Just days after announcing its purchase of Revue, it appears that Twitter has already begun integrating the features of the email newsletter platform into its own platform. Images have surfaced that apparently show promotional messaging for using the tool within Twitter and a 'Newsletters' menu item with a 'new' label in the left-side menu of Twitter's web interface. Revue describes itself as a tool that makes it easy for writers and publishers to send editorial newsletters and get paid.
Announcing the acquisition, Twitter characterized itself in part as a place where writers and producers or curators of long-form content share their work and connect with audiences. Without explicitly pointing to the short-form nature of Twitter as being at odds with this, it said it had purchased Revue to accommodate this sort of content and to help users of the functionality monetize their work. Ultimately it wants to make Twitter "a better home for writers."
That announcement was published on January 26 and, only a day later, tech blogger and tipster Jane Manchun Wong tweeted the images that she says show integration work already being carried out. A promotional box flags that Twitter users can "Start a newsletter for free" as another way to reach audiences and get paid for their work. It lists features of the tool that include composing and scheduling newsletters, embedding tweets, importing email lists, analyzing engagement, and earning money from paid subscribers.
How Will Twitter Newsletters Work?
Twitter has confirmed that it will continue to run and invest in Revue as a separate service in its own right. What's more, it has made Revue's Pro features free to use and lowered the paid newsletter cut to 5 percent, meaning writers will now keep more of the revenue they generate. In short, Twitter's size means it's been able to make Revue more competitive as a standalone service, with its main interest being the integration of features to its own platform.
That's where this gets interesting, with the features of the email newsletter platform needing to be elegantly transmuted for use within the Twitter social media ecosystem. While the information that's been released is limited, Twitter says its users will be able to sign up for newsletters from people they follow, which presumably will trigger push notifications when new newsletters are ready that direct users to a new long-form, rich media section. It also says it's imagining "new settings for writers to host conversations with their subscribers," which sounds like functionality well beyond threaded tweets.
However it's implemented, Twitter says the functionality "will all work seamlessly within Twitter" and that "Over time, this team will build more discovery, reading, and conversational experiences centered around long-form content on Twitter." While the integration of newsletter functionality may sound niche, it's part of wider work by Twitter to broaden its offering as a social media platform and suggests it may evolve significantly in the near future.
Sources: Twitter, Jane Manchun Wong