Microsoft has dropped Twitter from its advertising platforms as it is not willing to pay for the Twitter API

Microsoft has dropped Twitter from its advertising platforms as it is not willing to pay for the Twitter API. One of the biggest companies in the tech industry is removing Twitter from its B2B platform, adding to the list of platforms that have done so.

The recent loss of business partners has been concerning for Twitter, but the latest news is particularly unexpected and damaging. According to a report from Microsoft, Twitter will no longer be supported by Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform, effective April 25, 2024. Microsoft Advertising users have received emails notifying them of this change, with the message that the Digital Marketing Center (DMC) will also no longer support Twitter starting from the same date.

Starting April 25, 2024, users of Microsoft Digital Marketing Center’s social media management tools will no longer have access to their Twitter accounts. This means they will no longer be able to create, schedule or manage their tweets using these tools. Additionally, users will not be able to view their tweet history or tweet engagements via the Microsoft Advertising Platform.

Microsoft’s announcement came shortly after Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, appeared at a significant marketing and advertising conference. During the event, Musk attempted to entice brands back to the platform after it lost half of its largest advertisers following his acquisition of the company.

Previously, Microsoft Advertising offered a feature that allowed advertisers to manage their social media accounts across multiple platforms from a single location. This included the ability to respond to tweets and direct messages, as well as messages received on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Although Microsoft’s social media service was free for advertisers, it was a prominent feature within the Digital Marketing Center dashboard of Microsoft Advertising. This service worked in tandem with the platform’s social and search paid advertising tools, which assisted businesses in running and managing their paid advertising campaigns on platforms such as Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, and Microsoft’s search advertising.

Twitter had plans to move to paid API

Twitter is set to transition to a paid API subscription model by April 29, which will require brands to subscribe and pay in order to use it. This move will also result in the discontinuation of the old API. Microsoft’s decision to discontinue its use of the Twitter platform implies that it is unwilling to pay for the Twitter API.

It is worth noting that Twitter’s enterprise plan for its API will not come cheap, with a starting price of $42,000 per month.

The exorbitant cost of Twitter’s new API plan appears to be causing further disaffection with the company.

Microsoft is not the only company that appears to be put off by Twitter’s high API prices. Other organizations, developers, and companies have taken similar steps.

Last week, Intercom, a leader in online customer service, announced that it was removing Twitter integration from its platforms due to the cost of the new API. The US federal government agency, National Weather Service, has also taken a similar route by dropping the Twitter API. Consequently, users should no longer rely on its emergency alerts via Twitter.

The loss of these companies is bound to create problems for Twitter, particularly considering the traffic that their content generates on the platform. Additionally, the engagements these platforms drive to Twitter may dwindle, thereby reducing overall user engagement on the social media platform.