• by Colin Kirkland , September 29, 2023

Linda Yaccarino, X CEO, said that the platform formerly known as Twitter has paid its creator community almost $20 million. 

“Create. Connect. Collect all on X. We’re enabling the economic success of new segments like creators. And so far we’ve paid out almost $20 million to our creator community,” Yaccarino wrote on the platform Friday morning.

X’s ad revenue-sharing program launched globally in July. At first, verified creators with at least 500 followers and 15 million impressions on cumulative posts over the previous 3 months were promised a cut of revenue earned from ads served in the replies to their posts to other verified users. 

In August, X lowered the eligibility threshold for ads revenue sharing to 5 million impressions and the minimum payout threshold from $50 to $10. 

X owner Elon Musk later said that the first payouts, which were cumulative between February and July, totaled about $5 million. It’s been around two months since then, and the number has jumped to $20 million, which means that either more creators have joined the program, X ads have generated more impressions, or both. 

The program depends on amplification, as creators are also paid based on the amount of replies they generate from verified users. Creators are persuaded to gain as much attention on the platform, which, based on a popular study published in Harvard Business Review, can be garnered through inciting negative emotions.   

Regardless of whether the $20 million payout figure is accurate, the figure highlights a specific reason to subscribe to X Premium (previously Twitter Blue) and post.