X (Twitter) Premium Ads Revenue Share: Is it still worth it?

Look, I'm just gonna say it. The old days of dropping a viral X thread and getting a $5k check are totally dead. If you're betting on Elon's app to pay your bills, you're gonna lose bad.

Honestly, I stare at creator stats all day here. The numbers are super bad right now. Back in late '23 and early '24, the X Premium ads thing was crazy. You'd see small accounts making bank just for getting folks arguing in the comments. It was nuts. But it was never gonna last. Not at all.

So, we pulled the raw data from over 2,500 X creators to see what's really going on. We cut out the fluff. We tracked the actual payouts and CPMs. And man, it completely ruined the idea that X is a safe way to make money for normal creators.

Why Your Checks Keep Getting Smaller

Look, to get why your X money sucks right now, you gotta look at the big picture. X doesn't pay you for views on your main post. They only pay when a verified user sees an ad in your replies. It's a huge bottleneck. You literally need paid users to click your post, scroll down, and trigger an ad.

And the real problem? The ad money is gone. Big brands bailed over the last two years. According to this Pew Research stuff, companies put their budgets into safer apps. With the big spenders gone, X just fills your replies with cheap, junk ads. So even if you get views, they're paying you pennies.

The Engagement Bait Mess

Honestly, my feed is just awful now. It's nothing but engagement bait. Since they only pay for verified replies, the whole app rewards the absolute dumbest, most annoying posts. Nobody cares about being smart anymore. They just post stuff to make people mad, wait for the blue checks to argue, and collect a check.

But guess what? X's algorithm figured it out. They started secretly crushing accounts that post this trash. Our data shows a huge drop in reach for folks who rely on fake outrage. It's a trap. You post bait, you get replies, but then the algorithm chokes your overall reach 'cause you're farming. Boom, your views tank. If you wanna see how bad it is, check our internal insights dashboard.

The Flawed Verified View Math

Let's do the math real quick. Say you drop a fire post and get 10 million views. You feel amazing. But check your stats. Only 150k of those were verified people reading the replies. That's the only part they pay you for. Those other 9.85 million views? Literally useless for your payout.

It's super frustrating. I've talked to guys who went insanely viral, hitting the main feed everywhere, and they got an $18 check. Why? Because nobody scrolled the replies enough. It's broken.

Is X Premium Even Worth It Anymore?

So, should you keep paying for X Premium? If you're just doing it for the ad money, heck no. The math is garbage for 95% of people. You're basically paying Elon to work for him for free.

But look, the app is still useful if you change how you look at it. Stop trying to get paid by X directly. It's an engine for getting eyes on your stuff. The real cash comes from pulling those eyeballs off the app entirely.

Change Your Strategy Today

I tell every client at AnalyticsTok the same exact thing. Use X to find fans, but make your money somewhere else. Got a big audience? Shove 'em to a newsletter or a community. The Data.ai reports show that selling your own stuff pays way better than X's ad pennies.

The creators winning right now don't care about their X payouts. They're too busy pushing thousands of subs to Substack or Skool. That 8 bucks you pay for the blue check isn't a lotto ticket for ad revenue. It's just a marketing fee so the algorithm doesn't bury your posts. You're paying for eyeballs, not a paycheck. Go read our guide on building off-platform funnels for more on this.

What Happens in 2027?

Honestly? I don't think the ad payouts are ever gonna bounce back. The ad business there is too broken, and they're clearly more focused on payments and AI stuff anyway. Plus, people are leaving public feeds for group chats. Less public replies means less money for creators. It's simple math.

What About Video Though?

Yeah, X is pushing video super hard. They tried to buy off YouTubers with big early payouts. But those numbers are already crashing back to reality. There's just not enough ad money to pay YouTube rates. If you do video, just treat X like a trailer for your real YouTube channel. If you don't believe me, check the YouTube Official Newsroom. They actually pay their creators.

The Final Word

The free money on X is done. But the app isn't dead. You can still reach crazy amounts of people and network with top dogs. You just gotta stop treating X like your boss. It's a billboard. Build your own stuff and stop letting some wild algorithm mess with your income.

Wrapping Up

Look, banking on X Premium for your income right now is a terrible idea. The payouts are shrinking and it's not gonna magically fix itself. X is still awesome for getting noticed, but you gotta build your own email list or community. Use the app for eyeballs, but make your real cash off platform.