- X is ending new enrollment in its current Revenue Sharing program and replacing it with the Original Content Rewards Program.
- The new program rewards creators based on qualified impressions generated by original content and introduces stricter eligibility requirements.
- X is explicitly excluding copied posts, reuploads, automated content, low-value reactions, and engagement solicitation from monetization.
- The platform defines originality broadly enough to include reporting, commentary, analysis, memes, and transformed content, as long as the creator adds meaningful value.
In recent news, we reported that YouTube is making changes to its YouTube Partner Program. Well, X is now entirely changing how creators get paid.
The platform is winding down new enrollment in its existing Revenue Sharing program and replacing it with a new Original Content Rewards Program built around one central idea: creators should earn for adding something new.
That means original reporting, commentary, expertise, analysis, memes, creative work, and transformed content can all qualify.
Copied posts, reuploads, automated content, and low-value reactions cannot.
The change is significant because X is moving beyond rewarding raw impressions alone. It is now attaching creator earnings to the quality and originality of the contribution behind those impressions.
X Is Replacing Revenue Sharing With a More Selective Program
X has already stopped accepting new enrollments into its current Revenue Sharing program.
Creators who are already enrolled will continue earning through September 7, 2026, with final payouts scheduled through early September. Beginning September 8, existing Revenue Sharing members will be able to apply for the new Original Content Rewards Program if they meet the eligibility requirements.
The new program has a higher bar.
Creators must:
- Be at least 18
- Live in an eligible country
- Keep their account in good standing
- Subscribe to X Premium, Premium+, or Premium Business
- Have at least 500 verified followers
- Generate at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users in the last 90 days
- Regularly publish original content
That 500,000-impression requirement has already drawn attention from creators, particularly smaller accounts that may produce original work consistently but struggle to hit that level of verified reach.
Reconsider allowing those of us who've been making original posts all along to be grandfathered in. Smaller accounts who already managed to make the cut shouldn't have to requalify with how much impressions can fluctuate.https://t.co/3yN30uU3p8
— Scratch Point (@Scratch_Point_Z) August 7, 2026
The bigger change, though, is what X considers worthy of monetization once creators qualify.
Originality Is Now Part of the Payout Formula
Under the new system, eligible creators earn from qualified impressions generated by original content.
X defines qualified impressions as unique Home Timeline impressions from Premium users, with at least half of the post visible. Paid, fraudulent, and artificially generated impressions are excluded.
That immediately makes originality part of the revenue calculation.
X says content can qualify when it reflects the creator's own voice, perspective, expertise, reporting, or creativity.
Examples include:
- Original writing and threads
- Reporting and analysis
- Original photos and videos
- Memes and graphics
- Reactions and commentary that add meaningful perspective
- Transformed content with original context, narration, humor, or creative editing
This is important because X is not limiting monetization to content created entirely from scratch. A creator can still build on existing conversations. The requirement is that the value of the post comes primarily from what the creator adds.
X Is Drawing a Harder Line Around Reposts and Aggregation
The new rules are especially direct about what fails the originality test.
Content becomes ineligible when it is copied or substantially reproduced from another creator, downloaded from another platform and reuploaded, or created through automated means.
X also spells out what does not count as meaningful transformation.
Adding a caption, crop, border, watermark, speed adjustment, or simple text overlay generally is not enough.
Neither is reposting someone else's content with attribution if the creator adds little meaningful commentary or analysis.
That directly targets one of the most persistent complaints from creators on X: larger accounts reposting original work, sometimes word for word, and capturing the resulting engagement.
The social reactions around the announcement show that creators see enforcement as the real test.
Some are asking whether content thieves will be fully demonetized. Others want to know how X will detect material copied from other platforms or whether long-standing original creators should have to requalify under the new system.
How will X find out if content is copied from other social media? pic.twitter.com/EuTiFVIaVC
— Shashikant Katariya (@heyshashidev) August 8, 2026
Those questions matter because the rules are clear on paper.
The practical impact will depend on how consistently X can apply them.
Commentary Still Counts as Original Content
One of the more useful parts of the policy is that X explicitly protects commentary.
The platform says reactions, analysis, memes, and creative interpretations can all qualify when they add meaningful value to an existing conversation.
That distinction matters for X because commentary has always been central to how the platform works.
A breaking news clip can spark analysis. A screenshot can become the basis for expert commentary. A viral post can become a meme or cultural reference point.
Under the new program, those formats can still earn as long as the creator contributes enough original perspective, context, expertise, humor, or creativity.
That makes the standard less about whether someone references existing material and more about whether they materially improve it.
The New Rules Also Target Engagement Manipulation
Originality is only part of the new monetization standard. Creators must also maintain continuous eligibility.
X prohibits automated tools or bots that artificially generate likes, follows, views, comments, or shares. The program also bans repeated instructions asking users to like, repost, bookmark, follow, or otherwise engage with content.
Content with helpful Community Notes is also ineligible, as is misleading content and material focused exclusively on monetization coaching or maximizing payouts.
Together, those rules suggest X wants to move creator payouts away from behavior designed purely to game distribution.
That could make the monetization environment more valuable for brands if it reduces the volume of recycled or engagement-bait content competing for attention.
What This Means for Brands and Creators
For creators, the new program raises the bar in two ways.
First, there is a meaningful reach requirement. Second, that reach must come from content X considers original and valuable.
For brands, the change reinforces a broader shift already emerging across social platforms. Originality is becoming a business requirement.
Low-effort aggregation, recycled posts, automated output, and generic reactions may still generate impressions in some cases, but platforms are increasingly deciding that those impressions should carry less financial value.
The upside is that creators who bring expertise, reporting, analysis, humor, and distinct creative voices may have more incentive to invest in those qualities.
That also makes those creators more attractive to marketers.
A creator who can consistently add perspective to a conversation brings more than reach. They bring a point of view.
And increasingly, platforms are starting to pay for exactly that.
X's Original Content Rewards Program makes that shift explicit: creator monetization is becoming an originality test.
