Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) is ending its long-running Creator Revenue Sharing program today, September 7, 2026, marking a major change in how creators can earn money from their content.
The platform is replacing the old monetisation model with a new system called the Original Content Rewards Program, which is designed to reward creators for producing original posts, videos, photos, commentary, analysis and other creative work.
According to X’s official Help Center, existing participants in Creator Revenue Sharing will continue earning through September 7, while access to the new Original Content Rewards Program will begin rolling out from September 8.
How can creators make money on X now?
Under the new system, eligible creators will earn payouts based on qualified impressions generated by their original content.
X defines qualified impressions as unique impressions from users subscribed to Premium Basic, Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business, when at least 50% of a post is visible in the Home Timeline.
Repeated impressions from the same account, paid or promoted impressions, and artificially generated or fraudulent impressions are excluded.
X says payouts are currently processed every two weeks, with a minimum payout threshold of $30.
The change means that creators will need to focus less on simply generating massive engagement and more on producing content that has genuine value.
Who can apply for X’s new monetisation program?
Creators must meet several requirements to qualify for Original Content Rewards.
According to X, applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a Personal or Business X account in good standing
- Have an active X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business subscription
- Have at least 500 verified followers
- Have at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users during the previous 90 days
- Regularly publish original content
- Be located in a country where the program is available
Meeting the requirements does not automatically guarantee acceptance. X says applications are reviewed and applicants are notified of the outcome.
What content will qualify?
X is placing much greater emphasis on originality.
Content that can qualify includes original writing, reporting, photography, videos, memes, illustrations, analysis and commentary. X also says that reacting to or building on existing events can qualify when the creator adds a genuine perspective or meaningful context.
This is particularly important for journalists, commentators and news creators because simply sharing someone else’s material will no longer be enough.
For example, a creator who records their own video report, writes an original news analysis or adds substantial commentary to a developing story can potentially qualify.
Reposting TikTok and Facebook videos could become a problem
One of the biggest changes concerns recycled content.
X explicitly says that content copied from another creator or downloaded from X or another platform and reuploaded will not qualify unless the person posting it is the original author.
The platform also says minimally modified content will not qualify. Simply changing a few words, adding a filter, adjusting video speed or placing text over someone else’s video is not considered meaningful transformation.
Aggregated content that primarily combines material from other creators without adding substantial new perspective can also be excluded.
This means accounts built around downloading viral TikTok, Facebook or Instagram videos and reposting them on X may find it significantly harder to monetise their content.
What about Pakistani creators?
The change could be particularly significant for Pakistan’s growing X creator and journalism community.
For years, social media pages and individual accounts have increasingly relied on viral clips, television footage and videos originating on other platforms to attract views and followers.
Under X’s new rules, however, the key question is no longer simply how many people see a post. The content itself must satisfy X’s originality requirements.
For Pakistani journalists and creators, this could create an opportunity for accounts producing original reporting, on-camera journalism, analysis, commentary, photography and locally produced video content.
At the same time, accounts that primarily aggregate material from television channels or other social media platforms could face greater difficulty earning through X.
X’s official rules specifically state that copied, minimally modified, aggregated and cross-platform reposted content does not qualify as original content.
X is also targeting misleading content
Originality is not the only requirement.
X says content can be excluded from the program if it contains disinformation or misleading material, violates its Community Guidelines, Terms of Service or Copyright Policy, or receives a helpful Community Note.
The platform also excludes content created or posted using automated means, as well as content that is inappropriate, sexually explicit or potentially harmful to viewers.
Creators are also prohibited from using bots or other tools to artificially generate likes, followers, views, comments or shares.
Existing creators must reapply
Creators who were already earning through the old Creator Revenue Sharing system should not assume that their participation automatically transfers to the new program.
X says existing Revenue Sharing members will be able to apply for Original Content Rewards starting September 8, provided they meet the new eligibility requirements.
Creators who have already completed identity verification and connected a valid payout method will not need to repeat those steps, according to X. Their eligibility can be checked through Creator Studio → Original Content Rewards.
What happens to the old X monetisation system?
X stopped accepting new enrollments into Creator Revenue Sharing on August 7, 2026.
Existing participants can earn through September 7, after which the old program will be retired. X says the final payout for earnings accumulated through September 7 is expected around September 11.
The company has described the change as an attempt to correct incentives that had encouraged creators to focus too heavily on maximising payouts instead of producing new material.
TechCrunch reported that X said the previous system’s incentives had become “misaligned”, with the company wanting creators to concentrate on bringing new content to the platform rather than gaming the payout system.
The bottom line for X creators
The message from X is relatively clear: original content is now more important than recycled reach.
Creators who want to make money on X should focus on producing their own reporting, videos, photographs, analysis, commentary, graphics and other material rather than simply reposting viral content.
For Pakistani creators, the change could be especially important. News journalists, independent reporters, video creators and commentators who produce genuinely original material may have a better opportunity under the new system, while accounts dependent on copied clips and aggregation could see their monetisation options shrink.
The new Original Content Rewards Program begins rolling out on September 8, one day after the old Creator Revenue Sharing program officially ends.