Some creators remain reluctant to host their content on X even after more than a year under Elon Musk's stewardship, and predictions about the platform's ability to attract advertisers and ad revenue payments remain uncertain. The Wall Street Journal reported that they remain reluctant, citing concerns about the impossibility of doing so.
Since Musk bought Twitter in 2022, the new owner has been trying to lure more content creators to the newly rebranded Platform X through an ad-sharing program that places ads within replies to posts. .
Popular YouTuber MrBeast is a well-known creator who recently put the site's advertising program to the test after raising concerns that X wasn't paying him enough, receiving more than $250,000 for a single video. Still, X users were convinced that Musk had rigged the results. The YouTuber also said his compensation was “a bit of a sham” and that his income was likely higher than many people experience.
Musk appears to deny accusations that he put his thumb on the Mr. Beast scale. In any case, some creators are reluctant to post content on X due to the tenuous relationship between the X platform and major advertisers and the unpredictability of payments. The magazine reported.
Since Musk took over, many major advertisers have pulled out of the X platform over concerns about brand safety, lax content moderation, and even Musk's own posts. According to Insider Intelligence, X's advertising revenue in 2023 is estimated at approximately $1.89 billion, a 54% decrease from 2022.
But as Musk acknowledged last year, the leak could pose a problem for content creators who expect to get paid handsomely for their posts.
“X is not exactly a stable or reliable platform,” Emarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg told The Journal. She said: “Given the state of the company's advertising business, it is unlikely that the company will be able to convince most creators that it can provide a sustainable source of income.”
missed payment
According to The Journal, a survey found that only 5% of more than 450 creators plan to use X as their main platform for hosting content in 2024.
The magazine reported that some creators have also recently complained about the unpredictability of ad revenue payments.
Chris Riley, one of the creators who makes about $20 every few weeks, told the Journal that his payments have been suspended and reinstated twice in the last month.
“I don't recommend signing up for Premium right now and trying to share ad revenue until everything is resolved,” he told the newspaper.
In response to Business Insider's investigation, Joe Benarroch, a spokesperson for the platform, pointed to two posts from X, including one in direct response to the Journal article.
“Launched just seven months ago, the X Creators Program is making great progress thanks to the dedication of our incredible team to the success of all creators,” Benarroch said in a Journal post. I wrote about X in my reply. “Critics always give biased opinions without first-hand experience or real insight into program development and planning. Take note!”
The official account for X's creator program also touted some of the platform's accomplishments since Musk's acquisition.
“Prior to the Ads Rev Share program, creator payments did not exist on this platform,” the post said, adding that payments will be made every two weeks and that X plans to expand to video ads as well. .
Sameer Chaudhry, a podcaster who writes educational posts about the creator economy, said he once consulted Musk to help make social media companies more attractive to creators, but X is an important daily platform, he told the Journal. But he said the site still lacks a clear business strategy.
“They have to start showing us the path to building a business on the platform,” he told the Journal.
