What you need to know

July 19, 2025

X (formerly Twitter) has changed a lot in the past couple of years, and for B2B marketers, it may not feel like the obvious place to focus. LinkedIn usually gets that attention. But X still has an active user base —especially among millennial buyers — and it offers something most platforms don’t: a fast-moving, public way to join conversations as they happen.

Here’s a closer look at what’s still working on X and how to make it part of your B2B strategy,

Why X is still in the mix

After Elon Musk bought the platform in 2022, he implemented significant changes, which led to a decrease in advertising spend. The content moderation team and trust and safety council were removed, and the platform saw an increase in unverified accounts. For example, in the initial month of Musk’s ownership, a fraudulent Eli Lilly account’s post claimed the company would distribute insulin to customers for free, resulting in a 4.37% drop in Eli Lilly’s stock price.

By early 2023, half of the site’s top 100 advertisers had either ceased or substantially reduced their advertising on the platform. Later that year, amidst a reported rise in hate speech, Musk’s posts included an endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory and a reference to the debunked “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory.

And yet, the audience didn’t vanish. As of early 2024, X had more than 250 million daily and 550 million monthly users. Almost 80% of them follow brands, and a majority of B2B marketers still use the platform in some form.

That matters because your buyers aren’t only on LinkedIn during business hours. They’re on X late at night, during industry events and whenever news breaks. If you want to stay in front of them beyond the 9-to-5, this is one place to do it.

X is built for direct communication. You can reply, DM, quote-tweet, and join public threads. It’s one of the few platforms where brand accounts can get immediate feedback and join unfiltered conversations with customers, prospects and competitors. If you’re listening closely, it can be a helpful window into what people think.

And while “thought leadership” gets thrown around a lot, X is a place where it can mean something — if you’re adding value and joining relevant conversations. You can build credibility over time just by showing up consistently and saying something worth reading.

Recently, the advertisers have returned. Following the election in November, media spending on X increased for the first time since Musk’s purchase, and it hasn’t stopped. More than a little of this was likely related to Musk’s friendship with President Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk or someone else at X “leveraged” the relationship by implying there would be regulatory problems for companies that didn’t advertise on the site. So let the buyer beware.

X user demographics and behavior

Number of users

Estimates for monthly active users vary: approximately 335 million as of 2024 (a 5% decrease from 2022), over 600 million or 586 million based on ad reach in January 2025.
Estimated daily active users: 200-250 million.
Total users worldwide: 415.3 million.
Forecasted growth: Statista predicts over 500 million users by 2028 (503.42 million) and a 17.32% increase between 2024 and 2028.
X is ranked as the 11th or 12th most popular social network globally by monthly active users.
Despite initial declines post-Elon Musk’s takeover and rebranding, user activity has seen surges and the decline has slowed since 2024.

Sources: Statista, Semrush

Website and app usage

Approximately 951 million unique visitors per month to X.
The average Android user spends 4 hours and 57 minutes on the X/Twitter app each month. Other sources report 3.7 hours per month and 4 hours, 40 minutes per month.
Users open the X/Twitter app 120.4 times per month.
Average daily usage is reported as 11 minutes or 34 minutes and 6 seconds.
Cross-platform usage: X/Twitter users have the most commonality with Reddit (66.4%) and Discord (69.3%) users. Other sources indicate significant overlap with Instagram (88.1%), Facebook (81.2%) and YouTube (80.8%).
The X.com website receives 4.44 billion visits per month, making it the sixth most popular website worldwide. This figure climbed to 4.83 billion visits by February 2025.
Most followed accounts: The top three are Elon Musk (around 200 million followers), Barack Obama (131 million+) and Justin Bieber (110 million+).

Sources: Hootsuite, Data Reportal, Sprout Social

Reasons for using X

Entertainment is the main reason (81% of American users).
Keeping up with politics is a primary reason for 59% of U.S. users.
To get news (65% of users), making it the top source of news among social media sites.
To connect with others who share interests (62%).
To keep up with sports or pop culture (59%).
Users also seek timely updates and entertainment.

Source: Pew Research

Content preferences on X

Users prefer informative content (55%). They also like relevant, engaging and trendy content.
Political content: 67% of U.S. X/Twitter users who share political content believe it belongs on the site.
Specific interests: 235 million X/Twitter users are interested in dogs versus 41.6 million interested in cats.

Source: Sprout Social

X users demographics

Gender

X/Twitter is male-dominated, with 60.9% of users identifying as male and 39.1% as female. This is the largest gender gap among social media platforms, with men accounting for nearly two in three users.

