Twitter Ads: Everything You Need To Know

Do you want to learn how to use Twitter Ads to boost your brand's visibility? Don't worry! We've created this comprehensive guide that explains how Twitter Ads work and provides step-by-step instructions to help you create effective advertising campaigns.

X (formerly Twitter) is a great place for brands to interact and find new potential consumers. As Twitter claims, it is the number one platform for brand interactions. So, while it may not be the first forum that comes to your mind for social media marketing, you can reach a large audience if you leverage Twitter ads right. 

What Are Twitter Ads?

Twitter ads refer to any promoted or paid content that appears on a user's timeline. In many cases, they are a part of a larger content strategy. Twitter Ads videos can be up to 10 minutes long, significantly longer than the standard Twitter video duration. Businesses and brands use them to advertise their products and services and acquire newer customers. Now, different types of Twitter ads cover various aspects of the platform.

Types of Twitter Ads Explained

1. Twitter Promoted Ads

These were earlier termed promoted tweets. As advertisers, your goal with these tweets is to reach a target audience who are not your followers. Such tweets come with an "Ad" label. People can engage with likes, retweets, and comments.

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2. Twitter Follower Ads

These ads promote an entire account to people who are not following your profile but might be interested in your products or services. They appear as suggestions and help you get more followers. Follower ads are displayed on the timeline or primarily in the "Who to follow" section. You will need to start a followers campaign from your X Ads account.

3. Twitter Amplify

This feature allows advertisers to pair their ads with video content from relevant publishers. The ads appear as in-stream video ads.

Twitter has a curated preset of 200+ premium publishers, including the top TV networks, each catering to 15 content categories. Neilson's Brand Impact database shows over 70% recall rate among consumers who see influencer and branded ads.

The Twitter Amplify sponsorship program allows brands to sponsor and host Q&As, Twitter Spaces, polls, and livestreams based on live TV events. You can pair your pre-roll video assets with premium publishing partners.

4. Twitter Takeover

Being a comparatively expensive ad format on Twitter, it gives the advertiser exclusive control over the platform's most viewed spaces. It is divided into two categories:

• Trend Takeover: Trending topics are one of Twitter's most essential elements. In a trend takeover, your ad emerges among the trending topics and will also appear in the users' Explore tab.
  
  

• Timeline Takeover: This will allow your ads to appear at the top of the conversation on people's timelines. When users log in on Twitter and scroll through the 'For You' section, they will see your ad first. 

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5. Branded Hashtags

A branded hashtag, also called a Hashmoji, lets you add a personal touch to your campaign with an emoji. Your created hashtag appears with an emoji whenever anyone uses it across Twitter.

Twitter Ad Specifications: Sizes, Formats, and Guidelines

When designing an ad on Twitter, it is crucial to know the specifications to ensure the result is visually appealing on a user's timeline. Twitter is quite particular about character count and aspect ratios for ad creatives. In this section, we give you all the details.

1. Text Ads

Your tweet copy should not exceed 280 characters.

Please note: A link utilizes 23 characters, so your ad copy must be under 257 characters if you include a link. 

2. Image Ads

Tweet Copy: 280 characters

Standalone Image Ads: 

1200x 1200 pixels for 1:1 aspect ratio. 

1200 x 628 pixels — recommended for a 1.91:1 aspect ratio.

Image Ads with Buttons or Polls

800 x 418 pixels — recommended for a 1.91:1 aspect ratio.

Max File Size: 5MB

3. Video Ads 

Tweet Copy: 280 characters

Video Size: 

1200x 1200 pixels for a 1:1 aspect ratio. 

1920x 1080 pixels for a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Video Ads with Buttons or Polls

800x 800 pixels for a 1:1 aspect ratio. 

800x 450 pixels for a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Video Length:

‍Supports up to 2:20 mins, but Twitter recommends keeping ads under 15 seconds. 

Frame Rate: 

29.97FPS or 30FPS.

File Size:

Max 1 GB
Under 30 MB for optimal performance

4. Carousel Ads 

Number of Slides: 2-6 

Media Size (Images):

800x 800 pixels for 1:1 aspect ratio.

800x 418 pixels 1.91:1 aspect ratio.

Media Size (Videos):

800x 800 pixels for 1:1 aspect ratio.

800x 450 pixels 16:9 aspect ratio.

5. Follower Ads

Tweet Copy: 280 characters

6. Amplify Pre-roll

Video Size: 1200x 1200 pixels for a 1:1 aspect ratio.

Video Length: Less than 15 seconds is recommended

File Type: MP4 or MOV

File Size: Maximum up to 1 GB

7. Amplify Sponsorships 

Video Size: 1200x 1200 pixels for a 1:1 aspect ratio.

