How to Use X (Twitter) for Business — Is It Still Worth It?

Twitter rebranded to X in 2023 under Elon Musk’s ownership, and the platform has changed considerably since — in moderation policy, algorithm behaviour, verification, and advertiser confidence. Many brands have reduced their presence or departed entirely. So the first question any business should ask is whether X is still worth investing time in.

The answer depends almost entirely on your audience. For some sectors — media, politics, tech, finance, journalism, and public discourse — X remains the dominant real-time conversation platform. For others — local services, hospitality, retail — the audience has fragmented significantly and other platforms offer better returns. This guide helps you assess the fit and, if X makes sense for your business, how to use it effectively.

Is X Right for Your Business?

X works best for businesses where real-time commentary, industry conversation, and thought leadership have value. Professional services firms, technology companies, media organisations, and B2B businesses with something to say about their sector can still build a meaningful presence. The platform rewards businesses that engage genuinely in conversations rather than simply broadcasting promotional content.

For local service businesses — plumbers, restaurants, estate agents, beauty salons — X is generally not worth prioritising. The audience skews towards news and commentary rather than local service discovery, and the algorithmic changes since 2022 have reduced organic reach for non-verified accounts. Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok will typically deliver better ROI for those businesses.

Setting Up and Optimising Your Profile

Your X profile should be immediately recognisable and professional. Use your business logo as your profile picture, write a concise bio that explains what you do and includes a relevant keyword or two, and add your website link. Pin a post to the top of your profile that introduces your business or highlights something important — a recent achievement, a service overview, or a popular piece of content.

Consistency in handle (username) matters: try to use the same handle as you use on other platforms. If your preferred handle is taken, add a relevant suffix rather than a random number — something like @YourBizUK or @YourBizLondon. X Business verification (the gold tick) is paid and relatively expensive; standard blue verification requires a subscription. For most small businesses, an unverified but active and credible profile is perfectly adequate.

Content Strategy and Engagement on X

X rewards frequency and engagement. Posting once or twice a day is a reasonable cadence for a business account. Mix original posts with replies to relevant conversations in your industry, retweets of useful content with your commentary, and threads that dive deeper into a topic your audience cares about. Threads — a series of connected posts — tend to reach further than single posts and signal expertise effectively.

Use hashtags sparingly: one or two relevant hashtags per post is fine; more looks cluttered and rarely improves reach. Monitor mentions of your business name and relevant keywords using X’s search function or a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer. Responding promptly to mentions — whether positive or critical — shows attentiveness and builds trust. X’s fast-moving environment makes customer service replies particularly visible, for good or ill.