- The break with Revenue Sharing: what X stated
- Original Content Rewards: the logic of the new system
- Immediate impact on influencer and content marketing strategies
- The broader context: the war of creator monetization models
- What brands need to ask themselves now
- Outlook: what we expect in the coming months
X announced the closure of its Revenue Sharing program, internally defined as “misaligned” with the platform’s objectives. In its place comes Original Content Rewards , a fresh monetization setup focused on rewarding original content. It's a pretty big shift, actually. It completely changes the game for creators, brands, and agencies using X to share their stuff.
Therefore, anyone who built influencer marketing or content amplification strategies based on the old Revenue Sharing logic will need to rethink their approaches and KPIs. Plus, the shift raises real questions: what content will get rewarded? Using which metrics? How soon will the transition happen? Right now, X hasn't dropped the full technical docs on how the new program works yet.
We at SHM Studio we constantly monitor the evolution of social platforms with constant attention, especially when changes to monetization models impact strategies of Digital marketing of our clients. In summary: it's time to pause established hiring on X and await operational clarifications before reallocating budgets or redefining editorial plans.
The break with Revenue Sharing: what X stated
The August 8, 2026 , X has officially announced its intention to close its program Revenue Sharing . The stated motivation is straightforward: the program was ‘misaligned’, meaning structurally misaligned with the platform's editorial and commercial priorities. As reported by TechCrunch in the original article , X is replacing the old mechanism with a new program called Original Content Rewards .
Revenue Sharing, brought in under Musk's watch to pull in top creators, used to hand out a slice of the ad revenue made from verified users' threads. Still, over time it showed clear limits. Basically, it rewarded raw virality over editorial quality, driving the wrong incentives toward polarizing or low-effort stuff.
Therefore, the platform has decided to intervene structurally. The shift to Original Content Rewards marks a change in philosophy, not just a mechanism.
Original Content Rewards: the logic of the new system
As we write this, X hasn't dropped full technical docs on how works Original Content Rewards . So, some thoughts rely on what leaked out and official statements out there.
The name itself is telling. The focus shifts to the originality of the content produced, rather than the ability to generate reactive engagement or ad impressions. This suggests a more qualitative evaluation system, potentially based on signals such as interaction depth, reading retention, or the nature of the content (original text vs. repost, comment vs. creation).
Similar to what YouTube did with its Partner Program updates, or Meta with its creator bonuses, X seems to want to shift the focus towards those who produce value-added content. However, the difference compared to these platforms is that X starts with a still relatively small creator base and an advertising ecosystem in the process of rebuilding.
In particular, it will be crucial to understand if the new program will also be accessible to mid-sized creators — not just mega-influencers — and with what access thresholds.
Immediate impact on influencer and content marketing strategies
For marketing manager Italians who use X as a distribution channel or who collaborate with creators active on the platform, the implications are concrete and immediate.
First of all, anyone who has negotiated collaborations with creators based on Revenue Sharing earnings as an indirect compensation lever will need to revise the terms. In fact, many niche creators used the program's proceeds as an argument to justify lower rates in partnerships. With the closure of the program, this dynamic changes.
Moreover, companies that had integrated X into their strategies of Digital marketing as an organic channel, they'll need to keep an eye on how creator behavior evolves. If Original Content Rewards really rewards quality, X's feed might just get better in the medium term. On the flip side, if the new system ends up paying less than the old one, we could see creators jumping ship to other platforms.
For those who manage LinkedIn campaigns or google ads campaigns alongside X, this transition phase can be handy for rethinking how budget is split across channels.
The broader context: the war of creator monetization models
X's change doesn't happen in a vacuum. We're in a phase of generalized redefinition of monetization models for creators across all major platforms. According to an analysis by Harvard Business Review , the so-called creator economy is currently worth over $250 billion globally, with sustained growth that attracts investment and, consequently, competition between platforms to secure the best talent.
In this scenario, X finds itself in a unique spot. Even with tons of media attention, the platform has lost a good chunk of ad spend over the past few years. So, keeping a revenue-sharing program going really depends on being able to reel advertisers back in. If brands don't return in a big way, any way of making money for creators is going to stay pretty shaky.
On top of that, it's worth pointing out how platforms like Substack, Beehiiv, or LinkedIn are setting up different models based on subscriptions and paid content. These setups don't rely as much on display ads, making things way more stable for creators. With its Original Content Rewards, X seems to be sticking to the ad monetization route, but with much stricter rules on who gets paid.
To dive deeper into worldwide creator economy trends, the report from McKinsey & Company on the future of creative work offers a structured and updated overview.
What brands need to ask themselves now
Moving from Revenue Sharing to Original Content Rewards brings up some practical questions that every marketing manager should be addressed before taking action.
- Are the creators we collaborate with enrolled in the Revenue Sharing program? If yes, the end of the program could shift their money expectations and how willing they are to make content for brands.
- Is X a primary or secondary channel in our strategy? If it is secondary, the transition period suggests maintaining a wait-and-see approach. If it is primary, a contingency plan is necessary.
- Are we measuring performance on X with updated KPIs? Metrics like organic reach or engagement rate could change a lot with the new algorithm update tied to the fresh program.
- Is our editorial plan on X based on original content? If the answer is no, Original Content Rewards could also indirectly penalize brands that don't make quality native content.
We at SHM Studio we suggest holding off on making any sudden, major changes to your X strategy. Instead, it's best to wait for the official Original Content Rewards guidelines to drop before revamping your content plans or renegotiating deals with creators.
Outlook: what we expect in the coming months
In the short term, X is likely to release more detailed documentation on Original Content Rewards by Q3 2026. Following this, we expect a testing period with selected creators, before a wider rollout.
By 2027, the implications will largely depend on two variables: the quality of the technical implementation of the new system and X's ability to bring premium advertisers back to the platform. If both conditions are met, Original Content Rewards could become an interesting model for Italian brands looking to build an editorial presence on X.
Conversely, if the program proves opaque in its criteria or not very profitable for mid-tier creators, the risk is a further loss of talent to more predictable platforms. In that case, the strategies of SEO and Copywriting on proprietary channels — blog, newsletter, company website — will once again be the safest choice for building lasting organic visibility.
For those who wish to learn more about building a resilient content strategy regardless of social platform evolutions, our team is available via the contact page . Furthermore, on the SHM Studio blog we publish regular updates on these topics.
Finally, for those who want to explore how artificial intelligence is changing content production and the evaluation of its quality — a topic directly related to the new Original Content Rewards criteria — our AI services offer a concrete starting point.
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