How to Search Topics on Twitter

Trying to find specific conversations on X (formerly Twitter) can feel like trying to hear a whisper in a hurricane, but the platform’s powerful search function is one of the most underrated tools for marketers, creators, and anyone looking to listen in. Going beyond a simple keyword search unlocks a world of customer insights, competitor intelligence, and engagement opportunities. This guide will walk you through everything from the essentials of the basic search bar to the advanced commands that let you pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Start with the Basics: Navigating the Search Results Page

When you type a word or phrase into the search bar at the top of X/Twitter, you land on a results page that's organized into several tabs. Understanding what each tab does is the first step to becoming a more effective searcher.

The Five Key Search Tabs:

• Top: This is the default tab and it shows a mix of popular and recent tweets related to your search. X's algorithm decides what's "top" based on engagement (likes, retweets, replies) and the prominence of the account that posted it. It's great for getting a quick feel for the biggest conversations around a topic.
• Latest: This tab is a simple, reverse-chronological feed of every single public tweet that matches your search term as it happens. If you're tracking a live event, a breaking news story, or seeing real-time reactions to your brand, this is the tab you need.
• People: Tired of sifting through tweets and just want to find accounts? This tab filters your results to only show user profiles whose names, bios, or @handles match your query. It's the fastest way to find influencers, brands, or experts in a specific niche.
• Media: A purely visual feed, this tab only shows tweets that contain images or videos. It’s perfect for finding user-generated content, event photos, infographics, or visual-heavy campaigns related to your topic.
• Lists: This often-overlooked tab shows you public Lists that other users have created containing your search term in the List's name or description. Subscribing to a pre-made List can be an excellent way to follow conversations in a specific industry without having to find all the individual accounts yourself.

Go Deeper: Unlocking Power with Advanced Search Operators

The real power of X's search comes from its advanced operators. These are simple commands you can type directly into the main search bar to filter your results with incredible precision. You don't need a special tool, you just need to know the right words to use.

Let’s break down the most useful operators you can start using today.

Filtering by Words and Punctuation

• Search for an exact phrase: Use quotation marks to find tweets containing an exact phrase.
  Example: "social media management tool" This finds tweets with that full phrase, not just tweets that have "social," "media," "management," and "tool" scattered around.
• Search for one word OR another: Use the OR operator (it must be capitalized) to find tweets containing either keyword.
  Example: Reels OR TikTok This gives you results for both terms at once.
• Exclude a word: Use a minus sign directly before a word to exclude any tweets that contain it.
  Example: content marketing -jobs This is great for finding conversations about content marketing while filtering out all the job postings.
• Isolate hashtags: Use the hashtag symbol to only search for a specific tag.
  Example: #SMM This will show you tweets using that specific hashtag, which is often more targeted than just searching for the word "SMM."

Filtering by People and Accounts

• Find tweets from a specific user:
  Example: from:PostBase This shows only tweets sent by the @PostBase account.
• Find tweets sent to a specific user:
  Example: to:PostBase This shows you all the replies sent directly to the @PostBase account, a great way to monitor how people are talking to a brand.
• Find all mentions of a user:
  Example: @PostBase This returns any tweet mentioning the handle, whether it's a reply or a standalone tweet.

Filtering by Dates

Ever wanted to find what people were saying during a specific product launch or event? You can easily filter your searches by date.

• Find tweets sent after a specific date:
  Example: "customer feedback" since:2024-01-01
• Find tweets sent before a specific date:
  Example: conference until:2023-10-26
• Combine them for a precise date range:
  Example: #AIforMarketing since:2024-03-01 until:2024-03-07 This is perfect for creating reports on event buzz or campaign performance within a specific timeframe.

Filtering by Engagement & Media Type

Looking for a proven, high-performing tweet to get inspiration from? Or maybe you only want tweets with questions? These operators help you find the needle in the haystack.

• Find tweets with a minimum number of replies:
  Example: "content strategy" min_replies:50 This shows you conversations, not just broadcasts.
• Find tweets with a minimum number of likes:
  Example: #graphicdesign min_faves:1000 "Faves" is the platform's internal name for "likes."
• Find tweets written as a question: Add a question mark to your search (with a space before it).
  Example: Instagram Reels ? This surfaces tweets asking questions about Reels.
• Filter for tweets containing links:
  Example: "new study" filter:links This is incredibly helpful for finding articles and resources shared by others.

Put It to Work: Actionable Search Strategies

Knowing the operators is one thing, knowing how to combine them to achieve a goal is another. Here are a few practical strategies for marketers and brand builders.

Strategy 1: Find Customer Pain Points

Your future customers are on X right now, talking about their problems. You can find them by searching for phrases they'd use when complaining or asking for help.

Try these search combinations:

• ("I need a tool" OR "how do I") "schedule content"
• ("help with" OR "does anyone know") "social media analytics" ?
• "I wish X had" filter:safe The filter:safe helps remove noisy results. This finds people wishing for a solution that you might offer.

Strategy 2: Conduct Smart Competitor Research

Don't just look at what your competitors are tweeting, see what their audience is saying to them and about them. This is where you'll find genuine feedback, complaints, and opportunities.

This powerful operator shows all mentions of a competitor not coming from their own account:

@YourCompetitor -from:YourCompetitor

Or, combine it with negative words to spot unhappy customers:

@YourCompetitor (frustrating OR broken OR slow OR "doesn't work")

Strategy 3: Uncover User-Generated Content (UGC)

People may be shouting out your brand without using your official @handle. Finding these mentions lets you thank a fan, reshare their content, and build community.

Try this search, replacing the keywords with your company and product names:

("Postbase" OR "Post Base") -from:PostBase -filter:links

The -from:YourBrand part removes your own posts, and -filter:links helps to filter out a lot of press coverage, leaving you with genuine organic conversations.

Make It a Routine: Save Your Searches

You don't have to rebuild these complex search queries every single time. Once you land on a search results page that you find valuable, you can save it for quick access later.

Simply click the three-dot menu next to the search bar and select "Save search." Your saved searches will appear in a dropdown whenever you click the search bar, turning your brilliant search formulas into live intelligence feeds you can check in on daily.

Final Thoughts

Mastering X's search function transforms your experience on the platform from passive scrolling to active listening. By moving beyond simple keywords and using targeted operators, you can uncover customer insights, track competitor sentiment, and find conversations that truly matter to your brand.

Once you’ve used these techniques to find important discussions and feedback, managing all the replies can become the next challenge. At Postbase, we focused on solving this by building a simple, unified inbox that combines all your comments and DMs from across your social platforms. It’s designed to help you stay connected with the very audience you've worked so hard to find without getting overwhelmed by switching between apps.