X (formerly Twitter), is reportedly working on adding an option for users to share their email when they Subscribe to a creator.
This according to Musk could be for a newsletter function to allow creators to easily take their email list with them to other platforms.
It’s vital that creators be able to leave our platform at any time and take their subscribers with them.
We want to give peace of mind to creators that they’re not trapped here if they build a large audience. https://t.co/K2HEzQ1LUw
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 1, 2023
Announcing the proposed launch of the feature, Musk said,
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“This platform will provide email addresses of subscribers (who opt-in) to content creators so that creators can leave this platform easily & take their subscribers with them if they want.
“It’s vital that creators be able to leave our platform at any time and take their subscribers with them. We want to give peace of mind to creators that they’re not trapped here if they build a large audience.”
Reports reveal that creators are already getting popup messages to opt in to receive subscribers’ email addresses.
The message reads,
“Please ensure you have an email address associated with your account and email notifications enabled to receive the email addresses. By Opting in, you agree to let X collect and share with you the email addresses of your subscribers who have opted to share them for the purpose of off-platform communications. You further accept the Email Sharing Terms which require, for example, you to be solely responsible for the data and maintain a privacy policy”.
The soon-to-be-launched feature has been lauded by different X users who stated that it will be a game changer for creators. It is understood that creators want their followers to stay connected with them over multiple platforms as it allows them to easily communicate with them.
Also, it will offer creators security, in case their account is blocked or compromised, they can still keep in touch with their followers via email. This feature even assures creators that they can leave the platform at any time without losing their core subscribers, and having to start from scratch.
Different users and analysts have said that enabling data portability like X could be another way to lure creators and brands that have considered building their presence on the platform, with many more now likely to factor in how they might be able to leverage this element, to expand their connections and build business, both on and off-platform.
One interesting thing about this feature is that it is not just creators that would benefit. Brands, for example, would be able to leverage the feature by offering special deals via subscriber-only tweets, and then use those collected emails to build their direct mailing lists.
Notably, X email feature, which is related to some form of newsletter function, could see the platform compete better with other popular platforms when it comes to creators focused on long-form writing, such as substack, and medium, amongst others.
As X continues to evolve its platforms and offerings, the implementation of this feature is poised to offer creators enhanced versatility in managing their subscriber interactions and leveraging their subscriber data.