Advertisement

Twitter is taking applications for its paid 'Super Follows' subscriptions

Creators can also apply to host Ticketed Spaces.

Twitter

Twitter will soon flip on some of its new monetization features, including “Super Follows” and Ticketed Spaces. The company announced that it’s opening up applications for the new features as it looks to for the first group of testers for the tools.

The features are among Twitter’s first major updates toward enticing creators and could change how some of the site’s highest profile users use the platform. Applications for both features are available within Twitter’s app in the new “monetization” section (Super Follows will only be available on iOS, initially). The company says it will accept an initial group of testers before making the features available more broadly.

Super Follows a monthly subscription similar to Patreon or OnlyFans. It allows creators to offer extra perks, like exclusive content, to subscribers for $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 a month. While it does allow users to essentially “charge for tweets,” Twitter has said it wants people to get more creative with their offerings. For example, a creator could offer subscribers exclusive access to Q&A sessions. To apply for Super Follows, users must be 18 or older, based in the United States, have at least 10,000 followers and have sent at least 25 tweets during the previous 30 days.

Twitter has a new
Twitter has a new (Twitter)

Ticketed Spaces, on the other hand, would be one-time payments to a single event. The feature allows users to charge admission for access to live audio conversations. Twitter says the price for a Space can range from $1 to $999 (though it’s difficult to imagine what kinds of conversations would earn a price tag that high). The feature also makes Spaces more competitive with Clubhouse, which has started experimenting with payments but doesn't yet have a ticketing feature. Applications for Ticketed Spaces will be open to US-based users with at least 1,000 followers who have hosted at least three Spaces during the previous 30 days.

With the opening of applications, Twitter is also revealing details about how it plans to share revenue with creators on its platform. The company says it will take a 3 percent cut on the first $50,000 in revenue (after Apple and Google’s commission on in-app purchases), with commission shooting up to 20 percent after the initial $50,000.

Twitter has two new monetization features.
Twitter has two new monetization features. (Twitter)

That’s notably steeper than Facebook, which has said it won’t take any revenue from creators until 2023, but the economics could still be attractive for people who have built a large following on the platform. Esther Crawford, senior product manager at Twitter, said the company settled on the $50,000 threshold because it shows “that you’re getting value from these features and that they’re helping you make real [money].”

Both Super Follows and ticketed Spaces are key to Twitter’s efforts to help creators and other high profile users monetize their following on the platform. The company also recently introduced a tipping feature, and is integrating paid newsletters into its service.

What’s less clear is whether Twitter users will actually be willing to spend money on a service that’s always been free (elsewhere, the company is also experimenting with “Twitter Blue,” a premium service for power users). At the same time, platforms like Patreon and OnlyFans have proven that creators’ can build careers off their most dedicated fans. Now Twitter has to convince its stars to build their careers on its platform.