Instagram isn’t wasting any time capitalizing on TikTok’s absence from app stores.

According to The Information, the platform is offering creators hefty cash bonuses—ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 per month—to post Reels exclusively on Instagram before sharing them anywhere else, including TikTok.

Instagram’s throwing cash at TikTok creators like a rich ex trying to prove they’ve changed—but hey, free money’s free money, so ride the wave while it lasts.

For influencers and short-form video creators, this moment presents a choice: take the Instagram money while it’s on the table or gamble on TikTok finding its way back to full strength.

Meta is rolling out a new Breakthrough Bonus program, which specifically targets TikTok creators.

The initiative promises up to $5,000 over three months for posting Reels on Instagram and Facebook.

“Over the coming months, we’ll also offer some TikTok creators content deals to help grow their communities on Instagram and Facebook,” Meta spokesperson Paige Cohen told The Verge.

If this playbook sounds familiar, that’s because it is.

Meta has thrown big money at creators before, most notably with Instagram’s Reels bonus program in 2021.

But by 2022, payouts started dwindling, and by 2023, the program was quietly scrapped.

This means these deals might be lucrative now, but history suggests they’re not built to last.

This latest round of bonuses comes at a precarious time for TikTok. The app went dark in the U.S. on January 19th to comply with federal regulations requiring a sale or ban.

While TikTok has since flickered back online, it still hasn’t returned to app stores, leaving Meta with a prime opportunity to lure creators looking for stability—or at least, a paycheck.