Sounds like the money is on X (formerly Twitter), where users are constantly uploading photos of profits made but never explaining how they arrived there. Minute it’s easy, next minute you’re staring down your own profile trying to figure out why two people have liked your tweets (one was yourself).
The bottom line is that X can be a money maker, but only if you know the mechanics of how it works. Let’s look at it in practical terms, not with magical numbers or marquee overnight successes.
How many followers do you need to make money on X?
I receive this question often, and the answer tends to surprise people. You don’t have to be followed by millions. You don’t even require hundreds of thousands.
Some of X’s monetization route options require them to have a certain numbers of followers, and others have no such requirements. What’s more important is engagement rather than the number of followers. An active following on a small account can bring in more than a dormant one on a big account.
Stated simply, people who talk back are more important than people who only scroll.
Who can monetize their X account?
For everybody serializing monetizable features is not an option. X have some eligibility rules for some programs, especially ad revenue sharing.
More often, you’ll need to have a complete profile, have posted with some regularity and have reached a certain threshold of impressions or followers. Such regulations move, and so think of them as a moving target, not a firm promise.
But here’s what matters: if you don’t easily qualify for platform monetization, X still serves as an opportunity to make money, because X can be used as a tool and traffic machine of influence.
Before you start getting paid on X
No one is going to hand over a single dollar without verifying that you are who you say you are, and in this digital age, that requires a profile that looks like an actual human being (or brand) and not the sort of inactive account some guy left behind in 2016.
Your bio should spell out what you do or speak about. Your profile picture should not be an epic group shot so blurry that no one knows which face is yours. And yes, consistency matters. Random once-a-week tweets aren’t going to establish anything.
Consider your profile to be like a digital shop window. If it appears empty, people walk right by.
1. Creator revenue sharing
X provides revenue sharing on the platform for those qualified. Which, in turn, means you can make money when ads appear below your post replies.
Sounds great, right? The hitch is that you will need quite a bit of engagement and impressions. This is most effective with creators who create conversation, not those who tweet alone in the wilderness.
If your posts inspire replies and conversation, this can be a decent money maker over time
2. Subscriptions
Subscriptions give followers the option to pay a monthly fee for access to exclusive content. This assumes that people think your content is worth paying for.
These might be exclusive tweets, behind-the-scenes insights, private responses or early access. But let’s face it, people won’t subscribe just because you’re there.
You require trust, value and a reason. Otherwise, it’s just a “support me please” button.
3. Tips
Tips are just what they sound like. Your followers can send you small payments to support your work.
Read the full post on this topic. Compatible audienceGroupsAuthors and other creators who regularly deliver value to their readers, adding education or entertainment in return for permission to stay in touch. It doesn’t typically make you rich, but it is a nice bonus.
Think coffee money, not luxury car money.
4. Ticketed Spaces
Ticketed Spaces allow you to charge users to enter live audio conversations. These are great for creators who teach, coach or facilitate conversations.
However, if you have something valuable to say and can manage to keep people entertained clip after clip, there’s power in it. If not, silence in a paid room is awkward.
5. Sponsored posts
So, sponsored tweets are a really common way folks get paid on X. Basically, brands will throw money at you to chat about what they’re selling.
1You don’t have to have a million followers, but it really helps to have a specific niche and people actually interacting with your stuff. Brands are way more interested in if your audience is the right fit, not just how many followers you have.
One thing: If you just spam out ads all day long, people will stop trusting you super quick. Keep it real!
6. Affiliate marketing
With affiliate marketing, you share product links and earn a commission if someone makes a purchase.
This works well on X, if you say things naturally and honestly. When links are forced onto us in this way, it is spammy and causes people to scroll right by.
If you actually use the product and explain why it’s useful, affiliate links can quietly earn in the background.
7. Selling your own products or services
Most content creators use X to sell online courses, coaching or freelance services.
X is particularly effective for this since conversations add credibility. When others see you show up sharing power thoughts every day, selling doesn’t become pushy; it becomes logical.
The key is consistency. One tweet won’t sell anything. Repetition builds trust.
8. Driving traffic to other platforms
X need not be where money is exchanged. It is where attention can begin.
Many content creators use X to send traffic to blogs, YouTube channels, email newsletters or stores where monetization is made a lot easier.
Consider X the door, not the cash register.
9. X ads
Some people post X ads to sell merchandise or services. This is more achievable for companies than it is for individuals.
Advertising can be effective if you know targeting and messaging. It’s an expensive way to learn a lesson to throw money at ads when you don’t have a plan.
10. Building a personal brand
This is the long game. A strong personal brand on X opens the door to partnerships, consulting relationships, collaborations and opportunities you can’t plan ahead for.
It is not fast, but it is compounding. Unlike trends, personal brands don’t go away overnight.
Final thoughts
It is possible to make money on X, but it isn’t magic. It takes time, consistency and a little bit of patience, not to mention a belly for tweets that go nowhere.
When you concentrate on being useful, showing up and using the monetization tactics that are actually right for your content, X is much more than a scrolling habit.
And don’t worry if nothing is happening immediately. Congratulations, you’re doing it exactly the same way everybody did at the start.
