I Studied 100 X Ads — Here's How You Really Grow on X (Twitter)

How Can You Actually Grow Your Business on X (Twitter) Through Effective Advertising?

After studying over 100 X (Twitter) ads over the past two years, I've uncovered what truly works versus what doesn't. While many people suggest simply posting more content or sharing theoretical advice, the real key to X growth lies in building genuine relationships with your audience. Successful X advertising requires starting with strong organic posts that provide value, then amplifying them with targeted ads that foster engagement rather than just driving website clicks. The approach that delivers real results focuses on education, helpful content, and relationship-building rather than self-promotion.

Questions People Ask

What's the biggest mistake people make with X (Twitter) ads?
Most people run X ads like Facebook ads, focusing solely on driving clicks to their website. This approach fails because users are on X to build relationships, not just to click links. Instead, focus on providing educational content and helpful resources that foster relationships with potential customers.

How much budget do I need for effective X advertising?
You don't need thousands of dollars to succeed with X ads. Starting with just $5-$15 per day is ideal. Run ads at this lower budget for about two weeks to allow X's algorithm to learn your audience and optimize your costs, then gradually increase your budget as performance improves.

Should I create special content for my X ads?
No, your best strategy is to use organic posts that have already performed well. Test your best-performing organic content as ads first, then create variations based on what resonates. Posts that ask questions, provide value through threads, or offer free downloads typically perform best.

What's the difference between small and big accounts on X?
Smaller accounts often see better results because they focus on building genuine relationships rather than accumulating followers. A small account with high engagement is more valuable than a large account with purchased followers and low engagement. Quality relationships with engaged followers lead to actual leads and sales.

How should I structure my X advertising funnel?
Use a two-stage approach: First, create top-of-funnel ads that promote your best organic content to build awareness. Then set up retargeting ads that show to people who engaged with your first ad, inviting them to either DM you or click a link for more value. This builds a relationship before asking for action.

Why This Strategy Works for Any Business

• Builds genuine relationships that convert to loyal customers instead of just collecting superficial followers or engagement
• Leverages content you've already created, eliminating the need to constantly produce new material specifically for ads
• Reduces advertising costs as X's algorithm learns your audience and optimizes delivery over time
• Creates a natural sales progression from awareness to consideration without aggressive selling tactics
• Works for businesses of all sizes, with small accounts often seeing better conversion rates than larger ones

Understanding What Really Works on X (Twitter)

Over the past two years, I've dedicated significant time to studying more than 100 different X ads to determine what actually drives growth on the platform. I'm Brad Smith, owner of Automation Links, and I've been in the marketing industry for over 10 years, helping more than 2,500 brands improve their marketing strategies.

Since Elon Musk effectively told advertisers to "go fu** themselves," many businesses have backed away from X advertising. However, I recognized this as an opportunity rather than a deterrent. What I discovered was that most businesses were approaching X advertising completely wrong.

Why Most X Ad Strategies Fail

The fundamental mistake most advertisers make is treating X like Facebook. They create ads focused solely on driving clicks to their websites, completely missing how people actually use X. Unlike other platforms, X users are primarily there to build relationships, engage in conversations, and connect with others who share their interests or expertise.

When you try to immediately drive users off-platform with clickbait or sales pitches, you're working against the natural user behavior on X. This approach typically results in high costs and poor conversion rates.

Learn more about building effective X advertising campaigns in this comprehensive guide.

Small Accounts vs. Big Accounts: What Really Matters

One surprising discovery from my research is that smaller accounts often see better results than larger ones. Looking at the data, a small account with a few thousand genuine followers who regularly engage with content will outperform accounts that have purchased followers to appear larger.

When examining these accounts:

• Small accounts with authentic followers build real relationships
• They post helpful, educational content consistently
• They focus on creating loyal fans rather than impressive metrics
• They prioritize providing genuine value over self-promotion

In contrast, accounts with purchased followers may look impressive at first glance but suffer from low engagement rates. They have many followers but generate few leads, customers, or sales from their X presence.

Your X advertising strategy should always begin with strong organic content. Testing posts organically before putting ad spend behind them allows you to identify what resonates with your audience before investing your marketing budget.

