This January, Twitter acquired the newsletter platform Revue, but until now its integration into Twitter has been minimal; sometimes when you write Twitter threads, you’ll be greeted with a “Hello, wordsmiths” message that tells you about its newsletter tools).
Starting today, Twitter is testing a feature that brings Revue newsletters more prominently into the Twitter experience. Some users on web and Android will be able to see writers’ Revue newsletters appear on their profile beneath their follower counts. If you click subscribe, you’ll be prompted to read a sample issue or subscribe using the email address connected to your Twitter account. Revue says this feature will also roll out on iOS soon.
The newsletter market is heating up — Medium and Quora have both recently released new monetization structures, Substack is currently valued at $650 million, and Facebook is curating a slate of flashy newsletters on Bulletin. Even Tumblr is attempting to cash in on paywalled writing, though its user base isn’t thrilled. But with its new front-and-center integration on Twitter profiles, Revue may pick up steam too.
“One of the reasons I switched to using their platform was the potential to link my newsletter with my Twitter feed & make it easier for my followers to subscribe,” Revue writer Jewel Wicker tweeted. “Happy the rollout has begun.”
Revue takes a 5% cut of creators’ earnings, plus a standard 2.9%, plus $0.30 processing fee. So, if someone subscribes to your Revue newsletter for $5, you’ll take home $4.30. Comparatively, Substack takes 10% of writers’ revenue plus processing fees.