Meta introduced the invitation-only program in April, but has only shared limited details about how it works […] None of the creators who spoke with Engadget knew how or why they had been selected for the bonus program, though they all had an established following on Instagram. (One of the known requirements is a professional account on Instagram.)

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Her strategy, she says, is all about replies. She exclusively focuses on replying to other users’ posts rather than creating her own. “I’m not necessarily generating content on my own,” she explains. “I’m kind of activating other people’s content.” By focusing on replies, she says she’s able to reach the required 60 Threads with at least 750 views each to qualify for a $500 monthly bonus.

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Josh Kirkham, an artist who specializes in Bob Ross-style painting videos […] hasn’t been able to detect any patterns about what types of videos are likely to take off. He has more than 150,000 followers on Threads but, like other creators in the bonus program, relies on the app’s recommendation algorithm for his posts to get noticed. “Initially, I was posting mountain videos, and those were doing the best compared to everything else,” he says, “And then a week later, every mountain video was just getting like, nothing. Some of the times the videos that I think are going to do well don’t do well at all, and vice versa.”

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“Responding to threads that have a lot of comments or conversation is what brings in my bonus views more, which is frustrating too because there’s a lot of clickbait,” [said one photographer].

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