Launching ads on Twitter

Established in 2006, Twitter emerged as a microblogging platform initially supporting the exchange of 140-character messages, referred to as "tweets." 

Its popularity surged a year later, with daily tweet volumes skyrocketing from 20,000 to whopping 60,000 during the South by Southwest conference. Since then, Twitter has evolved into a global hub where users share daily updates, discuss their passions, and connect with fellow users worldwide. 

While Twitter now permits 280-character tweets, it still thrives on brevity and concise messaging. Notably, it has become an invaluable tool for marketers and affiliates seeking to expand their online presence and harness diverse traffic sources.

In this article, we've compiled some interesting Twitter statistics pertaining to usage patterns, demographics, profile development insights, as well as step-by-step instructions for getting started with Twitter Ads. This and much more will help you to figure out how to drive traffic on Twitter in 2023.

Twitter stats

To begin, here are some fundamental Twitter statistics that are essential knowledge for affiliates looking to leverage the platform's popularity:

• Twitter holds the 15th position in the hierarchy of most widely-used social networks, trailing behind such giants as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest.

• A staggering 92% of the platform's tweets are posted by a mere 10% of Twitter users.

• It appears that Twitter predominantly serves as a consumption-centric platform. The majority of its users demonstrate passive engagement, more keen on consuming content rather than actively contributing.

A substantial 48% of users use Twitter as their go-to source for staying updated on the latest news. We all use social media for a number of reasons. But what is Twitter’s primary purpose? The main reason people use Twitter is to stay updated on the latest news. Here's a full rundown of how people use Twitter:

• 48% to stay in the know of news

• 48% for entertainment

• 34% to keep in touch with friends and family

• 33% to follow brands/companies

• 14% to strengthen their professional network

• 12% for other purposes

Twitter boasts an impressive user base, with over 368 million monthly active users worldwide.

As of December 2022, there are more than 1 billion Twitter accounts in existence; however, the monthly active audience globally comes to approximately 368 million. It is anticipated to further dip to approximately 335 million by 2024, marking a modest decrease of around five percent as compared to 2022.

Twitter witnesses an exchange of at least 500 million tweets each day.

Twitter users certainly have a lot to share with their followers! The platform has become a vibrant hub for sharing daily updates and discussing shared interests with other users around the world. A minimum of 500 million tweets is sent every day, which means there are plenty of conversations to join.

In 2020, 52% of all tweets were published by Gen-Z users.

In 2020, Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) were the most active in Twitter. According to data published by Twitter, users from this generation were responsible for a remarkable 52% of all tweets posted during 2020. This robust engagement from Generation Z is a positive indicator of Twitter's enduring relevance and longevity in the social media landscape.

The US has the most Twitter users

The total number of users in the States exceeds 77.75 million. The top 10 countries ranked by active Twitter usage are as follows:

1. USA: 77.75

2. Japan: 58.2

3. India: 24.45

4. Brazil: 19.05

5. Great Britain: 19.05

6. Turkey: 16.1

7. Saudi Arabia: 14.1

8. Mexico: 13.9

9. Thailand: 11.45

10. Philippines: 10.05

Among Twitter's user base, individuals aged 25 to 34 years stand out as the most prevalent age group on a global scale.

While Twitter's user base spans a wide range of ages, the predominant global age group falls within the 25 to 34-year-old bracket, constituting 38.5% of all Twitter users. Presented below is an overview of Twitter's age distribution on a global scale, offering valuable insights to determine whether it aligns with your audience preferences:

• Aged 13-17: 6,6% of users

• Aged 18-24: 17,1% users

• Aged 25-34: 38,5% users

• Aged 35-49: 20,7% users

• Aged 50+ : 17,1% users 

Among Twitter users, men prevail over women: 

70,4% of all users identify as male and only 29,6% are female. This is a pretty big gap!

According to Twitter's data, people spend 26% more time watching ads on the platform compared to other platforms

In the realm of social media advertising, where users often swiftly scroll past ads, captivating and retaining viewers' attention is paramount, especially in the case of video ads. Twitter reports that people spend 26% more time watching ads on Twitter than on any other platform.

This heightened engagement with Twitter ads has made it a preferred choice for numerous brands looking to effectively market their products and services.

Furthermore, Twitter's global ad engagement has surged by an impressive 35% compared to the previous year.

User engagement not only reflects their interest in your content but also informs algorithms that your offerings are pertinent to a broader audience. Notably, Twitter has witnessed a substantial 35% increasein global ad engagement compared to the past year. Therefore, if your past experience with the platform wasn’t really good, Twitter has now become even more appealing in terms of effectively promoting your offers.

