With all the changes to X (formerly Twitter) over the last few years, you’re not alone if you’ve been looking for Twitter optimization tips so you can use it more effectively for social selling. Like the rest of the world, I’ve been paying close attention to how people are using Twitter since Elon Musk purchased the platform and rebranded it as X.
Here’s the truth — despite a lot of fears about Twitter’s future, with more than 95 million users in the U.S. and 528 million globally in 2023, it remains a popular social media platform. And, as a result, it’s a valuable channel for businesses and entrepreneurs looking to increase sales, if you know how to optimize your profile and posts.
So today, I’m showing you what you need to know about optimizing X to help you present a trustworthy and knowledgeable front to your audience. I’m sharing Twitter optimization tips from experts currently using X for social selling — and getting great results — so you can learn how to apply the most effective strategies in your business.
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Table of Contents
How X Can Boost Your Sales
Like most social platforms, X offers advertising and promotional programs. That said, my focus today is on showing best practices for using X as a selling tool.
First and foremost, X is more than a social networking platform — I often go to X to find the latest news that hasn’t yet broken on most news outlets. Or, I’ll go to get on-the-ground perspectives from people with firsthand knowledge. And it’s not just me — your audience probably does, too — along with 48% of X users (2023).
But who is the audience on X?
According to Search Logistics in September 2023, X users skewed heavily male — 68.1% compared with 31.9% female.
And as of 2022, Statista noted that X’s largest user age group lies in the 25–34 range.
Here’s the thing — in my experience as a marketer, knowing the portions of your audience most likely to be on a specific platform is helpful when it comes to deciding where to show up and what to post there.
But take that with a grain of salt.
Understanding Key Sales & Marketing Principles
I’d love to shout this from the rooftops — using X (or any other platform) for sales should be about optimizing your existing sales and marketing strategy for X — not creating an entirely new strategy for an entirely new audience.
If you serve Gen Z or Gen X women, even though they’re less likely to be on X than millennial men based on the stats above, your message may never resonate with millennial men.
Instead, focus on creating posts that will resonate with your target audience — if they love X, they’ll be looking for accounts that speak to them — and that’s where you can swoop in.
A word of caution — you also need to make sure that you’re not only swooping in to pitch and sell. As with everything, sales on X tend to come from relationships, so ease into things.
Draven McConville, CEO of Klipboard (@klipboard_io), illustrates this beautifully:
“When you come across a prospect’s Tweet, don’t immediately go into sales mode. Begin with a kind question or a meaningful remark. Share information that speaks to their interests and needs to engage them. Your fans will enjoy your timeline’s authenticity, which highlights your industry knowledge and the value your items provide. Remember that selling is all about developing relationships, and Twitter can help you do it on a global scale.”
Post Varied Types of Content
Even if I’m going to X for something specific, I usually spend quite a bit of time scrolling through my feed to see what’s new within my network. What’s interesting is that the posts I interact with are often a blend of spicy, punchy, or downright funny hot takes and more in-depth thought provoking posts.
I’ve been following Brooklin Nash of Beam Content (@realBrookNash) for several years now, and love his insights — so I wanted to be sure to pull his two cents into this article. Here’s what he had to say about post types:
“Here’s the hard truth: there’s no strategy for going viral on LinkedIn or Twitter. The stupid meme that takes me 30 seconds might get 100k views. The in-depth content strategy post that takes me 30 minutes might get 5k views.
“You need both; even though the latter post might not get nearly as much engagement, it’ll speak to those I’m looking to work with.”
And to me, that’s one of the most important takeaways — you may initially catch people’s attention with a punchy post, but they’ll stick around for the value you provide.
My colleague Francis Nayan (@francis_nayan) has had a lot of success with X, filling his freelancing group coaching program almost exclusively through the platform. And, he’s a big fan of using X in a less-traditional way — sharing long-form content:
“Twitter was famously the place for only letting users write up to 280 characters. Nowadays, we have the long-form function that gives you way more wiggle room to share content. I encourage you to USE IT. Take advantage of the boost in characters by going DEEP into your authority and personality content. You can present long authority content like a researched case study and personality pieces like an online journal.”
