X (Twitter) Advertising 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Twitter Ads

Whether you know the platform as Twitter or X, one thing hasn’t changed — its diverse advertising opportunities. From text posts to videos, Twitter ads offer businesses a chance to get in front of the eyes of their target audience with just a few clicks.

By understanding the fundamentals of how to set up Twitter ads, you can optimize your campaign so it maximizes ad spend, attracts qualified leads, and more!

So sit back, relax, and keep scrolling through this Twitter ad guide for beginners, where we’ll cover topics like:

• Why should I launch a Twitter ad campaign?
• Twitter ad guide
• How to set up Twitter ads
• Twitter ad campaign management FAQs

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Why should I launch a Twitter ad campaign?

Twitter has over 415 million users who spend roughly 7 billion active minutes on the platform daily. That’s a lot of people — or, in marketing terms, a lot of potential customers. But besides the sheer volume of people, Twitter offers other enticing benefits that attract advertisers. 

Read below for a few X advertising benefits:

Generate qualified leads

Because X has a diverse user base, advertisers launching campaigns have robust audience targeting options. Your X ads, coupled with the platform’s targeting options, allow you to connect with qualified leads that best fit your ideal customer profile (ICP). 

You can create campaigns that target the right leads at the right time, resulting in better engagement and conversion rates.

Build better customer relationships

From its inception, X has been a text-centric platform. Instead of images and videos, X is all about starting conversations. So, what better place to build better customer relationships than X?

Businesses that use X to promote their brand can leverage the platform’s text-centric content to build a loyal community of followers. Whether by starting conversations with a single post, sharing trendy content, or simply conducting customer service, you can give your brand a voice and personality that resonates with users.

Increase brand awareness

With a great X presence, you can vastly increase your brand awareness and reach. Organic posts help keep your brand top-of-mind with your followers, while your paid advertising efforts can help you attract new ones through targeted content.

Twitter ad guide

Before discussing how to set up Twitter ads, let’s go over the different types of ads you can launch. Each comes with its benefits, but ultimately, it comes down to which ones fit best with what you’re trying to achieve with your X ad campaign.

Check out the different X ad types below and learn how each one can benefit your campaign:

• Promoted ads
• Vertical video ads
• X Amplify
• X Takeovers
• X Live
• Dynamic product ads
• Collection ads
• Additional ad features

Promoted ads

Promoted ads are arguably the most common types of X ads you’ll see. These ads appear as regular posts — text, photos, videos, or carousels — that are “promoted” or sponsored, so they reach a targeted audience (think LinkedIn’s Boosted posts). Because they appear in users’ feeds and search results, promoted ads are an excellent tool for generating leads and boosting brand awareness. 

Vertical video ads

Vertical video ads are (you guessed it) full-screen video ads that appear in users’ video feeds. X’s vertical video ads are beneficial for business-to-consumer (B2C) brands looking to put their products front and center. You can even include a call to action (CTA) button that appears after viewers watch one second of your ad.

X Amplify

X’s Amplify ads allow advertisers to strategically align their ads with video content from other related or relevant brands. There are two options: Amplify Pre-roll ads or Amplify Sponsorships. Pre-roll ads play before a publisher’s content starts, while Sponsorships play during a moment of the publisher’s choosing.

Both types of X Amplify ads allow for more targeted ad campaigns for marketers and personalized experiences for consumers. In other words, it’s a win-win for everyone.

X Takeovers

With X Takeovers, you can ensure your ad is the first thing people see when they log in. Advertisers can choose between Timeline Takeovers, which place their ads at the very top of users’ timelines, or Trend Takeovers, where their ad is placed above and alongside trending topics on X’s Explore tab.

X Live

Be in the moment with your audience with X Live, Twitter’s livestreaming tool that allows people to interact with your brand in real-time. Whether it’s a product launch, company announcement, or watch party, X Live allows you to drive conversations and make meaningful connections with your audience.

Dynamic product ads

Want to give your target audience the ole razzle dazzle? Try X’s Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs), which allow for personalized, immersive ad experiences that appear precisely when users need them. Using retargeting data, advertisers can use DPAs to strategically target people who have previously interacted with their content on Twitter or viewed products on their website.

The best part? These can be interactive, allowing for mini personalized shopping experiences all before users even hit the CTA button.

Collection ads

Collection ads are multifunctional ads that leave room for storytelling and audience engagement. Advertisers can choose to showcase up to six products, services, or promotions, whether in a single-view experience or carousel users can swipe through.

Collection ads also allow for multi-destination functionality, meaning you can link to various product or service destinations in the same ad, increasing conversion opportunities.

Additional ad features

Along with various ad types, Twitter has additional ad features that can be applied across formats, such as:

• App & website cards
• Branded hashtags
• Branded notifications

How to set up Twitter ads

Now that we’ve addressed why you should use X ads and the different types to use, it’s time to learn how to set up and launch your campaign. Dive into this guide to setting up X ads for beginners below:

1. Create your X Ads account
2. Choose your campaign objectives
3. Fill in your campaign details
4. Select your ad group and bidding information
5. Specify your campaign’s target audience
6. Upload your X ad creatives
7. Review and launch your campaign
8. Monitor your X campaign performance analytics

1. Create your X Ads account

First, you need an X ads account to launch your campaign. If you don’t have one already, make an account. If you do already have one, log in under the handle you’re managing your ads from. Then go to ads.x.com, where you’ll be prompted to log in and enter your time zone and country. Once you’ve done that, click Let’s Go.

