Deconstructing X's New Algorithm: The Ultimate Guide to Content Gold Rush in 2026

2026.01.21

Deconstructing X's New Algorithm: The Ultimate Guide to Content Gold Rush in 2026

The algorithm has finally stood on the side of "those who think seriously."

2026.01.21 - 09:13:06

Navigating Web3 tides with focused insights

The algorithm has finally stood on the side of "those who think seriously."

Author: Bbo I XHunt Operations Team

X (formerly Twitter) is undergoing an unprecedented transformation in its content ecosystem. If you've recently noticed that your Timeline's recommendation logic has changed, it's not your imagination.

Elon Musk is reshaping traffic trends with real money, and Twitter creator payouts are rising fast. The platform has launched a groundbreaking "Million-Dollar Article Bounty," designed to reward creators who produce deep, impactful content that resonates across the network. Shortly after the program launched, a single article on the platform achieved over 160 million views.

What does this mean? It means Twitter is using algorithmic and incentive-driven forces to transform from the old “short, fast, emotional” information square into a “deep, high-value” content platform. For CT (Crypto Twitter) creators, the era of inflated, low-quality traffic is ending—while a new wave of **cognitive arbitrage** is just beginning.

To help you seize the advantage in this new round of traffic reshuffling, Biteye will deeply dissect CT revenue models, decode the hidden traffic mechanics within the open-sourced x-algorithm code, and deliver a practical 2026 guide to monetizing content.

1. Forget Creation for a Moment: How Does CT Actually Make Money?

Before we explore *how* to write, we must first understand *where* the money comes from. Beyond official X payouts, CT’s real goldmine lies beneath the surface:

1️⃣ Official Creator Incentives: Transparent, but With the Lowest Ceiling

Blue check + view count is the most basic income source.

However, after frequent algorithm updates, traffic generated by spam replies or trend-jacking has significantly devalued. According to Biteye data, most Chinese-speaking creators earn between a few hundred to $2,000 per month from official payouts.

This is “base salary,” not a full-time job.

2️⃣ Affiliate Revenue: CT’s Most Lucrative Underground Cash Flow

This is CT’s best-kept secret. From exchange referral links to on-chain tool invite codes and quant bots, a high-quality viral tutorial can generate long-tail affiliate income equivalent to an average worker’s annual salary.

3️⃣ Project Promotions / KOL Rounds: Only Real Influence Matters

AKA “taking paid gigs.” Web3 projects always need KOL endorsements—but today’s project teams are smarter. They no longer care only about inflated follower counts; they now require creators to rank above certain thresholds on tools like @xhunt_ai. Vertical-focused KOLs with verifiable engagement hold pricing power.

For more on KOL rounds, see Biteye’s post: “Unveiling KOL Rounds: A Wealth Experiment Driven by Traffic”

🔗 https://x.com/BiteyeCN/status/1986748741592711374

4️⃣ Knowledge Monetization / Private Community引流: High-Net-Worth Creators’ Paywall Game

Convert public traffic into private communities (paid groups, newsletters, research subscriptions). In the Chinese-speaking space, top Alpha Groups typically charge hundreds of dollars annually, with core VIP tiers having no upper limit—and extremely high renewal rates.

5️⃣ Token Alpha (Self-Execution Trading): Highest Upside, Most Brutal

Monetizing insight through information asymmetry—identifying early-stage alpha projects and trading personally. This has the highest earning potential but is also the most unstable. In this arena, some lose everything overnight, while others break through and leap social classes.

2. Three Stages of Algorithm Evolution: From “Rules” to “Semantics”

X recently open-sourced its latest recommendation algorithm: xai-org/x-algorithm. This isn’t just a code update—it’s a paradigm shift in how traffic is distributed. For creators, understanding this evolution is the foundation of making money:

1️⃣ Pre-2023: The Era of Tag Matching

Logic: Rule-based (SimClusters).
Tactic: Just add #$BTC #Airdrop tags, and the algorithm mechanically pushes your post to interested users. “Tag-jacking” was the optimal strategy.

2️⃣ 2024–2025: The Weight Tiering Era

Logic: Content type determines weight.
Tactic: “Blue check” and “native video” gained massive weight; external links were downgraded. Not subscribing meant limited reach; videos outperformed text posts.

