40 Twitter (X) stats to know in marketing in 2024

From celebrity news to election discussions—there’s only one place to go to keep up with what’s going on around the world. Despite significant changes, Twitter (rebranded as “X”) is still the hub of trending conversations. So understanding how people use the platform will help you tap into current events and emerging trends. This requires staying up-to-date on the latest Twitter stats to inform your approach.

When you have access to the latest social media stats about the platform, you can understand how to best engage your audience. This is crucial if you want to attract more followers and grow your X community.

The 2023 Sprout Social Index™ found that 45% of consumers follow a brand on social for their enjoyable and entertaining content. Staying on top of Twitter statistics will show you the types of content and topics that drive engagement.

While platforms like Facebook and Instagram might have more users, X’s audience is active, engaged and plugged in. And for brands, it is a valuable channel to connect with their audience.

Check out these 40 Twitter statistics to inspire and guide your social media strategy this year.

General Twitter (X) stats every marketer should know

1. Number of users worldwide: 415 million
2. Monthly active users: 335.7 million
3. Worldwide usage ranking: 12^th most popular social network
4. Annual user growth rate: 5% decline
5. Ownership: Privately held

X is at a unique crossroads. For one thing, new ownership has spurred renewed interest in the platform and increased user activity. At the same time, the platform has seen major upheavals including a complete rebranding and a monthly fee for verification.

These changes are driving some users away from the platform, leading to a decrease in monthly active users. According to projections, the number of monthly active users will drop to 335.7 million in 2024.

(Pro tip: Use Twitter analytics tools to track if these changes are affecting your brand’s audience performance.)

In line with this trend, the platform will also see a decline in annual user growth rate. In 2023, Statista reported a 4% decrease in monthly active users on X. For 2024, the platform is likely to see a 5% decline in monthly active users.

However, the latest Statista reports show that the platform still has a total of 415 million users worldwide. That means more than 80% of X’s total registered users use the platform every month.

But keep in mind that X is still in a transition stage, so don’t discount the platform just yet. As the 12^th most popular social media network, it remains a major player in the social media game.

Source: Statista

Twitter (X) usage statistics that prove the platform’s impact

6. Monetizable daily active users: 237.8 million
7. Average daily usage: 34.1 minutes
8. Worldwide daily engagement ranking: Third most-used social network
9. Number of monthly website visits: 6.2 billion
10. Median engagement rate: 0.029%
11. Median number of Tweets per week: 3.31
12. Top content preference on X: Informative
13. Number of X users using it as a news source: 53%

In spite of the decline in monthly active users, daily active usage on X is seeing an increase. According to the latest available data, there were 237.8 million monetizable daily active users on the platform in Q2 of 2022. That’s more than 57% of the platform’s users logging in daily.

This marked an increase from the previous quarter, where it had 229 million monetizable daily active users.

The good news is that X’s daily time spent continues to stay about the same. People are spending an average of 34.1 minutes per day on the platform. This makes it the third most used social network, surpassing Instagram.

For context, people are spending 33.1 minutes on Instagram each day, a platform that far surpasses X in popularity. And Facebook, in spite of having the largest number of monthly active users, only sees about 30.9 minutes of daily usage.

So there’s no denying X has the potential to help brands grow their communities by gaining new, highly-engaged followers.

Source: Statista

In line with the growing X usage statistics, visits to the Twitter.com website have also seen an increase. For the month of December 2023, there were 6.2 billion visits to the website. In the previous month, there had been 5.9 billion visits to the website.

At the same time, engagement rate and Tweet frequency on the platform are on the decline. RivalIQ’s study revealed a 20% decline in engagement rate. Now the median engagement rate on X is 0.029% across all industries.

For the time being, brand accounts are also Tweeting much less frequently. The median Tweet frequency was 3.31 Tweets per week—a 15% decrease from the previous year.

