How to use X/Twitter for Artists: The Ultimate Guide

Twitter was first introduced and launched in 2006 by a group of entrepreneurs who also established the company behind the platform, Twitter, Inc. Its popularity grew quite rapidly, with Twitter reaching more than 200 million monthly active users by 2012. A year later, the company went public but remained open to acquisition offers, with companies like Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Microsoft, Verizon, and The Walt Disney Company showing interest in 2016. However, none of these deals materialized.

In 2022, business magnate Elon Musk initiated the acquisition of Twitter after buying company shares earlier that year. He was reportedly driven by concerns about Twitter’s management and perceived limitations on the platform. After making an unsolicited offer, taking that offer back, almost getting sued, and offering to proceed with the deal once again, Musk officially acquired Twitter, Inc. in October 2022. This marked a new, somewhat turbulent chapter for the social media platform.

Immediately after taking control, Musk fired the company’s CEO and CFO, and continued laying off employees over the following months — actions that drew substantial criticism from the public. Employees who remained were reportedly given an ‘ultimatum’ — commit to "long, intense hours of work" or resign. By April 2023, less than 1,500 of the original 7,500 active employees remained.

Musk also implemented substantial changes to the platform itself. He restored previously banned accounts like those of Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, and Kathy Griffins, while suspending certain anti-fascist accounts and pages that made fun of him. Additionally, he relaxed content moderation and censoring policies and removed bans on COVID-19 misinformation, which led to the increased spread of disinformation and hate speech. Musk faced major backlash for his decisions, and the global usage of Twitter has declined by approximately 15% (although Musk claimed the usage hasn’t dropped at all).

In July 2023, it was announced that Twitter would be rebranded to "X," and its iconic blue bird logo would be retired. The rebranding process was finalized in May 2024.

Now that we’ve covered the history of Twitter — we will rightly refer to it as X from now on — it’s time to delve into what makes the platform special.

X is a microblogging social networking platform where users publicly communicate by sharing ‘posts’ and ‘re-posts,’ formerly known as ‘tweets’ and ‘retweets.’ These posts can include text, photos, videos, and GIFs, enabling users to interact directly with their audience and receive immediate responses and feedback. While X originally had a 280-character limit for posts, it now distinguishes between ‘general posts’ and ‘longer posts,’ which extend beyond this limit and can contain up to 25,000 characters.

One thing to keep in mind: around 350,000 tweets are posted on X every minute, which is around 6,000 tweets per second. This suggests that, unlike other social media platforms, X is a constant, never-ending stream of information, which can be both a strength and a challenge.

On the one hand, a post can quickly get lost in the flood of content and instantly become forgotten. This might be a hard pill to swallow, especially for those who want to use X for marketing and promotion. On the other hand, users can post frequently without bothering and overwhelming their audience, which makes it a dynamic space for constant engagement.

Beyond public posts, X also enables private messaging and video and audio calling and provides access to bookmarks, lists, communities, a chatbot named Grok, job search, and Space, a social audio feature.

Creating a profile on X is free and open to everyone. Like other social media channels, X offers two types of accounts — Personal and Professional Accounts. Personal Accounts are for individual use, while Professional Accounts cater to businesses, brands, creators, and publishers for commercial purposes. Switching from a Personal to a Professional Account is currently free.

Professional Accounts offer users access to a wide range of business tools not available to non-professionals. Those include:

• Professional Home — allows users to monitor and boost performance.

• Professional Category — lets users display their professional identity.

• Profile Spotlights — enables professionals to showcase what’s important to them.

• X Shopping

• X Ads

• Quick Promo, and more.

Beyond Personal and Professional Accounts, X offers a paid subscription service called X Premium, starting at $3/month, which unlocks additional features. The subscription comes in three tiers: Basic, Premium, and Premium +, with each higher tier offering more features.

Keep in mind that the platform’s analytics tool, X Analytics, is available exclusively to users with a Professional Account on X Premium.

If you wish to convert your existing Personal Account into a Professional one (let’s say you’d like to monitor your fans' engagement with your content or sell your music and merch via the platform), there are certain criteria you must meet:

• You must not have a history of repeatedly violating the X User Agreement,

• You must have a complete profile, including an account name, a profile picture, and a bio,

• You must maintain a clear and authentic identity on your profile, not featuring someone else’s identity, brand, or organization, and avoid using a fake identity to ‘deceive others.’

Building your profile and thereby establishing your brand is a crucial first step. Make sure your profile is as complete as possible, representing your artistic identity and giving followers — current and potential — a clear sense of who you are and what you do.

Your profile on X consists of four key elements: account name, profile picture, banner image, and bio. When choosing your account name and profile picture, aim for consistency across platforms. It will make it easier for your audience to find and recognize you.

Your profile picture can be any high-quality headshot type of picture. It can also be the cover art of your latest release or an official poster you use for marketing efforts. However, in the early days of your career, it is important that you choose an image that features you. Otherwise, people may not recognize it’s your account. Another thing to keep in mind is that X will automatically crop your image into a circle when you click on ‘save.’ For this reason, make sure you choose a visual asset that fits the designated circle perfectly.

The banner picture represents the background image for your profile, similar to a Facebook cover photo. There are multiple ways you can use this space to promote your artistry and music. You can showcase your latest release or project or feature a banner with the dates for your upcoming tour. It’s also recommended to switch the banner picture from time to time based on what you’re currently promoting.

