Is X (Twitter) Premium Worth It? The Data Says Yes, If You're Promoting Content

If you're using Steadily to promote your blog content on X, you're already doing the hard part. You've got great content. You've set up automated promotion to keep your best work circulating. But here's the question that's been nagging at a lot of our users: is anyone actually seeing those posts?

The answer depends almost entirely on whether you're paying for X Premium.

I know, I know. Another subscription. Another platform with its hand out. But before you roll your eyes and close this tab, hear me out. The data on this is surprisingly clear, and if you're serious about using X as a traffic channel, you need to see it.

The Short Answer

If you're using X to promote content (blog posts, newsletters, products, landing pages), upgrading to Premium isn't optional anymore. It's table stakes.

Free accounts posting links to external content are now essentially invisible on the platform. This isn't hyperbole. It's what the data shows. We'll get into the specifics below, but the executive summary is this: Buffer analyzed 18.8 million posts from 71,000 accounts and found that Premium users get roughly 10x more reach than free accounts. For posts containing links, free accounts have seen their engagement drop to a median of zero.

Let me say that again. Zero.

If you're a Steadily user posting links to your blog content from a free X account, you're likely posting into a void. The algorithm has made a choice, and it's not in your favor.

What Changed?

X has never been shy about the fact that it wants people to pay. But over the past year, the platform has gotten increasingly aggressive about baking subscriber benefits directly into the algorithm.

This isn't speculation. When X open-sourced parts of its algorithm, researchers confirmed that Premium subscribers receive a 4x boost for content shown to their followers and a 2x boost for content shown to non-followers. That's baked into the code. If you're not paying, you're starting every post with a significant handicap.

The algorithm also penalizes certain types of content more than others. Posts with links to external sites have always performed worse than native content on social platforms (Facebook does this too), but on X the penalty for free accounts has become severe enough to functionally suppress link-based content entirely.

For anyone using social media to drive traffic somewhere else (which is the entire point for most businesses and content creators), this is a big deal.

What the Data Actually Shows

Let's dig into the numbers. Buffer's analysis covers posts from August 2024 through August 2025, giving us a full year of data to work with.

Reach

The reach gap between free and paid accounts is stark:

• Free accounts: Under 100 median impressions per post
• Premium accounts ($8/month): Around 600 impressions per post
• Premium+ accounts ($40/month): Over 1,550 impressions per post

That's not a small difference. Premium users are seeing roughly 10x the reach of non-paying users on average.

Engagement

Engagement rates tell a similar story. Premium accounts moved from about 0.3% median engagement in late 2024 to 0.4% by mid-2025. Not huge, but respectable and trending upward.

Free accounts? They went the other direction. By March 2025, free accounts had dropped to a median engagement rate of 0%. That means at least half of all posts from free accounts received zero likes, replies or reposts.

The Link Penalty (This Is the Big One)

Here's where it gets really important for Steadily users and anyone else promoting content.

Different post types perform differently on X, which isn't surprising. Text posts do best, followed by video, then images. Links have always been at the bottom. But the gap has widened dramatically.

For Premium users, link posts still underperform compared to other formats, but they at least register meaningful engagement (around 0.25-0.3%).

For free accounts, link posts have been completely suppressed since March 2025. The median engagement rate is 0%.

Think about what that means for a second. If you're using Steadily to automatically promote your blog posts on X, and you're doing it from a free account, the algorithm is essentially hiding those posts from everyone. You're doing the work. You're showing up consistently. But the platform has decided not to show your content to anyone.

This is why Premium matters. Not because of the blue checkmark or the edit button or longer posts. Because without it, your content promotion efforts on X are dead on arrival.

X Premium Tiers: Which One Do You Need?

X currently offers three Premium tiers, and they're not all created equal for content promoters.

Basic ($3/month)

Basic gets you the utility features: edit tweets, longer posts (up to 25,000 characters), longer video uploads and some reply prioritization. What it doesn't get you is the blue checkmark or the meaningful algorithmic boost that comes with verification.

For content promoters, Basic is probably not worth it. The whole point is to get more reach, and Basic doesn't move the needle enough on that front.

Premium ($8/month)

This is the sweet spot for most people. Premium includes everything in Basic plus:

• The blue checkmark (which signals verification and unlocks algorithmic benefits)
• A larger boost in reply rankings
• Reduced ads in your timeline
• Higher Grok AI usage limits
• Access to analytics
• The ability to run ads (more on this in a minute)

For $8/month, Premium removes the link penalty and gives you meaningful reach improvements. If you're a Steadily user, this is probably the tier you want.

Premium+ ($40/month)

Premium+ is for power users. You get everything in Premium plus:

• The largest reply boost
• A nearly ad-free experience
• The highest Grok limits
• The ability to publish long-form Articles directly on X

Unless you're spending hours a day on X or really need the ad-free experience, Premium+ is probably overkill for content promotion purposes. The reach benefits of regular Premium are sufficient for most users.

