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Social media can be a great way to make money online. X (formerly Twitter) now allows you to earn income based on how many people view your posts. This is part of the Creator Ads Revenue Sharing program.
Monetized content on X is hugely beneficial for journalists and content creators like bloggers and podcasters. The fact is, marketing yourself online takes time. If you're a freelancer or entrepreneur, you'll likely put in many unpaid hours creating social content to boost your business. By using X to monetize your content, you can build an income stream while pursuing your content goals.
As a content creator with six years of experience, social media helps me earn money for my content — and you can too.
In this article, I'll explain how to make money on X using the ads program. I'll also share useful tips for writing posts and provide examples of content that can be monetized on X.
How to start making money with the X revenue program
The X revenue program lets you receive a share in earnings generated by ads displayed in your post replies.
For instance, if I post on X and an ad appears in the replies to my post’s comments, I can receive a portion of the money earned by X through organic impressions of that ad placement.
Here's how an ad looks in a post reply. You can see Ad written in the top right-hand corner, with the number of impressions below next to the graph emoticon.
Before you join, you must meet the X monetization eligibility requirements.
- You must be subscribed to X Premium or Verified Organizations
- Your posts must have received five million impressions in the last three months
- A minimum of 500 active followers is required
While reaching five million impressions may seem daunting, there are easy techniques to increase your numbers, which I'll share later.
X Premium is a subscription service that requires a monthly $8 fee. In return, you’ll receive various benefits, including:
- The ability to edit published posts and create longer ones (up to 25,000 characters)
- A blue checkmark next to your name to show you have a verified account
- Reduced ads in your For You and Following timelines
- Access to the revenue program
Once you’ve subscribed to X Premium, you’ll be able to join the revenue program. Go to your X settings and click Monetization. Here, you’ll see a button to join the ads revenue sharing program.
Examples of content that can be monetized on X
Now that you know how to get started with the ads revenue program, let’s explore the key ways to make money as an X creator.
Sponsored posts
Just like on other social platforms such as Instagram, you can make money on X by creating sponsored posts.
In the example above, tech influencer Harold Sinott partnered with Ericsson to promote its cloud applications funding. Sponsored posts mean that a creator gets paid to promote a brand’s product or service. This can help brands reach their target audience, build trust and rapport, and develop their brand voice.
To increase your sponsored posts, think about the type of content you want to create and who you want to target. As an example, I use X to share relationship advice from my blog. In this niche, I can partner with companies that share the same target market, such as online dating sites.
Here is an example of a paid social media collaboration I received from an online dating site.
Subscriptions
If you have an audience interested in your content, you can sell monthly subscriptions where subscribers receive exclusive content. Creators can receive 97% of their subscription profits.
Here’s an example of a creator who shares insights into the car market. To encourage people to join his subscription, he has created a list of benefits and highlighted the value users will receive.
To start a subscription service, you must join X Premium. While you don’t need five million impressions, you’ll still need:
- At least 500 active followers
- An X account that has been active for three months or more
- To have posted content in the past 30 days
A subscription service must offer value, whether educational, inspirational, or entertainment. It should be tailored to your target audience, and offer something otherwise unavailable.
Let's say you run a digital marketing blog that shares tips on marketing a business online. You could offer a subscription service that shares:
- Step-by-step and how-to guides for increasing social media followers
- Personal stories of people who have achieved success
- Personalized support where you give feedback to subscribers
- Links to exclusive resources such as downloadable schedule templates
Perform market research using AI tools and social media to ensure your subscription doesn't provide content people can read for free elsewhere.
Ad revenue-friendly content
We've already discussed what's involved in joining, but how do you create content that leads to ads appearing in your posts?
In this example, the author Shirley Ledley received several ads in her post replies because of the high volume of comments.
Her post works because it:
- Offers a call to action (CTA) — asks people to share their book links
- Provides value — people get a chance to be promoted
- Targets her audience — writers and authors
- Includes hashtags to increase her post's reach — while too many hashtags can be distracting, including a few relevant ones can increase your reach and impressions
When creating posts, remember these four points. A call to action (CTA) encourages responses — so, ask a question or invite people to share their thoughts. Always keep your audience in mind and consider the purpose of your post — what do you hope to achieve?