3️⃣ Post-2026: The Semantic Intelligence Era (Grok-Based)

Logic: Manual features abolished. Grok large model performs semantic understanding and predicts user behavior.
Dual-Stream Architecture Core:

3. Engagement Is No Longer Equal: What the Algorithm Truly Values

The new algorithm no longer simply counts likes. It predicts the probability of user action P(Action), with the following weighting logic:

P(dwell) Dwell Time (Highest Weight): Did users stop and read your long-form content? This is far more valuable than a casual like.
P(photo_expand) Image Expand: Did users tap to view your image? A strong signal of interest.
P(reply) Deep Reply: Sparking discussion is favored over mere retweets.
P(not_interested) Negative Feedback (Critical): Clickbait that leads users to swipe away instantly causes a cliff-like drop in ranking.

Appendix: X Open-Sourced Algorithm Evolution Comparison

4. Money-Making Strategy: How to Write Profitably in 2026?

Based on the new algorithm weights, future content operations should follow this SOP:

1️⃣ Golden Topic: High Information Density + Logical Reasoning

Grok favors content with logic and context.

Avoid: Meaningless shilling (“$BTC to the moon 🚀”), classified as low-quality noise.
Embrace: Deep research reports, data analysis, post-mortems.

2️⃣ Format Arbitrage: Long-Form + Visuals

With X pushing “million-dollar articles” and valuing dwell time:

Preferred Formats: Articles (long-form) or Threads (tweetstorms).
Must-Have Element: High-quality data visuals.

Appendix: Official High-Scoring Template — Four Commandments of Article Writing

Title Is Everything: Avoid preachy tones. Replace bland statements with counterintuitive takes + specific numbers (e.g., “Why 95% of Advice Is Useless”), paired with eye-catching lead images.
Scan-Friendly Formatting: Mobile-optimized. Keep paragraphs under 3 lines, use bullet points and bold text so users grasp key points in 3 seconds.
Write Like a Human: Chat like a friend, not lecture like a professor. Cut 30% of fluff after writing—keep it conversational.
Traffic Acquisition: After publishing, extract key insights into a Thread to drive traffic back to the original article. Pin the article to your profile for 72 hours to maximize visibility.

3️⃣ Operational Model: Personal Brand Over Matrix Accounts

Old Model: Matrix Accounts (industrial-scale volume)
Create 100 accounts to spam tweets, tag-jack, and fake follows → Now instantly fails (killed by deduplication and anti-spam algorithms).
New Model: Personality-Driven Main Account (Grok-friendly)
The algorithm now remembers author profiles. You want AI to recognize “this person is an expert in X.” Once tagged as high-value, every one of your tweets gets preferential access to initial traffic pools.

Additionally, aim to create "Banger Posts" when publishing.
💡 What Is a "Banger Post"?

Definition: Top-tier content that instantly ignites engagement—even “moves the timeline.” X even introduced a Certified Bangers badge for such posts.
Money-Making Logic: Grok’s favorite. Doesn’t care about follower count—only depth of real engagement. A logically tight Banger can instantly trigger the Phoenix System (stranger recommendations), giving small accounts hundreds of thousands of targeted impressions—the perfect vehicle for high affiliate payouts and million-dollar bounties.

5. Market Consensus: KOL Opinion Summary

To verify the algorithm’s real-world impact, we compiled the 12 most representative voices in the CT space. These opinions reveal a shared trend: “Artificial boom” is collapsing; “real value” is being priced.

1️⃣ Algorithm & Ecosystem Shift: Goodbye to “Inflated Meat”

@Phyrex_Ni (XHunt Chinese #8): Gaining followers via meaningless interactions actually deducts points.

🔗 https://x.com/Phyrex_Ni/status/2010126344399794254

Citing X’s official stance, highlights that “growing followers via spam replies like ‘gm’” is the biggest current misconception. Algorithms have stripped exposure from meaningless interactions—spamming harms account weight.

@0xKingsKuan (XHunt Chinese #401): From “quantity” to “quality.”

🔗 https://x.com/0xKingsKuan/status/2007704780945453115

Future points and rewards will require “reputation + on-chain behavior” thresholds. The era of “mouth-lifting” ends—traffic flows to creators with cleaner data.
@biquanliergou (XHunt Chinese #2694): Cycle repeats.

🔗 https://x.com/biquanliergou/status/2011862271274991867

With Kaito-style “bot API” tools banned, InfoFi’s noise era ends. Genuine “airdrop guides” and quality sponsorships return—users want tutorials, not spam.
@punk2898 (XHunt Chinese #197): Exposing the algorithm’s naked truth.

