X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced its latest strategy to boost its X Premium subscription offering. The social media platform has teamed up with entrepreneur and media icon Paris Hilton on a variety of initiatives, including a custom Paris pink X icon exclusively for X Premium subscribers. This partnership is part of a larger collaboration between Hilton’s 11:11 media company and X, which includes plans for Hilton to work on live video, live commerce, X Spaces (live audio), and more.
Key Takeaway
X has partnered with Paris Hilton to create a custom pink X icon for its X Premium subscribers. This collaboration is aimed at attracting more subscribers to X’s premium offering.
Customization Options
The bedazzled pink icon, named “Sparkly Pink,” was discovered by X user @aaronp613, who often uncovers unreleased features ahead of their official announcements. The icon was found in the app’s code and went live before the official announcement. Previously, Twitter offered custom icons to its paid subscribers through the Twitter Blue subscription. X expanded on this concept with its X Premium subscription, which offers additional features such as paid verification, post editing, lighter ad load, and increased visibility in search and replies.
The Appeal of the Paris Pink Icon
The custom “Paris Pink” X icon stands out compared to the previous offerings. While X’s icons were simply alternative colors, Hilton’s new icon features a sparkly pink design that may appeal to users who prefer a Barbie-pink-themed smartphone homescreen. It should be noted that the “Paris Pink” icon will only be available for a limited time, according to a representative from 11:11 Media.
A Celebrity Collaboration
While the introduction of a new icon may not typically be newsworthy, this collaboration represents X’s first partnership with a celebrity to design an icon for X Premium. The aim is to attract more subscribers to its $8 per month or $84 per year subscription offering. However, it remains unclear how many of Hilton’s 16.6 million followers on X are willing to pay for this perk, especially considering the limited two-month availability of the pink icon.
X’s Subscription Struggles
X has faced challenges in attracting subscribers to its paid subscription. Earlier reports indicated that the service generated only $11 million in its first three months. Recent data suggests that X Premium gained approximately 94,000 net subscribers between July 1 and August 10, 2023, bringing the total subscriber count to an estimated 891,963 as of last month. While these numbers are not particularly high compared to other social media subscriptions, such as Snapchat+ with over 5 million subscribers, X is actively seeking ways to diversify its revenue streams.
The Importance of Creators
X’s partnership with Hilton aligns with Elon Musk’s vision for the company to evolve into a platform that supports creators in monetizing their fan bases. X has launched an ad revenue-sharing program for creators and has been encouraging them to upload videos to the platform. However, the payouts for creators have been relatively small. Increasing the number of Verified users is crucial to the success of X’s creator initiative, making collaborations like the one with Hilton even more significant for the company.
Moving Forward
Hilton’s involvement with X is part of her broader engagement with digital initiatives. In addition to her partnership with X, Hilton has explored opportunities in NFTs, crypto, and recently launched her own “Slivingland” metaverse experience on Roblox. With the collaboration between Hilton and X, future plans include live video, commerce, and Spaces, with eight original videos in the pipeline.
