What we do on X

What are X ads good for?

X ads, formerly known as Twitter ads, are paid placements that promote a brand's posts in users' home timelines, in search results, on profiles and among replies. What sets X apart is that it happens in real time: matches, series finales, award ceremonies, technology launches and breaking news are all discussed live here. An ad creates value to the extent that it can appear within that conversation.

That is why, for most brands, we position X not as a main sales channel but as a channel for visibility and joining the conversation at particular moments. We explain the order in which we assess niche channels, and the testing logic behind it, on our ASO and niche channels page; here we focus on X's own advertising tools.

Which ad formats are available on X?

The names and scope of X's ad products have changed often in recent times; the platform is trying out new formats and switching some of them on and off in particular markets. The table below summarises the formats commonly offered and when we consider each one. Before every campaign, we check again that the format is available in the target market and in your account.

How is visibility around trending topics planned?

Visibility around trending topics means a brand showing ads, during a conversation that was either known in advance or is unfolding live, to the people following that conversation. Moments known in advance can be planned: a match day, a trade fair, a product launch, a season finale. Joining a topic that is trending in real time, on the other hand, calls for care as much as speed.

1. 1.We prepare a calendar of events and periods the brand can naturally take part in.
2. 2.For each moment we list the relevant keywords, hashtags and conversation topics in advance.
3. 3.We prepare posts and visuals ahead of time, but check again just before publishing that they fit the tone of the conversation.
4. 4.During live moments, we assign someone for the length of the campaign to monitor and answer the replies under the posts.

Joining every trending topic is not the right move. Stepping into disasters, loss, political tension or socially sensitive subjects with a commercial message harms the brand. At such times we recommend pausing planned campaigns too. Because access to the platform can slow down during extraordinary periods, we prepare a back-up plan on other channels for campaigns tied to a single day.

How does targeting work on X?

Targeting on X is based on what users are talking about and who they follow. This makes it possible to catch a person's interest in the moment, but when it is set up badly the ad can also land in irrelevant or unwelcome conversations.

• Keyword targeting: reaches people who have recently searched for certain words or used them in their posts. We build the keyword list by weeding out words with double meanings or that are used in negative contexts.
• Follower look-alikes: reaches users similar to people who follow certain accounts; we define the audience with industry publications, expert accounts or complementary, non-competing brands.
• Interests and conversation topics: give a broader audience based on users' general interests and the categories of conversation they take part in.
• Event targeting: reaches people following the sport, entertainment and cultural events that the platform lists.
• Custom audiences: enable retargeting and exclusion with site visitors and customer lists collected with consent.

How is an ad post prepared for X?

A good ad post on X is short, clear and invites conversation, just like the other posts in the timeline. Users skim their timeline quickly; if the first line does not make clear what the post is about, they scroll past. Rather than long promotional copy, we work with a single idea, a single image or short video and a single call to action.

• We state the moment or the topic in the first sentence and position the brand as a natural participant in the conversation.
• We keep hashtags to the one that is trending and do not turn the post into a pile of hashtags.
• We prepare variations of the same message with several different opening lines and track which one gets more engagement.
• In videos, we add captions for people watching with the sound off and show the brand in the first few seconds.

Humour and topical references are powerful tools on X, but the risk of being misunderstood is high too. Before publishing, we have such posts approved by at least one person from the brand's own team.

Why does brand safety on X need separate attention?

Brand safety covers the measures taken so that an ad does not appear next to posts that could harm the brand or on the profiles of controversial accounts. X's content moderation policies and advertisers' brand safety concerns have frequently been in the news recently. That is why we never leave these settings at their defaults in X campaigns.

• We choose the sensitivity level, which determines what content the ad can appear next to, according to the brand's risk tolerance.
• We add the keywords and accounts we do not want the ad to appear next to into exclusion lists.
• We limit who can reply to posts according to the campaign objective, and plan with the team who has the authority to hide unwanted replies.
• The platform allows Community Notes to be added to ads too, so we make sure that every claim in the ad copy can be verified.
• Where needed, we report on the context in which ads appeared using independent verification tools.

How is the impact of X campaigns measured?

Measurement on X is built by setting up the X Pixel on the site together with Conversion API, which sends events from the server. Yet X's main contribution is often not direct sales but visibility and conversation volume at a particular moment. That is why we write down the campaign objective clearly from the start: is it reach, video views, site visits or app installs?

During campaign periods, we separately track changes in brand searches, direct traffic and conversations mentioning the brand name. We compare the results side by side with other social channels such as Meta and LinkedIn, and based on that comparison we increase, hold or switch off the budget allocated to X.

What are the common mistakes in X advertising?

• Joining every trending topic: stepping into subjects that have nothing to do with the brand, or sensitive ones, with a commercial message.
• A broad keyword list: words with many meanings send the ad into irrelevant conversations.
• Not monitoring replies: questions and criticism go unanswered for hours during a live campaign.
• Moving another platform's creative across as it is: using a video made for Instagram or TikTok without adapting it to the language of the X timeline.
• Testing without a success measure: campaigns launched without writing down what counts as success, leaving the result open to interpretation.

Which brands is X suited to?

X gives its most meaningful results in areas where the audience follows the news closely, such as technology, gaming, sport, media, entertainment, financial news and publishing. For brands with a launch, an event or a live moment, it is a channel for short but intense visibility. It also offers a natural space for communication for brands ready to handle customer service in public.

Political ads are subject to different rules depending on the country, and additional restrictions apply in sensitive sectors. We do not recommend X as a first channel for brands that must keep brand safety risk very low, that want to stay away from the news agenda or that have no team to manage the account live.