2. Choose your campaign objectives

The next step in setting up an X ads campaign is to select your ad objective. The objective you choose will determine the actions you’ll pay for when people interact with it once it’s live, so ensure you’re choosing the right one:

• Reach
• Video views
• Pre-roll views
• App installs
• Website traffic
• Engagement
• App re-engagements
• Website conversions
• Keywords (Beta)

Once you’ve chosen your X ad objective, hit Next to view your Campaign Details.

3. Fill in Campaign Details

Now that you’ve identified your ad objective, fill out additional details about your campaign, including:

• The name of your campaign
• Campaign start and end dates
• Your campaign’s daily & optional total budget

Please note that depending on your objective, you may have to fill out information in addition to the above points. For example, if your objective is app installs, you’ll be prompted to connect your app with X.

Click Next once you’ve filled out the required information.

4. Select your ad group and bidding information

Next, select your ad group.

X ad groups are individual ads that have their own budgets, audiences, and schedules, but all fall under the same campaign umbrella. Since this is an X ads guide for beginners, you’re likely new to all of this, so it’s best to just stick with one ad group for now. Once you get comfortable with setting up X ads, start creating additional groups to maximize your campaign’s performance.

With your ad group(s) in place, select your bid type. The cost of X ad bids will vary based on your audience, ad type, and ad location, so keep that in mind as you choose one of three bidding options:

1. Automatic bid: This option auto-optimizes your bids to maximize impressions while keeping your costs down. It’s highly recommended for those just starting out with X ads.
2. Maximum bid: With maximum bidding, you have more control over your budget spending — you choose how much you pay for every engagement.
3. Target bid: Target bidding has you pay the average cost of all ad clicks in a day. This means bid costs will vary based on ad performance.

5. Specify your target audience

Now it’s time to zero in on who your campaign is targeting. When selecting your target audience for your campaign, you’ll specify targeting criteria like:

• Gender
• Age
• Location
• Language
• Device type

To further narrow your audience, you’ll also identify unique audience features, such as keywords, conversation topics, related interests, etc. Feel free to be as specific as you’d like! Just remember — the more specific you are, the narrower your audience will be. Once you’re satisfied, click Next.

6. Upload your X ad creatives

With all the fine details out of the way, it’s time to upload your ad. Whether you’re promoting an existing post or creating a brand-new ad, select your ad type and start composing it. Add a name for your ad and specify its destination.

As you add more information, a preview of your ad on the right side of your screen will change with it. This way, you can see what your ad will look like once it’s live. When you’re done, hit Review Your Campaign.

7. Review and launch your campaign

Before launching your campaign, review your ad. Ensure that all the objective, bidding, and targeting information is correct, and add additional ad groups if needed.

Happy with everything? Hit Launch Campaign!

8. Monitor your X campaign performance analytics

Congratulations, you’ve successfully launched an X ads campaign!

But the work doesn’t stop there. Once your ads have had some time to gain momentum, be sure to monitor and review your campaign’s performance analytics. Use the data to understand how your campaign performs with your audience, and apply those insights to future campaigns to maximize your results.

Twitter ad campaign FAQs

You likely have questions if you’re new to Twitter advertising and marketing. Get answers below with these X advertising FAQs:

How much do Twitter ads cost?

On average, Twitter advertising costs can range anywhere from $101-$500 per month. However, this varies widely based on numerous factors, including:

• Your ad budget
• Ad & bid types
• Your industry
• And more

What are the benefits of Twitter ad campaigns?

Advertising on Twitter brings a lot of benefits to the table, but there are a few pros that really stand out:

• Effective lead generation 
• Targeted campaigns
• Increased brand awareness 
• Community building

Twitter’s user base is incredibly vast and spans across the world. You have access to over 415 million potential leads and customers. All it takes is a great ad campaign, and you’re on your way to connecting with them.

How do I launch a successful Twitter ad campaign?

Before you launch your first Twitter ads campaign, keep these tips and best practices in mind to help you maximize your results:

• Clearly define your goals: Your campaign needs direction, so ensure you clearly define your goals and objectives for your ads to set yourself up for success.
• Set your budget: Bid management is crucial with X advertising. Establish a monthly (or even weekly) ad budget to avoid breaking the bank and better manage bids.
• Know your audience: Conduct in-depth research to identify your campaigns’ target audience and target them accordingly.
• Create engaging ads: To earn the best results possible, develop engaging ads personalized to your audience. Use eye-catching images, videos, and ad copy!
• Use CTAs: Give your audience a reason to continue interacting with your brand. Create CTAs that urge users to click on your ad and explore what your brand offers.
• Test your ads: Need help determining which version of an ad is best? Test them! Use A/B testing to better understand what your audience responds to and create more effective campaigns.

Can I do Twitter advertising myself?

Yes, you can do Twitter advertising yourself! If you’re familiar with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and the nuances that come with it (managing bids, targeting audiences, running campaigns, etc.), you can start doing Twitter advertising yourself in a snap.

If you’re not familiar with PPC or even the Twitter platform in general, you can outsource your Twitter advertising to an experienced agency. Twitter ad agencies like WebFX can help you implement expert and industry insights to help you run a successful campaign that drives positive results for your bottom line.

Growing your social presence with WebFX is a walk in the park.

“WebFX allows growing your social media platforms to be stress-free! They are knowledgeable and adapt to your company needs!”

Learn More About Our Social Media Services

Get expert Twitter advertising help from WebFX

Ready to put the info from this Twitter Advertising 101 guide into action? Start advertising on Twitter today, and get expert help from your social media-savvy friends at WebFX!

We’ve been around for 25+ years, so we’ve seen Twitter evolve and change into X. Our social media strategists have helped successfully manage $120M in annual ad spend for clients across major social media platforms, including Twitter! Give us a call at 888-601-5359 or contact us online today to learn more about our X advertising services.