- Twitter has introduced a revenue-sharing program, compensating content creators based on impressions and engagement.
- Influencers like Ian Miles Cheong, Benny Johnson, and Ashley St. Claire have disclosed their earnings, but not all users are eligible for earnings.
- To qualify, users must have subscribed to Twitter Blue and received over 5 million tweet impressions monthly.
Twitter Begins Paying Content Creators from Ad Revenues, but Not Everyone Qualifies
In a significant move, tech billionaire Elon Musk’s social media giant Twitter has started compensating content creators with a share of advertisement revenues. While this new development has been welcomed by many influencers, it is important to note that not all users are eligible to receive earnings from the platform.
High-profile far-right influencers, including Ian Miles Cheong, Benny Johnson, and Ashley St. Claire, were among the first to announce their earnings through tweets before Twitter officially disclosed its revenue-sharing program. One user named End Wokeness, with 1.4 million followers, exclaimed, “Wow. Elon Musk wasn’t kidding. Content monetization is real,” as they revealed earnings exceeding $10,400.
To qualify for earnings, users must have subscribed to Twitter Blue and received over 5 million tweet impressions each month for the past three months.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, announced that a total of $5 million will be paid out in the initial round, with cumulative payments starting from February.
However, it is essential to note that this program is only available in countries where Stripe, a payment platform, supports payouts.
Some notable figures have already shared their earnings. Brian Krassenstein, a writer with approximately 750,000 followers, claimed to have received $24,305 from Twitter. Another content creator known as SK, with around 230,000 followers, reportedly earned $2,236. Political commentator Benny Johnson, with 1.7 million followers, stated that he earned $9,546. Babylon Bee writer Ashley St. Clair also disclosed earnings of $7,153.
Who is excluded from Twitter monetization?
According to Twitter’s content monetization standards, certain types of content are ineligible for monetization, including sexual content, pyramid schemes or get-rich-quick schemes, violence, criminal behaviors, gambling, or drugs and alcohol.
Twitter stated in a blog post that creators’ share of advertising revenue would be determined based on a calculation of replies to their posts and monthly impressions.
However, the rollout of the program has faced criticism from some nonpolitical contributors who expressed frustration over the lack of transparency from the company. Matt Navarra, a social media strategist and the creator of the tech-focused newsletter and community Geekout, voiced his disappointment, stating, “My tweets have generated hundreds of millions of impressions for Twitter every year, and I’ve been on the platform for 15+ years. It’s pretty lame that there is no payout coming my way. Twitter has never generated any income directly for all the content I have put into it.”
This development comes at a time when Musk’s Twitter is facing fierce competition from its Meta-owned rival, Threats, which witnessed millions of sign-ups within hours of its launch.
Published in PakWeb, July 14, 2023.
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