Reasons to choose Twitter for promoting your offers

There are compelling reasons to consider promoting your offers on Twitter, even beyond the statistical evidence. Here's why:

Twitter's popularity and stock are growing here and now

A significant catalyst behind this surge is Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform. While the implications of this acquisition remain somewhat ambiguous for both Twitter employees and users, it undeniably generated considerable public interest and bolstered the platform's appeal.

Twitter is not as “greedy” as other social platforms

In contrast to other social networks like Instagram and Facebook, Twitter is notably less aggressive in curtailing organic reach and pushing content creators towards paid promotion. This means that your tweets have a higher probability of going viral, even if your follower count is relatively modest, creating a more level playing field for engagement.

66% of URLs are published by bots that cannot answer the users

Twitter presently places substantial importance on fostering genuine organic interaction and building relationships among its users. Being responsive to your audience, thus, will be highly regarded.

Twitter is known for low web usage and limited competition, as compared to Facebook and Instagram

The competition on Twitter is exceptionally sparse, primarily because of the platform's limited popularity in the CIS region. Twitter is better tailored for engaging with international audiences, while launching campaigns targeting the Russian demographic makes no sense.

No excessive effort is required for crafting of creative materials

Twitter's character limit may seem constraining, but it encourages concise, witty, and impactful messaging. Leveraging viral content from other platforms such as photos and videos can be a highly effective strategy for promoting your account without the need for elaborate content creation.

Downsides of Twitter

With all the perks listed, it's essential to highlight the drawbacks associated with using Twitter.

1. Twitter's algorithms frequently hide external links, affecting a notable percentage of tweets. On average, 51% of timeline tweets contain external links, against a mere 18% in recommended tweets.

2. There are limitations on sharing links on Facebook and Instagram.Twitter has recently imposed restrictions on the sharing of links to Facebook and Instagram, occasionally leading to the blocking of such posts or even entire accounts.

3. Twitter has gained a reputation as a platform where conflicts frequently arise. However, this can also be leveraged to your advantage, as tweets with controversial viewpoints often go viral, attracting both opponents and supporters.

4. New accounts cannot advertise. This makes things somewhat complicated, but fortunately, there is a workaround — acquiring a pre-existing account, which may already have published content and followers.

5. Uncertainty surrounding Elon Musk's intentions. The true intentions of Elon Musk regarding Twitter remain ambiguous. His vision of "complete freedom of speech" has yet to be clarified.

6. Twitter tends to have a lower commercial focus.

7. The 280-character limit is Twitter’s absolute law.

Verticals That Work Well With Twitter Ads

Twitter advertising can prove highly effective for promoting a diverse array of offers across various industry verticals. Here are some notable affiliate marketing verticals where Twitter advertising can yield remarkable results.

Crypto and Fintech

Twitter enjoys significant popularity as a platform for promoting affiliate products and services within the crypto currency and financial vertical. Given the active presence of crypto enthusiasts and the NFT community on Twitter, it serves as an excellent avenue for advertising offers in these sectors. Nevertheless, it's crucial to bear in mind that certain crypto offers may not be granted approval by the Twitter moderation.

iGaming and Betting

Twitter boasts a vibrant community encompassing sports betting and gambling enthusiasts. Discussions related to earning easy money are prevalent, creating ample opportunities to promote offers within these verticals.

Dating and Adult

One noteworthy distinction between Twitter and platforms like Instagram and Facebook is the ability to share adult content. While overly explicit content is blocked, more subtle approaches can be effective.

Nutra

Within the Nutra vertical, Twitter serves as a valuable platform for promoting drugs, dietary supplements, weight loss solutions, and products aimed at enhancing potency, which are approved by the local health authorities. These offerings are often promoted in a manner similar to the practice on Google.

However, it's important to view this list as a one-size-fits-all solution guaranteed to work universally. Trends in this field are in a constant state of flux and require vigilant monitoring to determine when and how to effectively capitalize on them. Twitter, being the birthplace of many trends and memes, often leads the way in discussions before they gain traction on other platforms. And in the context of affiliate marketing, staying informed about ongoing developments is crucial. Fortunately, Twitter offers a dedicated section for this very purpose: recommendations highlighting what's currently trending in your chosen geography. This resource can help you decide which vertical to target when using Twitter for promotion.

