Twitter is kicking off September with a new monetization tool for creators – Super Follows paid subscriptions. Twitter will select a test group of Twitter personalities and influencers to try out the new tool. Super Followers will pay $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 a month to receive exclusive, subscriber-only content, previews and behind-the-scenes insights and to authentically engage with the personalities and influencers they follow. For example, a Super Follower might get access to bonus tweets.
This new tool is an opportunity for creators to earn a share of revenue generated from their Super Follows. However, Twitter isn’t sharing details about the actual revenue share.
In Twitter’s Super Follows Creator Terms agreement, Twitter says, “We may share revenue generated from the sale of Subscriptions to your Super Follows account with you at a rate which will depend, in Twitter’s discretion, on several factors, including the total number and price of Subscriptions purchased for your Super Follows account and the fees and taxes (including, without limitation, sales, use, value added, goods and services, withholding or transaction taxes or other charges) that Apple, Google, Payment Processor, banks and/or credit card companies may assess in the purchase of Subscriptions and in processing payments to you. You understand this and should have no expectation that any particular revenue percentage will apply, or continue to apply, over time.”
Who can set up Super Follows?
Initially, Twitter will select a test group. Twitter says that Super Follows content is suitable for anyone who has a unique perspective and personality to drive conversation. They include activists, journalists, musicians, content creators, writers, gamers, skincare and beauty experts, and others.
“Everyday their Tweets, Spaces, Direct Messages, photos and videos resonate with their audience and create vibrant conversations on Twitter,” says Esther Crawford, staff product manager, in a September 1, 2021 blog post.
How it will work
When content creators who use Super Follows post a tweet, they’ll be able to choose an audience – everyone or Super Followers. Interested creators can apply to join Twitter’s waitlist for a Super Follows subscription. They need to have 10K or more followers, be at least 18 years old, have tweeted 25 times in the last 30 days, be located in the United States and agree to Twitter’s Super Follows Policy.
Becoming a Super Follower is much easier. When a Twitter user sees the Super Follow button on an account profile, they can click on the button to see what paid offerings are available and the price point – basically, here’s what you’re getting and here’s what it will cost. Users can subscribe through in-app payments. Currently, Super Follows is only available in the U.S. and Canada on iOS. Twitter will roll it out globally and on Android soon.
Insider Take
This news comes about a week after Twitter’s news that subscription newsletters were being tested, using Revue which Twitter acquired in January 2021. On one hand, it feels like Twitter is innovating a lot, testing new recurring revenue opportunities. On the other, it feels a bit like they are throwing subscription products at the wall to see what sticks. With so many social media platforms, and so many growing creator platforms with monetization options, it feels like some of the platforms are trying too hard to get a slice of the pie. They might actually benefit from being unique and becoming really good at just a few things rather than trying to please everyone.