Your bio is a designated space where you introduce yourself to anyone who stumbles upon your profile. Your introduction can only feature 160 characters or less, which may not feel like a lot for you to say everything important. The great thing about the X bio is that you can include a link leading to a destination of your choice — e.g., your website, your latest release, your profile on a preferred streaming platform, your merch store, etc.

With tools like iMusician’s Release Pages, you can guide your followers to various destinations with one single smartlink. Your Release Page will showcase your latest release and an artist bio and give fans access to a tour and press section.

Now that you understand more about how X works and what makes it stand out let’s explore how you can effectively use X as a musician. Here are some tips and best practices to follow to boost your online presence on X!

Just as you can’t maintain an online presence on every platform, you also can’t target every audience. This applies to X and other social media platforms, too. For that reason, it’s essential to understand the audience you attract on X, which depends on the content you produce. X Analytics can help you gain valuable insight into your viewers’ demographics — who they are, their location, their interests, etc.

Remember that certain music genres may resonate better on X than others just because their fans and followers are more present on the platform. If you have a feeling that your target audience is not well-represented on X, and your music promotion efforts seem ineffective (which you can verify through analytics), consider whether continuing to use the platform is worthwhile. If not, you can focus on platforms that seem to better align with your audience and the content you create.

As mentioned earlier, X breathes and runs on the exchange of information, ideas, and opinions. It’s a great space to express personal viewpoints. However, some topics — such as politics, public health, or religion — are more sensitive and may be better avoided in professional contexts, especially if you’re in a band with members who hold different opinions. Navigating different viewpoints within a band can be challenging, and there’s definitely no one-size-fits-all solution.

One recommendation for those who are passionate about topics that may not align with the band’s image is to have a separate personal account. This allows you to freely express yourself on topics of interest while keeping your Professional Account focused on the band’s identity.

That being said, it is crucial to maintain a healthy balance between being professional and staying true to yourself. A separate account helps you achieve this balance while emphasizing your and your band’s authenticity.

Proactive communication and engagement with other users, including your followers, fellow musicians, bands, and other influencers, is key. Responding to fans’ messages, reposting their posts, and sharing posts they might find interesting will help set the tone for your interaction and encourage your fans to support you in ways that matter.

Interacting with others in your field can also help you grow your following. By sharing their content, you may attract the attention of their followers, potentially gaining new fans! By the way, fans enjoy seeing musicians interact with each other and join conversations.

Ultimately, your goal on X is to make yourself approachable and open to connections with others. X is a vast community, and being active and proactive on the platform may open doors to more messages, inquiries, and opportunities that you won’t want to miss.

Your engagement style is closely related to the content you produce. Although X may not seem so creatively flexible, as the posts usually have to be short (unless you subscribe to share longer posts), and there aren’t that many fun features, it still offers plenty of content opportunities.

Sharing your story is a great way for your fans to connect with you on a deeper level, and hosting a Q&A session can strengthen that connection by sharing more about yourself, your music, and future projects. Post photos and videos that commemorate your achievements and highlight key moments like album releases, new merch, or upcoming tours. You can also entertain your fans with humorous stories or announce exciting collaborations with fellow musicians.

The goal here is to have fun with the content you create while staying authentic! Don’t shy away from showing your personality and emotions. Your fans will love it!

Getting verified on X may not be your top priority when starting out, but it’s a nice thing to consider when moving forward in your career. Ultimately, the little white check in a blue circle next to your profile name can boost your profile almost instantly, increasing its credibility and authenticity. If you check the accounts of your favorite artists, you’ll notice that nearly everyone has their verification mark.

In the past, everyone seeking verification had to submit a request and complete a form to prove they met the necessary criteria. Currently, the X verification checkmark is exclusively available through an X Premium subscription.

Applicants must still meet eligibility requirements, but there is no longer a need to fill out the form. The X team will simply review your profile once you subscribe to X Premium. If you’re subscribed and want to get verified, you must meet these requirements:

• Your account must have a display name and a profile picture.

• Your account must be active for at least 30 days to be eligible for an X Premium subscription.

• Your account must have a confirmed telephone number.

• Additionally, your account should have no recent changes (name, profile picture, etc.), must not be misleading and deceptive, and must not be involved in platform manipulation and spamming.

Another feature that sets X apart from other platforms is that you don’t have to work hard to find the right hashtags and trends — the platform will do the work for you! These trends are primarily determined by the X algorithm and by default, or are customized for you based on the accounts you follow, your interests, and your location.

By adjusting your Trends settings, you can select trends and topics that are most relevant to you, your content, and the music you produce. This increases your chance of connecting with your target audience and can help boost your engagement and attract new followers.

Tip from us: When using hashtags, ensure they are related to a topic/trend that is relevant to you. Additionally, avoid overloading your posts with hashtags, as this can make your post look spammy. It’s best to use a maximum of 3 hashtags per post.

It’s only natural that musicians that you love and admire are a great source of influence, not only on Twitter but on other social media channels, too. You can therefore check out and analyze what content your favorite singers, bands and producers create, get inspired, and perhaps follow their example!

Musicians creating music of a similar genre may also give you additional incentives on the content you can produce and so engage more with your target audience.

It’s only natural that musicians you love and admire can be a valuable source of inspiration, not just on X but across other social media platforms as well. Take the time to explore the content your favorite singers, bands, and producers are creating – analyze their approach, get inspired, and consider following their example.

Musicians in similar genres may also provide fresh ideas and additional incentives regarding the type of content you can produce, helping you better engage with your target audience.