Sylvia Duruson
Twitter influencers in Nigeria now receive payments for their tweets through the platform’s new Ads Revenue Sharing program. Initiated by CEO Elon Musk, this initiative shares a portion of Twitter’s advertising income with influential creators to incentivise Premium subscriptions.
On Monday, several Nigerian influencers like Desmond Oris awoke to credits from Twitter ranging from $251 to $500. To qualify, users must have a Premium subscription, over 500 followers, and at least 15 million post impressions in the last three months. Oris, who started influencer marketing in June 2022, was pleasantly surprised. “Many of us were skeptical at first about Musk’s claims,” he admitted.
Launched in February 2023, revenue sharing aims to boost Premium sign-ups. Twitter sent initial payouts in July, apologising recently for payment delays due to high registration volumes. Musk’s strategy seems to work, with users globally sharing payment confirmation.
For influencer Victoria Gwaza with nearly 20,000 followers, this news motivated her to obtain the coveted blue verification checkmark finally. “The checkmark has great perks like tweet editing, and I want the payments too. I’ll subscribe today since my card issues are fixed,” she said. Gwaza feels Twitter payouts also increase influencer marketing rates. “With guaranteed income, I can charge brands more fairly versus the past lowball offers.”
However, some express concerns over increased toxicity. User Falmata worries minorities will bear the brunt of hateful behaviour. “People will recklessly spread misinformation for followers and engagement to get paid. Verified badges can even be hidden now.”
While Premium users must apply and eligibility isn’t guaranteed, the process is easy, according to Oris. “Just enable ‘Creator Ads Revenue Sharing’ in monetisation settings.”
Though long-term sustainability is uncertain, Musk’s strategy has undeniably driven Premium subscriptions upward for now.
