How We Grew a Relevant X (Twitter) Community With $0 in Ad Spend

Growing a Twitter audience from scratch is a lot like starting a conversation at a crowded party. You want to connect with the right people, say things that actually interest them, and not come across as the person yelling into the void.

That’s exactly what we set out to do for Propoze, our SaaS tool for building sales proposals.

With zero ad spend and no paid verification badge next to our name, the goal wasn’t to just collect random followers — it was to build a relevant, engaged community of people who genuinely cared about what we had to say.

The result?

Our Twitter presence grew faster than any other social platform, and we did it without throwing money at ads or relying on luck.

Instead, we took a strategic approach — analyzing what worked for others, testing different engagement tactics, and making sure we showed up where our audience was already hanging out.

In this post, we’ll break down the exact methods we used to grow a targeted Twitter community for Propoze — from advanced search tricks to engagement hacks that actually work.

#1 Understanding what works before taking action

Before jumping into posting and engaging, we took a step back to study what actually works.

Instead of guessing what content might perform well, we analyzed successful accounts, identified proven content strategies, and used Twitter’s built-in tools to find the right conversations.

Here’s how we did it.

Looking at fast-growing accounts in our space

One of the best ways to grow is to observe what’s already working. We identified SaaS brands, solopreneurs, and creators in the sales and proposal-building space who were growing quickly and getting solid engagement. But we didn’t just look at their follower count. We focused on:

✅ What types of posts were driving the most interactions (threads, polls, memes, industry insights, etc.).
✅ Their posting frequency — were they tweeting multiple times a day or focusing on high-quality, less frequent content?
✅ How they engaged with their audience — were they responding to every comment, starting discussions, or leveraging DMs?

By studying what made their accounts work, we got a clear picture of what we should and shouldn’t do when crafting our own Twitter strategy.

Using tools like Tweet Hunter X to find winning content

Rather than manually scrolling through endless timelines, we used a free version of Tweet Hunter X to pinpoint high-performing tweets in our niche. This allowed us to:

• See what topics were resonating with our target audience.
• Analyze engagement patterns (What got the most likes? What sparked the most replies?)
• Find tweet formats that worked best—whether it was storytelling, one-liners, value-packed threads, or behind-the-scenes insights.

Take Semrush’s account, for example — Tweet Hunter X can quickly show you their all-time best tweets or the most recent ones that performed well.

Plus, if you search for specific keywords, Tweet Hunter X will pull up tweets from that account that include those exact terms.

Using Twitter’s advanced search to find the right conversations

Twitter’s Advanced Search is a goldmine when used the right way. Instead of waiting for people to find our tweets, we actively sought out conversations where our target audience was already engaged.

Here’s how we used it:

🔹 Location-based searches: Searching for e.g.“freelancers near:Denver” helped us find potential leads and discussions happening in relevant regions.

🔹 Keyword searches: We tracked tweets mentioning “proposal software,” “freelance proposals,” or “how to win more clients” — these were great opportunities to jump in and provide value.

🔹 Filtering by engagement: We looked for recent tweets with solid engagement so we weren’t responding to outdated conversations.

This allowed us to position Propoze in front of the right people at the right time — without spending a dime on ads.

#2 How we attracted the right people with smart engagement

We didn’t just like tweets randomly. We used them as a way to discover and connect with the right people.

Here’s how we did it:

✅ Step 1: Find the right post – We looked for tweets that were highly relevant to Propoze or our potential leads. This could be a discussion about proposal software, freelancing, or closing deals.

✅ Step 2: Analyze who engaged – Instead of just engaging with the tweet itself, we dug deeper—checking who interacted with that post. These were people already interested in the topic, making them highly relevant to us.

✅ Step 3: Make a targeted move – Once we identified these engaged users, we:

• Added them to a Twitter List to keep track of them.
• Followed select accounts that looked like strong potential leads.
• Engaged with their own content—liking, replying, or sharing when relevant.

*All our Twitter (X) lists are public, and we encourage you to check them out and support the community!

Twitter lists: Our secret to focused engagement

Instead of following thousands of accounts and hoping for interactions, we curated focused Twitter Lists to keep track of:

🔹 Potential customers – Freelancers, agencies, and small business owners in need of better proposal software.
🔹 Industry experts & influencers – People shaping the SaaS, sales, and freelancing space.
🔹 Engaged users – People who consistently interacted with content similar to ours.

