Explainer: Monetization Governance

 
EXPLAINER

What Is Social Media Monetization Governance?

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Published: 24 April 2025
Tens of billions of dollars currently flow through social media monetization services, and that number is growing every year.
Read our explainer on social media monetization here →
It's a lot of money. Yet there's not much conversation around exactly how all of this happens. That is, how exactly do platforms moderate who and what gets paid through their services?
Let's take a closer look at the monetization systems that make up a platform's approach to Monetization Governance:

Monetization Terms and Policies

Social media platforms have terms and policies which set the rules for monetization.

♦️ Monetization Terms

The monetization terms are the legal basis of the partnership between platforms and their monetizing partners (that is, the social media users who have opted and been approved for a platform's monetization service).

♦️ Payout Terms

The payout terms are the legal basis of the partnership between platforms’ monetizing partners and the platform’s payment processor. Some platforms operate their own, in-house payment processing, while others use third-party companies.

♦️ Partner Monetization Policies

Partner monetization policies specify which actors are not eligible monetization on a given platform. For example, some platforms prohibit political actors or employees of the platform itself from monetizing.

♦️ Content Monetization Policies

Content monetization policies, sometimes referred to as “advertiser-friendly guidelines”, specify what kinds of content are not eligible for monetization. For example, most platforms prohibit the monetization of reused or unoriginal content.

♦️ Specific Monetization Service Requirements

Each monetization service is further subject to its own set of policies. These specify the eligible type of content, the applicable fee and payout structure, and minimum eligibility requirements. Eligibility is typically determined based on an account’s subscriber count and level of activity and engagement. It may also include requirements around the location of the account admin(s) and language of the content.

Monetization Enforcement

To enforce their monetization terms and policies, social media platforms employ a diversity of enforcement systems and processes.
Platforms offer very little transparency around their monetization enforcement, effectiveness, and the extent to which processes are automated.
Nonetheless, enforcement processes typically cover the following aspects:

♦️ Business Due Diligence Reviews

Processes to review the (continued) eligibility of entities engaged in monetization partnerships.
Processes to review partners' bank account, tax status, and legal compliance.

♦️ Account Eligibility Checks

Processes to review an account’s compliance with program eligibility requirements.

♦️ Content Eligibility Checks

Processes to review the monetization eligibility of individual pieces of content.

♦️ Monetization Restrictions

Processes to enforce monetization restrictions - at a content, account, or bank account level.

♦️ Monetization Appeals

Processes to receive and process appeals on monetization decisions.

♦️ Advertiser & Publisher controls

Control settings offered to advertisers (and occasionally publishers) to convey their expectations over which actor and content may be associated with their brands.

♦️ Third party verification tools

Third party tools, designed to support advertisers with filtering out actors and content which do not meet their brand safety and suitability expectations.

Certifications

There are a few industry-backed certifications which platforms can apply for, including:

mrc Media Rating Council (MRC)

Professional accreditation, based on an audit of the platform’s compliance with the Guidelines on Enhanced Content Level Context and Brand Safety.

tag Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG)

Certification of compliance with the TAG Brand Safety Certified Guidelines.