Types of Twitter ads (X Ads) explained: Master audience targeting

Are you trying to expand your company’s presence on social media? Do you want to promote on Twitter (X) but need help figuring out how to do it? Well, you have come to the right place. In this blog, we will discuss the different types of Twitter ads and how to use them to achieve your marketing goals effectively. 

But first, we will walk you through the benefits of using Twitter ads for businesses. Using social media to advertise your business is a great way to reach a wider audience, which may include potential customers. With Twitter (X), you can create a lasting impression in the palm of every user through cost-effective campaigns, formats that prioritize mobile devices, and precisely targeted ads that are seen by the right people. Now, we will go over the different types of Twitter (X) ads. 

Understanding types of Twitter (X) ads

Promoted Tweets

Promoted tweets are like your regular tweets, but they have a huge impact on reaching larger audiences. Promoted tweets are essentially advertisements disguised as regular tweets. Businesses and individuals pay Twitter to show their tweets to a wider audience than they would organically reach. They appear in various locations on the platform, including at the top of timelines, search results, and the discovery tab.

Key characteristics of promoted tweets

• The tweets are identified as “Promoted” to set them apart from natural tweets.
• Targeted: Advertisers can choose who sees their promoted tweets based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
• Interactive: Like organic tweets, users can click on, like, retweet, and comment on links within promoted tweets.
• Paid advertising: The advertiser pays Twitter (X) according to the campaign objectives and selected bidding model.

Text ads

A simple text ad can help you spread your message around the world. With all of the features of a standard Tweet, such as likes, replies, favorites, and Retweets, these native ads feel more like the rest of Twitter (X) content and allow you to broaden the reach of your Tweets beyond your followers to your desired target audience.

Image Ads

With image ads, you can showcase your brand, product, or service using a single photo. They are simple to create and can serve multiple purposes. You can personalize your image ads with action buttons like this: 

• Image ads with app buttons: Install, Open, Play, Shop, Book, Connect, and Order
• Image ads with conversation buttons
• Image ads with polls: allow you to create 2-4 custom poll options
• Image ads with website buttons
• Standalone image ads: normal image ads with no action buttons.

Video Ads

You can highlight your company, item, or service with an interesting video clip and make it come to life with video ads. They are simple to make and can be used to direct users to an app, or website, or just to interact with the messaging of your brand. Just like image ads, you can also personalize your action buttons. 

• Video ads with website buttons
• Video ads with app buttons: Install, Open, Play, Shop, Book, Connect, and Order
• Video ads with conversation buttons
• Video ads with polls: allow you to create 2-4 custom poll options

Carousel Ads

In addition to text, image, and video ads, you can use a single carousel ad to tell your story and direct users to your website or app. Carousels allow you to display up to six horizontally swipeable images or videos to highlight multiple products or promotion’s most exciting features. 

• Website Carousels
• App Carousels: Install, Open, Play, Shop, Book, Connect, and Order.

Moment Ads

Moment ads are essentially promoted collections of tweets grouped around a specific theme or event. This allows brands to tell a more detailed and engaging story than a single tweet could achieve. 

Standard Features

Conversation button

This button enables viewers to easily initiate a direct message conversation with your brand right from the video ad. This can be an excellent way to increase engagement, answer questions, and generate leads. This button is only available on image and video ads.  

Polls

Polls offer an interactive way to engage your audience, gather insights, and generate interest in your brand or product. You can ask questions, test opinions, or even run mini-contests with polls. Poll button is available for promoted tweets, images, and video ads. 

Twitter Amplify

Amplify Pre-roll

Amplify Pre-roll aligns your brand with premium, brand-safe video content from 200+ publishers, including top TV networks, sports leagues, and professional news outlets. Run pre-roll ads to engage your audience with engaging sports highlights and top clips.

Functions and features

• Intelligent ad serving

Monetize your video content seamlessly. Activate Twitter’s ad settings, tag your videos with relevant topics, and let the magic happen. Your content will automatically connect with advertising partners, ensuring viewers see relevant ads while you earn from every view.

• Premium & global advertisers

Elevate your brand message on a global stage. Twitter Amplify Pre-roll offers premium ad placements in 16 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Republic of Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States), reaching engaged audiences across diverse markets. Allowing you to tap into high-quality video content and connect with potential customers worldwide.

• Monthly payouts

Earn money fast! Any brand-safe video can join the program and start generating revenue almost instantly. Monthly payouts ensure you see the benefits quickly and consistently.

• Content guidelines

Take control of your monetization journey! Access Twitter’s intuitive brand safety review tool in Media Studio. Gain clear insights into video eligibility and optimize your content for success.

• Cross-platform tools

Your tools, your choice, your revenue! Amplify Pre-roll adapts to your workflow, integrating seamlessly with popular video platforms and Media Studio. Enjoy the flexibility to choose your tools and gain valuable insights through detailed analytics, maximizing your earning potential.

Amplify Pre-roll criteria

To qualify for the Amplify Publisher Program, your account must: 

• Be verified
• Publish brand-safe content
• Be active
• Accept program terms and conditions
• Avoid illegitimate activity
• Produce original and premium quality content
• Be based in one of the 16 available countries or regions. 