We created separate lists for product owners and their products, creating our engagement style for each group.

Also, we frequently promoted those same products on our platform to support community members.

By having these lists, we could:

✔ Engage intentionally — instead of getting lost in a cluttered feed.
✔ Stay on top of key conversations — reacting to trends before they blow up.
✔ Build relationships — genuinely connecting with people who matter.

This simple tactic made engagement faster, more intentional, and way more effective than just following everyone and hoping for interactions.

#3 Becoming a recognized name in the right communities

Instead of waiting for people to find us, we actively put Propoze in front of the right communities by engaging where our ideal audience was already hanging out.

We focused on three key groups:

Freelancers looking to improve their sales game

Freelancers often struggle with proposals, pricing, and closing deals—exactly the problems Propoze solves. We joined conversations in communities where freelancers shared their experiences, frustrations, and tips about securing clients.

💡 How we engaged:

• Jumped into discussions about proposal writing, pricing, and winning clients.
• Shared valuable insights without being salesy—offering tips first, then naturally introducing Propoze when relevant.
• Engaged with top freelancers who were already discussing tools and techniques for closing deals.

This helped position us as a valuable resource rather than just another SaaS account pushing a product.

Solopreneurs, indie hackers, and bootstrappers

This group is all about building, launching, and growing businesses solo — which means they’re always looking for tools that make their lives easier.

Since Propoze is designed to streamline proposals and close deals faster, these communities were a perfect fit.

💡 How we engaged:

• Followed indie hackers and solopreneurs, actively supporting their journeys.
• Joined threads about growth, SaaS tools, and automation to provide useful insights.
• Shared relatable content about the struggles of running a business solo, making our brand feel more human and less corporate.

Instead of promoting Propoze outright, we focused on relationship-building—which made people more likely to check us out organically.

UX/UI designers, copywriters, and developers who freelance

A huge number of designers, copywriters, and developers work as freelancers or run small agencies. These professionals regularly need to send proposals, negotiate contracts, and win new clients, making them an important segment of our audience.

💡 How we engaged:

• Participated in freelance design and development discussions, sharing useful advice.
• Engaged with threads about pricing, client negotiations, and contract red flags—topics that always get high engagement.
• Created and shared relatable content about the ups and downs of freelancing, making Propoze feel like part of their world.

By consistently engaging in these communities, we didn’t just gain visibility—we became a familiar and trusted name among the people who actually needed our tool.

#4 The results & key takeaways

After months of strategic engagement, intentional content, and showing up in the right communities, our Twitter presence grew faster than on any other platform.

But since Elon decided to put Twitter analytics behind a paywall (thanks, Elon!), we had to rely on data from back in June of last year—before free insights were sent to the grave.

As you can see, we only started working on Propoze’s Twitter in February 2024, and within just three months, we were hitting nearly 30K impressions per month — all 100% organic, using a completely free Twitter account.

The numbers that show it worked

Even without ad spend, we saw:

📈 Steady audience growth — not just in numbers but in relevant followers who engage.
💬 Increased interactions — more replies, likes, and retweets from people who actually cared about what we were sharing.
👥 More meaningful connections — people started recognizing Propoze and interacting with us consistently.

The best part? It wasn’t just vanity metrics.

Our Twitter activity led to:

✅ More direct conversations with potential users.
✅ More traffic to our website.
✅ More people discovering Propoze organically.

So, what actually moved the needle?

Looking back, the biggest wins came from:

✔ Engaging with the right people, not just anyone. Random followers don’t mean much—building an audience that actually connects with your brand does.
✔ Being active in the right communities. Showing up where our audience was already hanging out made a huge difference.
✔ Using research to guide our content. Instead of guessing, we studied what worked, analyzed top tweets, and posted intentionally.
✔ Prioritizing conversations over broadcasting. Twitter is about relationships, not just content output — engagement drives visibility.

We love experimenting with different social strategies. And when we find one that works (for the project), we double down. No two projects are the same, but one thing is sure — we can figure out how to grow them.

In that light, if you're looking for a reliable growth team with proven strategies and the right arsenal of tools, give us a call! Or send us an email!