X’s creator payouts are changing, and original content is the new currency

X is changing the rules for creators yet again. This time, the platform wants to put less emphasis on simply generating engagement and more on actually making something original. X is replacing its controversial Creator Revenue Sharing program with a new initiative called Original Content Rewards, which will officially launch on September 8, 2026. The existing Revenue Sharing program will continue paying participating creators through September 7, after which the new system takes over.

X wants to reward creators, not engagement farmers

The biggest change is what X considers worthy of a payout. Under Original Content Rewards, creators will earn based on “qualified impressions” generated by their original content. These are unique impressions from Premium subscribers viewing a post on the Home Timeline, with at least 50 percent of the post visible. X says “original content” can include original reporting and analysis, videos and photos created by the user, graphics and illustrations, and even memes. Commentary and reactions can also qualify, provided they add something meaningful rather than simply repackaging someone else’s post.

That distinction is important because X says the previous Revenue Sharing system created incentives for some creators to focus on maximizing payouts rather than bringing genuinely new content to the platform. The company now wants to move away from clickbait, recycled material, and other strategies designed primarily to exploit the monetization system.

“This program is built around a simple idea: reward the creators who bring original ideas, expertise, creativity, and unique perspectives to X — not those who have become best at gaming the system” – X’s Senior Product Manager for Creators, Allegra Jacchia,

The shift also makes more sense in light of X’s broader battle against content farming. As we recently reported, X is cracking down on creators who repost or recycle stolen viral clips for easy engagement and money. Under the new system, simply grabbing someone else’s popular video and reposting it shouldn’t be nearly as attractive a route to monetization. Original Content Rewards is effectively X’s attempt to make the platform’s financial incentives match what it says it actually wants creators to do: make something new.

But X isn’t simply closing one door. It’s also opening another, particularly for video creators. The company has been pushing its new streaming hub and even offered $1 million as an incentive to get creators to go live on the platform. That fits neatly with the new rewards strategy: X wants creators producing original videos, live streams, commentary, reporting, and other content that gives people a reason to actually spend time on the platform.

The bigger play for X

The new program also gives X a pretty clear direction for its creator economy. To qualify for Original Content Rewards, creators need at least 500 verified followers and 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users over the previous 90 days, among other requirements.

That gives X a fairly simple message for its creator economy: less recycled internet sludge, more stuff actually worth watching, reading, or sharing. Whether that will be enough to change creator behavior remains to be seen, but X is clearly trying to make originality a much bigger part of the platform’s business.