How to Make Money on Twitter (X): 12 Best Strategies

According to Statista, Twitter is projected to reach 503.42 million users by 2028 as the number of users continuously grows. This means that right now is the perfect opportunity to join the flow and start using the platform to your benefit. 

You shouldn’t necessarily have millions of followers to monetize your account. It’s possible to make revenue from your content even with a small but loyal audience. Read on to find out how to make money on Twitter (X) using the best strategies for maximum income.

How Many Followers Do You Need to Make Money on Twitter

It’s a common misconception that having a massive audience is the only key to earning on Twitter. While a huge number of followers improves your revenue potential, you must also consider many other criteria like loyalty and engagement. You won’t get much from a million inactive users.

If your goal is to join X’s ads revenue-sharing program, you’ll need:

• 500+ followers;
• 5 million impressions within the last 3 months;
• A subscription to X Premium or Verified Organizations;
• A Stripe account for payouts.

However, these numbers are irrelevant if you’re looking forward to using other options to make money on Twitter. Some strategies can help you monetize an account with even 100 followers if applied properly.

How Much Money Can You Make on Twitter

It’s important to understand that you’re unlikely to make a full-fledged salary on Twitter unless your audience includes several thousands of active followers. Your earnings will vary widely, depending on your:

• Monetization strategies;
• Follower count;
• Engagement levels.

For example, survey data from 2021 shows that influencers with under 5,000 followers expected to receive $56 per post on average. Influencers with more than 25,000 followers requested an average of $126 per post. However, these numbers are only relevant for sponsored promotions.

There’s a fun way to discover how much money you can make with a simple Twitter calculator. We decided to try it out with Elon Musk’s account and it evaluated a single sponsored post at $145,040. It appears Elon could make quite a living with paid promotions on his account.

12 Ways to Make Money on Twitter

So how do you make money on Twitter? Just like with any other social media, this website includes dozens of methods to generate income. Let’s check out the current methods that are relevant in 2024.

1. Twitter Ads Revenue Sharing

The Ads Revenue Sharing program allows eligible creators to earn money from their X accounts. They receive a portion of the revenue generated from ads displayed within the replies section of their posts, based on the organic views received by those ads.

You’ll need at least 500 followers, 5 million impressions over the last 3 months, a subscription to X Premium or Verified Organizations, and a Stripe account. Payouts are processed weekly as long as your account generates more than $10 USD. 

Here’s how you can join the program:

1. Open the “Monetization” section in your settings.
2. Click “Join and set up payouts”.
3. Create a Stripe account and bind it to X.
4. Start earning money.

The most challenging part is generating impressions. Some tips to boost impressions include creating engaging content that prompts users to join the discussion, using relevant and trending hashtags, and using threads to share detailed stories with follow-ups if they go viral.

2. Sponsored Tweets

Sponsored tweets involve partnering with brands to create content that promotes their products and services to your followers. The more people buy from your ads, the greater the value of your tweets for partners. You would usually get a fixed payment for a sponsored tweet.

It is recommended that you start using sponsored tweets after establishing a clear brand in your niche and gaining around 5,000+ followers. Although each situation is different, these criteria will ensure you provide a certain value to your partners and get a chance for long-term collaboration.

Here are some resources that connect influencers with brands wanting to publish sponsored content:

• AspireIQ;
• IZEAl
• Upfluence;
• Influencity;
• BrandBacker;
• CreatorIQ, and many others.

Using these resources will help you find partners with relevant products. You will probably agree that it would be strange for a gaming influencer to post an ad covering auto repair services. All your ads should make sense and be within your niche to maintain authority.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Using affiliate marketing to make money on Twitter involves promoting products and services for a certain commission earned from every sale made through your affiliate links. It’s an effective approach when your blog works within a certain niche and promotes related offers.

A great way to promote your affiliate content includes creating educational content and reviews. Showing your followers the benefits of using promoted products in high-quality content will make them want to get it. For example, we covered several effective ways to drive traffic to adult, betting, and crypto offers on Twitter in our previous article.

