Rewards Replace Ads
CONTEUDO:
X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, is fundamentally restructuring its monetization model for creators. The company is phasing out its long-standing Revenue Sharing program in favor of a new system titled “Original Content Rewards,” designed to prioritize unique contributions over broad engagement metrics.
The Transition Timeline
In announcing the change, X confirmed that it has ceased accepting new applicants for the existing Revenue Sharing program. Current participants will continue to receive payouts under the legacy system until September 7. Beginning September 8, creators will be eligible to apply for the new Original Content Rewards initiative.
Eligibility and Requirements
To qualify for the new program, creators must maintain an active subscription to one of X’s Premium tiers. Furthermore, strict performance thresholds remain in place: accounts must possess at least 500 verified followers and generate 500,000 impressions on their Home Timeline from verified users within a 90-day window. The core shift, however, lies in the platform’s new definition of what qualifies as monetizable content.
Defining “Original Content”
X defines original content as material that demonstrates significant creator effort. This includes original reporting, professional analysis, personal photography, custom video production, and self-designed graphics or memes. While commentary remains eligible, the platform has set a firm boundary: content that relies heavily on third-party material must provide “meaningful original value” to meet the new guidelines.
Conversely, the platform explicitly excludes content that lacks transformative value. Posts that are simply copied from other accounts, re-uploaded media, or reposts that fail to add significant context will not be considered for rewards.
A Response to Systemic Issues
This pivot follows a series of controversial adjustments to the previous revenue model, including attempts in April to curb payments to aggregators and clickbait-heavy accounts. Those earlier efforts faced significant pushback from high-traffic creators, eventually forcing Elon Musk to roll back certain payment calculation methods.
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In a post detailing the shift, X’s Allegra Jacchia noted that the previous program’s incentives had become “misaligned.” She emphasized that the goal is to shift creator focus away from gaming the system for payouts and toward generating “net new content.”
“We could have kept adding more rules and exceptions, but ultimately the better decision was to start fresh and build a program designed from day one to reward originality,” Jacchia stated, adding that the platform intends to continuously refine its models and raise quality standards over time.
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