A while ago, we as an agency were looking for new ways to partially replace the overpriced campaigns on LinkedIn, and since X offered a welcome bonus of $500, we decided to give it a try.

So we launched several campaigns, both for our self-promotion and for clients, which we evaluated in detail after two months. The results showed directions not only for us but also for our clients, who are considering next steps based on the initial results. In this article, we will take a closer look at how Twitter (now X) Ads work, their advantages, and also the challenges that every advertiser should keep in mind.

General information about the X.com platform

The X platform, formerly known as Twitter, has become a key place for sharing current news and information since its inception in 2006. The original idea of Jack Dorsey – to create a space where people can write short messages limited to 140 characters – quickly found its audience, and today users can share posts up to 280 characters long. Thanks to this concise format, X has gained fame as a tool favored by politicians, journalists, and influencers for communicating with a wide audience. 

The platform underwent many changes in 2022 after the takeover by Elon Musk, which shifted towards more open discussions with minimal interference in content moderation. This choice has its pros and cons, but in this article, we will look at another aspect. On X.com, while you will find a diverse spectrum of users, the key audience mainly consists of people aged 25 to 49. This platform particularly attracts tech enthusiasts, professionals from various fields, journalists, and influencers who follow news, trends, and topics like technology, business, politics, or lifestyle.

Since 2014, companies have also been able to advertise on the platform, which opened up new possibilities for targeted advertising. Although it is not as popular in the Czech Republic as Facebook (X is used by about 4% of internet users here, approximately 400,000 people), advertising on X offers interesting opportunities: you can target precisely by demographics, interests, or current conversations, which is an advantage when trying to reach an active audience. In this article, we will take a closer look at how to use X Ads as an effective promotion tool, while also mentioning the possible challenges that this platform brings.

Why consider X.com ads?

Direct connection with the target audience

X.com focuses on real communication with users engaged in current discussions and trends.

Advanced targeting options

The platform allows targeting based on interests, keywords, conversations, and demographics, increasing the relevance of ads.

Flexible ad formats

It offers various formats, such as sponsored tweets, carousel ads, or video content.

Measurable results

Robust analytics tools allow you to track performance and optimize campaigns based on reach and interactions.

Occasional promotional offers

We and our clients were motivated to try this platform also due to a promotional coupon that offered additional credit on spending. In our case, we spent $250 and subsequently increased to $500 with the coupon.

Overview of formats on X

The X platform provides several types of ads that can be customized according to the target market and marketing goals.

Promoted Ads: These are ideal for reaching users in their feeds and attract attention without disrupting regular content. In 90% of cases, advertisers will use this format. Other formats are more supplementary. 

Within Promoted Ads, the following formats can be utilized:

• Image Ads

• Video Ads

• Carousel Ads

• Text Ads

Vertical Video Ads: Essentially a reels format that is very popular across social networks.

Among other many available formats, we can name X Amplify, X Takeovers, X Live, Dynamic Product Ads, Collection Ads, X Ad Features. If you want to learn more about the individual formats, visit the X website.  

Setting up a campaign and targeting

At the beginning, we can choose from three types of campaigns:

Awareness: campaigns focused on reach

Consideration: Ideal for generating interaction with the brand. More specifically, the campaign can be set up with the following goals:

• Video views – generating video views

• Pre-roll views – video before video

• App installs – aim to install an app on a mobile device

• Website clicks – traditionally generating visits to the website

• Engagements – fostering actions directly with your content

• Followers – gaining followers for your page

Conversion:  In this case, the effort is for some action directly in the application.

Types of payments, campaign process, timing

When setting up a campaign on X, the first step is to select the duration – either for a limited period or with the possibility of an indefinite duration. The next step is determining the method of achieving the goal, where, for campaigns focused on traffic, we recommend choosing 'site visits' instead of 'link clicks.'

Next is the selection of bidding method, where you can choose between automatic bidding or setting your own values for CPM, CPC, etc. Like most platforms, we recommend the automatic setting (Autobid) here. Regarding payment method, both X and we generally recommend choosing the impression CPM format.

The next step is selecting the ad placement. Twitter provides options for ad display on users' main timelines, on profiles that users visit, and also in search results.

Part of the setup also includes a 'brand safety' section, where you can specify whether you want the ads to appear next to explicit content and how explicit that content can be. In the future, X plans to introduce the option of displaying ads alongside highly explicit content, which could pose a challenge for some advertisers, particularly given the nature of content on X. Also, there is an option to exclude specific accounts and profiles.

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Restrictions on comment options

The X platform allows you to restrict or even completely disable comments under ads, which can be a significant advantage for certain campaigns .

Ad targeting

Demographic targeting on X includes geographic options at the level of the entire Czech and Slovak Republics, as well as language selection for the ad.

For age, gender, and technical specifications like device model, operating system, or mobile operator, X offers several options, including the choice to display ads only on devices connected via Wi-Fi (once favored in campaigns for app downloads). You can also target users with new devices.

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If you want to target conversations, X allows you to choose from more than 10,000 topics in 25 categories, such as sports, lifestyle, or books. The campaign can also utilize keywords that users have used, interacted with, or searched for on X.

The platform recommends providing at least 25 relevant keywords per campaign for optimal results. X also allows targeting based on interests divided into 25 main categories and 350 subcategories – maximum effectiveness can be achieved by selecting ten subcategories and continuously evaluating them.

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Targeting based on television content is available abroad, but you will not find this option in our region. Another option is targeting similar audiences following a specific account – for example, users following @TwitterBusiness might be interested in advertising on X. It is recommended to select about 30 relevant accounts, ideally without combining it with interest-based targeting.

It has proven effective to combine two separate campaigns – one targeted at interests and the other at followers of specific accounts.

Creating ads

The creation itself is simple and very similar to that of LinkedIn or TikTok. You select the format, upload your own creative, and write copy, or simply choose from your advertising gallery. 

Just make sure to create a UTM parameter, so you don't mix up data with Google Analytics.

What results have we achieved so far and what do we think of the platform?

The newly acquired experiences have shown us that ads on X Ads bring pleasantly low costs per reach and click in B2B campaigns, helping our clients achieve solid traffic to their sites – and sometimes leading to conversions as well. 

Even brand campaigns have considerable potential here, especially if you target a qualified and wealthier audience. The cost per reach is significantly lower than on LinkedIn. However, broader targeting can be a challenge as it might attract some less relevant users. An interesting bonus is the increased interest from journalists who look for sources for their articles on X.

From our perspective, X is a valuable addition to the media mix that deserves attention in certain sectors. It may not be the platform we would bet everything on, but it definitely has something to offer. Given its specific user base and high level of interaction, valuable insights about the market and public opinion can be gained here. For companies looking for a new way to reach decision-makers or create brand awareness, X Ads can be an excellent tool. We recommend allocating a budget for a test campaign for 2-3 months – ideally in the lower tens of thousands – and see what this platform can do. Who knows, it might become the new secret weapon of your advertising strategy.

Sources: https://business.x.com/en/advertising & https://www.cernovsky.cz/marketing/reklama-na-twitteru/