Big Tech platforms like Twitter were once characterized by free content. Now the platform is working toward releasing Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces as the internet shifts toward paid access to influencers.
The future hotspots of the internet appear to be members only. In short, Twitter has responded to the rise of paid interaction with influencers and paid listening to conversations among influencers by monetizing exclusive membership for dedicated fans. “Big news. Starting today, you can apply to be one of the first to try Ticketed Spaces and Super Follows with your audience,” Twitter Media tweeted June 22. “At Twitter we want to help people make money, and give them tools they can use to be rewarded for their work and feel supported by their audience,” the account explained in a following tweet.
Twitter’s media blog touted the new program as a way for influencers to “engage their followers” and “earn money.”
“Twitter is where people go to have real conversations about what's happening. It’s a place where people can express themselves authentically and share their unfiltered thoughts in the moment,” Twitter summarized in a Media blog. “We’re working on ways for people driving those conversations to earn money from audience support and engage their followers in a new way.”
Ticketed Spaces and Super Follows will be two means for influencers to monetize their massive followings on Twitter.
“Ticketed Spaces” are where influencers can “create unique and exclusive live audio experiences in Twitter Spaces, ones your audience is willing to pay for. With Ticketed Spaces, you have flexibility in setting the ticket price, which can be as low as $1 and as high as $999,” Twitter noted in its Media blog. In short, Twitter is creating a gated corner of the internet where audiences can listen in to multiple influencers talk.
Meanwhile, “Super Follows” give influencers a “direct relationship with your most engaged followers that can generate monthly revenue.” The Twitter blog included further illustration that influencers can get paid subscriptions from their biggest fans “by offering bonus content and interaction.”
Twitter explained in the blog that for such an ambitious overhaul of how users interact to take place, the platform will begin with a limited rollout:
“We’re looking for a small group of people to be the first to try Ticketed Spaces and Super Follows with their audiences and share feedback. Help us test and improve these experiences before they launch more broadly in the coming months.”
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