How to Make Money on X (Twitter): 15 Proven Methods (2026)
X declared 2026 'the year of the creator' and doubled its revenue sharing pool. With 540M+ monthly users and a new Visa-backed digital wallet, here are 15 ways to monetize X in 2026.
X declared 2026 "the year of the creator" — doubling its revenue sharing pool and launching a $1 million prize for the top long-form Article. With 540+ million monthly active users, a new Visa-backed digital wallet rolling out, and creators reporting 2-3x revenue increases in early 2026, X has become one of the most creator-friendly platforms in the social media landscape.
The monetization ecosystem on X has evolved dramatically. The old Twitter model of "build a following and hope for brand deals" is gone. Today's X offers native ad revenue sharing, paid subscriptions, tipping, Ticketed Spaces, and an emerging payments infrastructure that could turn the platform into a full financial ecosystem.
This guide covers 15 ways to make money on X in 2026, with specific earnings data, eligibility requirements, and practical strategies for each method.
1. X Creator Ad Revenue Sharing
X's flagship monetization program places ads in the reply threads beneath your posts. You earn a share of the revenue from ad impressions that come from X Premium subscribers.
Pay rate: Approximately $8-$12 per million verified-user impressions. The average sits around $8.50 per million verified impressions.
Revenue split: Creators keep 97% of earnings until they hit $50,000 in total payouts, then the rate adjusts to 90%. This is one of the most generous revenue shares of any social platform.
Eligibility:
- X Premium subscription ($8/month) or Verified Organizations ($200/month)
- 500+ verified followers
- 5 million organic impressions in the past 3 months
- Account at least 3 months old with complete profile
- Stripe account connected
- 18+ years old
2026 update: The revenue sharing pool has more than doubled due to growth in X Premium subscriptions throughout 2025. Payouts are now calculated solely on "Verified Home Timeline impressions" — views from Premium users in their main feeds. Early 2026 reports show some creators experiencing doubled or tripled revenues even with stable impression counts.
Payout schedule: Every two weeks via Stripe, with a minimum payout threshold of $30.
2. X Subscriptions (Paid Exclusive Content)
Offer exclusive, subscriber-only content to your most engaged followers.
Pricing tiers: $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 per month — you choose which tier to offer.
Revenue split: Creators keep 97% until $50,000 lifetime earnings, then 90%.
Eligibility:
- X Premium subscription
- 2,000+ active followers
- 5 million organic impressions in the past 3 months
- Must have posted within the past 30 days
What subscribers get: Special badges, exclusive posts, subscriber-only content, and direct access to the creator.
Earnings example: 300 subscribers at $4.99/month = ~$1,450/month after X's cut.
Grow your X audience with consistent posting. PostEverywhere's social media scheduler lets you plan and auto-publish posts across X and all your social accounts. Start free trial →
3. Tips (Direct Payments from Followers)
Followers send one-time payments directly to you as appreciation. A "Tips" button appears on your profile.
Payment processors supported: PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, cryptocurrency wallets (Bitcoin via Strike or the Bitcoin Lightning Network), Bandcamp, GoFundMe, Patreon, and others.
Revenue split: X takes no cut — 100% goes to the creator. Third-party processor fees may apply.
Eligibility: No follower threshold. Simply enable Tips in your profile settings and connect at least one payment method.
This is the lowest barrier-to-entry monetization method on X — anyone can enable it immediately.
4. Ticketed Spaces (Live Audio Monetization)
Host live audio conversations and charge admission.
Pricing: Creators set ticket prices from $1-$999 per ticket. Most successful Ticketed Spaces price between $5-$50.
Revenue split: X takes a small percentage; hosts keep the majority. Paid out monthly through Stripe.
Eligibility: 500+ followers, history of hosting Spaces, X Premium subscription, 18+ years old.
Earnings example: A career coach hosting Ticketed Spaces at $15/ticket, attracting 300 attendees = $4,500 per session. Twice monthly = $9,000/month.
Best use cases: Expert panels, Q&As, educational workshops, intimate coaching sessions, industry discussions.
5. Brand Partnerships and Sponsored Posts
Brand deals remain one of the highest-paying monetization methods on X, with influencer partnerships up 28% since 2024.
Rates by follower tier:
- Micro (1K-10K followers): $50-$500 per tweet
- Mid-tier (10K-100K followers): $500-$2,000 per tweet
- Macro (100K+ followers): $2,000-$5,000+ per tweet
Key trend: Tech influencers make up 32% of all sponsored content on X. Engagement rate matters more than follower count — a creator with 10,000 highly engaged niche followers commands higher rates than 100K disconnected followers.
For help creating consistent content that attracts brand deals, see our best AI tools for X.
6. Affiliate Marketing
Promote products through trackable affiliate links and earn commissions on sales.
Key strategies: Twitter threads generate 63% more impressions and 54% more engagement than single tweets. Use benefit-driven copy with clear CTAs and visual content.
Best niches on X: Tech/SaaS, finance, marketing tools, digital products, Web3.
