Deconstructing X's New Algorithm: The Ultimate Guide to Content Monetization in 2026

特邀专栏作者

2026-01-21 09:00

This article is about 6129 words, reading the full article takes about 9 minutes

This article will deeply deconstruct the revenue composition of CT, uncover the traffic secrets behind the open-source x-algorithm code, and present a practical "Content Monetization Playbook" tailored for 2026.

AI Summary

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Core Viewpoint: The X platform (formerly Twitter) is driving a transformation of its content ecosystem from "short and fast" to "deep and high-value" through algorithm upgrades and incentive programs. This creates new "cognitive dividends" and monetization opportunities for creators in the cryptocurrency space, but also requires them to adapt to the new logic of traffic distribution.
Key Elements:
1. X platform launched the "Million Dollar Article Bounty," rewarding in-depth content. The first winning article garnered over 160 million views, signaling a shift in official incentive direction.
2. The newly open-sourced x-algorithm, based on the Grok large language model, ushers in the "semantic intelligence era." It understands content through vector retrieval, making depth and logic the core recommendation criteria, rendering hashtag and spamming strategies ineffective.
3. Algorithm interaction weights have been restructured. User dwell time (P(dwell)) carries the highest weight, while image expansion (P(photo_expand)) and deep replies (P(reply)) are key positive signals.
4. Primary monetization avenues for CT creators include: official incentives, referral/affiliate economics, project promotion/KOL rounds, paid knowledge content, and proprietary trading. Among these, referrals and commercial deals demand high levels of genuine influence.
5. The future efficient content strategy is: producing high-information-density, logically clear long-form articles or tweet threads, supplemented with high-quality data charts, to build a vertical, professional, persona-driven account.
6. Industry KOLs generally believe the algorithm change is phasing out "inflated" traffic and meaningless interactions. Real value, deep content, and on-chain behavioral data will command higher pricing power.

X (formerly Twitter) is undergoing an unprecedented reshaping of its content ecosystem. If you've recently felt that the recommendation logic of your Timeline has changed, it's definitely not an illusion.

Musk is reshaping the flow of traffic with real money, and Twitter's payouts are rising. Twitter's official "Million Dollar Article Bounty" campaign has shocked creators, aiming to reward those who can produce in-depth content that resonates across the entire network. Shortly after the campaign's launch, the platform saw its first single article surpass 160 million views.

What does this mean? It means Twitter is attempting, through a dual drive of algorithms and incentives, to transform the past "short, fast, and emotional" information square into a "deep and high-value" content platform. For CT (Crypto Twitter) creators, the "inflated traffic" of the old era is becoming ineffective, while the new "cognitive dividend" is just beginning.

To help you seize the initiative in this new round of traffic reshuffling, Biteye will deeply dissect the revenue structure of CT, uncover the traffic secrets behind the x-algorithm open-source code, and present a "Practical Guide to Content Monetization" adapted for 2026.

1. Before Talking About Creation: How Does CT Actually Make Money?

Before researching "how to write," we must first see through "where the money is." Beyond X's official, visible revenue sharing, CT's real gold mine is buried deep underwater:

1. Official Creator Incentives: Most Transparent, but Lowest Ceiling

Blue check + views are the most basic income source.

However, after frequent algorithm updates, traffic generated by spamming replies and chasing trends has severely depreciated. According to Biteye statistics, the official monthly revenue share for most Chinese-speaking creators typically ranges from a few hundred to 2000 USD.

This is a "base salary," not a main career.

2. Affiliate Economy: The Most Profitable Underwater Cash Flow in CT

This is CT's most hidden and lucrative track. From exchange registration links to invitation codes for on-chain tools, to various trading bots. A high-quality, viral tutorial post often generates sustained affiliate income from its long-tail traffic that can rival an ordinary worker's annual salary.

3. Project Promotion / KOL Rounds: Only Real Influence Matters

Commonly known as "taking sponsored posts." Web3 projects always need KOL endorsements, but project teams are getting smarter. They no longer just look at inflated follower counts; they increasingly require a certain ranking level on @xhunt_ai. Only vertical KOLs whose influence can withstand data scrutiny have pricing power.

For a detailed introduction to KOL rounds, see the Biteye tweet "Unveiling KOL Rounds: A Wealth Experiment Swept Up by Traffic"

🔗https://x.com/BiteyeCN/status/1986748741592711374

4. Knowledge Payment / Private Domain Traffic: The Paid Game for High-Net-Worth Creators

Filtering general public traffic and funneling it into private domains (paid groups, Newsletters, research report subscriptions). Currently, annual fees for mainstream Chinese-speaking Alpha Groups are generally a few hundred USDT, with core VIP fees having no upper limit and extremely high renewal rates.

