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If you have used social media at any point in your existence then you’ll know what a viral tweet is. For those who aren’t social media savvy, a viral tweet refers to a Twitter post that gains immense popularity within a very short space of time. It then spreads quicker than COVID and becomes “viral.” It basically just means it is very popular (unlike COVID) and spreads quickly.
A lot of tweets go viral. But did you know that it is possible to make a little bit of cash from viral tweets? Well, it is, and while you’re not going to make a fortune doing it, you can make a few extra dollars. Wanna know how? Check this out.
It’s all in the timing
While it may be against the rules, Twitter users have latched onto a way to use viral tweets to score some extra cash. The process is fairly simple. Twitter users will find a tweet that is enjoying a surge in popularity. They will then reply to the tweet with a comment linking to a brand or a particular product. Doing this can gain a brand extra sales and, in turn, make a few extra dollars for the user.
It isn’t actually all above board, though. This kind of activity circumvents Twitter’s ad policy. For a start, Twitter doesn’t make any money from these “ads.” It doesn’t go through their ad process and nothing is actually approved by them. With this in mind, users who plan to make a bit of cash this way need to remain wary. Twitter doesn’t actively search for these posts but, if they are reported, Twitter will follow up on it.
Image: KnowTechie
Bloomberg recently spoke to some of the operators in this new wave of viral marketing. In their interview with Blake Forbes (AKA @BirdExecutive), he tells them that he searches for tweets that look like they’re going to be popular. With a team of associates, he will then share the tweet among their accounts. They have a modest following, collectively. Once the ball is rolling and the tweet has started to gain momentum, a brand may step in and request that Forbes tweets about their product in the tweet replies. He’ll then get a small fee for his trouble.
The future of viral marketing?
Probably not, now that Bloomberg has stuck its nose in and made everyone aware that this is happening. In all seriousness, though, this is likely to be a flash in the pan once Twitter feels it has been diddled out of enough advertising revenue. As this kind of low-level marketing grows in popularity, I’m sure plenty of Twitter users will find their accounts blocked, either temporarily or indefinitely.
There will always be people who find a way to make money from social media without any actually going to the platform. We’ve seen Twitter being pro-active when it comes to calling out fake news and slamming the giant orange toddler with misinformation labels, so there is no reason why they can’t start clamping down on those who are circumventing their ad policies. It’s only a matter of time.
What do you think? Have you ever thought about making money on Twitter through similar means? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
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