Source: SimilarWeb

Age

The largest group of users (36.6% to 38%) are aged 25-34.
The next largest group is 18-24 year olds (34.2% to 27.63%).
The majority (around 58%) of X users are under 35.
Only 2.4% to 2.4% of global users are teens (13-17 years old).
U.S. teens’ usage has decreased significantly, from 33% in 2014-2015 to 17% currently.
Users over 35 make up about a quarter of the user base (19.7% aged 35-49 and 7% aged 50+).
The target demographic is often identified as Gen Z/Millennial men.
Male users aged 25-34 account for the greatest share of active X users.

Source: SimilarWeb

Location

The United States has the largest portion of X’s audience, with 106.23 million users, representing about 20% of all X users.
Other leading countries include Japan (69.28 million to 70.9 million), India (25.45 million to 24.1 million) and Indonesia (24.85 million to 25.2 million).
22% of U.S. adults use X/Twitter, making it one of the least-used platforms in the U.S., tied with Reddit.

Source: SimilarWeb

Income/education

X/Twitter users in the U.S. tend to have a higher household income: 29% earn over $100,000 annually. Over half (51%) earn more than $70,000 annually, with 27% making over $100,000. In the UK, 41% of users are from high-income households.
Nearly one-third (29%) of U.S. X/Twitter users have completed some kind of college degree. 27% of U.S. X users are college graduates.
Community: X sees the most usage among suburban communities (23%), followed by urban communities (22%).

Sources: Pew Research, RivalIQ

Marketing on X by the numbers

Posting best practices

Best days to post: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Most engaging hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m..
Posting frequency: Top brands tweet 4.2 times per week. The media industry shares the most tweets (50.2/week), followed by sports teams (41.5/week).
Best performing content type: Text posts are most interacted with by users from brands. Static images and short-form videos (<15 seconds) also perform well. Video is now part of over 80% of all user sessions.

Engagement rates

The median engagement rate on X decreased to 0.015% in 2025.
Sports teams continue to see higher engagement at 0.072% to 0.073%. Top brands achieve about 0.08%.
Despite overall lower engagement, 35% of X users interact with brands daily and 75% have engaged with brands.
Ad engagements increased by 22% in 2024.
Likes on branded content grew by 63% in the second half of 2023.
Views of branded content increased by 14% in 2024.

Sources: Data Reportal, Pew Research, RivalIQ

Brand discoverability and purchase behavior

X is the number one platform for discoverability.
X users are 36% more likely to be early adopters of new products and twice as likely to make in-app purchases.
Over 37% of X users research brands and products on the platform.

Source: X

Customer care

X is the top social media platform for seeking customer care.
53% of users reach out to brands for care-related issues.
64% of X users prefer sending a message on X than calling a business.
Consumers expect a response to complaints within three hours.

Source: Sprout Social

Advertising

Potential ad reach: 586 million users.
Average ad cost: $0.26 – $1.50 per action.
Typical monthly ad spend: $101 – $500 for 53% of businesses.
X is the only major social platform to allow cannabis advertising.
Over 1,700 advertisers returned to X in the last quarter.

Sources: Oberlo, StatsUp

Influencer marketing

X influencers have a lower average engagement rate (0.09%) compared to Instagram (1.8%) and TikTok (2.18%).
Video posts perform significantly better for influencers (0.42% engagement rate).
Influencer partnerships are cost-effective on X, with costs ranging from $11 for nano-influencers to $22,000 for celebrities.
The U.S. and U.K. are the top-performing markets for X influencer engagement.

Source: Sprout Social

Platform evolution and future

New features: X has shipped over 200 new products and features post-acquisition. There’s an enhanced focus on vertical video, long-form content and creator/advertiser engagement.
Creator monetization: An ad revenue sharing program was introduced in 2023, paying out over $20 million to more than 80,000 creators.
Brand safety: The average brand safety score on X exceeds 99%, with suitability scores over 97% when controls are applied.
Longevity: Despite changes and initial user decline, X remains an influential player in the social media space and, backed by its owner’s wealth, isn’t going anywhere.

Sources: StatsUp

Marketing strategy

X’s fast-paced nature is ideal for quick insights, trends and direct customer interactions, especially for its younger, tech-savvy audience.
Given the platform’s male skew, catering to gender-specific interests (e.g., tech news, politics, trending topics) can improve appeal and algorithmic performance.
The platform is heavily used on smartphones, so ads need to be fast and instantly engaging.

Getting started with marketing on X

Before diving in, get clear on how you want to show up. X has gone through a lot of policy and algorithm changes, and those shifts have implications, especially around brand safety. It’s smart to set some basic rules for your team: how to verify information, respond to sensitive topics and what to do in a crisis.

Your profile is the front door. Keep it clean and consistent. That means a recognizable handle, a short bio explaining who you are, a current logo and a banner image reinforcing your brand. People should know what you do at a glance.

Be honest about what you’re trying to accomplish. Maybe it’s more traffic. Maybe it’s visibility with a niche audience. Maybe it’s testing whether your customers still use the platform. Take the time to figure that out—and check whether the people you care about are still active there.

