Recently, the X (formerly Twitter) platform has once again released important adjustments to its advertising system. Following last week's announcement that all promotional content would be prohibited from adding hashtags , Elon Musk personally confirmed that X will soon start charging based on the "size of the screen" occupied by ads.
This change will have a profound impact on all brands, agencies, and individual marketers that advertise on X. So, what does this new regulation mean? How should we adjust our advertising strategies? This article will break it down for you one by one.
What is "Charge by Visual Size"?
Currently, the advertising styles of X platform include:
Text Ads
Image Ads
Video Ads
Different forms of ads take up very different amounts of screen space. For example, an ad with a full-screen video is obviously more eye-catching and occupies more space than an ad with just a few words.
Musk pointed out that this difference affects the user experience, and the platform lacks sufficient "motivation" to encourage streamlined design. Therefore, in order to reduce visual tidiness and abuse, advertising costs will be linked to the "vertical size of the screen" in the future.
In short: the bigger the ad, the higher the fee; the simpler the ad, the lower the cost.
Why did X make this adjustment?
1. Visual cleanliness: Musk has long been dissatisfied with ads "invading the user's timeline". This move can be understood as X's attempt to "clean up the information flow".
2. Balanced advertising experience: Although large images and videos can increase ad click-through rates, they can also easily cause visual fatigue and even affect the reading experience of ordinary users.
3. Increase the flexibility of the revenue model: The logic of charging by size has long been adopted by platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
How should advertisers respond? Three strategies to prepare in advance!
1. Optimize advertising design: visual refinement is the key
Don't rely on the overwhelming feeling of "big pictures", but instead:
Control the image size within the appropriate ratio (such as 16:9, 4:5)
Simplify the information on the screen and convey the core selling point in one picture
Avoid "full screen text" or long images
Suggestion: Use high-quality visuals + high-click titles to win, rather than overwhelming users with volume
2. A/B test: Can small size also bring big conversions?
The new policy may bring about a new round of traffic and click costs. It is crucial to test the performance of ads of different sizes in advance and obtain first-hand data.
The test dimensions include:
Click-through rate (CTR)
Cost per thousand impressions (CPM)
Cost Per Click (CPC)
Conversion rate (CVR)
Use multi-dimensional data to find the golden combination of materials that "does not rely on volume to win"!
3. Pay attention to official notifications and third-party delivery tool support
Although the policy has not yet been implemented, once it is implemented, many automated delivery tools (such as AdEspresso, Sprinklr, etc.) will quickly adjust their strategies.
Paying attention to X official dynamics and API updates of third-party tools in a timely manner is also the key to optimizing delivery efficiency.
Practical tutorial: How to achieve big effects with small size?
1. Optimize visual proportions and focus on core information
It is recommended that the image size be within 1200x628 for horizontal images or 1080x1350 for vertical images
Make sure the visual focus is on the first half of the screen to avoid content being cropped
2. Use dynamic elements to attract attention
Use short videos (<6 seconds) or GIF format to create a sense of movement without filling up the entire screen
Try to focus on the middle area.
3. Write first, don't rely on "big" to scare people
Limit the main copy to 180 characters or less. Get to the point and don't rely on "show more".
4. Adopt "light interaction" design to attract attention without disturbing others
Use simple emojis, polls or question-based topics to increase clicks and reposts
What does this mean for advertisers?
You need to start budgeting:
Do you really need a super large image to attract attention?
Can a golden sentence + exquisite visuals replace a large amount of content?
You need to consider a new ROI model:
Getting the same effect with less money becomes a new challenge
Small advertisements + highly accurate audiences may be the solution
You need to predict X's next move:
After the visual charging system is launched, most advertisers will reduce the size of the materials
Small-sized ads with creativity and rhythm may stand out
The official price has not been announced yet, but you can do these three things to get ahead of others
Although the X advertising backend has not yet updated the specific policy, you can now:
1. Create an internal advertising material "size list": mark the screen ratio of different advertising formats and past CTR performance.
2. Start recording trends in advertising budgets and display costs to help you dynamically adjust your bidding strategies in the future.
3. Follow X's official blog and Musk's account: be the first to learn about the official policy release and pricing details.
Conclusion
This new rule seems to make sense: large ads are more noticeable and do affect the user experience. Other platforms (such as YouTube and Instagram) have already done this to some extent.
But we cannot ignore the reality:
Platform X is currently struggling to turn losses into profits, and this move will also bring it higher advertising revenue potential.
Is it a reasonable optimization or a hidden price increase? Ultimately, it depends on the details of the official pricing announcement.
Do you think this new rule of platform X is to improve user experience or to increase prices? If ads become more expensive, will you continue to increase your budget or reduce visual content?
