With millions of daily active users, X (Twitter) has huge potential as a platform to promote your content and connect to fans.

 

Your X username should be consistent with your other online profiles like your Website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, etc. If your website is Bandname.com and your Facebook page is Facebook.com/Bandname, then your X handle should be @bandname.

 

Individual band members can also have personal X profiles, but there should be a dedicated X account for your band/project. For solo artists, one account is really all you need.

When you create an X account you should upload a profile image to replace the default X profile image.

 

People often don’t engage with accounts that have a default profile image and people could think your account is spam. Therefore, it is recommended that you upload your own profile image before you start using your X account.

 

You can also upload a header image and background image to your profile. 

X gives you 160 characters for your profile’s “Bio”. It might not seem like a lot, but it is enough to make someone curious about your music. 

 

X allows you to enter a website address that will appear under your Bio. Many artists link to other social media profiles like their Facebook page but if you have a website put it in here.

 

Users can write posts of up to 280 characters and attach images, videos (up to 2 min, 20 sec), GIFs, and polls.

 

Videos are muted as standard. Once a user clicks/taps a video to view, the audio is unmuted. The key is to engage the user with your video preview, so they will activate the audio.

 

Posts with videos are more prominently visible than purely text posts.

Unlike Facebook, X is set up for posting more regularly. 

Make sure to space your posts out – both in content and in timing. Fans will be more likely to engage with you if you share posts they can also relate to. They may have found you through your music, but they may connect with you through other things.

 

Remember that you are communicating with your fans. When they message you directly, message them back. When they share one of your YouTube videos, thank them. When they post about something that matters to them, join the conversation. The more 2-way your communication is, the more success you will have on X.

 

Don’t be afraid to talk about other people and other things beside your music. Share other bands’ music, share videos you like that aren’t yours. Don’t be afraid to use X in the same way that your fans use it. 

 

Reply: If you hit “Reply”, you’ll be responding directly to someone on X. The post will start with their X username, and only people who follow both you and that other person will be able to see that post in their stream. Use this to answer fan questions, say thanks, or respond to people you follow to start a conversation.

 

Repost: To re-post someone is similar to forwarding an email. You’re sharing their post with your followers. You can simply hit Repost icon (two arrows forming a square) so that a person’s original post appears to your followers.

 

On the mobile X app, they give you the option to “Quote Post”, which puts the original post in quotation marks and you can add your own comment afterwards. 

 

Liking a Post: If you like what someone else has posted, you have the option to “like it” in the same way you would like a Facebook post. The like button is a heart symbol on X.

 

Mentions & Tagging: The @ symbol allows you to tag other people in your post. When you tag their X account, they also see your post. And it increases the likelihood that they will share your post with others (reposting), which means you will get more exposure.

Tagging other bands who are playing the same show, and tagging the venue you are playing at, means more people will be informed about your upcoming event.

 

Using Images and Media: Posts with images (and videos) get more engagement. Just like with Facebook and Instagram, images draw people in and commit them to your post before they even read one word. Fan engagement has gone up ever since X converted from a text-only platform to a multi-media platform.

 

Uploading Images: It’s important to know that Instagram photos no longer preview automatically to X. In other words, if you have both accounts connected, the image will not translate over (only a link to the image), therefore you should upload X content directly through X if you want your photo to appear.

 

Sharing Videos: X also previews videos. After uploading new video content on YouTube videos, copy the share link and post it. X will show that video in your followers’ X feeds.

 

Sharing Music: Bandzoogle now has an X music player. Just like with images and videos, fans can stream your music directly through X. It’s just one more way of pulling your fans in and enticing them to learn more by visiting your website.

 

Direct Messages: Sending a direct message (DM) is like sending an e-mail through X. Unlike with posts, there is no character limit for direct messages. DMs are great for asking simple, short questions that don’t require an official e-mail.

 

Composing a Post and pressing the “Live” button allows you to "go live" via Periscope.

When users click/tap your video, it will enter full-screen mode, with sound on.

 

You can use this feature to show what's happening behind the scenes, such as live streaming from recording sessions, video clip shooting etc.

 

Create a poll by clicking the “Poll” icon when you write a Post. Polls can have up to 4 questions and can remain open up to a maximum of 7 days. Voting is anonymous. Use this to engage your fans and gain valuable feedback.