Also, consider the bigger picture. Some brands have paused or pulled back from X over ethical concerns about content moderation and misinformation. Do a quick internal review. Ask: Does being on this platform still align with our values? Can we stand behind the content we’re putting here?

Lastly, ensure you have the time and budget to do it right. If your team is stretched thin, adding another channel might not be worth it. But if you’ve got some bandwidth, running a structured experiment on X for a quarter can give you real data to work with.

If you’re going to invest time in X, make it count. That means sharing things people actually want to read: original takes, valuable data, relevant articles, industry news and honest observations. Generally, the aim is to provide about 70% helpful or interesting content and 30% promotional.

Mix up how you present things. Use videos, images, charts, polls or plain text — whatever fits the message. A short demo video or a one-slide graphic can often say more than a long thread. Visuals tend to get more engagement and help break up the feed.

Skip the heavy-handed sales pitch. Instead, show your product or service in action. Post a tip, share a workaround or highlight how a customer solved a problem. Brands like Adobe do this well by using creative examples that spark interest without pushing a hard sell.

Spend some time listening, too. What are people asking in your space? What do they complain about? What’s getting attention? Build content around those questions and concerns—it’ll feel more relevant and can give you ideas for campaigns or lead gen.

Don’t underestimate the power of a good story. Whether it’s about your company’s origin, an employee win or a customer success, stories stick. They make your brand more human and memorable.

Finally, don’t just talk about yourself. Share and comment on helpful posts from others in your industry. Curation isn’t filler — it’s a way to stay part of the conversation and show that you’re paying attention.

Engagement matters more than reach

Posting is easy. Building relationships takes more effort, and that’s where the real value is. X rewards real-time interaction. That means replying to comments, answering DMs, acknowledging mentions, and chiming in when it makes sense.

Look into X Communities if you haven’t already. They’re interest-based groups, and some of them are active in niche B2B spaces. Joining conversations there — through posts, stats or polls — is a low-pressure way to meet people and get on their radar.

Don’t forget the people already following you. Stay in touch by interacting with their posts or thanking them when they engage. Your CRM might even connect directly with customers on X to keep the relationship warm.

Be open to feedback, even when it’s critical. Responding to honest questions or complaints shows that you’re listening—and that builds trust. It also gives you a chance to learn and improve.

X is also one of the best places to share updates during live events. Whether it’s a product launch, industry conference or breaking news, being part of the real-time conversation can make your brand feel active and informed.

Grow your reach without spamming

A steady cadence beats bursts of activity. Instead of posting only when something comes up, build a lightweight calendar. Planning a few weeks ahead keeps things consistent and makes room for reactive posts along the way.

Hashtags are useful, but don’t overdo it. One or two well-chosen hashtags can help your content get discovered, especially if they’re specific to your industry or campaign. Avoid generic or overloaded ones that won’t drive real engagement.

If you can access trusted voices in your space — analysts, consultants or creators — consider partnering with them. A shared post or a guest appearance on a webinar can expand your audience without feeling like paid promotion.

X’s ad tools are still available and can work if you have clear goals. Promoted tweets or accounts can boost visibility, especially around events or launches. Start small, test what works and adjust as needed.

Your team can help extend your reach, too. When employees share or comment on company posts, it adds credibility and often gets better traction than posts from a brand handle. Encourage it, but keep it voluntary.

And yes, even B2B giveaways can work. Just keep them tied to something useful — like a service credit, event pass or premium resource — and make sure the campaign aligns with your business goals.

Don’t forget to review and adapt

Posting is only half the job. You’ll want to track how things are performing — what’s getting clicks, what’s getting ignored and where people are engaging. Use X’s built-in analytics or a third-party tool to evaluate performance over time.

Keep an eye on your competitors, too. See what they’re posting, what’s landing and where there might be gaps in the conversation. You don’t need to copy them, but it’s helpful context.

To manage the fire hose of content, use X Lists to organize accounts — customers, prospects, influencers, competitors — so you can keep track of who matters most.

Stay flexible. If something big happens in your industry, pause your scheduled posts and jump into the conversation. A well-timed post or comment can earn attention that planned content wouldn’t.

Make time to check in on your approach regularly. What formats are working? Which posts are sparking replies or shares? Use that feedback to shape what you do next.

Remember to monitor how your brand is talked about. Respond when appropriate if someone tags or mentions you—positively or negatively. That kind of interaction can shape perception more than any campaign.

X isn’t the easiest platform to navigate, and it might not be right for every brand. But if your audience is still active there, and you’re intentional about how you show up, it can still be a valuable tool. Not everything needs to go viral. Sometimes, a witty reply or a timely post is enough to remind people that your brand has something to say — and something worth listening to.

MarTech is owned by Semrush. We remain committed to providing high-quality coverage of marketing topics. Unless otherwise noted, this page’s content was written by either an employee or a paid contractor of Semrush Inc.

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