But this doesn’t negate the platform’s role in driving conversations around trending topics. X continues to be the top source of news among all social media sites. A 2023 study found that 53% of the platform’s users regularly use it to get news.

This finding is in line with X users having a preference for information-type content on the platform. About 55% of users prefer to see informative content, making it the most preferred content type. Additionally, users show a preference for relevant, engaging and trendy content. As such, brands using the platform can make a mark by participating in trending conversations.

Source: Statista

Twitter (X) user statistics to help reach your audience

14. Gender distribution: 60.9% male, 39.1% female (Note: Sprout Social acknowledges gender isn’t binary, but our data sources limit their reporting to male and female.)
15. Men are more likely to reach out to brands on X
16. Age distribution: 36.6% between the ages of 25 and 34
17. Top locations: United States, Japan, India
18. Cross-platform usage: Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook
19. Education level and income: 29% are college graduates and make more than $100,000 annually
20. Top community: Suburban
21. Sentiment trends: 33% have a favorable impression
22. Reaction to the new X logo: 33.57% neutral

To maximize your chance of reaching your target audience on X, you need to understand the demographic breakdown of its user base.

The platform tends to sway male, with 60.9% of users identifying as such. Male X users are also most likely to reach out to brands on the platform. A Khoros study found that 81% of male X users have reached out to a brand on the platform. The number is lower among female users with 68% having done the same.

X’s popularity among the Millennial population hasn’t dwindled. It’s most popular with people between the ages of 25 and 34 years old, and least popular with teens. Users within this age range are also most active on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Pew Research Center’s study on social media demographics noted that 29% of U.S. X users are college graduates. About 49% of the platform’s user base earns more than $70,000 annually while 29% make more than $100,000 annually. This highlights the platform’s highly-educated and high-earning base.

Moreover, X sees the most usage among suburban communities (26%). Urban communities follow close behind at 25%.

Countries leading in X usage include the U.S., Japan and India.

X’s core users loudly express their feelings about the platform. Many have raised concerns about platform glitches, new features, privacy and proposed paywalls. While Twitter sentiment has ebbed and flowed, most users are pulling for the platform to regain its wings.

In fact, 33% of U.S. adults still have a favorable impression of the platform. Additionally, 40% of users expressed that they’re likely to still use X in a year’s time.

Changes such as the platform’s new logo didn’t garner many negative reactions. One-quarter of respondents felt positively about it. Meanwhile, 33.57% had a neutral feeling about the rebranding.

Twitter (X) statistics for advertisers

23. Annual ad revenue: $2.98 billion
24. Ad engagement: 7% increase from 2021 to 2022
25. Cost per engagement: 10% increase from 2021 to 2022
26. Average ad cost (per first action): $0.26 – $0.50
27. Average ad cost (per follow): $1.01 – $2.00
28. Industry inclusivity: Only major social platform to allow cannabis advertising

Advertising on Twitter takes multiple forms. This includes promoted Tweets, accounts and trending topics among many others. The platform strives to continuously roll out new high-impact ad types to meet evolving consumer behavior.

In spite of this, ad revenue on the platform has witnessed a decline in the past couple of years.

As a result of the drop in monthly active users, there’s a looming uncertainty over the platform’s financial health. A March 2023 forecast predicted that the platform will generate $2.98 in ad revenue. While this would be a 27.9% drop compared to the previous year, the decline will slow down in 2024 according to the same projections. X hasn’t published updated revenue data supporting or challenging these forecasts.

Source: Oberlo

Meanwhile, additional sources report a 7% increase in X ad engagement between 2021 and 2022. With this engagement boost, the cost of advertising on the platform also increased. There was a 10% increase in cost per engagement during the same period.

In spite of this, the ad cost is comparable to Facebook and still significantly lower than LinkedIn. The typical cost per first action or cost per click on X is $0.26 to $0.50. meanwhile, LinkedIn has a cost per click of $2 to $3. Additionally, brands can expect to spend around $1.01 to $2 per follow for promoted accounts on X.

