Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 300 million active users. It is also a powerful tool for creators, who can use it to share their content, engage with their audience, and monetize their work. But how does the Twitter Creators Program work, and what are the benefits and challenges of joining it?
The Twitter Creators Program is a program that allows eligible creators to earn money from their tweets and videos. The program has two main features: Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces.
Ticketed Spaces lets creators host live audio conversations with their followers and charge them for access. Creators can set their own price, from $1 to $999, and the number of tickets available, from 3 to 1000. They can also offer free tickets to some users, such as co-hosts or speakers. Like Super Follows, creators keep 97% of the revenue (minus fees) until they reach $50,000 in lifetime earnings, after which they keep 80%.
To join the Twitter Creators Program, creators need to meet some eligibility criteria, such as having at least 10,000 followers, being at least 18 years old, and complying with the Twitter rules. They also need to apply for the program through the Twitter app and wait for approval.
How Twitter makes revenue to Pay for Creators
Twitter’s main source of revenue is advertising. According to its 2022 annual report, Twitter generated $3.72 billion in advertising revenue, which accounted for 86% of its total revenue. Twitter sells two types of ads: promoted tweets and promoted accounts.
Promoted tweets are tweets that appear in users’ timelines, search results, or trends. They are labeled as “promoted” and can include text, images, videos, or polls. Promoted tweets are targeted based on users’ interests, location, device, and other factors. Advertisers pay for promoted tweets on a cost-per-engagement (CPE) basis, which means they only pay when a user interacts with the tweet, such as clicking, liking, retweeting, or replying.
Promoted accounts are accounts that appear in users’ “Who to follow” suggestions or search results. They are also labeled as “promoted” and can include a profile picture, name, handle, and bio. Promoted accounts are targeted based on users’ interests, followers, and other criteria. Advertisers pay for promoted accounts on a cost-per-follow (CPF) basis, which means they only pay when a user follows the account.
Twitter also makes revenue from data licensing and other sources. Data licensing is the sale of access to Twitter’s public data, such as tweets, trends, and user information. This data is used by third-party developers, researchers, marketers, and others for various purposes, such as analytics, insights, or content creation. Data licensing and other sources generated $561 million in revenue for Twitter in 2020, which accounted for 14% of its total revenue.
One of the ways that Twitter pays for its creators is through its Super Follows feature, which was launched in September 2021. Super Follows allows users to charge their followers a monthly fee for exclusive content, such as bonus tweets, newsletters, or live streams. Users can set their own price for Super Follows, ranging from $2.99 to $9.99 per month. Twitter takes a 3% cut of the first $50,000 that a user earns from Super Follows, and a 20% cut after that.
Another way that Twitter pays for its creators is through its Tip Jar feature, which was introduced in May 2021. Tip Jar allows users to send and receive tips from their followers using various payment platforms, such as PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App. Users can enable Tip Jar on their profile and add their preferred payment methods. Twitter does not take any commission from Tip Jar transactions.
Twitter is constantly exploring new ways to generate revenue and support its creators. Some of the recent initiatives that Twitter has announced or tested include: Twitter Blue: A subscription service that offers premium features to users, such as undo tweet, bookmark folders, reader mode, and custom app icons. Twitter Blue costs $7.99 per month in the US and is available in select countries.
Ticketed Spaces: A feature that allows users to host and join live audio conversations with tickets. Users can set their own price and number of tickets for their Spaces. Twitter takes a 20% cut of the ticket sales.
Professional Profiles: A feature that allows businesses and organizations to create profiles with more information and tools than regular profiles. Professional Profiles can include a verified badge, a shop module, an image gallery, and more.
Newsletter Integration: A feature that allows users to integrate their newsletters with their Twitter profile and tweets. Users can create newsletters using Revue, a newsletter platform that Twitter acquired in January 2021. Users can also subscribe to newsletters from other users within Twitter.
Twitter is a platform that enables people to share their thoughts, opinions, and stories with the world. It is also a platform that empowers creators to monetize their content and connect with their audience. By diversifying its revenue streams and investing in its creator ecosystem, Twitter aims to create more value for its users and advertisers.
The Twitter Creators Program offers many benefits for creators who want to grow their audience and income on the platform. It gives them more control over their content and pricing, and more ways to connect with their fans. It also helps them diversify their revenue streams and reduce their dependence on ads or sponsorships.
However, the program also has some challenges that creators need to be aware of. For example, they need to create high-quality and consistent content that attracts and retains subscribers and attendees. They also need to manage their community and expectations, and deal with potential issues such as trolls, refunds, or disputes. Moreover, they need to consider the tax implications of earning money from the program and report their income accordingly.
Twitter Creators Program is a promising opportunity for creators who want to leverage the power of Twitter to monetize their work. However, it also requires a lot of work and responsibility from them, and they need to weigh the pros and cons before joining it.
