In a recent announcement, Tumblr has made a pivotal decision to shut down its Post+ subscription service. Initially conceived as a way for creators to monetize their content, Post+ allowed them to offer exclusive, paywalled content to their subscribers. However, this initiative hasn’t resonated as expected with the Tumblr community and is set to be phased out by early 2024.
Introduced to uplift the platform’s creators, Post+ was seen as a strategic move by Tumblr to provide a paid subscription format for its users. Despite its potential, the service failed to land as anticipated. Tumblr, acknowledging the community’s feedback and observing the usage trends, decided to discontinue Post+.
The timeline for this transition is already in motion. Starting December 1, 2023, Tumblr users will no longer be able to enable Post+ on their blogs. While existing Post+ content will remain accessible until the end of the year, the ability to create new Post+ content will be removed in early 2024.
At this point, all existing Post+ content will be marked as private, with the decision to make these posts public left to the discretion of each creator. Additionally, starting January 2024, subscribers will no longer be billed for the service. Notably, iOS users who subscribed via In-App Purchase are advised to cancel their subscriptions manually to avoid future charges.
Despite the removal of Post+, Tumblr continues to support its creator community through the Tipping feature. This functionality, which can be enabled via blog settings on the web and account settings on mobile, allows any original post to receive tips directly, benefiting the creators.
The closure of Post+ signifies Tumblr’s responsiveness to its community’s needs and the evolving digital landscape. It underlines the importance of platforms being adaptable and receptive to user feedback. For marketers and digital content creators, this move serves as a reminder of the fluidity of digital monetization strategies and the necessity to stay attuned to audience preferences and industry trends.
