Elon Musk’s X Revamps Creator Earnings, Offers $1 Million Payout In 2026

Elon Musk’s social media platform X has announced fresh changes to how creators earn money, with the company calling 2026 “the year of the creator.” The platform says it wants more users to earn a steady income from posting on X and has outlined new updates to its monetisation system to support that goal. Also Read: X Down AGAIN In India! Second Outage In Days Leaves Users Frustrated

Higher Payouts and Bigger Revenue Pool

In a post shared through the @XCreators account earlier this month, X said it ended last year with its highest-ever creator payouts since the monetisation programme began. The company also confirmed that it has doubled its revenue-sharing pool, citing growth in X Premium subscriptions during 2025. Also Read: Elon Musk’s Grok To Stop Creating Undressed Images Of Real People On X

According to X, the idea is simple. As more users pay for Premium subscriptions, a larger share of that revenue will now flow back to creators. The platform says this change increases earning potential across the board, especially for creators who consistently reach paying users. Also Read: X Down For Thousands Of Users! Is It Affected In India?

How Payout Calculations Are Changing

One of the more important updates is how earnings are calculated. X says revenue sharing will now be based on “Verified Home Timeline” impressions. In simpler terms, creators earn based on how many Premium users see their posts in their main feed.

The company says this approach is meant to reward content that regularly shows up in timelines and sparks conversation, rather than posts that rely on viral spikes or engagement tricks. X believes this will push creators to focus more on consistency and relevance.

X has also confirmed that a more detailed earnings dashboard is on the way. This will be added to Creator Studio and is expected to give users clearer insights into how their payouts are calculated.

Longer Content Gets More Weight

X has made it clear that longer formats may earn more going forward. The platform acknowledged that some content types require more effort and have greater impact. Because of this, longer formats like Articles may earn more than short posts when payouts are calculated.

This also fits with X’s broader push to encourage longer discussions, detailed reporting, and opinion-led content on the platform.

$1 Million Reward For Top Article

Alongside these changes, X announced a $1 million reward for the top-performing article in the next payout period. The platform says the aim is to recognise content that shapes conversations and breaks news.

To qualify, creators must be Premium subscribers, publish original articles of at least 1,000 words, and be based in the US. Performance will be judged mainly on Verified Home Timeline impressions.

What Stays The Same

X confirmed that views from higher Premium tiers will continue to pay more than those from lower tiers. The platform also said it will keep monitoring for fraud and penalising inauthentic activity, maintaining existing safeguards around payouts.