5. Token Alpha (Proprietary Trading): Highest Ceiling, Also Most Brutal

Monetizing through cognition. Using information asymmetry to discover early Alpha projects and trading them yourself. This is the income source with the highest potential but also the most instability. In this arena, some lose everything overnight, while others achieve a breakthrough, directly crossing social strata.

2. The Three Evolutions of the Algorithm: From "Rules" to "Semantics"

X just open-sourced its latest recommendation algorithm xai-org/x-algorithm yesterday. This is not just a code update; it's a paradigm shift in traffic distribution logic. For creators, understanding the iteration of traffic logic is the prerequisite for making money:

1. Pre-2023: The Era of Tag Matching

Logic: Rule-based (SimClusters).
Playbook: As long as you included tags like #$BTC #Airdrop, the algorithm mechanically pushed it to interested people. "Tag-hijacking" was the optimal strategy then.

2. 2024-2025: The Era of Weighted Layers

Logic: Increased weight based on content type.
Playbook: "Blue check" and "native video" weights skyrocketed, external links were downranked. Not buying a membership meant getting nowhere; posting videos was easier to go viral than text.

3. Post-2026: The Era of Semantic Intelligence (Grok-based)

Logic: Completely abolishes manual features; the Grok large language model performs semantic understanding and predicts user behavior.
Dual-stream architecture core:

Thunder System (Inner Circle): Handles follower traffic. Red line: Author Diversity. Spamming posts in a short time will be flagged as noise and collapsed immediately. Posting rhythm must prioritize quality over quantity.
Phoenix System (Outer Circle): Handles "For You" traffic. Red line: Vector Search. The algorithm no longer looks at tags but calculates the "semantic vector" of your content. Even without tags, as long as the content logic matches user intent, it can be delivered accurately. The current algorithm only recognizes "content depth," not "keywords."

3. Interaction is No Longer Equal: What Does the Algorithm Truly Value?

The new algorithm no longer simply counts how many likes you have. It predicts the probability P(Action) of a user taking an action, with the following weight logic:

P(dwell) Dwell Time (Highest Weight): Did the user stop and read your entire long-form article? This is more valuable than casually liking.
P(photo_expand) Image Expansion: Did the user click to expand your accompanying image? This is a strong signal of interest.
P(reply) In-depth Reply: Sparking discussion is favored by the algorithm more than simple reposts.
P(not_interested) Negative Feedback (Fatal): Clickbait titles that trick users into clicking but cause them to quickly scroll away will lead to a cliff-like drop in weight.

Attached: X's Open-Source Algorithm Iteration Comparison Chart

4. Money-Making Strategy: In 2026, What Kind of Writing is Most Profitable?

Combined with the new algorithm weights, future content operations are recommended to follow this SOP:

Golden Theme: High Information Density + Logical Deduction

The Grok model prefers content with logic and context.

Abandon: Meaningless shilling ("$BTC to the moon 🚀"), as such content is categorized as low-quality noise.
Embrace: In-depth research reports, data analysis, review and deduction.
Money-making point: This type of content has an extremely high P(dwell) and is easy to embed tool affiliate links (e.g., "I discovered this Alpha project using XHunt's real-time trending topics...").

Format Dividend: Long-form + Visual Content

Since the official platform is pushing the "Million Dollar Article" and the algorithm values dwell time:

Preferred Format: Articles (long-form) or Threads (long tweet threads).
Essential Element: High-quality data charts.
Utilize the algorithm's P(photo_expand) mechanism. Create various Ecosystem Maps or data comparison charts that are "impossible to see details without clicking to enlarge the image" to gain massive traffic weighting.

Attached: Official High-Scoring Template – Four Iron Rules for Article Writing

Title Determines Fate: Reject paternalistic teaching. Use counterintuitive viewpoints + specific numbers instead of bland statements (e.g., "Why 95% of Advice is Nonsense"), paired with an eye-catching header image.
Scan-Friendly Layout: Mobile-friendly. Paragraphs no longer than 3 lines, use lists and bold text frequently, allowing users to scan key points within three seconds.
Speak Human Language: Write like chatting with a friend, not lecturing like a professor. Ruthlessly delete 30% of fluff after writing, maintaining a conversational tone.
Traffic Acquisition: After publishing the article, break down the essence into a Thread for promotion with a link back to the original article. Pin the article on your profile for 72 hours to fully capitalize on the traffic.