Promotion strategies and recommendations

Twitter stands out as a potent platform for driving traffic and promoting products or services through affiliate marketing. In 2023, there are several strategies at your disposal to boost traffic to your Twitter account and optimize your affiliate marketing efforts.

Optimize your profile

Ensure your Twitter profile is comprehensive, featuring a clear description of your purpose and the reasons for people to follow you. Employ relevant keywords in your bio to enhance discoverability when users search for related topics. Make sure to include a URL in your profile header, directing visitors to your landing page. You can do this by using the "Website" field. Likewise, incorporate links within the "About Me" section.

Enrich your profile with content

Most users will want to learn more about you before following. Think of your profile as a fully-fledged landing page, akin to a classic sales funnel. After coming across an intriguing tweet, users often visit your profile for more information. Thus, your profile should captivate them further. Present information in an easily digestible format.

Pin a tweet to maintain attention

Pinned tweets remain at the top of your feed, ensuring that anyone viewing your profile encounters them first. In fact, pinned tweets tend to attract significantly more traffic compared to regular unpinned tweets from your feed. Kevan Lee, from Buffer, conducted some thorough tests with pinned tweets and found that they generate 5 to 10 times more clicks. Thus, make sure that your pinned tweet adheres to these guidelines:

• It is succinct and clear;

• It contains a straightforward CTA;

• It is visually appealing;

• The tweet contains only one link (adding a link counts as 24 toward the 140-character limit).

We recommend experimenting with different pinned tweets to identify what works best for your audience. It's always wise to incorporate images and multimedia elements to captivate a larger audience. Diversify your calls to action, links, and images to optimize traffic.

Strategize timing for the publication of your tweets

Sending tweets at the right time is crucial. Generally, the optimal window for emails, tweets, and posts falls between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, peaking around 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. However, if your audience spans different time zones, track user activity specifically for each. Tools like Tweriod can assist in this endeavor.

Make use of  hashtags

Hashtags are an effective means of expanding your reach on Twitter. Incorporate relevant hashtags into your tweets to facilitate content discovery. The key with hashtags is relevance; avoid adding them haphazardly. Ideally, limit your use to 2-3 hashtags per tweet. Additionally, consider participating in Twitter chats or creating your own unique hashtag to promote offers.

Getting your first subscribers

Buying subscribers is a common misstep that many webmasters make. Paid subscribers, mostly compromising bots, typically engage in minimal response to your tweets. Twitter's landscape is rife with such accounts. The true value lies in acquiring your first subscribers in a genuine way, and with much more value. Here's how you can do it through a few straightforward steps:

• Identify popular authors in your and related niches, and start following them.

• Retweet their content, preferably with a quote, and leave thoughtful responses. In some cases, your response may resonate more with users than the original tweet. This interaction is a common practice on Twitter.

• Engage with your subscribers: Twitter is all about conversation and interaction. Actively respond to comments, likes, and retweets from your followers. This fosters trust and positions you as an authority in your industry.

Share valuable content

In addition to promoting your offers, sharing valuable content is key to keeping your subscribers engaged. This can be industry news, tips, or resources relevant to your affiliate products or services.

Collaborating with fellow affiliates

Collaborating with other affiliates can broaden your reach and drive more traffic to your Twitter account. You can explore collaborations in various forms, such as co-authoring blog posts, guest posts, or jointly implementing social media campaigns to promote each other's offerings.

Leverage Twitter ads

Utilizing Twitter Ads, the platform's advertising feature, empowers you to target specific audiences and promote your offers to a select group of users. Employ promoted tweets to direct traffic to your website or landing pages.

However, before diving into Twitter Ads Manager, consider the following:

1. New accounts cannot run ads, but you have the option to acquire a pre-established account

2. Ensure your account is public and active.

3. Your account should have a cover and URL matching the final URL in your ad.

4. You cannot set up ads for Russia via Twitter Ads Manager; you must use an official advertising partner, Httpool. For this, you will need to sign an agreement and replenish your account with a minimum of 300.000 RUB, which might not be readily available for anyone.

5. You will need a significant budget from the outset.

6. Recognize that Twitter's audience is predominantly composed of mobile users. According to Statista, approximately 80% of social network users access it through smartphones. Therefore, it's paramount to optimize your site's mobile version if you intend to target mobile users in your advertising efforts. However, if your target audience is primarily desktop computer users, we advise considering increased rates or selecting a broader audience to maximize your campaign's effectiveness.

