Twitter will allow publishers to charge users on a per article basis from May

Move will enable users who would not sign up for a monthly subscription 'to pay a higher per article price', chief executive Elon Musk says

Under chief executive Elon Musk, Twitter has cut most of its workforce and endured a number of public crises. AP

Starting in May, social media platform Twitter will allow media publishers to charge users on a per article basis with one click, chief executive Elon Musk said on Saturday.

The move will enable users who do not sign up for a monthly subscription “to pay a higher per article price for when they want to read an occasional article”, the billionaire owner said in a tweet.

“…Should be a major win-win for both media orgs & the public,” he said.

The new feature is among a number of number of product and organisational changes that Mr Musk has been making to boost revenue after the platform's advertising income dropped last year in the run up to his $44 billion acquisition that closed in October.

On Friday, Mr Musk said Twitter will take a 10 per cent cut on content subscriptions after the first year, as the company looks to monetise content on the website in a bid to diversify its revenue sources.

Mr Musk this month said users of the social media platform would be able to offer their followers subscriptions to content, including long-form text and hours-long video.

He also said the company would not take a cut for the first 12 months on content subscriptions.

He added that the company’s cut from subscriptions on iOS and Android platforms would drop to 15 per cent in the second year from 30 per cent in the first.

Under Mr Musk, who took over the company in late October, Twitter has cut the majority of its staff and endured a number of public crises, including over its plan for verifying users.

Mr Musk has been pitching a subscription service for Twitter in which users can obtain a blue check mark for $8 a month.