Linktree lets creators paywall… everything

The Future. Linktree is growing its influence with the rollout of “Payment Lock.” The new feature will allow users to make any unindexed file monetizable. In other words, they can turn any story, photo, or video into something people have to pay for online — and all easily listable in one place. If the feature becomes a way to monetize content on major platforms like TikTok or Instagram, expect some serious lawsuits… or for those platforms to turn any post into a microtransaction.

Pay in bio
Linktree doesn’t just want you to list out links to all of your content — it wants you to paywall them.

• TechCrunch reports that Linktree is beta testing a feature called “Payment Lock.”
• It allows users to paywall “Classic Links,” which are standalone links to items like files, PDFs, playlists, videos, or messaging groups, for up to $150.
• The payments only work for one-time transactions, not monthly subscriptions, and users will have access to the content even if the link on Linktree gets deleted.
• The feature will only be available to those who subscribe to Linktree’s Pro Tier, which also includes monetization tools for e-commerce and NFTs.

With Linktree driving “1.5 billion monthly unique visits to linked content” for over 30 million users, Linktree could be at the center of a lot of transactions… but the company said that it won’t take any fee (for now, we’re sure).

One link to rule them all
TechCrunch’s Ingrid Lunden notes that there’s an interesting opportunity for Linktree to paywall features on other platforms natively — such as paywalling a TikTok, a new single on Spotify, or a Discord community.

While that may require some workarounds (and a blind eye from those native apps), that could allow Linktree to become the go-to way to paywall for whatever you want on the internet… and put those lines of revenue in one easy-to-navigate list.