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Twitter explores letting users charge for exclusive content in search for subscription revenue

  • The social media company says it is building a new paid product called ‘Super Follows’
  • The effort is part of a broader subscription push to diversify revenue

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A signage is displayed outside of the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California, US, on July 16, 2020. Photo: Bloomberg

Twitter Inc gave the first outline of a potential subscription product that will let people charge followers for access to special content or experiences, part of a broader effort to diversify the social network’s revenue sources and give high-profile users a way to make money on the service.

The company mentioned a new feature called Super Follows during an Analyst Day event on Thursday, which it described as an “account subscription” where users could charge others on the service for certain content. This could be a number of things, including exclusive tweets, special access to another user’s direct messages or audio conversations, or a paid newsletter, said Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter’s head of product. The company plans to release Super Follows “sometime this year.”

The shares rose to an all-time high on the product announcement and an upbeat forecast for sales and user growth through 2023. San Francisco-based Twitter recently purchased newsletter start-up Revue, and executives have said they are excited about letting newsletter writers build a paying audience on the service. The company is also considering “tipping,” or letting users donate money to people they enjoy following, and charging for Tweetdeck.

“We also think that an audience-funded model, where subscribers can directly fund the content that they value most, is a durable incentive model that aligns the interest of creators and consumers,” said Dantley Davis, Twitter’s chief design officer. Presumably, Twitter would take a cut of the subscription fee.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on September 5, 2018. Photo: AFP
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on September 5, 2018. Photo: AFP

Bloomberg previously reported that Twitter was exploring user subscription features, and chief executive officer Jack Dorsey discussed the idea of paying to “unlock” content or “tip” another user during a recent interview. Almost 90 per cent of Twitter’s sales come from advertising, which can be seasonal and easily influenced by factors outside of the company’s control. For example, revenue fell 19 per cent in the second quarter during the height of the pandemic shutdowns.

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