From offering discounted ads to allowing cannabis advertising, X is making attractive appeals for brands to reinvest in the platform. (If your brand sells cannabis, bookmark our article: How cannabis brands elevate their social media content.)

Twitter (X) stats businesses need to inform their strategy

29. Best time to post: Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon and Tuesdays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
30. Posting frequency for top brands: 3.75x per week
31. Engagement rate for top brands: 0.102%
32. Percentage of Tweets with emojis: 26.7%
33. Discoverability: #1 platform
34. X users are 2x more likely to have made an in-app purchase
35. X users are 36% more likely to be the first to try new things
36. Number of users who’ve engaged with a brand: 75%
37. Top engagement intent: Customer care
38. 64% of X users prefer sending a message than calling a business
39. Expected response time: Three hours or less
40. One-third of users made a purchase after a positive experience on X

When you build your Twitter marketing strategy, it’s imperative to align your content with the style of the network. For example, X is a fast-moving platform, and your Tweets are easy to miss if you post at the wrong time. Overall, the best times to post are Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon. Tuesdays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. are also good times to post. But you should find the best time to post on Twitter for your industry and audience.

By sending out your Tweets at the best time, you can catch your audience when they’re most active. This allows you to drive higher engagements for your brand’s X account.

For context, RivalIQ reports that the top brands on X have an engagement rate of about 0.102%. So anything around this range should be a good engagement rate on the platform. Moreover, they Tweet at a frequency of 3.75 times per week.

If you’re looking to get more engagements, make sure to throw in several emojis in your Tweets to make them stand out. Between 2013 and 2023, the platform has seen a significant increase in the number of posts containing emojis. Now 26.7% of Tweets worldwide have an emoji.

Despite a low brand engagement rate, X is the number one platform for discoverability. And its superpower is helping brands gain exposure to an audience eager to try something new. According to X, 36% of people on the platform are more likely to be the first to buy new products. They’re also twice as likely to have made an in-app purchase compared to users on other platforms.

Consumers aren’t just on the platform for Twitter ecommerce, though. The previously cited Khoros study found that 75% of X users have engaged with a brand on the platform. Among these, the top engagement intent was customer care with 53% of users reaching out to resolve care-related issues.

This makes it the top social media platform for seeking customer care. The latest social media customer service stats also show that 64% of X users would rather reach out to a brand on X than call the business.

Source: Khoros

These numbers highlight how crucial it is for brands to provide assistance to their customers on the platform. But not just any assistance would do. Consumers are expecting brands to provide a swift response to their care-related issues.

The Khoros study reveals that 50% of X users expect a response to their complaint within three hours. This is regardless of whether they shared a complaint publicly or in a private message. Meeting this expected timeframe could improve loyalty to your brand. 45% of users also become more receptive to the brand’s advertisements.

Source: Khoros

In fact, a positive Twitter customer service experience could drive purchase decisions. One-third of X users would buy a product or service after a positive customer experience on the platform.

Use Twitter marketing statistics to help your brand soar

These key Twitter statistics prove the platform could still play a vital role in your brand’s social media strategy. But like all social media platforms, your brand’s performance on X is what you make it.

Even in the midst of the platform’s evolution, you can find stability and success if you ground your strategy in data. Use the 40 Twitter stats we shared in this article to refine your tactics to better resonate with your target audience.

Start asking yourself questions like:

• Is my target audience using X more or less than I anticipated?
• What does my target audience use X for?
• What is my brand’s return on paid investment on the platform?
• Am I reaching my audience at the best time?
• Is my company’s X customer service workflow meeting expectations?

Use your answers to guide your company’s approach to the platform in 2024, and watch your presence take off. Keep iterating on your strategy with the latest tools and features to best use Twitter for business.

The post 40 Twitter (X) stats to know in marketing in 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

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