 

Step-by-Step guide for launching ads through Twitter Ads Manager

Twitter offers two types of targeted ads:

• Promoted posts: these look similar to tweets, but are labeled as “Promoted”.

• Promoted account: this type of advertising is distinct from Facebook and Instagram. Promoted Accounts are labeled as "Promoted" and feature a "Follow" button, allowing users to engage with your account more directly.

It goes without saying, Twitter accounts should meet the requirements mentioned earlier in this section. You can access Twitter Ads Manager through the provided link or from your desktop account by clicking "More," then selecting "Twitter Ads."

Once inside Twitter Ads Manager, follow these steps to create a campaign and select your campaign objective:

• Reach: This objective is ideal for building awareness as it displays your ads to a maximum number of users. Payment is calculated per 1000 impressions. You can set a maximum desired price or opt for automatic bid management.

• Video Views and Pre-rolls: This objective is geared toward promoting video content. You can specify the price per video view, price per six-second video view, or choose automatic bid management.

• App Installs: If you're promoting iOS and Android apps, this objective is suitable. You can pay for advertising based on installs, clicks, or use the OAB model (where you define the desired installation price, and the system strives to achieve as many actions as possible at that price, with payment calculated per clicks). Both manual and automatic bid management options are available.

• Website Traffic: This objective aims to attract traffic to your promoted webpage, and payment is based on the number of visits. You can optimize placements for link clicks or conversions (the latter requires installation of a pixel on your website and event configuration).

• Interactions: Increasing the number of interactions with your tweets. You pay based on the selected type of interaction, whether it's clicks, likes, shares, or comments.

• Subscribers: Attracting new subscribers to your account. The payment is made for each successfully attracted subscriber who remains subscribed for at least 24 hours.

• App Re-engagements: This objective focuses on keeping app users engaged and active.

Budget and speed are the next considerations.

Next, you will proceed to configure the settings for your ad group, which encompass various critical aspects:

• Delivery:  determine your target audience and bid assignment strategy.

• Demographics: specify criteria such as gender, age, location, and language

• Devices: tailor your campaign to operating systems, device models, and service providers.

• Custom Audiences

• Targeting Features: employ relevant keywords, follower lookalikes, interests, movies and TV shows, events, conversation topics, and additional parameters.

Twitter has expanded its targeting parameters, introducing several new options in addition to the common keywords and follower lookalikes:

• Movies and TV Shows: targeting individuals who are interested in specific TV shows or movies.

• Events: reaching audiences who are associated with particular events.

• Conversation Topics:  targeting users who have participated in discussions related to specific topics.

• Placements: choosing where your ads will appear, including the main feed, profiles, and search results.

• Creatives: While most often a completed tweet serves as the creative, for objectives like traffic, app installs, and app engagement, you may be prompted to upload new media files that meet image size requirements. They will subsequently be displayed in the “Creatives” section.

Make sure to add a payment method, otherwise your campaign cannot be launched. You can find your account name in the upper right corner of the advertising dashboard, click on "Payment methods," and add a new one.

Notably, Twitter offers a credit limit of 200 euros, which, while not substantial, is a helpful addition.

Quick promotion

For those seeking a more straightforward promotion approach, Twitter offers a "Quick Promote" option, akin to Instagram promotion. To access this, navigate to a professional profile and select a relevant category from the great many options available on Twitter.

To qualify for a professional account, ensure your profile adheres to the following requirements:

• Comply with Twitter's User Agreement.

• Be complete, including an account name, description, and profile picture.

• Contain an indication of your true identity. Read these details for more information.

We advise exploring the advertising help center and checking it regularly, as receiving support from Twitter is often challenging due to low response rates.

Thus, we've gleaned three key takeaways

• Twitter is a great place for effective affiliate marketing, especially considering the relatively low competition and other favorable factors.

• Twitter tends to be more of a long-term game, particularly if you opt for content marketing. Therefore, it's advisable not to rely solely on this platform, but rather to diversify your promotional channels.

• Twitter boasts a well-structured targeting system that caters to diverse objectives and formats.

While the outcome of Elon Musk's impulsive decision to acquire Twitter remains uncertain, you can confidently embark on your first advertising campaign on this social network. This guide serves as a helpful resource to ease your entry, and the outcomes are likely to pleasantly surprise you.

By following our recommendations, you'll harness the power of Twitter effectively to drive traffic and promote your offers in 2023. Don’t miss a chance to share valuable and engaging content with your followers, and engage with them regularly to nurture trust and solidify your reputation as a dependable source of information.