Tumblr launched a closed beta of its Post+ subscription option for premium content back in July, but this week it switched to an open beta for all US users.
With Post+, any Tumblr blog can be monetized using a subscription model. Creators can charge a $1.99, $3.99, $5.99, or $9.99 subscription for access to content, and then either create posts just for subscribers or set a teaser line within a post where a subscription is required to continue reading. Completely free posts continue to be an option even if your blog offers a subscription.
As TechCrunch reports, the closed beta highlighted a number of problem areas which Tumblr-owner Automattic has taken action to fix. They include the new, lower $1.99 subscription option, removal of the Post+ avatar badge, the ability to block subscribers without having to contact support first, and the ability to include posts from a blog’s archive in the premium content offering.
Tumblr is hoping this encourages more creators to start offering premium content, with only 5% of the subscription charge taken by the platform. There’s no follower count displayed, no posting quotas to meet, and no longer a reason to try and entice followers to visit your Patreon to earn some cash. The only real limit right now is that only US users can use the subscription model, but Tumblr is promising it will roll out worldwide soon. Anyone anywhere in the world can subsribe right now, though. Of course, none of this premium content will be porn, and Tumblr has yet to recover from the traffic drop since banning it.
Meanwhile, Twitter’s take on the subscription model for premium content doesn’t seem to be doing too well. The Super Follows feature is meant to allow Twitter users the option of subscriber-only content for $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 a month. However, as TechCrunch reports, in the first two weeks of Super Follows being available, only $6,000 in revenue was generated across the US, and only $600 generated across Canada. Tumblr will be hoping it sees much greater success with Post+ over the next few weeks.
