Twitter welcoming applications for testing new Ticketed Spaces, Super Follows
Popular microblogging platform Twitter recently stopped accepting applications for the prestigious account verification process. However, it has now begun welcoming applications for Super Follows subscriptions and Ticketed Spaces. The new applications will let select Twitter users in on a pilot program testing out the features of Super Follows that paywalls exclusive content, and Ticketed Spaces. Initially, Super Follows will only be available on iOS.
Super Follows lets creators charge followers for exclusive content
Earlier this month, a renowned application analyst with an impressive track record for predicting upcoming Twitter features, Jane Manchun Wong, said that Twitter was working on the application process for Super Follows. For the uninitiated, Super Follows would let Twitter celebrities charge their followers a recurring subscription fee to access exclusive content, communities, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, discount/promotional deals, and supporter badges.
Super Follows only available if you have 10,000+ followers
One can apply to join the initial tester group for Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces using the forms available under the new "Monetization" section of Twitter's app. To apply for Super Follows, one must be at least 18 years of age, based in the US, have at least 10,000 followers, and must have sent at least 25 tweets in the last 30 days.
Ticketed Spaces lets Twitterati invite followers for exclusive live discussions
Twitter's announcement says that it will price Super Follows subscriptions at $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 per month. The other new feature targeting monetizable users, the ticketed Twitter Spaces, allows Twitterati to charge their followers for attending exclusive audio-based live discussions on Twitter's Clubhouse clone called Spaces. Twitter said that tickets to exclusive Spaces may be priced between $1 and $999 apiece.
To test Ticketed Spaces, at least 1,000 followers mandatory
While it's debatable whether people would pay $999 for participation, the application process for Ticketed Spaces mandates that applicants should be US-based, have at least 1,000 followers, and have hosted at least three Spaces in the last 30 days. Hosts can cap the number of attendees for Ticketed Spaces and even cancel the event. Ticket buyers would be refunded if necessary.
Twitter takes 3% cut until creator earns $50,000
Since Ticketed Spaces and Super Follows promise content creators a steady stream of revenue, Twitter has said that it would initially charge a 3% commission on earnings (excluding e-wallet fees, currency exchange processing fees, and Apple or Google's in-app purchase commission). Once a creator crosses $50,000 in earnings from all Twitter products combined, Twitter will charge a 20% commission on earnings.
Apple's policies forced Facebook, Twitter to reduce advertising revenue dependency
In stark contrast, Facebook promised to not take any commission from creator revenues until 2023. That said, both social media platforms are now turning to their creators and steady recurring revenue models instead of relying heavily on advertising for monetization. This is because of Apple's App Tracking Transparency and Google's similar pro-security policy and the fact that fewer people want to receive targeted advertisements.