Offer Twitter-Exclusive Offers & Promote Deals
In a world where most people are on multiple social media platforms, it can be a good idea to “reward” people for sticking around, which may mean creating Twitter-exclusive offers for your audience. Even if your deals aren’t exclusive to X, you can use it effectively to promote all of your sales.
Take Captain Creps for example (@captaincreps). They use X to share relevant information as well as tips and tricks. Director Josh Herbert says:
“Twitter / X is a great tool when communicating sales messages, or additional news such as ‘in stock’ or ‘new release.’ By building up a following of people that are interested in the items your business sells, these quick promotional tweets on X can get your point across concisely.”
What’s also interesting about Captain Creps is that they also optimize each account for specific audiences, making multiple X accounts specifically for different sub-categories, like ladies shoes and clothing, so they can tailor messaging and products.
Use X to Build Relationships
Draven McConville touched on this above, but while part of X is about getting people’s attention, it’s not the most important thing.
In fact, something I frequently say is, “The most important part of social media doesn’t happen on social media.”
Here’s the thing — people buy from people they like. It’s true whether you’re in B2B or B2C. Sales is all about the relationships. So yes, use X as a one-to-many marketing tool to scale your reach and build authority. But don’t sacrifice potential connections in favor of “engagement.”
While engagement triggers the algorithm, in my opinion, it’s often a vanity metric that doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t lead to sales.
My advice is this — focus on all the best practices to get seen, but also engage with people, whether that means inviting them to a Zoom call, commenting on their content, or asking them thoughtful questions.
And that’s something @realBrookNash agrees on, saying, “For me, social posts are often just the gateway to some awesome DMs and Zoom calls with freelancers, marketers, agency owners, and other tech pros. Sure, maybe I’m less protective of my calendar than others, but I really think it’s these non-public conversations that have led to the referrals, sales, exposure, and trust.”
Find Influential Accounts to Follow
Following any of the folks I’ve already mentioned is a great way to see how people are using X for sales. In addition to following people who are influential in your circles or industries, here are some other accounts I think are worthwhile to follow.
1. Elon Musk
Account:@elonmusk
Why I recommend following: Look, Musk can be controversial. But love him or not, he’s often one of the best sources of information about what’s going on with X / Twitter. So it’s absolutely worthwhile to stay informed.
2. Kim Garst
Account:@kimgarst
Why I recommend following: As a top social media influencer who teaches others how to build, grow, and monetize, Kim is always posting valuable tips and feel good content.
3. Gary Vaynerchuk
Account:@garyvee
Why I recommend following: Gary Vee is one of those marketing personalities that is seemingly everywhere — a content creation powerhouse. He’s active on X / Twitter and with 3.1 million followers, following his account will give you insights into some ways you can use X to build your audience.
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- Update your picture.
- Create a good cover image.
- Add your title to your name.
- Use your bio to stand out.
- Add your company Twitter handle.
- Share a mini insight.
- Sprinkle in hashtags.
- Share a personal tidbit.
- Share your website.
- Post consistently.
- Retweet audience content.
- Use hashtags.
- Get Twitter verified.
- Build followers by following your target accounts.
- Use images in your posts.
By now I’ve covered best practices for using X to boost your sales. Now let’s go into some tips for optimizing your X presence for improved sales.
1. Update your picture.
Just like LinkedIn, your X profile should feature a recent, professional photo with good lighting that invites people to engage. Or, if your account represents a brand, use your logo.
2. Create a good cover image.
Make use of the real estate to clarify what it is you do, using professional graphics that are clear, concise, and easy to read.
3. Add your title to your name.
My friend Grace Baldwin @heygracebaldwin does a great job of using the characters in her name to set herself apart — using an emoji to stand out in the feed and including her title in the name character count.
4. Use your bio to stand out.
Merely inserting your title isn’t terribly interesting. Use the first line of your X bio to highlight what you do.