Operation Model: Personalization Eliminates Matrix Operations

Old Model: Matrix Accounts (Industrialized Volume)
Create 100 accounts to spam tweets, hijack tags, trick follows -> Now guaranteed to fail immediately (killed by deduplication and anti-spam algorithms).
New Model: Persona-Based Big Accounts (Grok-Friendly)
The algorithm now has strong memory for author profiles. You need to make the AI remember "what this person is an expert in." Once labeled as high-value, every tweet you post receives preferential treatment in the initial traffic pool.
Practical Three-Axes Strategy:

Vertical Anchoring: 80% of content relentlessly focuses on a single niche. Avoid posting messy life updates, maintain content vector purity for Grok to categorize quickly.
Semantic Feeding: Use industry jargon frequently. High-frequency use of professional terms (like TVL, MEV) in your Bio and tweets actively "feeds" the algorithm to reinforce expert identity.
Graph Binding: Leverage top-tier weight. Engage frequently in deep interactions with top accounts in your niche (e.g., Vitalik, official protocols), using the relevance of the social graph to boost your own weight.

Simultaneously, when operating and publishing content, aim to create "Banger Posts."

💡 What is a "Banger Post"?

Definition: Refers to top-tier content that can instantly ignite interaction and even "push the timeline." The official platform has even launched a Certified Bangers badge for this.
Money-making Logic: It's Grok's favorite. It doesn't look at follower count, only at real interaction depth. A logically rigorous Banger can instantly trigger the Phoenix system (stranger recommendations), giving a small account hundreds of thousands of precise impressions. It's the best vehicle for high-value affiliate deals and million-dollar bounties.

5. Market Consensus: KOL Viewpoint Summary

To verify the new algorithm's impact on actual operations, we've compiled the most representative recent voices from 12 figures within the CT circle. These viewpoints reveal a common trend: "False prosperity" is collapsing, and "real value" is being priced.

1. Algorithm & Ecosystem Reshaping: Farewell to "Pumped-Up Meat"

@Phyrex_Ni (XHunt Chinese #8): Ineffective interaction for follower growth actually deducts points.
🔗 https://x.com/Phyrex_Ni/status/2010126344399794254
Citing official X views, points out that "spamming replies (like gm) for follower growth" is the biggest current misconception. The algorithm has stripped exposure quotas from ineffective interactions; meaningless spamming actually harms account weight.
@0xKingsKuan (XHunt Chinese #401): From "Quantity" to "Quality".
🔗 https://x.com/0xKingsKuan/status/2007704780945453115
Future points and rewards will introduce "reputation + on-chain behavior" thresholds, ending the era of "talk-only farming." Traffic will flow to creators with cleaner data.
@biquanliergou (XHunt Chinese #2694): Cycle of Niches.
🔗 https://x.com/biquanliergou/status/2011862271274991867
With "API botting" like Kaito's being blocked, the noisy era of InfoFi ends. Real "farming tutorials" and quality sponsored posts will return because users need tutorials, not spam noise.
@punk2898 (XHunt Chinese #197): Exposing the Algorithm's Underpants.
🔗 https://x.com/punk2898/status/2013538743467286981
First to publish a 6000-word hardcore breakdown, translating the open-source code into "human language." Core revelation: the traffic distribution mechanism between "Following feed" and "Discovery feed," and the algorithm's mandatory restriction on "Author Diversity": This means the spamming strategy is completely obsolete. Precise output after understanding the code logic is the way forward.

2. Monetization & Mindset Building: The Entry Posture for the Dividend Period

@Bitwux (XHunt Chinese #22): Overcoming "Content Shame".
🔗 https://x.com/Bitwux/status/2012063949232226455
Addressing the psychological barrier many have of "daring not to write long-form." Emphasizes that in the current era of drastic algorithm changes, consistent output is more important than chasing a single viral hit. First, get the process running; don't self-censor out of fear that no one will read it.
@Bqlsj2023 (XHunt Chinese #70): Interaction is the Only Truth.
🔗 https://x.com/Bqlsj2023/status/2013508218350436588
Recommendations are now fully handed over to the Grok model for self-learning; botting is completely ineffective. What the algorithm cares most about is whether it can truly retain people and spark conversation. Deep, back-and-forth dialogue is the strongest positive signal.
@DeFiTeddy2020 (XHunt Chinese #88): Practical Guidelines & XHunt Traffic Tool
🔗 https://x.com/DeFiTeddy2020/status/2013506697202184692
Summarizes Grok's suggested 6 golden rules for X creators. Simultaneously, to address this urgent need for screening "real traffic," XHunt launched its "Traffic Ranking" feature, helping users track KOLs, trending topics, project hotspots, and identify who are the true top influencers with real engagement.
@DtDt666 (XHunt Chinese #255): The Truth About Earning 2 Million RMB Annually.
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