After testing out a new form of creator monetization with YouTube star MrBeast, who made over $250,000 from his first upload in the app, X has now officially announced its new “Creator Targeting” ad option, which will enable brands to sponsor selected creator content in the app.
As explained by X:
“Soon, advertisers on X will be able to run ads against a curated list of premium content creators via Creator Targeting. This means giving advertisers more control to be able to use the self-serve X Ads Manager to run ads against the content of their chosen creator(s).”
So, essentially, the new option will enable you to select from approved video creators in the app that you want your ads shown against. Ads will then be displayed as pre-rolls on your chosen creators’ content, giving you direct exposure among their viewers in the app.
Which could be a good way to boost exposure with specific audiences, while also providing new ways to expand your reach through popular creator clips.
Though it’s fairly restricted right now. X hasn’t revealed details of which creators will be included in the program, but MrBeast was the first to test it out, and based on that example, and X’s note of “premium” creator inventory, my assumption would be that only video creators with a significant following will even be considered for the new initiative.
The program is actually an extension of X’s “Amplify” program for video content sponsorship, which it implemented back in 2015 to enable publishers to monetize their video uploads in the app.
Amid X’s broader push to integrate more video content into the app, as part of its “video first platform” push, expanding this option to more creators makes sense, and X will be hoping that this new offering will incentivize more high-profile creators to upload more of their content to the app, even as a secondary platform, as MrBeast has done, which will then give X more video inventory to choose from to keep users engaged.
I mean, I wouldn’t be expecting to make $250k per upload, but maybe, if the payouts are good, it could attract more creators to the app.
X announced its “video first platform” approach last month, as part of its renewed focus on highlighting video creators in order to maximize time spent in the app. Thus far, X has announced a range of exclusive video partnerships, while it’s also developing a new video tab in the app to better drive more viewership.
In combination, these efforts could lead to more high-profile content producers looking X’s way, which could help to build out its video offering, and make it a more compelling entertainment destination.