What to Post Before You Advertise

Before launching any X ads, you need to understand what content types perform well on the platform. Through my research, I've identified several high-performing content formats:

1. Threads - Multi-post explorations of a topic that provide comprehensive value
2. Value posts - Educational content that solves specific problems
3. Free downloads - Offering genuinely helpful resources without excessive requirements
4. Engagement posts - Questions, polls, and requests for comments that spark conversation

These formats work because they focus on building relationships rather than direct selling. When creating your content, include helpful images or videos to increase engagement and make your posts more memorable.

When deciding which posts to promote through advertising, look for ones that already demonstrate strong organic engagement. This indicates they resonate with your audience and will likely perform well with ad spend behind them.

Learn more about creating effective X posts that drive sales through our detailed strategy guide.

Building Relationships with Helpful Content

The core strategy that works on X is building genuine relationships by providing valuable, educational content. Your posts should:

1. Ask people to leave comments to foster conversation
2. Encourage engagement through questions and polls
3. Offer something of high value that solves a real problem
4. Educate your audience on topics relevant to your expertise

This relationship-building approach creates a foundation of trust. When you consistently provide value, your audience begins to see you as a trusted authority in your space. When they eventually realize they can't implement everything themselves or don't have time to do so, they naturally turn to you—the person who's been helping them all along.

The best X marketing strategies focus on this relationship-first approach rather than immediate conversion.

Running Ads on High-Value Posts

Once you've identified your best-performing organic content, it's time to amplify it with advertising. Here's how to approach your ad strategy:

Budget Strategy: Start with $5–$15/Day

You don't need a massive budget to see results with X advertising. In fact, starting small is the optimal approach. Begin with just $5-$15 per day for your initial campaigns.

When you first launch your ad account, costs will typically be higher as the algorithm learns about your content and audience. By running ads at a lower daily budget for approximately two weeks, you give the system time to optimize. After this learning period, your costs will generally decrease as the algorithm better understands who to show your ads to.

Only after costs stabilize should you consider increasing your budget. This patient approach prevents wasting money during the initial learning phase.

For tracking your advertising performance, consider using specialized tools like AdKong to measure your ROAS more effectively.

Testing and Scaling What Works

In the early stages of your X advertising, you should be in testing mode. Take several of your best-performing organic posts and run them as ads simultaneously to see which generates the best response.

This testing phase helps you identify:

• Which topics resonate most with your audience
• What content formats drive the highest engagement
• Which calls-to-action generate the best response
• The ideal content length and style for your audience

Once you identify your top-performing content, you can begin to scale by:

1. Increasing the budget on winning ads
2. Creating variations of successful content
3. Expanding your targeting gradually to reach similar audiences

The key is to let data guide your decisions rather than assumptions about what should work.

Retargeting: Build on Engagement

After establishing your top-of-funnel advertising with promoted organic posts, the next crucial step is setting up retargeting campaigns. This is where the real magic happens in your X advertising strategy.

Create a second campaign specifically targeting users who have already engaged with your initial ads. When setting up this campaign, configure it to target:

• Anyone who engaged with your promoted posts
• Users who liked your content
• People who followed your account after seeing your ads

This retargeting audience is significantly more valuable than cold traffic because they've already shown interest in your content. Your retargeting ads should:

1. Ask users to DM you for personalized help
2. Provide a link to additional valuable resources
3. Offer the next step in their education journey
4. Present a specific call-to-action that builds on their previous engagement

Carousel images often perform particularly well in retargeting campaigns, allowing you to show multiple pieces of value or steps in a process.

Learn more about retargeting X followers effectively through our step-by-step guide.

Final Thoughts: Combining Organic Strategy with Paid Amplification

The most effective X growth strategy combines strong organic content with strategic paid amplification. X ads alone won't scale your presence exponentially—they work best as part of a comprehensive approach that prioritizes relationship building and value delivery.

Remember that your organic strategy forms the foundation of your X success. Your ads simply amplify what's already working. Focus first on creating helpful, educational content that genuinely serves your audience, then use advertising to extend your reach.

By following this relationship-first approach, testing consistently, and patiently optimizing your campaigns, you'll build a sustainable X presence that generates real business results—not just vanity metrics.

Take action today by auditing your current X content to identify your highest-performing posts, then experiment with a small ad budget to amplify them. The platform offers tremendous opportunity for businesses willing to approach it correctly.

Book a free 15-minute consultation session to discuss how this X strategy could work specifically for your business. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more automation strategies and detailed tutorials on implementing these approaches.