X’s new Clip tool lets users earn from others’ videos via Original Content Rewards

X added a built-in Clip tool on Monday, Nov 9, and each clip credits the original video and links back to it, per a post from X’s Creators account. X says both the clipper and the original creator can earn from views on the clip through Original Content Rewards. X has not published payout rates, and TechCrunch notes the program is open only to eligible creators.

How does X’s Clip tool work?

X’s Creators account pitched it as a way to “grab your favorite moment from any video, add your take, and post it without leaving X.” TechCrunch’s read is that the tool “appears to be little more than a straightforward video-trimming feature.” The point is the plumbing around it: the clip stays tied to its source instead of becoming a loose re-upload.

Digital Trends lists the limits it reports for the feature:

• You can only clip pre-recorded videos that run at least two minutes. Livestreams are not supported yet, and Digital Trends says X’s Creator Product Lead, Allegra Jacchia, said that is coming soon.
• A clip must be 5 to 60 seconds and can’t exceed 30% of the original, so a two-minute video yields at most 36 seconds. Videos longer than 3 minutes 20 seconds allow the full 60.
• To make one, tap Repost on a video, choose “Clip video,” drag the trimmer handles, add your comment and post.

The numbers and steps come from Digital Trends’ reporting, so treat them as reported.

Who gets paid when a clip takes off?

X’s post says both the original creator and the clipper can earn from views on a clip through Original Content Rewards. TechCrunch adds that the program is only available to eligible creators and pays based on specific levels of audience engagement.

X has not said how a clip’s earnings are split between clipper and source, what a view is worth, whether a clipper has to qualify for the program on their own, or which countries are covered. For context, TechCrunch reported in August that applicants to Original Content Rewards needed X Premium, 500 verified followers and 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users over 90 days, and that content downloaded and re-uploaded without meaningful transformation did not count. Whether those thresholds apply to clippers is not stated. If they do, a small channel may get the “Clip from” link without a payout.

How is this different from the clip-farming economy?

Clipping has long been a side business: someone cuts the best minute out of a long stream or podcast and posts it on a short-form feed. TechCrunch describes the practice as splicing longer videos into short-attention-span clips to draw eyeballs and ad revenue. Usually that happens without the source’s involvement, and credit depends on the clipper’s goodwill.

X is now building the credit link into the product. Back in May, Digital Trends reported that X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, said the company had been reducing payouts for large accounts that programmatically re-upload smaller accounts’ videos, with some repeat offenders seeing creator revenue cut by as much as 90%. The native tool is the sanctioned alternative to that behavior.

YouTube has moved in a similar direction. On Oct 5, Dexerto reported that YouTube is updating Shorts recommendations to favor original content, so channels that mainly re-upload others’ videos will likely see less reach. YouTube has not given a start date. X uses a labeled, paid clip format; YouTube uses recommendation changes.

What should creators and clippers do now?

• Source creators: check whether your longer videos are on X and whether your account is eligible for Original Content Rewards.
• Clippers: per Digital Trends’ figures, the 30% cap and the two-minute minimum mean short source videos can’t be clipped at all.
• Everyone: wait for X to publish rates and the revenue split before building a plan around this.

We will update this page if X publishes payout details or extends the tool to livestreams.