X Shifts Creator Payments Policy Away from Ads
As X continues to face challenges with advertisers, including lawsuits over boycotts, the company is making changes to its creator payments policy. Previously, creators would receive a percentage of ad revenue from ads shown in their replies. Now, X has announced that creators will be paid based on engagement from X’s Premium users.
This shift means that creators will now benefit from creating posts that drive engagement, rather than relying on ad revenue. This change could potentially impact the type of content that becomes popular on X. When platforms reward engagement, creators may be incentivized to post content that sparks discussion or elicits replies, even if it is controversial.
Interestingly, X’s rival Instagram Threads has been dealing with issues related to this type of engagement, known as “rage bait,” which prioritizes comments over other forms of interaction. This strategy can encourage creators to post content that provokes debate or controversy in order to boost engagement. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has acknowledged the problem and stated that the platform is working to address engagement bait.
Unlike Threads, X is moving in the opposite direction with its new policy, which could potentially encourage creators to generate replies at any cost. The company has not indicated that it will monitor or regulate engagement bait, but instead focuses on the financial benefits for creators.
According to X’s announcement, creators can earn more money based on the number of Premium subscriptions overall. To qualify for monetization, X users must be Verified, have at least 500 followers, and have at least 5 million impressions on their posts within the past three months. These requirements have already influenced the type of content being shared on the platform, as creators strive to attract attention and engagement.
With X now rewarding creators based on engagement from subscribers, there may be an increase in content designed to provoke reactions. This shift comes at a critical time, with the U.S. elections approaching, and could potentially lead to an uptick in politically themed rage bait and misinformation.
X has not disclosed any changes to creator payout percentages, but it is implied that creators may earn more due to the increased opportunities for engagement now that payments are not ad-dependent.