🔗 https://x.com/punk2898/status/2013538743467286981

First to publish a 6,000-word deep dive, translating open-source code into plain language. Reveals core mechanisms of “Following Feed” vs. “Discovery Feed” distribution, and algorithmic enforcement of “author diversity”—meaning spam tactics are dead; precise, informed output wins.

2️⃣ Monetization & Mindset: Positioning Yourself During the Boom

@Bitwux (XHunt Chinese #22): Overcome “content shame.”

🔗 https://x.com/Bitwux/status/2012063949232226455

Addresses the fear of writing long-form content. Emphasizes that amid algorithmic upheaval, consistent output matters more than chasing viral hits. Focus on building the process—don’t self-censor due to fear of low views.

@Bqlsj2023 (XHunt Chinese #70): Engagement Is the Only Truth.

🔗https://x.com/Bqlsj2023/status/2013508218350436588

Recommendations are now fully entrusted to Grok’s self-learning. Artificial inflation is useless. The algorithm cares only about whether your content truly retains users and sparks conversation. Back-and-forth dialogue is the strongest positive signal.

@DeFiTeddy2020 (XHunt Chinese #88): Practical Guidelines & XHunt Traffic Tools

🔗 https://x.com/DeFiTeddy2020/status/2013506697202184692

Summarizes 6 golden rules for X creators based on Grok insights. In response to growing demand for identifying “real engagement,” XHunt launched its “Traffic Ranking” feature to track KOLs, topics, project trends, and identify true top-tier influencers with authentic interaction.

@DtDt666 (XHunt Chinese #255): The Truth Behind Earning 2 Million RMB Annually.

🔗 https://x.com/DtDt666/status/2007698288347410635

Reveals ~2M RMB income in 2025 from ads + affiliate revenue. Key success factors: “self-education” and “vertical positioning.” Continuously sharing your growth journey enables capture of high-value traffic.

@DRbitcoin36 (XHunt Chinese #408): Creator Bull Run.

🔗 https://x.com/DRbitcoin36/status/2007376209626444015

Observes rising base income among Chinese CT creators (ceiling up to 2,990 USD). X’s incentive system is creating a virtuous cycle—now is the golden period for consistent producers.

3️⃣ Content Methodology: Long-Form, Personality, and Counter-Consensus

@y_cryptoanalyst (XHunt Chinese #319): The Trade-Off Between Traffic and Depth.

🔗 https://x.com/y_cryptoanalyst/status/2013119291512820082

Highlights the KOL dilemma: Should you write long-form to please the algorithm, or post short rants from the heart? This confirms long-form weight is forcing behavioral change.

@oran_ge (XHunt Chinese #682): The Triumph of Practicality.

🔗 https://x.com/oran_ge/status/2006848798816108582

Uses a single guide (2M views, $10K in referrals) to prove algorithm rewards high signal-to-noise content. Detailed, helpful content that helps users avoid pitfalls has powerful long-tail monetization potential.

@JimmyShequ (XHunt Chinese #2950): Reject Mediocrity.

🔗 https://x.com/JimmyShequ/status/2012858319820784097
In a tag-constrained environment, average content struggles to break through. Viral posts require “counter-consensus” takes and “narrative upgrades.” KOLs must dare to take stances and build loyal followings through personality resonance—not just act as content recyclers.

💡 Biteye’s Takeaway

In 2026, CT is no longer the Wild West.

This is an era where cognitive efficiency is systematically amplified.

The algorithm has finally sided with those who think deeply.

If you’re willing to:

Explain one thing clearly
Create one insightful visual
Build consistent viewpoints

Then this reshuffle is in your favor.

Next Step:

Niche Down: Platforms and projects favor highly specialized accounts with sticky, memorable audiences.
Opinion-Driven Engagement: Don’t be a repeater. Add your logical analysis when commenting on news or trends (Grok loves logic).
Visuals Are King: Learn to visualize complex ideas—a single great chart beats a thousand words (and is clickbait-proof).
Embrace Long-Form: Whether chasing the $1M bounty or higher ad rates, long-form is currently the optimal algorithmic play.
Small-Account Opportunity: The new algorithm eliminates author bias. If your content is Banger-worthy (sparks instant deep engagement), you can trigger Phoenix’s stranger-recommendation system and go viral overnight.