Compliance: Must include "#ad," "#sponsored," or "Affiliate link" disclosures per FTC guidelines.
Strategy: Educational threads that demonstrate a product's value perform significantly better than hard sells. "Here's how [product] saved me 10 hours/week" outperforms "Buy this product."
7. Ghostwriting and Account Management
One of the most lucrative hidden opportunities on X. Busy founders, CEOs, and executives want a strong X presence but lack the time.
Earnings:
- Basic tweet packages: $300-$1,000/month
- Mid-tier ghostwriting with strategy: $1,000-$3,000/month
- Executive-level ghostwriting (strategy + engagement + analytics): $4,000-$8,000+/month
Results: Professionally managed accounts see 3-5x higher engagement rates compared to inconsistently managed accounts.
How to start: Build your own strong X presence first as proof of concept. Demonstrate your ability to write engaging threads, grow followers, and drive meaningful engagement. Then pitch services to busy professionals in tech, SaaS, AI, and Web3.
Manage client accounts from one dashboard. PostEverywhere's multi-account management lets you handle multiple X accounts, schedule posts, and track performance. See plans →
8. Selling Digital Products
Package your knowledge into products and use X as a marketing engine.
What to sell: Ebooks, templates, online courses, consulting calls, Notion templates, design assets, digital downloads.
How it works: You can't sell directly on X, but the platform excels at showcasing products and driving traffic to your store (Gumroad, Shopify, Teachable, etc.).
Shop Spotlight: Professional accounts can showcase products directly on their profile, driving clicks and purchases.
Strategy: Use threads to demonstrate expertise, then link to your product. Build trust first, sell second. Educational content converts at the highest rates.
9. Newsletter Growth via X
Use X's 500+ million daily scrolling users to grow your newsletter subscriber base, then monetize.
Strategy: Share newsletter excerpts as threads, use daily industry insights to drive subscriptions, include CTA in bio and pinned tweets.
Newsletter platforms: Substack (free, 10% cut on paid subs), Beehiiv, ConvertKit/Kit (free up to 1,000 subscribers).
Monetization: Paid subscriptions ($5-$15/month), sponsorships ($50-$500+ per issue), and affiliate links within emails.
Substack advantage: Substack's "Notes" feature offers additional cross-pollination for audience growth between X and your newsletter.
10. Driving Traffic to External Businesses
Use X as a top-of-funnel channel to drive traffic to your website, e-commerce store, SaaS product, or services page.
Why it works: 59% of X users use the platform to seek news and information, making it ideal for B2B and knowledge-based businesses.
Best practices: Consistent posting of value-driven content, threads that showcase expertise, pinned tweets linking to your offer, strategic use of your bio link.
Best for: Course creators, e-commerce store owners, SaaS companies, consultants, and anyone with an existing business to promote.
11. Coaching and Consulting
Leverage your X expertise or niche knowledge to attract high-paying clients.
Typical rates: $500-$5,000+ per coaching package, depending on niche and demonstrated results.
Strategy: Share valuable insights on X, build authority through threads and replies, then funnel engaged followers toward paid coaching through your bio link.
Best niches: Business coaching, career coaching, marketing consulting, social media strategy, finance, and tech.
12. X Communities Monetization
Build and manage niche X Communities — the platform's answer to Facebook Groups.
Growth stat: 70,000 users join new X Communities daily, creating targeted monetization opportunities.
Monetization methods: Community-exclusive content, premium membership tiers, sponsored community posts, affiliate offers, and brand partnerships for community-specific promotions.
Strategy: Position yourself as community leader, provide exclusive insights and value, then introduce paid tiers or partner with brands for community-specific promotions.
13. Print-on-Demand and Merchandise
Turn your tweets, catchphrases, or brand identity into merchandise.
Services: Printful, Spring (formerly Teespring), Redbubble, Merch by Amazon. Specialty services like PrintYourTweet turn specific tweets into merchandise.
Market size: The print-on-demand market hit $12.96 billion in 2025 and is growing rapidly.
Zero inventory risk: Products are only printed when ordered. Use your X content to promote and link to your store.
X commerce signal: X itself opened an official merch store in late 2024, signaling the platform's investment in commerce.
Create content that sells. PostEverywhere's AI content generator helps you write engaging tweets, brainstorm thread ideas, and maintain a consistent posting schedule. See plans →
14. X Money and Payment Integration (Emerging)
X Money is a Visa-backed digital wallet launching in 2026, enabling in-platform payments, peer-to-peer transfers, and creator payouts.
Features: Transfer funds between bank accounts and digital wallet, real-time peer-to-peer transactions (similar to Zelle/Venmo), potential integration with tipping and live shopping.
Partnership: X partnered with Visa to offer instant funding via Visa Direct and peer-to-peer payments using debit cards.
Status: Internal beta completed (Musk confirmed personally), external beta rollout to select US users underway.
Monetization implications: Could enable direct in-app purchases, live shopping during Spaces, frictionless tipping, and reduced payment processing times for all creator earnings.
15. Long-Form Articles and Grok AI Opportunities
X is incentivizing long-form content with major financial rewards.
