You don't need ZoomInfo. You don't need Apollo. You definitely don't need to spend $500/month on a database full of outdated emails and wrong phone numbers.
X is the most underrated prospecting platform in B2B. Your ideal clients are already there, telling you exactly what they need, who they are, and what keeps them up at night.
Most people scroll aimlessly, hoping to stumble across someone worth DMing. They're essentially fishing without bait and wondering why nothing's biting.
Seven methods that actually work. All free. All require actual effort. Fun.
Method 1: Follow the Watering Holes
Your ideal clients cluster around specific accounts. Industry thought leaders. Niche influencers. Popular tools and products they use.
The play:
1. Identify 10-15 accounts your ideal clients definitely follow
2. Go to those accounts' followers list
3. Look at who's engaging with their posts (replies, quotes, retweets)
4. These engaged followers are your prospects
Why engaged followers? Because passive followers might be bots, dormant accounts, or random people. But someone who takes time to reply? They're active, opinionated, and reachable.
Pro Tip
Look at replies on posts about problems you solve. If an influencer tweets about "struggling to find good developers" and you run a dev agency, everyone who replies with "same" is a lead.
Method 2: X's Advanced Search
X's search is way more powerful than most people realize. You can filter by keywords, dates, engagement, even sentiment.
Search queries that work:
"looking for" + [your service], Direct buying intent
"anyone recommend" + [your category], Research phase buyers
"frustrated with" + [competitor/problem], Pain-aware prospects
"just hired" + [your type of service], Recent buyers (for case studies/networking)
"founder" + [industry] + "building", Early-stage targets
Use the "Latest" tab to find fresh conversations. Someone tweeting about needing help today is infinitely more valuable than a months-old post.
You can also filter by minimum engagement (likes, retweets) to find higher-authority accounts. Search for "[keyword] min_faves:50" to surface influential voices in your space.
For more on this, check out our guide on X Advanced Search for Prospecting.
Method 3: Mine Competitor Followers
Your competitors have already done the prospecting work for you.
Go to their X profile. Look at their followers. These are people who have already shown interest in your category. They're educated on the problem. They might even be unsatisfied with their current solution.
But don't just blindly scrape the list. Look for signals:
• Do they engage with the competitor? Or just passively follow?
• Have they complained about the competitor publicly?
• What's their follower count and engagement? (Proxy for company size/influence)
• Are they decision-makers based on their bio?
Ethical note: Don't trash-talk competitors in DMs. Just offer value. Let them discover the difference themselves.
Method 4: The Twitter List Method
X Lists are one of the platform's most slept-on features, especially for prospecting.
First, search for existing public lists in your niche:
• Google: "site:twitter.com/i/lists [your industry] founders"
• Search X for "list" + your industry keywords
• Check if influencers in your space have public lists
These curated lists are prospect goldmines. Someone already did the work of identifying and categorizing relevant accounts.
Second, build your own prospect lists:
• Create private lists for different prospect tiers
• Add prospects as you find them
• Check your lists daily for new content from prospects
• Engage systematically before you DM
This also helps with the warmup strategy. When a prospect is on your list, you see their content first and can engage naturally over time.
Method 5: Hashtag and Community Mining
Hashtags on X aren't as powerful as they used to be, but niche hashtags still work for B2B prospecting.
Skip the generic ones (#marketing, #business). Instead, find community-specific tags:
#buildinpublic, Founders actively sharing their journey
#indiehackers, Bootstrapped SaaS founders
#saasfounder, Your target if you sell to software companies
Industry conference tags, People tweeting from events are highly engaged
Even better: find X Communities in your niche. These are goldmines of concentrated, engaged prospects who self-selected into your target market.
Join the community. Lurk for a week. Note who's most active. Then start engaging naturally before reaching out privately.
Method 6: Bio Keyword Searches
Most people miss this: searching by bio keywords.
X doesn't have a native "search bios" feature, but third-party tools like Followerwonk, SparkToro, or even simple X scrapers can search bio text.
Common bio patterns by prospect type:
Founders: "CEO @", "Founder of", "Building", "Co-founder"
Marketing: "Head of Growth", "CMO", "Marketing @"
Sales: "VP Sales", "Head of Revenue", "AE @"
Agency owners: "We help [X] do [Y]", "Agency owner", "Helping brands"
Combine bio keywords with follower count ranges to find your ideal company size. 1K-10K followers often means established but not too big. Under 1K might be too early. Over 50K might be unreachable.
Method 7: Event and Space Attendees
X Spaces and live events are where serious players congregate.
For Spaces:
• Find recurring Spaces in your industry (many run weekly)
• Join as a listener
• Screenshot or note down speakers and active participants
• Follow and engage with them after
For events:
• Search for event hashtags during and after conferences
• Look at who's tweeting about attending
• Check event speaker lists on X
People who attend industry events are invested in their growth. They're learners, buyers, and decision-makers. Much higher quality than random followers.
For more on this, check out our guide on X Spaces for Lead Generation.
Qualifying Your Prospects
Finding accounts is step one. Qualifying them separates spray-and-pray from surgical outreach.
Before adding anyone to your list, check:
Activity: Have they tweeted in the last 7 days?
Engagement: Do their tweets get replies/likes?
Bio relevance: Does their role match your target?
Content signals: Do they post about problems you solve?
DM accessibility: Are DMs open, or do they follow you back?
A qualified prospect list of 100 people beats an unqualified list of 1,000 every single time.
Building Your Prospect System
Turn this into a repeatable process:
Daily: Spend 20 minutes finding 10-15 new prospects using these methods
Track: Use a simple spreadsheet to log prospects
Engage: Like/reply to their content for 3-7 days
DM: Only reach out once you're not a complete stranger
Iterate: Note which sources produce best leads
Over time, you'll learn which methods produce your highest-quality leads. Double down on those. Drop the ones that waste time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find prospects on X without paying for data?
Use X's advanced search, competitor follower lists, industry hashtags, Twitter Lists, and X Spaces. These free methods let you find highly qualified prospects based on real-time signals, like pain points they're sharing publicly.
Is X better than LinkedIn for B2B prospecting?
For most B2B use cases, yes. X has open DMs (no connection request needed), less inbox competition, and real-time intent signals. LinkedIn has better firmographic data but lower response rates due to spam saturation.
How many prospects should I target per day on X?
Aim for 10-15 new qualified prospects per day. Quality beats quantity. A list of 100 well-researched prospects will outperform 1,000 random accounts every time.
What makes a prospect 'qualified' on X?
Look for: active in the last 7 days, relevant job title in bio, posts about problems you solve, engages with similar content, and has open DMs or follows accounts in your space. Skip dormant accounts and bots.
Want Us to Build Your List?
We'll identify your ideal clients on X, engage with them authentically, and fill your calendar with qualified calls.
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