Amplify Sponsorships

Amplify offers a unique one-to-one sponsorship package for Twitter events, moments, and shows. It includes pre-roll ads, live video, and branded content integrations, allowing brands to be directly connected with the event and its celebrations.

Amplify Sponsorships offer a unique opportunity to monetize premium video content on X, driving meaningful brand reach and revenue while delivering premium alignment for advertisers seeking to reach their audience.

Function & features

Premium video

• Utilizes your storytelling expertise.
• It combines live video and pre-recorded video clips for an engaging and dynamic experience.

Exclusive sponsorship

• One-to-one sponsorship pairs your video content with pre-roll from exclusive advertisers.
• Provides customized branding opportunities for sponsors, ensuring a unique and tailored association.

Relevant storytelling

• Encourages successful sponsorships by aligning publisher content and ad creative around a unified theme.
• Enhances the overall narrative coherence and resonance with the audience.

Innovative formats

• Offers different layers of storytelling through features like Moments, Auto-Reply Campaigns, or Sponsored Q&A.
• Engages audiences more deeply by introducing innovative and interactive elements within the sponsorship.

Content promotion

• Invests the full value of the sponsorship in Promoted Posts.
• Aims to connect publisher content with new audiences across Twitter (X), maximizing the visibility and reach of the sponsored content.

How Amplify Sponsorships Work

• Join X’s Amplify Publisher Program
  • Publishers interested in participating in Amplify Sponsorships start by joining X’s Amplify Publisher Program. 
  • This program likely provides publishers with additional tools, resources, and features to enhance their content and reach on the platform.
• Develop a content package with X
  • Once part of the Amplify Publisher Program, publishers collaborate with X to develop a comprehensive content package. 
  • This could include creating engaging video content, planning the narrative, and incorporating features that align with the platform’s audience and objectives.
• Work with an advertising partner to make the sponsorship a reality
  • Publishers work with advertising partners to integrate sponsorships into their content packages. 
  • This involves collaborating with an advertising partner to secure exclusive sponsorship, pre-roll ads, and other branding opportunities within the content.

How to join the Amplify Publisher Program

• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Your Twitter (X) account must be in good standing.
• Be verified
• Publish brand-safe content following the safe-for-ads content guidelines.
• Be an active video publisher on Twitter (X).

Twitter Takeover Ads

Timeline takeover

Timeline Takeover on Twitter positions your brand as the first ad of the day, ensuring your ad appears first when someone opens the platform for the first time that day.

When to use it

• When marketers want to use video to swiftly spread their message or messages to a large audience
• Launches of new products, motion pictures, television shows, events, and sponsorships. Additionally, Timeline Takeover is particularly effective at increasing awareness on launch day. 

Key features 

Mass Reach

• Advertisers are given priority access to people’s first impressions, capturing their attention right from the start.
• Continued impressions throughout the day maximize reach, ensuring the message is consistently communicated.

Premium Inventory

• Leveraging studies showing the effectiveness of first impressions, the platform prioritizes delivering ads during these moments for higher time spent viewing video creatives.
• Targeting individuals when they’re most receptive enhances brand metrics, increasing the likelihood of a positive response to the advertising content.

Creative that Delivers

• The platform supports rich and immersive video creative, providing advertisers with the tools to tell impactful brand stories.
• This suggests a focus on creating a memorable and engaging advertising experience that goes beyond traditional methods.

Reservable + Flat Fee

• Timeline Takeover packages are designed to be easily planned and purchased in advance.
• This reservation system simplifies the buying process, providing advertisers with predictability and transparency in terms of costs.

Trend Takeover & Trend Takeover+

Trend takeover displays your advertisement alongside what is currently trending. While Trend Takeover+ adds immersive creative to your ad, it is displayed alongside trending content in the Explore tab, allowing you to participate in the conversation. 

When to use Trend Takeover & Trend Takeover+

• To promote their new launches and large-scale events
• To connect with current trends 
• To launch new teaser trailers through engaging and immersive video

Key features

Premium Placement

• Advertisers enjoy front-and-center visibility, ensuring their content is prominently featured where users typically go to stay updated on current happenings.

Exclusive Ownership

• Advertisers have the opportunity to maintain 24-hour ownership of the top Trends list and Explore tab. 
• This exclusivity provides a unique and impactful advertising experience, with only one client per day per country allowed to run a Trend Takeover.

Massive Audience Reach

• Companion posts allow advertisers to raise awareness at scale around a specific topic, launch, or event. 
• This suggests a focus on reaching a broad and diverse audience to maximize the impact of the advertising campaign.

Ignite Brand Conversation

• Advertisers can create and ignite brand conversations using their custom hashtags. 
• This feature encourages user engagement and participation, contributing to the overall effectiveness of the advertising campaign.

Secure Adjacency

• Advertisers can strategically place their content adjacent to organically trending topics, cultural events, holidays, and even competitor launches. 
• This allows for a timely and relevant connection with the audience.

