Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, said yesterday that the company will offer a “higher priced” subscription that allows zero adverts into users’ feeds.
The South African businessman also said that ads on the site are “too frequent” and “too big” and that the company will be “taking steps to address both” in the coming weeks.
Also, there will be a higher priced subscription that allows zero ads
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2023
Twitter’s ad revenue had fallen by as much as half in November after Musk took control of the social media site as advertisers stopped spending and starting using alternative sites.
Many digital marketing insiders have said that they are unlikely to bring their spend back to Twitter as they have fears of brand safety and unexpected and opaque changes in terms — like Musk’s tweet.
Musk also said that the company was “thinking hard” about a creator fund. These funds reward users who regularly create engaging and viral content on platforms, if they adhere to a set of rules.
Yeah, we’re thinking hard about this
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2023
As it stands, the demand for Twitter’s nascent subscription product remains unclear. Musk’s Twitter replies are, naturally, filled with users that have stumped up the $19 per month for the supposedly more premium experience. However, it seems incredulous to believe that Twitter Blue subscriptions can account for the lost advertising revenue.
Plus, with Musk regularly teasing new ideas about reducing the number of adverts users see, it seems unlikely that advertisers will be wooed back onto the platform.