Video Length:  Less than six seconds is recommended

File Type: MP4 or MOV

File Size: Maximum up to 1 GB

8. Twitter Live 

Event Page Copy: 280 characters 

Video Size:

1280x720 (recommended)

1920x1080 (maximum)

Frame Rate: 

30 fps (recommended)

60 fps (maximum)

9. Trend Takeover+

Trend Description: 30 characters (maximum)

File Size:

5MB for image

15MB for GIF

Aspect Ratio:

16:9

10. Branded Hashtags

Emoji Design: 

72x 72 pixels and must be clearly visible at 16x 16.

Colors:

Recommended not to use all light colors that may not be visible on the timeline. 

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How Much Do Twitter Ads Cost?

Twitter does not have a minimum ad spend, so you can choose how much to disburse on your campaigns. However, like all social media platforms, Twitter has a set mechanism for running its ads. You decide the daily budget for your campaign, depending on your ad type. Each type of campaign you run with an objective has a different billable action.

The below table will help you understand better.

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You can choose how much you spend per day depending on your ad objective. To put a figure to it, AdsTarget states the average cost of Twitter ads is around $0.38. 

How to Set Up a Twitter Ad Campaign: Step-by-Step Guide

You must first create your Twitter Ads account to start advertising on X. Once you log in, go to ads.x.com. Enter your country details and time zone, and follow the instructions. Ensure your account complies with the X ads policies.

Here are the following steps to set up your Twitter Ad campaign:

1. Determine Your Ad Objective

To determine your ad objective, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the purpose of your ad?
  
• What kind of engagement do you want to achieve? 

Twitter displays different engagement types and actions for your campaign. These include reach, engagement, followers, website traffic, app installs, video views, and keywords. 

2. Creating an Ad

When you select the objective, you are taken to the next page of creating your ad. Choose a media file from your library. If you are making a carousel ad, select multiple files. Give an appropriate headline and link to the desired webpage in the "Destination" column. The left side of the screen will display a preview of how the ad will appear on a user's timeline.

3. Choose Your Audience

Choose the target audience for your ads. In the "Customize Delivery" tab, you can select demographics like gender, age range, and locations where the ad will be displayed.

Twitter also provides features that enable you to target users based on keywords, interests, and language. You can also choose an audience target from follower look-alikes, which picks out people with interests similar to an account's followers.

4. Set Your Budget and Time

Select the amount you are willing to spend for an ad. You can go for a daily budget and a date range. By having a cap on the amount, you are in better control of your ad spending. The date range allows you to select the time frame for running the campaign. The ad will not be displayed after you use up the budget amount.

5. Launch Ad

The final step is entering your payment information. Review everything once and select "Launch Campaign." Your ad will go live.

5 Top Tips for Creating Effective Twitter Ads

• Keep it Crisp and Creative: With Twitter's character limit, your message must be short yet impactful. Make every word count. Feel free to get creative with your messaging. Also, be mindful of your brand's tone and style. Make use of hashtags and emojis wherever relevant. 
• Be Visually Appealing: Visuals are crucial to grabbing attention among mass text tweets on the platform. Use high-quality and relevant images or learn how to download videos from Twitter to catch attention. Employ elements that make people want to stop scrolling and watch your ads.  
• Include Call-to-Action: Your ads should include a compelling CTA that drives engagement. If you have an upcoming launch, create curiosity among people to discover more about your products or services. Be persuasive or introduce promo codes that encourage people to click or follow. 
• Monitor, Adjust, and Experiment: Regularly check your ad performance through Twitter Analytics, paying attention to metrics like engagement, click-through, and conversion rates. Use these insights to tweak your ads for better performance.
• Be sure to check the Twitter ad revenue share program that allows you to monetize your content.

Don't hesitate to adjust and experiment based on the data. Sometimes, the most unconventional ads attract the most attention.

Conclusion

With its unique blend of concise content, real-time engagement, and diverse ad formats, Twitter stands out as a social media channel that amplifies brand messages and drives meaningful interactions.

Navigating the Twitter ad landscape can be challenging for new users, but nowadays, accessibility to advanced tools can make the whole process easier. Highperformr is a social media management software that helps you create ad copies and creatives for your Twitter account. You can frame innovative captions according to your brand tones and get relevant hashtags with emojis for your ad copies. 

You can use AI tools to develop your ad copies while experimenting with new Twitter ad formats. Twitter ads can be a highly influential component of a broader digital marketing strategy, driving engagement, building brand awareness, and contributing to overall business growth.

For more strategies, check out our Twitter Marketing resources.