Twitter kicks off Super Follows for iOS

Twitter launched its highly-anticipated Super Follows subscription feature but — cue groaning — it’s only on iOS in the U.S. and Canada for now.

What’s happening: Creators who applied and were accepted can now use the feature to charge their Super Followers for exclusive access to content, subscriber-only newsletters, community groups, and supporter badges. Twitter, which announced Super Follows back in February, hopes the feature will offer creators a powerful avenue to earning revenue for the content they produce on the platform.

“Creating Super Follows content is for anyone who brings their unique perspectives and personalities to Twitter to drive the public conversation.” —Twitter staff product manager Esther Crawford

How it works: With Super Follows, creators can set a subscription cost of $3, $5, or $10 per month to monetize their bonus content. Creators can find and interact with their Super Followers by looking for the Super Followers badge, which will be highlighted under their Super Followers name whenever they reply to a creator’s Tweet.

For followers: Super Followers gain access to their favorite creators’ exclusive content and can participate in subscriber-only conversations. To become a Super Follower, tap the Super Follow button on an account’s profile to see their offerings and pricing.

How to apply: Users can still apply to join the waitlist to set up a Super Follows subscription. Swipe the sidebar on your Home timeline, click Monetization, then select Super Follows. To be eligible for Super Follows, you need to have 10,000 or more followers, be at least 18-years-old, and have tweeted 25 times within the last 30 days.

Why it matters: Super Follows is Twitter’s latest attempt to capture a wider slice of the creator economy, which is now worth more than $50 billion and has more than 50 million people generating revenue via their fans. As an important distribution channel for indie hackers, Super Follows will beef up creators’ ability to earn more revenue for their skills, expertise, and followings.

What’s in it for Twitter: Twitter users have long been able to build social capital on the platform. But to convert that following into financial capital, users had to move their fans off the platform and onto their newsletters, products, or websites. With Super Follows, Twitter creators can earn a profit off their clout directly on the site.

Opportune timing: Twitter's paid-content feature arrives with convenient timing in the wake of the OnlyFans scandal. Twitter has historically been accepting of explicit content, which might make it more appealing to adult entertainment accounts.

Creator play: Super Follows is the latest feature Twitter hopes will keep creators on its platform. Twitter acquired the newsletter tool Revue to allow users to create and offer paid newsletter subscriptions within the app. It also offers a Tip Jar and paid tickets to enter exclusive conversations on Spaces, Twitter’s Clubhouse clone. Plenty of Twitter novelty accounts have Patreon supporters, so this may be Twitter's attempt of grabbing a segment of Patreon's users.

Safety Mode: Twitter announced Super Follows in tandem with its new Safety Mode feature. The feature temporarily blocks accounts for 7 days for using potentially harmful language “such as insults or hateful remarks” or harassing with replies or mentions. You can turn the feature on in your settings, which allows Twitter to assess the likelihood of a “negative engagement by considering both the Tweet’s content and the relationship between the Tweet author and replier,” the company said.

Use cases: Here are a few examples of creators using Super Follows:

💄 Skincare pro @MakeupforWOC is giving her Super Followers personalized skincare and beauty advice.

😂 Comedienne @Myeshachou is delivering behind-the-scenes college stories to her Super Followers.

⚽ Sports analyst @KingJosiah54 offers his Super Follows in-depth sports analysis.

♋ Astrologist @tarotbybronx offers their Super Follows healing advice and spiritual guidance.