Twitter Super Follows & Ticketed Spaces: What You Need to Know

Twitter Introduces Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces

In a move designed to gain an edge over rivals like Clubhouse and Patreon, Twitter has announced the commencement of applications for its Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces programs.

Super Follows: A New Revenue Stream for Creators

The Super Follows feature was initially previewed during a February Analyst Day event. This functionality enables Twitter creators to generate recurring monthly income by providing exclusive, paywalled content to subscribers.

Subscription tiers are set at $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 per month. Eligibility requires users to be over 18 years of age, possess a minimum of 10,000 followers, and have posted at least 25 tweets within the preceding 30 days.

Twitter’s revenue share is 3% after standard in-app purchase fees. However, fees levied by the App Store and Google Play – amounting to 30% – significantly impact creator earnings. Consequently, creators will retain approximately two-thirds of subscriber payments.

Once lifetime earnings surpass $50,000, Twitter will increase its share to 20% of future earnings after fees, reducing creator income to roughly half of subscriber payments. This contrasts with Patreon’s 5-12% fee structure, as it operates outside of in-app purchase systems.

While Super Follows may provide a convenient monetization option for creators already active on Twitter, the payout disparity is considerable. It could serve as a supplementary income source, but may not fully replace existing platforms like Patreon.

“Our goal is to elevate people driving the conversations on Twitter and help them earn money,” stated Esther Crawford, senior product manager. “We updated our revenue share cuts after spending more time thinking about how we could support emerging voices on Twitter.”

Ticketed Spaces: A Unique Offering

Ticketed Spaces appears more promising, as competitors like Clubhouse and Spotify Greenroom currently lack comparable features. (Discord is in the process of testing ticketed audio events, but they are not yet widely available.)

This feature allows users to set ticket prices for Spaces events ranging from $1 to $999. Creators can also control the number of tickets sold, potentially encouraging higher prices for exclusive, one-on-one interactions with prominent individuals.

Twitter will notify attendees of upcoming Ticketed Spaces via push and in-app notifications. To qualify for access, users must be over 18, have hosted at least three Spaces in the last 30 days, and have a follower count of at least 1,000.

While Clubhouse and Instagram offer tipping and badge features for live audio spaces, neither currently supports advance ticket sales. Creator Funds represent another monetization avenue on these platforms, though the earning potential remains to be seen in comparison to Twitter’s Ticketed Spaces.

Recent Developments at Twitter

These updates follow attempts by activist shareholders to remove CEO Jack Dorsey last year. Twitter is now actively expanding its feature set and acquiring companies such as Revue, Ueno, and Breaker.

Availability and Application Process

Applications for Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces are currently exclusive to mobile users in the U.S. Currently, only iOS users can apply for Super Follows, while applications for Ticketed Spaces are open to both iOS and Android users.

A new “Monetization” button has been added to the app’s sidebar, allowing users to check their eligibility for participation in these test groups. Wider rollout of these features is anticipated in the coming months.