This should be interesting.
As part of its renewed push to get more creators posting long-form content on the app, a million dollars to the author of the most popular X article posted during the current payout period, which ends January 30.
According to X:
“We double what makers are doing 𝕏 do the best thing: write. By 2026, our goal is to recognize high-quality, impactful content that shapes conversations, breaks news and moves culture.”
X say that the winning article must be original, at least 1,000 words in length and will be judged “primarily based on verified home timeline impressions.”
Additionally, only US users are eligible.
Of course, you’ll also need to be an
Which, based on X’s Premium subscriber numbers, means fewer than 300,000 users are likely eligible for the prize. And since a fraction of those users actually post long-form content, your chances of becoming a millionaire are actually pretty good. I mean, much better odds than the lottery.
So how can you win?
The most important element to keep in mind is that the primary criterion is verified impressions, or how often your long-form article is shown to paying X users. And because the algorithm shows articles to users based on engagement, that means you need to write something that resonates with X’s paying user base.
I know what you’re thinking, but if you look at the actual data from X articles, you might need to do a little more than just write something that ties into Elon’s favorite pet topics.
Maybe.
Watching X articles on engagement insights from last yearthe five best performing articles on the platform were:
- A deep dive into alleged irregularities and liability issues at the Pentagon, sparking discussions about government transparency.
- An in-depth exploration of global economic trends, fiscal policies and investment strategies in a volatile market.
- A passionate fan perspective on Tesla’s innovations, leadership and future in electric vehicles and technology.
- A humorous yet sharp satirical look at current events, combining comedy with social commentary.
- Another entry in Amuse’s series of satirical commentaries on politics and culture, adding to their leading position.
So basically, publishing a post about how government regulation is bad but Tesla is good would probably be the best way to go, as many of you may have already guessed.
Want an easy $1 million?
I would suggest writing an article about how Grok is now so good at analyzing and predicting stock markets that you can let him make your stock trading decisions for you, and how you used this method to generate millions from your own money.
Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not, but I guarantee it will hit all the important points for X Premium users (especially if you also add a note about how you used the money to buy a Cybertruck).
So, what is X’s purpose here?
Well, as I noted earlier this month, X clearly has a lot of short posts to post in its system, but it also needs longer, more in-depth reporting and hopes that it can convince more journalists in particular to post more of their stuff in the app, expanding its stream of insights.
But at the same time, Elon continues to amplify his many, many personal complaints about “mainstream” journalists through his
Sure, $1 million is a big carrot, but the need to attract paying X users is a complicating factor that is unlikely to capture the attention of the intended audience.
But it will lead to an influx of long-form content, at least in the short term, and it could help increase interest in X-posts to some extent. Whether this is a one-time price or part of X’s in the longer term to expand creator payouts is another factor that will play a role.
My guess is that a biased AI-generated think piece will take the prize at the end of the month, and that
X will then do what every other platform does: make deals with publishers to bring in more long-form material, but for now,
I suspect they’ll have to do a lot more to make X a more attractive home for high-quality, long-form content, but maybe throwing enough money at it will start a snowball effect for X articles.
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