Twitter launches Super Follows for iOS, letting a select group of US test users charge either $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 per month for their tweets

Select users in the US can now charge for tweets — Twitter is starting to roll out Super Follows, its new feature that lets users charge for subscriber-only content. Source: Twitter .

The Verge 2021-09-02 Kait Sanchez

Context & Ripple Effects

Twitter first outlined Super Follows alongside Communities, pairing paid creator access with interest-based groups. By June, it had opened applications for a small test and set creator-revenue terms; the iOS launch turns that application-stage program into a live paid feature.

First-order effects

Selected US iOS users can now put subscriber-only tweets behind monthly price points of $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99, giving them a direct recurring-revenue option on Twitter.
Twitter adds a paid-content layer to a service whose earlier monetization experiment targeted advertisers through automated tweet promotion subscriptions.

Second-order effects

Creators admitted to the test must decide which posts are valuable enough to reserve for paying followers, making audience conversion rather than reach alone a new measure of success on Twitter.
The rollout gives Twitter operational evidence from a limited iOS cohort before the later expansion of Super Follows to creators globally on iOS.

Third-order effects

If paid creator access scales beyond testing, Twitter’s economics shift toward a mixed model in which advertising and creator subscriptions both finance activity on the platform.
The pairing of paid follows with Communities points toward social products organizing value around bounded groups and paid access, rather than only an open public feed.

The trend: Social platforms are adding creator subscriptions to diversify beyond advertising while testing whether audience access can become a durable paid product.

Discussion

Twitter Esther Crawford on x
Introducing $uper Follows
@superfollows @superfollows on x
introducing Super Follows—a paid monthly subscription that supports your favorite people on Twitter AND gets you access to ::puts sunglasses on:: super Tweets rolling out in US and Canada on iOS only ... 😏 for now https://twitter.com/...
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x
Each Super Follow is an In-App Purchase on the App Store, but because there are too many IAPs for the Twitter app, the App Store only shows 10 instead of the full list https://twitter.com/...
@jtwdesign @jtwdesign on x
Today we're introducing Super Follows to the world ⭐️ I'm proud to have worked with an awesome team to build a product to help Creators monetize & engage with their most passionate fans. Here's some insight into this Design & Research-led effort 🧵 https://twitter.com/... https://…
@edwinwee Edwin on x
.@Twitter + @Stripe = Super. Very glad we're working together to enable more creators earn a living! https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x
Speaking of Super Follows, I can't imagine how'd indie creators deal with scenarios where people from all around the world systematically repost the exclusive paid content. Like you can add watermarks, but it won't stop the reposts Am I overthinking? thanks
@harrymccracken Harry McCracken on x
How much would YOU pay if I tweeted more about Radio Shack? Or would it be a better business model to tweet less about Radio Shack? https://www.theverge.com/...
@backlon Dieter Bohn on x
Puns and typos to remain free. https://www.theverge.com/...
@lamonicabuzz Paul R. La Monica on x
$TWTR up nearly 2% today following this news. Will be interested to see just how many people attract happily paying super followers though. https://blog.twitter.com/...
@liamodelluk Liam O'Dell on x
10k followers to get Super Follows; 100k followers to get verified. Wow, disabled activists really are getting all the benefits on this platform. 🥰 #VerifyDisabledTwitter https://twitter.com/...
@bozitatarevic Bozi Tatarevic on x
Bozi Platinum members will get a free trial on my Super Follow program. https://twitter.com/...
@makeupforwoc Tiara Willis on x
ITS HERE!!!!!! SUPER FOLLOW MEEEEEEEEEE https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
I'm totally gonna use Super Follows for pictures of shelves 😏 https://twitter.com/...
@twittermedia @twittermedia on x
Remember when we announced in June that Super Follows was open for applications? Today @SuperFollows opens to an initial group of Creators, on iOS in the US and Canada. https://twitter.com/...
@maddestmao Mao on x
no no no what i need is super tweets without the follow shit, i WANT people to see my hot takes and if they want to argue with me i want them to have to pay to reply to said hot takes https://twitter.com/...
@russbengtson Russ Bengtson on x
gonna ask people to pay me to not tweet https://twitter.com/...
@fesothe @fesothe on x
So it's really only for people like @kanyewest and other celebrities and influencers to share private thoughts, as it limits reach. Why can't Twitter implement blockchain technology and credit us if we view and interact meaningfully? and then allow us to pay to access tweets. htt…
@44 @44 on x
creators... imagine using super following to give your supporters early access to drops clothing, digital items for games, NFTs https://twitter.com/...
@dabitch @dabitch on x
Twitter just launched “Super follows”, and OnlyBirds variant of Twitter if you will, where paying fans get access to extra content. https://blog.twitter.com/...
@morganblocky Morgan Block on x
I am so excited to share that we are launching Super Follows with our first small group of Creators It has been truly amazing collaborating with such a thoughtful, smart team, and I want to share some of the learnings that led us to this moment 🧵 https://twitter.com/...
@chriswelch Chris Welch on x
is it ethical for journalists to do Super Follows? 👀 https://www.theverge.com/...
@hsajwanization @hsajwanization on x
Twitter launches Super Follows on iOS - that means users can charge for subscriber-only content. Creators can set their tweets to go out to Super Followers only, and the tweets will appear in the timelines of just those subscribers. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.co…
@matteayce Matt Wishart on x
There ain't a soul on this earth whose tweets I would pay to see. https://twitter.com/...
@iamtimbaker Tim Baker on x
I don't care who you are, nobody is paying $10/mo to read your tweets https://twitter.com/...
@casey_lau Casey Lau on x
Creator Economy in full swing! https://www.theverge.com/...
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
Sept 1 2021, the day “can't believe this site is free” jokes died https://twitter.com/...
@paymentsdive Payments Dive on x
Payments innovator @Stripe is teaming up on a new @Twitter feature described today as a “way for people to earn monthly revenue by sharing subscriber-only content with their followers on Twitter.” More on that monetization of social media here: https://blog.twitter.com/...
@ow @ow on x
it is very funny to me that twitter continues to imply only iOS users deserve money https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
Super Follows are now here and Twitter users on iOS can now paywall their content. This is Twitter's opportunity to move down funnel and capture some of the market share currently owned by Patreon & OnlyFans. As for me, you can rest assured that my crap opinions will remain free …

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