Many brands do not use affiliate networks, but have their own affiliate programs. This is common with software like Adobe, Shopify, and Canva. Some brands may also offer personalized links and promo codes to track all purchases your followers made from the ad. Just remember to maintain transparency and indicate that the content is sponsored to comply with the FTC guidelines.

4. Super Follows or Subscriptions

Super Follows, already rebranded into Subscriptions, allows your followers to pay a monthly fee to access exclusive content. It’s similar to how Patreon works. Participating in Subscriptions requires you to meet the following eligibility criteria:

• 500+ followers;
• Activity during the past 30 days;
• 18+ years old;
• Subscription to X Blue or X Verified Organizations.

Note that meeting all the criteria doesn’t guarantee acceptance to the program. You can apply through the “Monetization” section in your settings and click “Super Follows” or “Subscriptions” to complete your application. A successful application will unlock three price options: $2.99, $4.99, and $9.99. 

However, this isn’t a donation from your audience. You’ll have to provide them with exclusive content to motivate them to keep on paying for the subscription. For example, artists often use this to publish their stories for subscribers 2 weeks before showing them to regular followers.

5. Build an Email List

Gathering emails is another way of making money on your X account. You can publish posts, share insights, get the conversation going, and then drop a tweet with a subscription to your email list. 

Why are emails so important?

1. It’s an opportunity to share content directly with your audience.
2. You can sell products and services via email.

While you could use email databases for marketing and sales, it’s best when you share content with your target audience. It minimizes the risk of turning your brand into spam and allows you to cover an additional promotion channel.

6. Promote Your Business

Promoting your business is the most profitable activity on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and all other social media. You get to reach out to millions of people for free. If your content is popular, then it’s a perfect opportunity to boost your sales.

Here’s what you can do:

• Add a description of your business to your account’s bio;
• Share valuable information like case studies, tips, or news from your industry;
• mention your services and products every now and then if relevant.

This approach is very similar to social selling. You demonstrate your expertise in a certain topic and industry, so people get interested and check out your profile. Then they see your business and it’s already a reputable resource due to your content. Remember one thing: don’t get too pushy or spammy.

7. Use Ticketed Spaces

X Spaces, formerly known as Twitter Spaces, is a way to have live audio conversations on the platform. It’s a great tool for community discussions and live podcasts, currently available to all creators. Spaces are public and can be accessed by anyone even if they’re not invited manually.

The Ticketed Spaces feature allows you to sell tickets to your live audio. The prices range from $1 to $999 per ticket, additionally allowing you to control the number of people in your Space. 

Here are the eligibility criteria for Ticketed Spaces on Twitter/X:

• 1000+ followers;
• 3+ hosted X Spaces within the last 30 days;
• 18+ years old;
• Verified email address and completed profile.

Similar to Super Follows or Subscriptions, there is no guarantee that you’ll be allowed to use Ticketed Spaces even if you comply with all the criteria. You can send an application via the “Monetization” tab and await confirmation. If you’re approved, you’ll get a new profitable feature for your X account.

8. Sell Your Products and Services

If you publish content within a certain niche, your followers are already potential customers. Their interest in your profile means they might need your products and services. For example, artists often publish their work and mention that they accept paid commissions. 

Here are some examples of businesses that sell through Twitter:

• Adobe frequently publishes industry news, tutorials, and reactions to their user’s creations;
• Zara focuses on sharing highlights and collections with their clothing;
• HubSpot shares memes and casual content that’s relatable to most people.

There are no limitations to your creativity. You can use any approach that works as long as it complies with X’s guidelines and doesn’t get too spammy.

9. Send Twitter Traffic to Your Website

Directing traffic to your website can significantly increase your online visibility, leads, and sales. Considering Twitter (X) is designed for short-form content, you can share summaries and visual content from detailed articles on your website. 

