Take the money and run? I tested X’s paid-promotion model, and it was woeful

‘Ad fraud’ cost businesses $61bn in 2022, and is expected to grow to more than $100bn over the next few years. Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

I run a small business. My company sells customer relationship management (CRM) software to other businesses. I’m always in search of leads and will try just about anything to find new clients that we can help. To that end, I recently wrote a book about CRM and created a landing page on my website where people – clients and prospects – can download it. How to promote my new book? Why not X?

I know the X community – and its famous CEO – may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But I’ve been a longtime active user and I’m sure there are many other Xers who would enjoy reading my book. So I decided to conduct an experiment and create a post with a link to my book’s landing page and promote it on the social platform. Not a big promotion. Just 50 bucks over five days. A pittance. But, for me, what happened is a cautionary tale.