Big day for those interested in online media investing! The public has now been made aware that Twitter (NYSE:$TWTR) is testing a premium subscription plan designed to increase the reach power users and small businesses get from their tweets. This is clearly the struggling social media company’s attempt of tapping into a larger pool of advertisers.
For those that are invited and pay $99 per month, Twitter will automatically promote your tweets onto people’s timelines that do not follow you. Some Twitter users, including anonymous accounts, received an invitation to try out the service free for the first 30 days on Friday, July 28.
Currently, Twitter’s advertising products allow users and businesses to pay to promote their tweets to a wider audience. However, the subscription is targeted at people who are not experts in online marketing or Twitter ad campaigns and would prefer to use a service that does it automatically.
It’s important to note that the “private beta” program is targeted at small businesses and individuals rather than big brands.
This isn’t just speculation either. The California-based company has confirmed that the subscription is currently being tested with a small number of accounts that had previously advertised on the social network.
It shouldn’t come as a total surprise that Twitter has offered such a service right now. It comes at a time where the company is looking for ways to increase its advertising business after declining ad revenue for three quarters in a row.
How Does It Work?
An individual will be able to tweet from their account as they normally do, and then Twitter will programmatically choose tweets to promote into other people’s timelines.
Keep in mind that users will not be able to select individual tweets to promote in this trial. However, they will be able to target either a metro region, like New York, or an interest, such as “technology and computing.”
So why would people use such a service? Well, it’s thought that Twitter users might subscribe in order to gain additional followers. Once the week comes to an end, Twitter will send out a “report card” to subscribers with “additional reach, followers, and engagements.”
As of right now, the “private beta” program is only available to those that have been invited.
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