X is changing the way how it pays creators on its platform. Starting November 8, 2024, X will shift from paying creators based on ad revenue to paying them for engagement from X Premium subscribers.
Under the new policy, creators' income will depend on how much engagement their posts receive from users who have subscribed to X Premium. Previously, creators earned a share of the ad revenue generated from ads displayed in replies to their posts.
To qualify for the new payout system, creators must meet specific criteria such as :
- Be a verified user (subscribed to X Premium).
- Have at least 500 followers.
- Achieve a minimum of 5 million impressions on their posts over a three-month period.
This decision might pressure X creators to generate posts that provoke responses or discussions. This can potentially result in more sensational and controversial content aimed at what's called "engagement farming." Creators often use engagement farming tactics by sharing extreme or provocative opinions to attract strong opinions, reposting popular content with minor modifications, or using bots and joining groups where members agree to engage on each other's posts, inflating engagement.
Elon Musk had previously warned that accounts indulged in engagement farming would be suspended and traced back to the source, although the issue remains at large on the platform. The platform continues to reward posts designed for engagement rather than genuine conversations.
Whether or not payouts will increase is not certain, but X still says that creators could earn more under this new model as it removes reliance on ad views.
This decision might have come from the fact that the platform has experienced a close to 50% drop in ad revenue ever since Musk took over the company. This decline has forced the company to look out for other revenue streams, after which it launched X Premium last year.
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