Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is changing its creator payment policy, moving away from ad-based revenue sharing to a system centred on user engagement. The firm announced this change in a post on X.

Previously, creators on X earned a portion of the ad revenue generated from ads displayed in the replies to their posts.

According to the new policy, creators will be compensated based on the level of engagement their content receives from X’s premium subscribers. This shift is expected to impact the type of content that gains popularity on the platform, as creators will now be incentivised to generate posts that drive higher engagement, such as those that spark a debate or provoke responses.

X also hinted at the possible increase in payout for content creators on the platform since payments will no longer depend on ad revenue.

“Payouts are increasing and you’ll now be paid based on engagement with your content from Premium users – not ads in replies.

“Ads in replies will no longer impact your payout. Instead, you’ll be paid based on engagement with your content from Premium users.

“So, when your followers subscribe to X Premium and engage with your content, they support you directly. And, because X Premium is growing, your payout is too. The more premium subscriptions overall, the more revenue you earn”, the company stated.

However, X did not mention any plans to moderate or regulate this new payment structure to prevent engagement-baiting tactics. Instead, the platform indicated that this model would allow creators to earn more.

“The more premium subscriptions overall, the more revenue you can earn,” X stated.This change addresses concerns raised by creators about declining revenue, which has been affected by advertiser boycotts and other factors.

Additionally, many premium subscribers see reduced ads or none at all if they subscribe to the higher Premium+ tier, which became fully ad-free in August.