社交網絡X,前身為推特(Twitter),長期以來一直試圖通過為用戶提供Ticketed Spaces(允許創作者對他們的獨家內容收費)、Tips(用戶向原創者的付費渠道)等多種盈利工具,在創作者經濟中分一杯羹,并取得了不同程度的成功。
其中一項新功能名為“訂閱”(Subscriptions),以前被稱為“超級關注”(Super Follows),允許用戶為按月付費的訂閱者提供獨家內容。該功能于2021年首次推出,X的所有者埃隆·馬斯克在今年4月將其更名為“訂閱”。
雖然X沒有透露該功能的總訂閱者數量,也沒有透露單個創作者積累的訂閱者數量,但《財富》雜志獲得的有關馬斯克的數據表明,訂閱功能在X宣稱的5.41億用戶中并沒有真正火起來。
《財富》雜志查閱的資料顯示,馬斯克在X平臺擁有1.55億粉絲,為粉絲最多的賬號。但僅有約4萬多名用戶訂閱了馬斯克,占其粉絲總數的0.025%。這些訂閱者每人每月支付4美元,即可獲得這位科技界億萬富翁的獨家內容。在蘋果(Apple)和X分成之前,這相當于每年近200萬美元的收入。一位知情人士表示,其他幾位知名創作者在X上的付費訂閱者不到5,000人,與他們龐大的粉絲群相比,這一數字相對較少。
據該消息人士稱,創作者可以在X上設定他們想要收取的訂閱費用,以1美元為單位遞增,最高可達250美元。推特最初推出該功能時,創作者的訂閱費用只能設定為2.99美元、4.99美元或9.99美元。
創作者也可以選擇為訂閱者提供多少服務。X創作者能夠為訂閱者提供的服務包括獨家現場音頻“空間”會話和滿足訂閱者要求的獎勵“幕后”推文。
馬斯克有時一天發24條推特,但很少為訂閱者發布獨家內容。自4月以來,馬斯克似乎已經為訂閱者發布了7次帖子,并擁有兩個獨家“空間”,但自6月下旬以來就再也沒有發布過帖子。
目前尚不清楚誰在X上擁有最多的付費訂閱者,但其他平臺上的高級訂閱會員可以吸引更多的付費訂閱者。例如,OnlyFans上的頂級創作者每月收入超過30萬美元——盡管是通過流媒體播放成人(NSFW)內容,這與馬斯克為訂閱者提供的內容大不相同。在擁有與訂閱功能類似功能的Patreon平臺上,喜劇播客二人組沙恩·吉利斯和馬特·麥卡斯克擁有近7萬名訂閱者,月費在1美元到50美元之間。
X的一位消息人士告訴《財富》雜志:“我認為目前的訂閱功能表現差強人意。”
付費訂閱從來都不是該平臺的搖錢樹。據科技博客網站TechCrunch報道,當該功能于2021年9月以“超級關注”的名字首次推出時,僅帶來了微不足道的6,000美元收入。根據Appfigures的估計,到2022年2月,該功能的收入已達53萬美元。
X的收入分成僅為創作者一生中第一筆5萬美元收入的3%。超過這一門檻,創作者有望獲得高達80%的收入。今年4月,馬斯克將該功能重新命名為“訂閱”,隨后他宣布,該平臺將在一年內放棄按照慣例收取的3%分成。
當這項功能還被稱為“超級關注”時,用戶需要1萬名粉絲,并且在過去30天內至少發布25條推文,才能使用該功能。自那以后,這一先決條件已經縮減到只需要500名粉絲,且沒有最低發帖量要求。
X沒有立即回應《財富》雜志的置評請求。(財富中文網)
譯者:中慧言-王芳
社交網絡X,前身為推特(Twitter),長期以來一直試圖通過為用戶提供Ticketed Spaces(允許創作者對他們的獨家內容收費)、Tips(用戶向原創者的付費渠道)等多種盈利工具,在創作者經濟中分一杯羹,并取得了不同程度的成功。
其中一項新功能名為“訂閱”(Subscriptions),以前被稱為“超級關注”(Super Follows),允許用戶為按月付費的訂閱者提供獨家內容。該功能于2021年首次推出,X的所有者埃隆·馬斯克在今年4月將其更名為“訂閱”。
雖然X沒有透露該功能的總訂閱者數量,也沒有透露單個創作者積累的訂閱者數量,但《財富》雜志獲得的有關馬斯克的數據表明,訂閱功能在X宣稱的5.41億用戶中并沒有真正火起來。
《財富》雜志查閱的資料顯示,馬斯克在X平臺擁有1.55億粉絲,為粉絲最多的賬號。但僅有約4萬多名用戶訂閱了馬斯克,占其粉絲總數的0.025%。這些訂閱者每人每月支付4美元,即可獲得這位科技界億萬富翁的獨家內容。在蘋果(Apple)和X分成之前,這相當于每年近200萬美元的收入。一位知情人士表示,其他幾位知名創作者在X上的付費訂閱者不到5,000人,與他們龐大的粉絲群相比,這一數字相對較少。
據該消息人士稱,創作者可以在X上設定他們想要收取的訂閱費用,以1美元為單位遞增,最高可達250美元。推特最初推出該功能時,創作者的訂閱費用只能設定為2.99美元、4.99美元或9.99美元。
創作者也可以選擇為訂閱者提供多少服務。X創作者能夠為訂閱者提供的服務包括獨家現場音頻“空間”會話和滿足訂閱者要求的獎勵“幕后”推文。
馬斯克有時一天發24條推特,但很少為訂閱者發布獨家內容。自4月以來,馬斯克似乎已經為訂閱者發布了7次帖子,并擁有兩個獨家“空間”,但自6月下旬以來就再也沒有發布過帖子。
目前尚不清楚誰在X上擁有最多的付費訂閱者,但其他平臺上的高級訂閱會員可以吸引更多的付費訂閱者。例如,OnlyFans上的頂級創作者每月收入超過30萬美元——盡管是通過流媒體播放成人(NSFW)內容,這與馬斯克為訂閱者提供的內容大不相同。在擁有與訂閱功能類似功能的Patreon平臺上,喜劇播客二人組沙恩·吉利斯和馬特·麥卡斯克擁有近7萬名訂閱者,月費在1美元到50美元之間。
X的一位消息人士告訴《財富》雜志:“我認為目前的訂閱功能表現差強人意。”
付費訂閱從來都不是該平臺的搖錢樹。據科技博客網站TechCrunch報道,當該功能于2021年9月以“超級關注”的名字首次推出時,僅帶來了微不足道的6,000美元收入。根據Appfigures的估計,到2022年2月,該功能的收入已達53萬美元。
X的收入分成僅為創作者一生中第一筆5萬美元收入的3%。超過這一門檻,創作者有望獲得高達80%的收入。今年4月,馬斯克將該功能重新命名為“訂閱”,隨后他宣布,該平臺將在一年內放棄按照慣例收取的3%分成。
當這項功能還被稱為“超級關注”時,用戶需要1萬名粉絲,并且在過去30天內至少發布25條推文,才能使用該功能。自那以后,這一先決條件已經縮減到只需要500名粉絲,且沒有最低發帖量要求。
X沒有立即回應《財富》雜志的置評請求。(財富中文網)
譯者:中慧言-王芳
X, formerly Twitter, has long tried to carve out a slice of the creator economy by offering a variety of monetization tools for users such as Ticketed Spaces, Tips, and more with varying levels of success.
One of its newer tools is called Subscriptions, formerly known as Super Follows, which allows users to provide exclusive content for followers who pay them a monthly fee. The feature was first launched in 2021 and renamed by X owner Elon Musk in April.
