Twitter is testing a subscription service — but it's $99 per month

Get ready for a whole new obnoxious class of Twitter users.

Twitter is testing a subscription program that will promote accounts and tweets for $99 per month.

The program appears to differ from regular ads in that it is an all-in-one offer in which Twitter will boost tweets and accounts, as well as provide a "report card" that tracks how selected accounts are performing.

"Instead of creating and optimizing separate Twitter Ads campaigns yourself, this program will do the heavy lifting," the company stated in a landing page for the program.

Twitter offered elevated visibility for tweets and accounts starting in 2010, though use of "Promoted Tweets" required a relatively involved process, the price of which could be dictated by the customer. Now, Twitter is broadening that offer out to all users, a change that could upset the service's relatively egalitarian system.

A spokesperson said that the program is still being tested and is intended for use by small and medium-sized businesses.

Matt Navarra, director of social media at TheNextWeb, brought the program to light (on Twitter, of course).

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Speculation around a Twitter subscription offering has swirled for years, in part because the platform tends to be somewhat bifurcated between power users (what some might call verified users) and casual users (who tend to consume more than they produce).

The new program also comes after Twitter announced another dismal quarter of earnings, in which the company had no user growth and saw ad prices decline.

The price stands out. At $99, the service would seem to be geared only toward people who derive a professional benefit from Twitter. It would also stand to reason that those are the last people many want to see elevated in their feed.