X is trying out a new way to bring in additional revenue, with users now able to pay to boost the reach of their posts in-stream.
As you can see in these example screens, X is rolling out a new “Boost” button on your posts, which, when tapped, will give you a range of options to amplify your update.
The listed boost thresholds and prices are:
- 11k – 27k impressions - $50
- 23k – 54k impressions - $100
- 116k – 272k impressions - $500
- 225k to 543k impressions - $1,000
Which seems pretty pricey, and as these aren’t ads (as such), I’m not sure that there will be many regular X users that’ll be looking to pay for these additional reach numbers.
That’s especially true given that X Premium users already get a reach boost as part of their subscription package (for their replies at least), and it would seem like this audience, those who are keen to maximize their performance in the app, would be the prime target for this offering.
In fact, it's only available to Premium users (on iOS) at this stage, so they're the only audience for it.
But that would also mean paying additional money on top of your monthly X Premium fee. So again, it seems like a significant ask, but there will no doubt be some users who take X up on this.
Of course, some of them will also be spammers and scammers, who could see this as an easy way to get a heap more attention on their posts. I mean, it’ll cost them, and they’d have to factor that into their operational budget, but it may well be worth if it aligns with their goals.
But overall, I don’t imagine this will be a massive addition.
As per X’s own data, 80% of the platform’s users never post, or even engage in the app, so there’s only a small group of X users who would have any interest in this at all.
But, I guess, X may as well try it out. It definitely needs more money, and any additional intake will help.