Reservable + Flat Fee

• Trend Takeovers are designed to be easily planned and purchased in advance, offering advertisers efficiency and predictability in terms of costs (CPM – Cost Per Thousand).

Trend Takeover VS Trend Takeover+

Branded Features

Branded Hashtags

Branded hashtags on Twitter allow brands to showcase their personalities and engage with the conversation by adding a visually appealing creative element to their hashtag, making them a part of the conversation and making the brand come alive. You can use up to five #Hashtags associated with Emoji of your choice. 

Branded Notifications

Branded Notifications allow advertisers to have personalized conversations with customers at scale, delivering automated @mention Tweets to opted-in users. It is available in three formats: 

• Scheduled Notification campaigns: deliver an instant opt-in Tweet to each opted-in person
• Subscription Notifications campaigns: deliver an instant opt-in Tweet and multiple scheduled notifications
• Instant Notification campaigns: deliver an instant notification Tweet

Twitter live

Twitter Live allows marketers to live stream their biggest events, from product launches to fashion shows, allowing audiences to interact in real time. Twitter Live helps brands maximize content and drive conversation with advice on content strategy and execution guidance.

Follower Ads

Promote an account to a specific audience through Follower Ads, which increase visibility and grow followers. They appear as Promoted Tweets in the user’s timeline and in the Who to Follow boxes.

Dynamic Product Ads (DPA)

Dynamic Product Ads on Twitter utilize Web Conversions products to enhance Cost Per Purchase and ROI. It allows advertisers to target consumers who have engaged with products but haven’t yet purchased, and acquire new customers with relevant ads.

If understanding the various types of Twitter ads is difficult, you can take a simpler approach by working with Influence Agency. As Cambodia’s leading marketing agency, we take pride in being your go-to partner for all things advertising on Twitter. Sit back, relax, and let us expertly handle your Twitter advertising needs. 

Influence Agency is a team with extensive expertise in executing Twitter advertisements. We offer time, cost, and labor efficiency, allowing businesses to focus on product sales. We stay updated with evolving advertising rules and trends, ensuring relevance and effectiveness. Our broad experience allows us to analyze campaigns from a practical standpoint, implementing successful customer-centric strategies. Learn more about our Twitter ads services here. 

Don’t hesitate any longer – contact Influence Agency today for expert guidance and customized strategies for your Twitter advertisement.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (+855) 70 294 888

Choosing the right types of Twitter ads

Using Twitter ads for your business is truly a game changer. And choosing the right types of Twitter (X) ads will not only help you reach a larger audience base and get more engagement, but it will also benefit the performance of your campaign as a whole. You can read more about the benefits of Twitter ads for business here. 

As you have arrived at this section of the blog, it is safe to assume you are already familiar with the various types of Twitter (X) ads. So, which of the options above should you use to promote your business?

In this section, we will provide you with advice on how to choose the best types of Twitter ads to maximize your advertising results. 

Define your campaign objectives

To choose the right type of Twitter ad format, you must identify your campaign goals. Twitter provides various options for marketers to choose from, such as Reach, Engagements, Followers, Website traffic, and Keywords. 

Know your target audience

Utilize Twitter’s advanced targeting options to reach your target audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, such as active tweeters, event attendees, or specific app users.

Consider your budget

Budgeting is a crucial aspect to take into account alongside determining your campaign’s goals and intended audience. While carousel and video ads can be more costly, promoted tweets and image ads are typically on the lower end of the budget scale.  

In summary

Whether you’re aiming to boost brand awareness, drive website traffic, or enhance user engagement, this blog equips you with the knowledge to navigate the Twitter advertising landscape effectively. With our detailed breakdown of the various Twitter ad types, you can explore the possibilities, fine-tune your strategy, and boost your Twitter presence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do you optimize Twitter (X) ad performance?

To ensure campaign success, here are some tips for optimizing your Twitter ad performance.

• The campaign should have multiple posts
• Refresh creatives frequently
• Be transparent and clear about your products and services
• Stay updated with new content, use engaging images and videos, and ask questions to engage users. 
• Using Twitter (X)’s Standard and Branded ad features can help you achieve your campaign objectives.

What are common mistakes in Twitter advertising?

Even the most experienced marketers can make mistakes with Twitter advertising. Here are some common mistakes you should avoid:

• Unclear campaign goals: A lack of defined goals can make it difficult to measure and optimize campaign performance.
• Boring content: images and videos are critical for stopping the scroll and effectively communicating your message.
• Ineffective or irrelevant hashtags: Using hashtags that are not relevant or useful hinders engagement and discovery.
• Not engaging with your audience: Not responding to comments, answering questions, and participating in conversations about your advertisements has a huge impact on your campaign performance. 

Learn how to advertise on Twitter (X) here. 

How much do Twitter ads cost?

X (formerly Twitter) charges marketers via a bidding system. However, Twitter does not require a minimum spend to use its ad services. Twitter allows you to spend only within your designated budget. However, several factors will influence prices, including bid amount, ad format, targeting options, ad placements, and so on.

Read more about Twitter ad costs here.