Will Twitter’s subscription feature, Super Follows, help Indian creators earn more?

Each Super Follow is sold as a separate in-app good and Apple has a limit on that

Microblogging platform Twitter recently announced the launch of Super Follows, a feature that will allow creators to share subscriber-only content with their followers.

Super Follows is currently testing the feature with a small group in the US and on Apple’s iOS only. While Twitter will introduce the feature globally and on other platforms in the next few weeks, Moneycontrol examines whether Super Follows will boost the earnings of Indian creators.

“Twitter is a little late to the party, after Facebook, YouTube and Instagram came up with monetisation options,” said Neha Nagar, a digital content creator and founder of TaxationHelp. “We already have multiple options to monetise other social media platforms but after Super Follows, we can earn on Twitter also by posting our opinions, research or behind-the-scenes content.”

Nagar has 6,180 followers on Twitter, 159,000 subscribers on YouTube and 637,000 followers on Instagram. She creates finance-related content.

“We have seen a boost in our audience reach in the past one year. And users are engaging more with creators. Now, Twitter’s Super Follows option will encourage micro/macro creators to create more content. And we (creators) will not be dependent only on brands to earn because the audience also sometimes gets annoyed by seeing brand promotions/ads,” said Nagar.

Ritesh Ujjwal, Founder & CEO, Kofluence, an influencer marketing platform pointed out, "Until now, Twitter hadn't given their platform creators the opportunity to monetize their content. That's why most creators would send their Twitter followers to third-party platforms such as Substack, Gumroad to make a living. With Super Follows, Twitter is acknowledging how real and valuable the creator economy is."

About earnings an Indian creator can make through Super Follows, Nagar said, “If I have 10,000 followers and I have 1 percent of them as my Super Followers, as per the lowest subscription price which is $2.99, I can earn $299 (Rs 21,850) per month.”

Sahil Chopra, founder of iCubesWire, a digital ad agency, noted that through Super Follows, a monthly subscription of $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 can be set to monetise bonus and behind-the-scenes content for their most engaged followers on Twitter.

Nagar said Apple, Google and Twitter will also take a cut from the amount earned through Super Follows. Apple’s in-app purchase fee is currently 30 percent of the subscription cost.

“We have to wait for more details on these cuts,” said Nagar.

Neha Puri, founder of Vavo Digital, an influencer marketing agency, said Twitter has 2 percent of its audience engaging with the platform's content and if half of them is taken into consideration and they decide to subscribe, then Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 monthly is what creators can expect from Super Follows.

She said the feature will not only mean higher earnings but will also help expand brand collaborations because for categories including finance, lifestyle and auto, Twitter is the most preferred platform for promotions.

“I think Super Follows will also let people make that shift to start exploring Twitter. On social media, we realised that everything starts from Twitter and any content gets amplified through Twitter,” Puri said.

What type of creators can benefit the most from the new Twitter feature? 

As Super Follows rolls out more widely, comedians, creators, writers, pop culture commentators and experts in fields such as esports, skincare and more will have the opportunity to earn revenue on a monthly basis, Twitter said in a blog post.

“Creators like me who create content around finance and business, who help others learn and earn. Followers will be happy to pay a monthly price for some advice, tips or suggestions,” Nagar said.

Chopra said “health, wellness, skincare, beauty, astrology are some genres where creators may want to add a price tag to their content.”

Ujjwal noted that macro influencers who have an already established audience base over other social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram will benefit the most.

Have Indian creators benefitted from Twitter’s monetisation features in the past?

Twitter added its Tip Jar feature, which allows users to pay content creators, in June this year. However, Tip Jar hasn’t seen much traction in India, said Chopra.

“It isn’t that successful in India yet as it is in its starting phase,” said Nagar.

Yet, she said the feature is interesting and has huge potential to be successful.

Vavo Digital’s Puri noted that while Indian creators haven’t benefitted much from Tip Jar, regional creators might gain.

Like Tip Jar, will Twitter’s Super Follows see low traction?

Nagar said similar features have already been successful on platforms like YouTube or Patreon.

“It will give exclusivity to super followers by having exclusive content of their favourite influencers. Users will not have to see much branded content. However, there can be some challenges to the feature as the Indian audience might not be that interested in paying for opinions or for written posts because tweets can be shared through screenshots, which will lead to piracy,” she said.