Research · 2026
The State of X Engagement, stat by stat
Original data from one real account's 983 tracked replies + 224 follower attributions. Every finding gets its own page with the method and the caveat. Free to cite — a link back is appreciated. Read the full study.
~5x
Warm replies earn about 5x the engagement of cold replies
2 peaks
Reply engagement peaks twice a day: around noon and around 8pm
~80%
~80% of new followers come from reply-section visibility, not 1:1 actions
5x a like
Bookmarks are weighted 5x a like as the strongest signal of real value
small > big
Small accounts reciprocate engagement far more than big ones
notifications win
Working notifications first beats cold outreach on engagement-per-action
trough hours
The mid-afternoon and overnight are engagement dead zones
3x a like
Replies are weighted 3x a like as a mid-tier intent signal
0 weight
Retweets were dropped from the value model for being too noisy
8 styles
No single reply style wins — the best account rotates 8 archetypes
30% empty
Starting a reply with nothing beats starting with a canned opener
+15 / -20
Replies that mirror a specific detail from the post score far higher
n=1 account
The whole study is one account, 983 replies, 224 followers — read it that way
1 challenge
The account got an X human-verification challenge — automation is a gray area