The Feature Most People Overlook: Running Ads

Here's something that doesn't get talked about enough. X requires Premium verification to run ads.

This matters because ads let you amplify your best-performing content. Steadily helps you post consistently and identify which posts resonate with your audience. When something takes off organically, having the ability to put a few dollars behind it can dramatically extend its reach.

You don't need a massive budget for this. Even $10-20 on a post that's already performing well can push it significantly further. But if you're on a free account, this option doesn't exist for you.

The combination of organic posting through Steadily plus selective paid amplification of winners is a powerful content promotion strategy. But it requires Premium to unlock the paid side of that equation.

The Side Benefits

The reach boost is the main reason to upgrade, but Premium does come with other features that are genuinely useful:

Edit tweets: You have one hour to make up to five edits after posting. This is helpful for fixing typos without having to delete and repost (which kills any engagement you've already earned).

Longer posts: Up to 25,000 characters means you can post thought leadership content directly on X without needing to link out. This can be a useful complement to your link-based promotion strategy.

Reply prioritization: Your replies show up higher in threads. If you're engaging with others in your industry (which you should be), this makes your contributions more visible.

Grok access: Here's an angle worth considering. If you're currently paying $20/month for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro but find yourself not using it that heavily, you might be able to drop that subscription and get X Premium instead. At $8/month, Premium includes meaningful Grok access with limits well above the free tier (which caps you at about 10 requests every two hours). You'd save $12/month while gaining both an AI assistant and the algorithmic reach boost. Grok isn't as polished as ChatGPT or Claude for complex tasks, but for quick research, content ideation and general questions it's perfectly capable. If you're a light-to-moderate AI user, this swap could make a lot of sense.

Analytics: Premium unlocks better analytics on your posts. Third-party tools are still useful, but having native analytics helps you understand what's working.

None of these features alone justify the subscription for most people. But combined with the reach benefits, they add up to a meaningfully better experience.

When Premium Doesn't Make Sense

I want to be fair here. Premium isn't for everyone.

If you're not posting regularly on X, the reach boost doesn't help you much. You can't amplify what doesn't exist.

If X isn't a meaningful channel for your audience, paying to optimize your presence there doesn't make sense. Know where your people are and invest accordingly.

If you're just using X casually to follow news or keep up with your industry, the free tier is fine. The reach penalty only matters if you're trying to reach people.

But if you're actively using X as part of your content distribution strategy (and if you're a Steadily user, you probably are), then Premium is worth serious consideration.

The ROI Math

Let's do some quick math.

Premium costs $8/month, or $96/year. For that investment, you're getting roughly 10x the reach on your posts and removing the link penalty that's currently hiding your content.

If your content drives traffic to your site, and that traffic converts to leads or sales at any reasonable rate, the math works out pretty quickly. Even if Premium only delivers a handful of additional site visitors per month, you're probably breaking even.

The real question isn't whether $8/month is a lot of money. It's what's the cost of invisibility? If you're investing time in content creation and using Steadily to promote that content on X, but no one is seeing those posts, what's the point?

One analysis found that Premium posts drove 2.3x more landing page visits than identical content on LinkedIn, despite having a smaller audience. That's the kind of multiplier that makes the subscription pay for itself.

Steadily + Premium: The Complete Picture

Here's how I think about this for Steadily users.

Steadily solves the consistency problem. It analyzes your content, generates posts in your voice and keeps your best work circulating on social media without requiring you to manually craft and schedule every post. That's the foundation of any good content promotion strategy.

But consistency only matters if people see your content. That's where Premium comes in. It removes the algorithmic penalty that's currently suppressing your posts and gives you access to paid amplification when you want to push a winner further.

The combination is more powerful than either piece alone. You're not just posting. You're posting and being seen. And when something resonates, you can pour fuel on it.

If you're already investing in Steadily to automate your content promotion, upgrading your X account to Premium is the logical next step. It's a relatively small additional investment that meaningfully improves the return on everything else you're doing.

Wrapping Up

The data here is pretty clear. X has created a two-tier system where free accounts, especially those posting links to external content, are functionally invisible. Premium subscribers get 10x the reach and actually show up in feeds.

For content creators and businesses using X as a distribution channel, this isn't a nice-to-have anymore. It's the cost of playing the game.

If you're a Steadily user, you've already committed to showing up consistently on social media. Make sure people can actually see you when you do. The $8/month Premium subscription is the unlock that makes the rest of your efforts worthwhile.

The best content in the world doesn't matter if no one sees it.

Sources

• Does X Premium Really Boost Your Reach? An Analysis of 18M+ Posts - Buffer
• How the Twitter (Now X) Algorithm Works in 2025 - Buffer
• About X Premium - X Help Center
• About Eligibility for X Ads - X Business
• Is X Premium Worth It in 2025? Twitter Blue Review + 3-Month ROI Insights - PostNext
• Data Shows X Premium Subscribers Get Significantly More Post Reach - Social Media Today

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