Add “Tips” to your profile
As the name suggests, X’s Tips feature lets people send you a monetary tip to show they appreciate your content. This is currently only available to a limited group of people including select journalists, creators, and nonprofits who use X in English.
To find out if you’re eligible, access X via your phone — you can only join through iOS or Android. On your profile page, click Edit Profile, select Tips, and toggle Allow Tips to on. If you click Edit Profile and don't see Tips, you're not yet eligible.
If you can join, you'll be asked to choose a payment method to receive your income. The key to Tips is to provide relevant and engaging content.
This table can help you plan ideas for posts — I’ve added examples to demonstrate.w3 useful tips for writing content on X
Making money on X starts with writing interesting content that increases your impressions and engagement. Let’s take a look at some useful tips for crafting effective content on X.
Use trending topics for content ideas
Finding trending topics can be a great way to brainstorm content. To do this:
- Head to the Explore page and look at the Trending Topics tab.
- Search for related hashtags in your industry — this will show you some of the most popular and trending posts.
- Follow industry accounts. For example, if you're a journalist, follow news sites to see what topics they're discussing.
Once you have a topic, use Wordtune's AI generator to come up with more specific content ideas for your posts.
Let's say I'm a fashion blogger who wants to focus on the currently trending Oscars season. In the Wordtune Editor, I can click Generate with AI and add the prompt "Content ideas for social media app X based on the Oscars."
Wordtune will then provide content suggestions, such as asking people to reenact famous speeches from the Oscars or share photos of the most stylish celebs.
Interact with user posts
One of the best ways to increase impressions is to interact with people and companies in your niche with high-engagement posts. So, if you're an aspiring author, for example, look for published authors who write about similar topics, or connect with large bookshops.
You can receive impressions on your comment replies even if someone else created the initial post. You could ask a question, share your thoughts, or respond to a post. For example, the company Goodreads created a light-hearted post on struggling to finish books you’ve been reading for ages. Many of the comments on this post have received over 100 impressions.
Interacting with different posts exposes you to more people and could help you attract more followers.
Plan your content schedules
Publishing consistently increases your engagement, visibility, and reach. It also helps you to build community (as users know when to expect your content) and establish authority. When you click to create a post, you'll see an emoticon of a calendar with a clock — use this to schedule your post by selecting the date and time you want it to be published.
It’s free to set up posting schedules on X. Or, you can use tools like Planable and Hootsuite.
I recommend looking at your X analytics — under Professional Tools on the menu tab — to see what times and dates your most successful posts were published. Experiment to see when your audience is most engaged, and examine your social media report to find out how your posts are performing.
The benefits of writing on X (compared to other platforms)
Besides providing an additional way to earn money from your content, there are several other reasons why X is ideal for creators and writers.
Firstly, X boasts around 396 million users worldwide. It has a wide age group, with users between 18 and 50+ — only a small percentage of people under 18 access the site. This broad demographic means you have more chances to attract your target market and reach a variety of people, such as industry professionals and fellow creators.
Some recruiters also use X to look at candidates, so your profile could increase writing job opportunities.
Conclusion
As an X creator, you now have several ways to monetize your content — from subscriptions, Tips, and X’s ads revenue program. While you will need at least 500 followers to get started, creating valuable content for your target audience can help you quickly achieve these figures.
Ad monetization on X is new territory for writers, and those who leverage this opportunity now could be trailblazers. So, what are you waiting for? Follow the steps outlined in this article and develop additional income now.
For more tips on growing your following, read our guide to creating effective Twitter Threads.
FAQs
How many followers do you need to make money on X?
To be eligible for X's ads revenue program and subscription capabilities, you have to have at least 500 active followers. However, you can start making money through tips without needing a set number of followers.
Do I need a large number of followers to make money on X?
A large following is not essential for making money. For instance, you may have 30,000 followers, but only a small percentage of them may engage with your posts. Focus on creating quality content for a loyal following who are interested in your expertise.
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