Tumblr kills Post Plus, and with it all paywalled content, starting January 2024

Tumblr kills Post Plus, and with it all paywalled content, starting January 2024 is profiled by BTW Media because published evidence links it to internet infrastructure, governance, operational dependencies, or market visibility.

• Starting from December 1, creators will no longer be able to enable the Post Plus subscription feature.
• The Tip Jar feature on Tumblr will be retained.

Tumblr is terminating its Post Plus subscription feature from December 1, meaning creators will not be able to paywall their content.

To cancel paywalled content

The decision is a response to the challenges of achieving usage and revenue targets, according to sources. Tumblr introduced the Post Plus feature in 2021; however, due to not meeting expectations, the feature will be discontinued by the end of this year. Existing content on Post Plus will remain accessible until the end of 2023 but will be marked as private starting from January 2024, making it no longer chargeable for subscribers.

According to The Verge’s report, platform personnel have indicated that the initial introduction of Post Plus was aimed at elevating and supporting a vast community of creators. However, the company explicitly states that this feature “did not meet our initial expectations,” and after comprehensive consideration of user feedback and actual usage patterns, the decision to discontinue it was made.

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The tipping feature will be retained

While Tumblr has decided to discontinue the Post Plus feature, this will not affect the tipping functionality, which will remain unchanged. Tipping, as a key feature, allows users to support their favorite creators by leaving tips on posts or blogs. The introduction of tipping aims to facilitate content monetization while encouraging creators to continue producing engaging content. Users can leave tips on individual posts, and the platform will not deduct payments processed through Stripe.

This decision means that despite the impending discontinuation of the Post Plus feature, avenues to support creators remain reliable. According to a report by TechCrunch, some Tumblr users prefer the Tip Jar feature over subscription options.

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Despite Tumblr closing one of its payment channels based on a variety of factors, the retention of the tipping feature ensures that users still have a way to support creators. This encourages the creation and sharing of more creative and unique content.