$1 Million Article Prize: X launched a $1 million reward for the top long-form Article in the next payout period. Restricted to US users, minimum 1,000 words.
Grok AI integration: X uses Grok AI to rank posts in the "Following" feed by predicted relevance and engagement. Premium+ subscribers get higher Grok AI limits and advanced publishing tools (Articles, Radar Search).
Strategic angle: X is incentivizing long-form content partly to generate high-quality training data for Grok. Creators who produce in-depth Articles are being disproportionately rewarded.
X Premium+ features for creators ($40/month): Nearly ad-free experience, higher Grok AI usage limits, Article publishing, Radar Search for trend discovery.
How Much Does X Actually Pay?
| Revenue Source | Earnings Range |
|---|---|
| Ad Revenue Sharing | ~$8.50 per 1M verified impressions |
| Subscriptions | 97% of subscription fees (up to $50K) |
| Tips | 100% (X takes no cut) |
| Ticketed Spaces | $1-$999 per ticket |
| Brand partnerships (micro) | $50-$500 per tweet |
| Brand partnerships (mid-tier) | $500-$2,000 per tweet |
| Ghostwriting | $300-$8,000+/month |
| $1M Article Prize | Up to $1,000,000 |
Creator Earnings by Tier
- Small creators (1K-10K followers): $10-$100/month from ad revenue sharing alone
- Mid-tier creators: $300-$2,000/month combining revenue sharing and other methods
- Top creators: $10,000+/month from multiple revenue streams
The key insight: Ad revenue sharing alone won't replace a full-time income for most creators. The real money comes from combining revenue sharing with brand deals, digital products, coaching, and ghostwriting services.
X Premium Tiers for Creators
| Tier | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $3/month | Limited features, no blue checkmark |
| Premium | $8/month | Blue checkmark, 50% fewer ads, creator monetization access |
| Premium+ | $40/month | Nearly ad-free, higher Grok AI limits, Articles, Radar Search |
Which tier do you need? X Premium ($8/month) is the minimum for accessing ad revenue sharing and Subscriptions. Premium+ is worth considering if you publish long-form Articles or need advanced analytics.
Getting Started: Which Methods to Choose
New to X (under 500 followers): Enable Tips immediately (no threshold). Focus on affiliate marketing, digital products, and building an audience through consistent, valuable content.
Growing creator (500-5,000 followers): Unlock Ticketed Spaces, start pursuing small brand deals, explore ghostwriting opportunities. Build toward the 5 million impressions threshold for ad revenue sharing.
Established creator (5,000+ followers): Maximize ad revenue sharing, launch Subscriptions, pursue larger brand partnerships, and consider launching a newsletter or course.
FAQ
How many followers do you need to make money on X?
You can start earning with zero followers through Tips (just enable it) and affiliate marketing. Ad revenue sharing requires 500 verified followers and 5 million impressions. Subscriptions require 2,000 followers. Brand deals become viable around 1,000-5,000 engaged followers.
How much does X pay per 1,000 views?
X pays approximately $8.50 per 1 million verified-user impressions through ad revenue sharing — which works out to roughly $0.0085 per 1,000 views. However, only impressions from X Premium subscribers count, so actual earnings depend on your audience composition.
Is X Premium worth it for creators?
Yes, if you meet or are close to meeting the monetization thresholds. At $8/month, you need roughly 1 million verified impressions per month to break even on the subscription cost. But Premium also unlocks Subscriptions, longer posts, edit functionality, and better reach — making it worthwhile for serious creators.
Can you make a full-time income on X?
Yes, but it requires combining multiple revenue streams. Ad revenue sharing alone won't replace a salary for most creators. The highest earners combine revenue sharing with brand deals ($500-$5,000+ per post), ghostwriting ($300-$8,000+/month), digital products, and coaching.
What content performs best for monetization on X?
Threads consistently generate 63% more impressions and 54% more engagement than single tweets. Educational, data-driven, and opinion content performs best. Long-form Articles (1,000+ words) are especially lucrative with the $1M prize program. Visual content (images, GIFs, short video) outperforms text-only posts.
How does X compare to other platforms for making money?
X's 97% revenue share is the most generous of any major platform. However, per-impression earnings are lower than YouTube. X excels for B2B monetization, ghostwriting, and coaching. For product sales, TikTok Shop and Instagram Shopping generate more direct commerce. For ad revenue, YouTube still pays the most per view. Most successful creators use multiple platforms — see our guides on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube monetization.
Start Monetizing Your X Presence
X's 2026 creator economy push — doubled revenue pool, $1M Article prize, Visa-backed payments, and 97% revenue share — makes this one of the best times to start earning on the platform. Pick 2-3 methods that match your current stage and build from there.
Use PostEverywhere's X scheduler to schedule X posts at the best times, and manage all your social accounts from one dashboard.
Related reading:
Jamie Partridge
Founder & CEO of PostEverywhere
Jamie Partridge is the Founder & CEO of PostEverywhere. He writes about social media strategy, publishing workflows, and analytics that help brands grow faster with less effort.