Here’s how this benefits your income:

• Your website gets increased traffic and engagement, positively affecting SEO rankings and sales;
• Website can host affiliate links, meaning that you get more potential clicks and sales;
• Your website receives more ad impressions, increasing your revenue;
• Increased direct sales for e-commerce and retail businesses.

A common practice to place links includes your profile’s bio, shortened links at the end of your posts, and a separate reply to your original tweet with a link. The most important factor is to prompt users to click the link, so you’ll have to grab their attention and provide value.

10. Run Twitter Ads

How can you make money on Twitter Ads? It’s simple: you use them to promote your products, services, and content to a wider audience beyond your followers. The idea is to increase your outreach and get more people to see your account and its offerings.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Promote affiliate products to increase their sales.
2. Drive traffic to monetized content like your blog to earn more from ads.
3. Advertise specific products and services to get direct sales.
4. Use a lead magnet with any free offer to grow your email list for future use.

While you can get direct sales here and now, running X ads is usually a long-term strategic investment for your overall growth. The larger your audience, the greater your monetization capabilities.

11. Run Contests and Giveaways

If you’re wondering how people make money on Twitter by running contests and giveaways, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that it’s another long-term investment. Such activities lead to increased engagement, follower growth, and monetization opportunities.

Here’s what you need to run a successful contest:

1. Set a clear goal, prize, and entry requirements.
2. Create memorable brand-related visuals to improve awareness.
3. Promote your contest using hashtags and partnerships.

For example, it’s a common practice when influencers and brands work together to offer their products as prizes. Some brands may even pay you for the exposure or provide you with free products for the giveaway. The idea is that more people will learn about the products, potentially getting interested in buying them for themselves without extra steps.

12. X Tips

You can get tips on Twitter by placing links to third-party payment services in your profile. This allows people to support your activity by pressing the “Tips” button and sending you money or crypto. The only eligibility criterion to use the Tips feature is being at least 18 years old.

Here’s how to enable Tips on X:

1. Press “Edit Profile” on an Android or iOS device.
2. Agree to the General Tipping policy and click “Allow tips”.
3. Add your third-party services credentials to receive money.

Users aren’t limited in the amount they can send. However, you should find a way to prompt users to support your activity. This would require you to post regularly and engage with your audience, providing high-quality content for all followers.

How to Maximize Earnings on Twitter

Now that you know the strategies for making money on Twitter, let’s move on to several tips that will maximize your profits. They are relevant for most social media, as the approach is very similar.

1. Create an Attractive Twitter Profile

As your X profile works as a business card and an introduction to potential followers, you should do your best to make a powerful impression. This means paying attention to the following details:

• Setting a high-quality profile picture;
• Adding a link to your website;
• Writing a clear and catchy BIO;
• Making a memorable name and handle;
• Creating an attractive profile background.

For example, check out NASA’s profile. It covers every aspect of their branding.

2. Grow Your Twitter Followers

Getting more followers will help you increase the monetization potential of your account. You’ll have to create frequent and engaging content, use relevant hashtags, engage with other users in discussions, and build a community around your profile. 

3. Create Great Content

The only universal tip here is to be consistent, engaging, and relevant to your audience. Depending on your positioning, you might want to keep a serious corporate style or use memes to go viral. The latter is always the easier way to promote yourself online.

4. Use Relevant Hashtags

Hashtags categorize your posts and recommend them to interested users. It’s a crucial element to promote your account. If you don’t know where to find hashtags, you can use services like Keyword Tool to generate all trending and relevant hashtags for your posts.

FAQ

Ratmir Turchaninov

7+ years in the copywriting area. Expertize in EdTech, education, and sports. I also understand the IT industry. My experience includes creating blog posts, social media publications, landing pages, emails, and proofreading. Additionally, I've managed a small team at A2ZFile and provided recommendations for designers in other projects. I can work individually or be a team player – both options are possible.

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