While X does not disclose the number of total subscribers to the feature, or the number of subscribers that individual creators have amassed, data obtained by Fortune regarding Musk suggests that Subscriptions is not exactly catching fire among X’s alleged 541 million users.
According to material viewed by Fortune, Musk (the most followed user on X with 155 million followers) has garnered just over 40,000 subscribers, or about 0.025% of his followers, who each pay $4 a month to get exclusive content from the tech multibillionaire. That equates to nearly $2 million annually, before Apple and X’s cut. A source familiar with the matter said that several other high-profile creators have less than 5,000 paying subscribers on X, a relatively modest number compared with their large followings.
Creators set the price they want to charge on X for subscriptions, all the way up to $250 in $1 increments, according to the source. When Twitter initially launched the feature, users were limited to setting a monthly fee of either $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99.
Creators choose how much, or how little, they give their subscribers, too. Among the menu of offerings an X creator can serve their subscribers are exclusive live audio “spaces” sessions and bonus “behind-the-scenes” tweets of their choosing.
Musk, who sometimes tweets as often as 24 times a day, rarely puts out exclusive content for subscribers. Musk appears to have posted seven times for subscribers since April, has held two exclusive spaces, and hasn’t posted since late June.
It’s not clear who has the highest number of paying subscribers on X, but premium subscriptions on other platforms can command far more paying subscribers. Top creators on OnlyFans, for example, can earn over $300,000 per month—albeit by streaming NSFW content, which is far different from what Musk is offering his subscribers. On Patreon, a platform that functions similarly to the Subscriptions feature, comedic podcast duo Shane Gillis and Matt McCusker have nearly 70,000 subscribers who pay between $1 and $50 a month.
“I think Subscriptions in its current state are a bust,” a source at X told Fortune.
Paid subscriptions have never been a cash cow for the platform. When it was first introduced as Super Follows in September 2021, the feature raked in a minuscule $6,000 in revenue, per TechCrunch. According to estimates by Appfigures, revenue by February 2022 had reached $530,000.
X’s share of the revenue is a mere 3% of what a creator earns up to their first $50,000 in lifetime earnings. Beyond that threshold, creators can expect to pocket up to 80% of their earnings. Following Musk’s rebranding of the feature as “Subscriptions” in April, he announced that the platform would abstain from collecting its customary 3% share for an entire year.
When the feature was still called Super Follows, users needed 10,000 followers and a minimum of 25 tweets within the past 30 days before they could use the feature. This prerequisite has since been scaled down to a mere 500 followers with no minimum post requirement.
X did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.