 

The # (hashtag) sign: # is followed by a word or group of words. The hashtag is automatically hyperlinked and creates a new stream if you click on it, which will include all posts that have used that same hashtag. It’s a great way to be found on X, start conversations, and join in other conversations with users you don’t follow or who don’t follow you. It also allows you to find new fans.

 

Hashtags opens up the option of finding fans who connect with things you like. 

You can also search hashtags as a way to start conversations with people who have similar interests. For example, if you want to start using a looping pedal in your live performance, search #loopingpedal on X and find other users who talk about new technology, best-practices, and post videos of their looping pedal songs. There are also X meetups that happen on specific nights for people of different interests.

 

Whether you realise it or not, people are talking about you on X, even when they’re not tagging you. Use X’s search to look up your band name. You may find a number of people who have mentioned you and your music. If your X account is @bandname, do a search for “bandname” in quotation marks to make the search more precise.

 

Just like with hashtags, you can use X’s search option to find people with certain interests. Look up terms or phrases (in quotations) to find other X users who are posting about things you care about. The search tool is just one more way to find and engage with new people online.

 

Live-post events: X is incredibly popular for its live-post events. These are centered around public events – like meetups, galas, tech conventions, and more. For example, say you have an event at South by Southwest. You’ve probably encountered the #SXSW hashtag in past years that connects everyone to the event. You can find out what’s happening at any given moment by following the hashtag to see what people throughout the event are posting. In the case of bigger events like SXSW, you may even want to use a more specific hashtag like #SXSW2026, or one of the many others, etc.

 

If 280 characters per post are not enough to get your message across, you can use the option to link posts into threads.

 

Click the plus button in the composition screen to activate, and your posts will be connected and published at the same time.

 

You can also use this as a style or tool to prolong the time people spend on your timeline.

 

To use a GIF (animated image), tap the “GIF” icon on the composition page icon to search for GIF’s within the platform while composing a new post. You can use a GIF to enhance your post with moving content, without it having to be an entire video.

 

If you tap the smile icon, you can use X’s photo editor, which allows you to use filters on your pics, edit brightness, crop the image and include ad Stickers, etc.

 

Communicate, respond to replies on your posts, and post often, but not too often (i.e. not more than 3-5 times a day). Keep posts concise and think about developing your own style. Use relevant hashtags and repost yourself if an old post of yours becomes relevant again. Be a part of the X community: interact with other accounts, users.

Keep your posts mostly personal and grow your audience on your personality. Promoting your music should only be a small part of that experience. 

 

Simple things can help make your post more engaging. For example, to encourage companies to engage with your post, only tag one company at a time. When tagging a DSP, make sure to include a relevant photo, video, or GIF to make the post more engaging. Write a clear description of yourself in your X bio – including album pre-order/buy links. Have your artist name match your handle. Pin an important or informative post to the top of your page (album pre-order, video premiere, etc.) and create a branded header with release information and images related to that release.

 

 

Posts Page monitors your impressions, engagement rate, link clicks, reposts, likes, and replies over a certain amount of time.

 

Audience Insights provides a look at your audience’s top interests, country, region, and demographics. It is viewable by followers, X user base or your organic audience.

 

Use the "Comparison: Audience" to see how your fan’s/follower's interest matches up with different audiences across X.

 

Using X Ads 

Ask yourself: who do you want to reach? How much do you want to spend? What do you want to promote? Do you want to measure your success with more followers, more reposts, more conversation exchange on a topic, or an uptick in traffic to the link that might have been in your advertised post? 

 

Set a budget that is reasonable because there are many variables involved in setting a budget, such as:

 

 For your first campaign, consider starting with a smaller budget so you can get a gain an understanding of how X Ads work. Then, once you’ve got the hang of it and are getting good results, you can spend more on your future campaigns.

 

Advertising success can be hard to gauge. Compare the success of your advertised post with a non-advertised post. Was it worth the money you spent? Do you need to tweak some parameters in order to increase the effectiveness of your advertising?

 

Scheduling posts can be advantageous. Scheduling allows you to plan your promotion for the week and space out information at an even pace, and this can also leave room for more spontaneous posts.

 

Even when you are scheduling posts, it’s still important to visit your account when possible to check fan engagement. Respond to anyone who has replied or reposted a scheduled post. Answer any questions asked about that post, and make sure you still maintain a presence on X.

 

X is one of the longest-standing social media platforms on the internet and if used correctly, it can help you develop your online presence. It is a great promotional tool and can lead to major exposure, fan-building, and fan engagement. Have fun and good luck!