Quora launches monetization features

Quora is joining the creator economy by offering users the ability to monetize their expertise.

What’s happening: Quora, a social question-and-answer sire known for its helpful, but sometimes random threads, is launching two new subscription services that allow creators to earn money for the knowledge they share.

"By allowing creators to earn from the knowledge they share, we enable them to create more and better quality content for everyone, whether they are a member or not. Advertising has been very successful, and the next stage of Quora's business will include both ads and premium content." —Adam D'Angelo, Founder and CEO of Quora

How they work: The two subscription features — Quora+ and Quora Spaces — work a bit differently, which I explain below. Both features, however, tap Quora’s machine learning tech to distribute your content to the company’s 300+ million users. That saves creators from growing a following or mailing list, D'Angelo said.

Quora Spaces: Quora Spaces will allow people to subscribe to your content at a price you set. The feature is currently available today in English in 25 countries. Quora will take a 5 percent cut from creators’ Space subscription earnings, and creators can choose which content to make available for free. A Space can focus on a specific niche or as a place to engage communities of any size.

Quora+ With this option, creators can opt to include their content into a subscription bundle called Quora+. Subscribers will pay Quora $5 each month to access Quora+ premium content, and the revenue generated will be distributed to creators in proportion to the amount each subscriber is consuming their content. More of a subscriber’s contribution will go to writers and spaces the subscriber follows.

Payout policy: If your earnings balance is $10 or more at the end of a cycle, the full amount will be paid to your Stripe account. If it's less than $10, the balance will roll over and continue accumulating until you reach $10. Learn more about the monetization features here.

Shifting its model: To date, Quora’s business has depended entirely on ad revenue. That model, however, doesn’t accommodate the burgeoning creator economy, whose 50+ million people are looking to monetize their skills, insights, and influence with a host of competitors. D'Angelo said the internet has evolved and that people are more willing to pay for quality content supplied by experts.

Why it matters: Now valued at $1.8 billion, Quora receives more than 300 million unique visitors per month, offering indie hackers a fantastic conduit to customers as well as a new forum on which to grow your personal brand. Quora’s move also represents the latest example of a widely popular platform launching tools through which the creator economy can earn revenue.

Indie hackers rejoice: It seems most folks on Indie Hackers are pleased with Quora’s news and its impact on the creator economy. Quora is a gold mine of SEO content and functions similarly to Reddit. If your product or expertise is linked to a helpful Quora post, you'll almost certainly rank higher for that organic keyword.

“This is the unstoppable creator economy reshaping the way we consume and produce content! Couldn't love it more and be more excited about it.” —@leticiasouza

“It's a great move, just don't get carried away building your business on someone else's domain. Do research into all the creators who were screwed over on other platforms. Remember, you have NO control over distribution of content on other people's websites. They can switch you off overnight if they (or an algorithm) please.” —@BitGonzo

Do you plan to monetize with Quora? What're your thoughts on this move? Share your thoughts below.