Social media news-Twitter Launches 'Super Follows' Creator Monetization Option

 

Twitter Launches 'Super Follows' Creator Monetization Option

It’s been in test mode for the last few months, and now, Twitter has officially launched its new ‘Super Follow’ option, with selected creators in the US now able to charge a monthly fee for exclusive, extra tweet content for their biggest fans.

The addition could provide more incentive for Twitter’s most popular creators to become even more active on the platform, while also providing more ways to build their member community, and establish more reliance on the app.

As explained by Twitter:

“Through Super Follows, people can set a monthly subscription of $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 a month to monetize bonus, “behind-the-scenes” content for their most engaged followers on Twitter. And followers get extra special access to their unfiltered thoughts, early previews and subscriber-only conversations from their favorite accounts.”

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Creators claim up to 97% of any payments received through the option, after in-app fees, up to $50k in total earnings. After they reach that $50k threshold, the creator cut drops to 80%, with Twitter taking a larger percentage from then on.

Twitter has provided this example of how, exactly, those fees may be split based on these additional charges and considerations.

So Twitter and Apple will take a significant chunk of those fees, on iOS at least. But even so, that’s could result in big amounts flowing through to tweet creators via the option, establishing a new creator ecosystem within the app.

Once users sign-up to become Super Followers, creators will then have a new option to share their tweets as normal, or as an exclusive to these members:

Exclusive tweets will then be flagged in-stream, so that Super Followers know that only they can see that content.

That adds an extra level of exclusivity to the process, and could help to build an ‘in-crowd’ feel, which could be a big community-builder for your paid audience, and may form a key incentive in your approach.

Twitter says that it’s built its Super Follows approach on four key principles based on discussions with creators:

These are the core motivators, in Twitter’s view, that Super Follows needs to cater to, which will ideally align the option’s appeal with platform stars, and make it a key consideration for more of them moving forward.

But it’s only in its early stages right now. As noted, Super Follows is limited to a small group of selected creators on iOS at launch, but Twitter is looking to expand access soon, with the current qualifiers for application being:

• Profiles must have 10K or more followers
• Creator must be at least 18 years old
• Creator must have tweeted at least 25 times within the last 30 days

In addition, any applicants need to follow Twitter’s Super Follows Policy, which disqualifies accounts with a level of past suspensions, while also outlining additional details like account age (must be at least 3 months old) and security standards.

If you meet all of these requirements, you too will soon be able to charge for your exclusive tweets.

But then comes the next challenge – what exactly do you share as member-exclusive content?

Of course, this is an individual consideration, and Twitter can’t spell it out for you, as such. But it has provided some examples of the unique content that some beta creators have been providing to their paid subscribers:

• For skincare enthusiasts looking for extra advice to level up their routine, MakeupforWOC is giving client-level treatment to her Super Followers. All your pressing skincare questions, answered! 
• For those currently living the university glory days (and for those of us who are nostalgic), laugh along with @Myeshachou’s funniest behind-the-scenes stories saved just for her Super Followers.
• @KingJosiah54 gives his most in-depth sports analysis to his most engaged sports enthusiast audience who want the real scoop on last night’s game. 
• @tarotbybronx dives deeper into astrology, tarot, and intuitive healing advice for their Super Followers. Get extra spiritual guidance on what the stars and cards have in store for you.  

Those examples provide some extra consideration for your Super Follows approach, and they’ll no doubt get you thinking about how you can start making money from your Twitter audience, with popular accounts only needing a relative percentage of their following to sign-up, in order to make real money from tweeting.

Which would be the dream for many, getting paid for what they’re already doing every day anyway. But it’ll likely be more challenging than many suspect, because while simply sharing certain tweets with certain follower groups seems easy enough, it will require planning, and strategy, to ensure that you’re delivering value to your paying customers.

And there’s also a question of how many people will actually pay. Twitter hasn’t released any further data yet, but I suspect the take-up of its Twitter Blue add-on program, which is live in Canada and Australia at the moment, is not very strong, with the add-ons themselves not adding a heap of extra value to the tweet experience.

Based on this, I would advise anyone looking to move into Super Follows to not only map out a clear content plan, but to also seek to avoid any reliance on Super Follows income for at least 6-12 months. Because you will see drop-offs over time, as people assess what they’re getting and decide whether to keep paying up. The money you get from your initial launch will drop, so it’s important to strategize accordingly, and not read too much into any early results.

With those considerations in mind, it could end up being a valuable addition for Twitter, prompting ‘power users’ to tweet more often, and connect with their key audience in the app.

Will that boost overall Twitter usage? That’s the far bigger question, with Twitter hoping these new creator features will bring more people back to the platform more often, which will help it reach its ambitious growth targets over the next few years.

It seems like it can’t hurt, and while I suspect some egos will be bruised as people look to charge and don’t see the take-up that they expect, it will provide new opportunities for a percentage of users who can develop effective approaches to exclusive content and connection.

Twitter says that Super Follows is now available to a small group within the US’, with more regions to follow soon. Others can apply to join the Super Follows waitlist.