X replaced creator revenue sharing with Original Content Rewards. Here’s what counts
Old payouts were set to end Sept 7, applications for the new program were slated to open Sept 8, and reposts and re-uploads don't qualify.
The tea in 3
- X is winding down Creator Revenue Sharing; existing members keep earning through Sept 7, and Original Content Rewards applications start Sept 8.
- Applicants need X Premium, 500 verified followers and 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users in 90 days.
- Reposts, downloaded-and-reuploaded clips and copied posts don't count. US payouts now go through X Money.
If you post on X for money, the rules changed this fall. X ended its Creator Revenue Sharing program and replaced it with Original Content Rewards, a program that is supposed to pay for stuff you made yourself. TechCrunch reported the switch on Aug 8, with applications for the new program set to open Sept 8.
The timeline
- X announces the switch and says it will stop taking new Revenue Sharing participants.
- Last day existing participants keep earning under the old program.
- Creators can apply to Original Content Rewards.
Who can apply
According to TechCrunch, you need an active X Premium subscription, at least 500 verified followers, and 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users in the past 90 days.
What counts as original
X says original reporting and analysis count, along with photos or videos you shot, memes or graphics you designed, and commentary. If your posts regularly include other people’s material, you have to add meaningful original value.
What does not count: posts copied from another account, content downloaded and re-uploaded, and reposts without meaningful transformation.
Why X says it did this
X’s Allegra Jacchia said the old program “had reached a point where its incentives were misaligned.” She added: “Creators should be focused on bringing net new content to the platform instead of maximizing payouts.” The pitch is clear: pay for originality, not for recycling.
If you follow meme pages, clip accounts or aggregators on X, their business model just got harder. The accounts that make their own stuff are the ones the new program is built for.
What we still don’t know
The announcement TechCrunch described does not include payout rates. Separately, Social Media Today reported on Sept 2 that, per X’s Creators account, US payouts for Original Content Rewards and subscriptions are now paid through X Money, with no alternative for US creators. Creators outside the US still get paid through Stripe.
TechCrunch adds that X cut payments to aggregator and “clickbait” accounts in April, and that Musk reversed some of those changes after backlash from popular accounts. Jacchia said X will keep “refining the program, improving our models, and raising the bar over time.”
Where it stands
The program is live and the bar is set to rise. Expect creators to start sharing screenshots of their first Original Content Rewards payouts.
Poll
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