothing to lose, so I opted in. I mean, it’s a free bonus, right? Why wouldn’t I claim it?

It turns out there was something to lose: organic reach.

My reach was negligible to begin with, so I didn’t notice. But a good friend of mine who is far more active on Facebook and Instagram saw his reach and engagement drastically decline after signing up.

He recently spoke to someone at Meta who confirmed that the drop isn’t just a figment of his imagination. When you opt in for performance bonuses, your engagement is reset. At that point, you compete with others in the performance bonus scheme.

Of course neither of us would’ve opted in had we known that was the case! He traded in an incredible amount of reach for about $15 a month in bonuses.

If we opt out now, our reach is reset yet again. It doesn’t go back to where it was before. In his case, we’re talking years of building up an audience, essentially thrown away.

I’ve received a total of $10.80. Impressed yet?

Now it looks like the minimum payment is $25, which I may never reach.

At this point, you may be wondering if you’re opted in or not. You can find out by going to Meta Business Suite, then click on Monetization, and then Bonuses.

The moral of the story is, when it comes to Meta’s Performance Bonus Program, just say no.

Had you heard about it before this post? Did you get an invite? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!