How to find influencers on X (Twitter) for sponsored posts

1. Start with who you're trying to reach

Before you look at a single profile, write one line: who should see the post and what they should do next. "Indie founders who might try our analytics tool this week" leads to different creators than "anyone interested in AI".

That line decides the niche, the language and the time zone of the creators you need — and it becomes the first line of your brief later.

2. Where to find creators on X

• Your own timeline. The people your customers already follow and reply to are the best starting list. Check who your existing customers retweet.
• X search. Search the problem your product solves, not your product category, and switch to the "Latest" and "People" tabs. Creators who post about the problem every week beat creators who posted one viral thread.
• Lists and communities. Many niches keep public X Lists ("AI builders", "indie hackers"). They're curated by people in the niche — a good shortlist.
• A catalog with prices. On paidpost, creators list their prices, free time slots and reviews on a public page, by niche (AI, SaaS, crypto, fintech, marketing, tech, design). You skip the "what are your rates?" DM.

3. Check the audience is real

Follower count is the easiest number to fake and the least useful one. Look at:

• Replies, not likes. Open their last 10 posts. Do real people reply — with questions, arguments, their own experience? A few thoughtful replies beat hundreds of likes.
• Who replies. Click through to some repliers. Are they your customers (founders, developers, traders…) or a ring of the same accounts?
• Consistency. Steady engagement across posts is a good sign; one viral post and silence is not.
• Topic fit. Do they already post about problems like the one your product solves? A sponsored post that fits their usual content reads as a recommendation, not an ad.
• Track record. Ask for links to past sponsored posts. On paidpost, reviews from other brands are on the creator's page — blind, so they're honest.

4. What sponsored posts on X cost

There's no public price list for X, so prices vary a lot between creators of the same size. Two things help:

• Public prices. Creators who list prices per format — post, repost, quote, thread, pinned post — save you a negotiation and let you compare. On paidpost, every catalog card shows a "from" price.
• A sanity check. Our price calculator uses a simple starting point: $5 per 1,000 followers per post. It's not a market average — creators adjust it for engagement, niche and demand — but it tells you whether a quote is in a reasonable range.

Threads and pinned posts often cost more than a single post: they take longer to write, or hold the creator's top spot for days.

5. Brief the creator

A good brief fits on one screen:

1. Who it's for — the line from step 1.
2. What the product does — in one sentence, plus the one thing the post should make people do.
3. The link — the page you want people to land on (with UTM tags, so you can measure it).
4. What must be in the post — and what they're free to write their way. Posts that sound like the creator get read.
5. Format and date — post, thread or quote post; the day and time slot.
6. Disclosure — the post goes out with X's "Paid partnership" label on (see step 7).

On paidpost you write the post once in a campaign and send it to several creators; each sees a live preview of exactly what goes out, and every change is a new version both sides can see.

6. Agree on payment safely

On paidpost you pay creators directly — by card through their payment link, PayPal, Payoneer, a bank transfer or crypto. paidpost doesn't hold money and takes no commission from either side, so to keep the risk low:

• Split it. For a new creator, pay 50% before and 50% after the post goes live.
• Check reviews before you pay a first-time partner.
• Keep everything in one thread — offer, changes, payment link, post link — so it's your record if something goes wrong.

7. Make sure the post is labeled — and allowed

Since 2026, X requires paid posts to carry its "Paid partnership" label: the creator turns it on in the post's Content Disclosure settings. The FTC also expects a clear disclosure in the post itself; adding "#ad" on top doesn't hurt.

X also lists categories that can't be promoted through paid partnerships at all — including alcohol, tobacco, supplements, weight loss, pharmaceuticals, dating and weapons. Financial products (including crypto) and gambling are not allowed in paid partnerships in the EU, the UK and Australia (gambling also in Brazil); the policy doesn't say whether that's the creator's country or the audience's, so if either is there, assume it applies. Check X's Paid Partnerships policy before you book — a post that breaks it can be removed, and the creator's account limited.

8. Verify the post and measure it

• Get the link. Ask the creator to paste the post link when it's live; on paidpost it goes into the deal thread and the deal is marked done.
• Check it matches the approved text, the label is on, and the link works.
• Measure clicks with your UTM link. Views are shown under the post on X; for engagement, ask the creator for a screenshot of the post's analytics a few days later.
• Leave a review. It helps the next brand — and creators with good reviews get booked again.

Questions

How do I find influencers on X (Twitter)?

Start from your customers' timelines and X search for the problem you solve, then check replies and topic fit. A catalog like paidpost shows creators by niche with prices and free slots up front.

How much does a sponsored tweet cost?

It depends on the creator. As a starting point, paidpost's calculator suggests $5 per 1,000 followers per post; threads and pinned posts cost more.

Do sponsored posts on X need to be labeled?

Yes. X requires its "Paid partnership" label on paid posts, and the FTC expects a clear disclosure in the post.

Can I promote crypto with creators on X?

X's policy doesn't allow paid partnerships for financial products, including crypto, in the EU, the UK and Australia, and doesn't say whether that means the creator's or the audience's country. If either is there, assume it applies; check X's Paid Partnerships policy for your market.