You can take @realBrookNash’s approach as a conversation starter — who doesn’t want to connect with a Chief Em Dash Czar?
Alternatively, you can use it to showcase your value proposition. Who do you help and how do you help them? This is a lot more informative and appealing to prospects than “sales rep at Company X.”
5. Add your company Twitter handle.
Whether you’re in sales or simply have multiple X accounts for your company, make sure to link the handle of the bigger account in your bio.
I picked this example of HubSpot Developers because it shows how the subaccount links nicely to the bigger account — this means that your profile will pop up when people search for your organization.
6. Share a mini insight.
Today’s top salespeople don’t just take orders from prospects — they actually teach them something new. I love this bio from Colleen Francis (@EngageColleen), which plants the seed that her audience needs to redraw their sales maps — and she’ll show us how.
Since you don’t have a lot of room to work with, skew toward simple and attention-grabbing.
7. Sprinkle in hashtags.
I love Mike Kunkle’s X profile (@Mike_Kunkle). In addition to linking his company (Tip #5), he uses hashtags that his target audience might search or track. Ultimately, I want you to remember — X is a search engine, so you need to make your profile findable.
8. Share a personal tidbit.
Finding space for a non-work interest helps your audience connect with you on a personal level. And this is exactly why Ian Brodie’s profile makes me smile every time. In addition to a super fun cover graphic (Tip #2), his profile shows off his love for chilis in his name (Tip #3) and his bio.
9. Share your website.
Your X bio should link to your website — that way everyone who visits your profile can get to your site where they can take the action you want.
10. Post consistently.
X’s algorithm rewards you for posting regularly — and consistently. So if you drop 15 posts one week and nothing for months, there’s a good chance people won’t see you as much as if you post once a day. And when I’m looking at people, if they haven’t posted in the last few weeks or they only post sporadically, it feels like they use X only as an afterthought.
11. Retweet audience content.
This is less about building your own authority, and more about showing your audience — the ones you want to build relationships with — that you care. So sure, you can smash that retweet button to help spread the word.
However, one thing that I’m seeing more and more in algorithm’s everywhere is that more people see — and interact with — posts where you add your comments. Thought leadership and opinions are gaining traction.
12. Use hashtags.
Now, I know you’ve seen posts that are nothing but hashtags. I’ve also seen posts that are just fun hashtags #IknowyouknowwhatImean. The fun ones can be used sparingly for humor’s sake, or to tie into a specific event — like a wedding between Ashley Doe and John Nottingham where their hashtag might be #tiethenottingham.
However, the most important thing to know about hashtags is that you should use ones your audience sees as valuable and searchable. X Analytics can be helpful when it comes to selecting hashtags.
13. Get verified.
One of the biggest criticisms I’ve seen of X’s Blue Subscription is that it’s available to anyone. While this is true, the blue checkmark still gives you added credibility. And there are some checks and balances in place to make sure you meet eligibility criteria.
14. Build followers by following your target accounts.
There are a lot of ways to build followers, but one of the best ways is to find accounts of potential customers and colleagues and start following them and connecting with them. They’re more likely to follow you back — then when you share great content they’re more likely to see it. And the algorithm is more likely to suggest your content to their followers.
One of the most important aspects of using X to build relationships is that you never know who is watching or paying attention — and who may become a good referral partner even if they’re not a potential customer.
15. Use images and photos.
As I scroll through my Twitter feed, I’m more likely to click on posts with photos. We all are. So while not every post needs a photo, a meme, or an image, know that the ones that do will likely draw more people to your account.
And don’t discount video. According to Twitter (2023), there are 2 billion daily video views, and “Tweets with video attracted 10x more engagements than Tweets without video.”
Regardless of how you attract followers — do your best to create engaging content so people follow you and look forward to the value you bring — and eventually become customers or referral partners.
The Bottom Line
Twitter (or X) is still alive and kicking — and it’s a great place for you to get sales! By using the sales advice and optimization tips I’ve shared with you, you can boost engagement and connect with your target audience. If you use your X account to build relationships with your audience, the sales will follow.
