Twitter exploring feature that will let users charge for content

Twitter is exploring a feature that would allow users to charge followers for exclusive content, the company announced Thursday. 

The “Super Follows” feature was announced at Twitter’s analyst day. A mock-up of the feature displayed during the presentation shows an example of a user charging $4.99 a month for a “Super Follow” that grants the “super” followers access to exclusive content, including subscriber-only newsletters as well as deals and discounts. 

The feature is not yet available, but a spokesperson said the company will have more to share in the “coming months.”

“Exploring audience funding opportunities like Super Follows will allow creators and publishers to be directly supported by their audience and will incentivize them to continue creating content that their audience loves,” the spokesperson said in a statement. 

Earlier this month Twitter’s revenue product lead, Bruce Falck, said the company was considering subscription approaches to diversify revenue beyond ads. 

Twitter also announced on Thursday a “Communities” feature that will let people create and join groups around topics and interests. For example, the mock-up in Twitter’s presentation shows communities such as “Crazy for Cats,” “Plant Parents,” and “#SocialJustice.” 

“People already use Twitter to create community across a wide range of topics and this work builds on these existing conversations,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson said the company will share more about the communities feature later this year. 

The new features are the latest in a handful of updates Twitter has been rolling out in recent months, expanding on Twitter’s text-based platform which has largely not changed since it first launched. 

Twitter recently expanded to offer “fleets,” which allow users to upload posts to a 24-hour story, similar to features already existing on Snapchat and Facebook, as well as Spaces, which allows users to connect in live audio chats.

The latest announcements come as the company said it aims to reach 315 million monetizable daily active users and double its revenue by the end of 2023.