Influencers Who Refused to Pay Elon Musk $8 a Month for Twitter Realize What They Just Missed Out On
Good things come to those who wait — or are willing to part with $8 a month and create content on Twitter.
If you spend any time at all on the social media platform, you likely saw some notable influencers — of all political stripes — touting how much money Elon Musk just sent them as part of ad revenue sharing.
Case in point are two wildly divergent Twitter personalities: pro-Trump Benny Johnson and pro-Democrat Brian Krassenstein.
🚨BREAKING: Twitter Monetization For Creators Is REAL💰
I just received my first ad revenue payment from Twitter.
1st check = $10K (!!!)
I would typically never share personal financial info but creators need to know that @elonmusk means BUSINESS supporting the creator economy pic.twitter.com/JliTBR2LkG
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 13, 2023
So I want to be fully transparent.
Total Earned from Twitter Since February: $24,305
Total Tweet impressions since February: 2.18 BillionI’m getting some attacks from people on the left and the right. Please continue so that next time I can double this.
This will pay for… pic.twitter.com/axeM5RBzDC
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) July 13, 2023
And as is evidenced by the above tweets, Musk isn’t exactly handing out Starbucks gift cards.
Johnson said he made a little under $10,000, while Krassenstein revealed he received more than double that with a little over $24,000.
It does appear that Musk is prioritizing engagement and reach regardless of political leanings, despite the establishment media whining about “far-right” influencers reaping the benefits.
Now, before anyone quits their 9 to 5 to become a Twitter influencer, it needs to be noted that Musk is not just randomly handing out money. There are very specific requirements to join Twitter’s ad revenue sharing program.
“They must be a verified user — meaning, they pay for a blue check mark or have been gifted one — have 5 million impressions, or views, on posts in each of the last three months, and have a Stripe account linked to their Twitter account,” Vox reported.
To be sure, the first and last steps aren’t particularly difficult for anyone to accomplish. The 5 million impressions three months in a row? That’s where the money is.
First, it’s worth pointing out that Johnson has 1.7 million followers and Krassenstein has over 750,000 followers. Those are mighty impressive numbers.
Second, it’s also worth pointing out the kind of content Johnson and Krassenstein specialize in. By being very partisan voices, their posts welcome debate and engagement.
Also, by being so very partisan, Johnson and Krassenstein get more than their share of hateful responses — responses that Twitter’s ad revenue algorithm takes into account.
Musk seemingly confirmed that:
Poetic justice
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2023
So for most people, making a living by tweeting simply won’t be possible. (And if anyone has any sick ideas about turning a profit on Twitter by turning it into OnlyFans, no dice. Twitter rules specify that sexualized content cannot be monetized.)
But what about the influencers who left Twitter in some misguided protest against all things Musk?
Well, they can kick and scream and whine and complain as much as they want… but it looks like they’ll be missing out on ad revenue sharing. And that’s a humbling realization to wake up to, regardless of your net worth.
Yes, most people who have the clout to make money on Twitter probably won’t be missing $10,000, but that’s still an extra $10,000. (Or, if you will, an extra $120,000 a year — assuming these will be monthly payouts.)
Even if your net worth is at a point where six figures could pass for a clerical error on your paycheck, that sum of money is nothing to sneeze at, especially in this economy.
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