How to grow 5 million impressions the right way
For the last years i have been on Twitter and to when it was rebranded as X - I have gained some insight on how one can grow especially that there is now creator revenue sharing which requires some obligations to be met before you can be enrolled among which is the "5 million impressions for the last 3 months"
I've personally hit over 5M impressions a few times now - mostly the slow, organic grind, but yeah, I've watched (and tempted by) the shortcuts too. So i will be breaking down the good way that actually sticks, and the bad way that can burn you fast.
The Good Way
Look, reaching 5 million impressions the right way isn't sexy at first. It's boring consistency mixed with a bit of luck and a lot of showing up.
When I joined Twitter I actually didn't know how to use it, but like any person I had to Iearn. I started taking X seriously (around 2022-2023) and i can say i lost my first account in that period. Besides that - when i opened a new account and rebranded my posts were often getting like 200-500 views if I was lucky and 0 to 4 likes. I was posting random thoughts, memes, whatever. Then I decided to niche down - picked one thing I actually knew about and cared about (for me it was about health. I started posting 3 - 7 times a day, every day. When i had just started i didn't know what threads were nor how to create them but with time i started getting things done.
One thing that changed everything for me: were threads . Not the 3-tweet ones the real meaty 10-15 tweet stories. I'd hook with something personal like "how to avoid bad breath in the morning" People love vulnerability mixed with value. Honestly, i have never had a thread get 1 million impressions but rather 800k impressions which I say its the best i have ever made. But i have ever made 12 million impressions in 6 days both from threads.
Engagement loops are everything. I reply to almost every comment in the first 1-2 hours. Even if it's just "thanks man, appreciate that" or asking a follow-up question. The algorithm notices when people stick around and talk. I also became a "reply guy" to bigger accounts not spammy, but thoughtful and valuable comments.
Here is a Tip : Turn on notifications for 5-10 people in your space whose content you actually like. Jump in early with something that adds to the convo (humor, a contrarian take, or a quick personal story). I've had single replies get 250k+ views because they sat under a viral post. But this should not be your daily bread, as the algorithm will associate your account as being desperate for visibility and not value. Do this once in awhile and not every viral tweet is meant to be replied to.
Remember i have said "Be early to comment or not to comment at all" If you find more than 50 comments already don't bother - the best you can do is quote.
Timing and recycling helped too. I post when my audience is awake - late evenings my time or early mornings.
If a tweet does okay, I quote-retweet it myself later with a new angle. "Update: this blew up more than I expected - here's what y'all are saying." Cheap impressions boost without being annoying.
From the stories I've seen (and lived), small accounts have an edge sometimes. One guy I followed crossed 5M in under 30 days just by being consistent and replying smartly - no huge following needed. Another hit it from two quote-tweets that caught fire. It happens slowly... then all at once. I remember refreshing analytics one morning and seeing the impressions graph shoot up overnight from a single meme. Felt unreal.
Consistency beats everything. Miss a week? The algorithm forgets you. Show up daily, even when it's crickets, and it compounds. I went from maybe 50k monthly impressions to millions by just not quitting.
The Bad Way
Look most of you join X for the cash and honestly, that mindset will frustrate you - the requirements will test your nerves especially when you see yourself doing worse however much you keep on pushing your account. I remember crafting an original meme and posting it and i got a teaspoonful of likes but someone stole it and got over 5k likes and 400k impressions. I felt attacked but there was nothing I could do about it, someone had to take my credit for my work.
If you join xTwitter for the cash you will always be disappointed trust me on this - Take tweeting as a hobby and not a job - remember its a reward system and anytime the people that put it in place can shut it down.
I've seen (and yeah, tempted once or twice) this side out of " being desperate". I see people begging in replies: "Help me hit 5M, follow back!" or straight-up buying engagement. Bot farms are still a thing - pay $50 and get thousands of fake likes/retweets. It pumps impressions short-term, but X filters most bot views from monetization eligibility now. You hit the number, but zero payout, plus risk of suspension. Do you ever see 400 accounts unfollow you, at times they didn't follow you they were just fake and the algorithm purged them.
Clickbait is tempting. "This one trick got me banned—don't do it" type stuff. Or rage-bait: super controversial takes just to farm angry replies. Negative engagement still counts, and I've watched accounts explode to millions of views overnight... then get ratio'd into oblivion or reported into shadowban hell.
Persona scams are sneaky. Fake "guru" accounts with bought followers, selling courses or signals. They hit virality by preying on hope, but it crashes when people realize it's fake. Or straight spam: mass DMs, link-dropping in every thread.
The worst? Engagement groups or mutuals groups where everyone auto-likes/reposts each other. Feels like cheating the system, but the algorithm catches patterns and tanks reach. I've seen friends lose months of progress that way.
Here is the safe quick way to get you into the revenue sharing program.
1. Follow 15 verified small accounts every day for 30 days (100 - 500) followers.
Why? They are likely to follow back but if they don't - don't unfollow them that very day. These 15 accounts should not be followed instantly but rather spaced in the whole day otherwise you will have issues with the algorithm. "The reason for doing it in 30 days is to avoid being limited or shadow banned." Tip : "Always engage with the accounts you follow by switching from the for you TL as this creates mutualism - thy circle is responsible for your growth".
2. Getting the 5 million impressions
Truthfully speaking this is the hardest part for most creators no wonder X says 5 million impressions in the last 3 months why? Because it's possible to be on X for a full year and you don't get even 1 million impressions. However, I am going to share with you how you can change that.
🔸Ensure you are not on any form of shadow ban. (Check out our post on shadow bans and how to avoid them)
🔸Ensure you are verified (You paid for X premium) - this enables you to track your analytics and overall performance of your tweets.
Her is how - : Follow 10 big accounts "npt accounts with numbers but with engagements as well" Turn on their notifications i.e " whose content you actually like. Jump in early "be among the first 25 people to comment or quote" with something that adds humor or value to the post.
Avoid commenting things that are out of scope such as links, emojis or copying comments that are already there and recommenting them again otherwise your account will be deboosted - or being placed in the probable spam section "click here to know more about probable spam.
Remember you are not the only one doing this, so its upto you to stand out and be better than the rest. Be valuable that when someone sees your comment will be intrigued to follow you.
3. Subscribe to X Premium
As they say magnet attracts what is magnetic - people with checkmark are the real deal - if you are in for the money then those who have check marks are the ones that will make the money for you. More so you have high chances of being followed than those who are not verified. Additionally, you have access to analytics to track your performance of the account.
My take after all these years
I've been frustrated on X so many times -posts dying, receiving no pay outs for no reason, algorithm seeming random, watching others blow up while mine sit. But the days it works? When a stranger DMs "your thread helped me avoid a huge mistake" or you cash out a small payout from real engagement? That hits different.
If you're somewhere grinding like I suspect a lot of us are, just know: you don't need to be perfect. Start messy. Post what you know. Engage genuinely. Track what works (X analytics is free with Premium and its worth it. One good thread or reply chain can change everything.
You've been on here a while, so you probably already feel the difference between real growth and fake hype. Stick to the good path it's slower, but when you hit 5M (or way more), it feels earned.
Last Remarks: shortcuts feel fast, but they hollow you out. Fake numbers, fake audience, no real connections. When X cracks down (and they do, regularly), you're back to zero with a stained account.
