Facebook is introducing new features aimed at bringing fans closer to their favourite creators: fan challenges and customized top fan badges.
The fan challenges feature allows creators to prompt followers with specific challenges, encouraging participation through Reels or posts. Submissions are ranked on a leaderboard by reactions, with hashtags tying entries together. Meta says the feature has already generated more than 1.5 million fan submissions during its testing phase. For example, a cooking creator could ask fans to share their best fall recipes using butternut squash, while other creators may center challenges around trending topics or personal storytelling.
Kalen Allen, who has 3.6 million Facebook followers, piloted the feature with a challenge inviting fans to post videos about their dreams and goals, generating over 520 entries.
In addition, creators can now customize “top fan” badges that highlight their most engaged followers. Instead of a generic “top fan” label, fans of Ed Sheeran can become “Sheerios,” while Cardi B and J Balvin have also enabled their own branded versions.
These updates reflect Meta’s push to make Facebook more creator-centric, a position historically dominated by Instagram, which recently surpassed 3 billion monthly active users. By formalizing viral trends like challenges and deepening fan identity with custom badges, Facebook is positioning itself as a more compelling destination for creators and their communities.
The move comes as Meta experiments with AI-driven features across its platforms, including a new Reels-like feed of entirely AI-generated videos on the Meta AI app. For Facebook, however, the latest rollout focuses squarely on real human engagement.
