X recently paid out ad revenue and while some premium users are smiling to the bank, others are lamenting.
Based on observation, I know why a lot of people were either paused, or did not meet the payout limit despite high impressions.
There are many common mistakes that make nue, and when I got the blue tick, I made the same mistakes. But I do research, I notice patterns, and I know how to learn from mistakes. I will be sharing most of what I discovered and I hope it will help you as much as it has helped me.
I know you want to see screenshots as proof of how this information has helped me. I don't have screenshots to share. I am only sharing the information that has helped me to redirect my strategy. I have not been monetized yet, but like many other X users who have upgraded to premium, I did it with monetization in mind. I am not ashamed to say it. It is a legitimate way to earn income.
I joined Twitter in 2012, and since then, I have been mainly a silent observer, just read, scroll and pass. However, I realized that I spend an inordinate amount of time on X, so rather than just use it as a form of amusement, I can as well earn from it, because I have a sound mind, and I have high value content.
The first thing you need to know is that creator ad revenue is a business idea, not a community empowerment programme. X was originally not built for ads, so it wasn't making money.
Elon wants X to be attractive to advertisers. Advertisers will not place ads if they are not sure of visibility to the right audience. Are you getting where I am going with this?
That is why everything centres around premium followers and engagement from premium subscribers. Because not only are premium users perceived to be serious people, they are also perceived as users who have the money to be able to convert ads (i.e. they see an ad, and make a purchase).
Therefore, the ad revenue comes from engagement on original posts on your own timeline. So if your timeline is full of reposts, X believes you have nothing to offer.
This is where having a niche comes in. You cannot post randomly and expect engagement. You need to be consistent in your messaging, and this will attract followers who can relate to your content. There is a lot of information on discovering high value niches so I won't bother with that.
Commenting under big accounts is good for visibility and helps impressions, but impressions simply mean the number of times people have viewed your post. Ad revenue comes from you having a post that makes followers engage such that the activity generated by your original posts is enough to justify placing ads in your comment section.
This doesn't mean that commenting under big accounts is bad, just make sure that when you comment under big accounts, it is an account in your niche, so that you can use your comment to create visibility, and redirect people to your own original content.
So if you have a pinned post, after making your comment, you can add things like 'check my pinned post to see how I do xyz...'
The quality of comments is also very important. One-word comments like 'nice,' 'sharp,' 'great' are viewed by X as engagement farming. It will get you visibility (impressions), but it will do nothing for your ad revenue. In fact, you may end up getting some form of restrictions, because X is actively trying to shut down bots, spam, and any activity that reads like engagement farming.
Follow for follow can help you get premium followers, but it doesn't help you grow your account to the point where you can generate ad revenue. This is because you end up having followers that are not interested in your niche, so when you put out high quality content, they are unable to relate or engage.
For example, you have 500 premium followers with a variety of niches. If you post football content, and your premium followers are in crypto or skincare niches, they will not be able to engage your posts as much as if at least 80% of your premium followers are football enthusiasts.
Prior to X monetisation, you followed accounts because you wanted to see more of their content. After monetisation, you started following accounts so that they would follow you back. The result is that you are 'mutuals' but there is no shared interest. You both cannot engage with each other's posts.
Lastly, it is important to know the content types that work best on X. Remember, because the aim is advertising, retention is very important. So posts that retain followers on your content are good for ads. The algorithm (and payouts) reward content that drives replies and keeps Premium users engaged longer.
Such content includes:
Videos (especially longer ones) — Highest engagement and watch-time value.
Long form posts like this one you're currently reading. If audience reads to the end, it helps retention.
Visual + text combos (images, infographics, carousels).
Polls, questions, hot takes (that spark debate without violating rules).
Educational/value-first content (guides, breakdowns, behind-the-scenes, case studies, industry commentary).
Conversational/reply-heavy posts — Reply thoughtfully to big accounts in your niche.
Like any other thing that involves making money, earning a share of ad revenue from X is hard work. Forget all those accounts that try to simplify what it entails; they are trying to get your attention and use you to meet their own targets.
Have high value content, be consistent, don't push false content or rage bait people, and watch what you have been chasing come to you.
In addition to organically growing my account and sharing valuable content, I also post insights on AI in Education, I discuss Nigerian politics, and I discuss football.If any of this resonates with you, follow me for more of my content.
*Image generated using @grok