Tumblr To Roll Out Revenue Sharing Partner Program For Certain Users Later This Year

Tumblr is launching a revenue sharing program for users later this year, the company announced in a blog post. Tumblr rolled out ads across all blogs last Thursday, and will soon offer the opportunity to monetize to “any eligible Tumblr — poet, musician, fan artist, and misfit weirdo memelord alike,” the company wrote.

Details on the partner program, including the revenue split and exactly which users will be eligible, are still scant. Tumblr said that these aspects of the program are still being worked out. Monetization is and will be optional, however, and users can switch off ads in settings. In addition, users won’t be able to make money unless they register for the program, which is kicking off later this year. Ads will only be available on Tumblr pages that use the default Optica theme, the slide-out view on web, and the blog’s feed on mobile devices, Tumblr clarified.

“This was a long time coming, and will be one of the biggest projects we’ve ever launched at Tumblr,” wrote founder and CEO David Karp on his personal blog. “It’s been a busy summer — a new GIF maker, live video, new messaging stuff — and there’s a whole lot more on the way.”

Last year, Tumblr launched the Creatrs Network — another initiative to help users make money. The Creatrs Network serves as an in-house ad agency of sorts, pairing the slew of untapped artists, photographers, and other creatives across Tumblr with major brands to help them create advertising campaigns.

Tumblr’s decision to roll out revenue sharing was made days after its parent company, Yahoo, was acquired by Verizon in a $4.8 billion deal.