On September 7, 2026, X's Creator Revenue Sharing program closes for good. It's the program that had paid creators since 2023 based on ad impressions from verified users. The very next day, September 8, a new program called Original Content Rewards opens for applications.
This isn't a rename. The new program only counts "your own writing, your own photos and video, your own memes and illustrations." Content that's just someone else's post with a caption slapped on, or a straight repost, doesn't even qualify for review. The application bar is also spelled out precisely: an active X Premium subscription, at least 500 verified followers, and at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users in the trailing 90 days.
Why this is a story
The old revenue-sharing program only measured how much reach a post got from verified users — nothing about where that content came from. That let accounts built entirely on reposting other people's viral posts, or lightly repackaging them with a punchier headline, earn payouts the same way original creators did. X's stated reason for the overhaul is fixing that: incentives distorted by reposting and engagement farming. The fix removes everything but original content.
The one mechanism
A platform's revenue-sharing program is designed to solve that platform's own problem — not to take better care of creators. This overhaul exists to kill X's repost-farming headache, not to reward creators more generously. In the process, eligibility tightened to 500 followers and 500,000 impressions, and existing participants who don't clear that bar are simply out. Platform payout rules move on the platform's timeline, not the creator's.
What's confirmed and what isn't — Confirmed: the shutdown/launch dates (Sept 7, Sept 8), the eligibility numbers (500 followers, 500,000 impressions over 90 days), and "originals only" — X's own help page and multiple outlets agree on all of it. Unconfirmed as of September 7, 2026: whether actual per-post payouts will be higher or lower than before, and whether the same thresholds apply identically to accounts outside the U.S.
If your site gets 100 visitors a week
You were never going to qualify for this program anyway — 500 verified followers and 500,000 90-day impressions are a long way off for an account just getting started. The takeaway isn't "chase this program." It's a confirmation that a platform's revenue-sharing promise can change or disappear at any time. Building content to fit today's payout rules is riskier than building on a channel the platform can't touch — your own newsletter or blog — the same way this project already treats organic reach as the durable asset. One thing does line up with the direction X is pushing: if you were already writing original work instead of reposting, nothing here changes for you.