Learning how to make money on X requires understanding the platform's evolving monetization tools, building genuine audience relationships, and adapting your strategy based on what actually works.

The platform's monetization ecosystem has undergone a dramatic transformation since Elon Musk's acquisition, introducing new opportunities alongside fresh challenges that require a completely different approach than what worked on the old Twitter. 

Even Molly Jane Zuckerman, newsletter strategist at Blockworks, said, “You can't really rely on the Google algorithm anymore. X has completely deprioritized link sharing, and so the funnels for people to actually read our journalism were shrinking or becoming unusable.”

In this article, I'll share the honest truth about my X monetization journey – the strategies that genuinely moved the needle, the expensive mistakes I made, and the tools that made the biggest difference in my earnings. 

Whether you're starting with 500 followers or 50,000, these insights will help you build a sustainable revenue stream on X.

When I first tried making money on X in early 2023, I was skeptical about whether it would be worthwhile. The platform had just introduced its Creator Revenue Sharing program, and many success stories seemed too good to be true.

I was already living on X practically 24/7, constantly tweeting, engaging with people, and slowly but surely building up what I hoped would become a recognizable personal brand. 

Here's where I really shot myself in the foot: I was convinced I needed some massive following—like 50,000 or 100,000 followers—before I could even think about making a dime. I had about 2,000 followers, which felt tiny compared to other influencers who were making a substantial income.

Other creators have done the same, like Ben Meer, the founder of the System Sunday newsletter. Meer once said in an interview, “I started publishing educational threads on X (formerly Twitter), strategically including calls-to-action for my newsletter at the end of each post.”

Meer added, “It took about three weeks to get my first 1,000 subscribers; admittedly, it was less competitive to grow a newsletter via social media back in 2022."

I wasn't expecting to get rich overnight, but the idea of turning my social media obsession into something that could actually help with my coffee budget? That seemed worth exploring.

After 18 months of stumbling around and making every mistake in the book—seriously, I could write a whole separate guide on what NOT to do—I finally cracked the code on actually making decent money on X. 

And here's the thing that took me way too long to figure out: you can't just rely on one way of making money. 

I know, I know, it sounds like advice your dad would give you about investing, but stick with me here.

The people who were actually making enough to quit their day jobs? They weren't relying solely on one feature or strategy.

X subscriptions ultimately became one of my steady paychecks, although I definitely stumbled around in the dark for a while before I got it right. 

My first huge mistake? Pricing way too low at $3 per month. I thought it would attract more subscribers—that wasn’t the case.

The truth? People who are willing to pay more for exclusive content aren't necessarily price-sensitive – they're value-sensitive.

The best part about subscriptions? 

X lets you keep up to 97% of what people pay until you hit $50,000 in lifetime earnings. That means almost every dollar your subscribers pay goes straight into your pocket.

I'll admit, I was pretty skeptical about affiliate marketing on X at first. 

How do you write a compelling product review in 280 characters? It seemed impossible.

But man, was I ever wrong about that assumption—turns out, those quick, honest recommendations can be absolute gold mines, especially when you jump on whatever topic is already dominating everyone's feeds. 

I ditched those cringeworthy "OMG, you HAVE to try this!" posts and started getting real about how stuff actually fit into my daily routine, like “This project management tool literally gave me back 3 hours this week because it handles all my client follow-ups automatically." 

Also, timing—it's basically everything. 

Once I figured out that posting during the golden hours when my audience was actually scrolling (around 7-9 a.m. and 6-8 p.m. for my target audience), my click-through rates skyrocketed. We're talking double, sometimes triple the engagement.

Here's where I made the most money in my first year, and it wasn't from any fancy platform feature—it was using X as the world's most effective networking tool for landing consulting clients. 

While the subscription money was nice, the real gold mine was the relationships I built that led to high-value client work.

I started being super clear about what I do in my bio and regularly shared case studies from my projects (with my clients' permission, of course).

People could see exactly how I think and work, which made them way more likely to hire me when they needed help. It was like getting to audition for every potential client without the awkward sales pitch.

The first brand partnership opportunity came when a company reached out after seeing my consistent content in their industry niche. 

What surprised me? The company was more interested in my engagement rates and audience quality than my total follower count.

I believe the key to successful brand partnerships lies in maintaining authenticity while meeting sponsor requirements. 

I developed a simple rule: I'd only promote products or services that I have tried and would genuinely recommend to a friend.

Linda Hwang has extensive experience in B2B marketing and previously worked at a renowned international facilities management company. There, she played a crucial role in creating effective content and social media marketing plans. Now, Hwang is a marketing consultant who helps small businesses create compelling brand stories.

I thought that my X following wasn’t “big enough” for premium rates.

I started subscriptions too low, making future price increases difficult.

Growing an audience specifically for monetization requires a different strategy than just growing for vanity metrics.

The focus shifted from total followers to engaged followers who were likely to become customers, subscribers, or advocates for brand partnerships.

The crazy part? 

Those spontaneous thread storms would come back to bite me in the best possible way—months later, someone would reach out saying they remembered how I handled a similar situation and wanted to hire me for their own challenge.

The most successful educational threads:

Trust-building requires transparency about both successes and failures. People trusted me more when I acknowledged my limitations than when I claimed to know everything.

Also, consistency between my X presence and other professional platforms reinforced credibility. People remembered being acknowledged by creators they followed, which often translated into stronger support for monetized content later.

For content planning and analytics, I relied heavily on native X analytics combined with Buffer for scheduling.

The Stripe Connect integration for X’s monetization features worked seamlessly once properly configured.

For affiliate marketing, I used a simple spreadsheet to track:

This low-tech approach helped me identify patterns in what my audience found valuable without requiring expensive tracking software.

The Calendly integration in my bio streamlined the consultation booking process.

If I were starting my X monetization journey in 2025, I’d prioritize a few things from day one.

Here are my key pointers for an X monetization journey in 2025:

Building real income on X isn't going to happen overnight—and anyone who tells you it will is probably trying to sell you something. 

Plus, X is just one piece of the puzzle. 

The creators who've built truly sustainable businesses know that your social media audience is rented space. You need to own your relationship with your audience, and that's where email comes in.

Stop leaving money on the table by relying solely on social media algorithms. 

With beehiiv, you can capture your audience's attention and turn it into a direct line to their inbox. Build the email list that becomes your most valuable asset—one that no platform can take away from you. 

Your future self (and your bank account) will thank you.

Start your free beehiiv account today and transform your X expertise into a thriving newsletter business.