X search operators: the cheat sheet for finding buyers

X's help page lists these fields under four headings.

Any of these can be combined. X's own example searches for posts containing "New Years" but not "Resolution", posted between 30 December 2013 and 2 January 2014. The form needs no syntax at all, so it's the safest place to start.

X's developer documentation lists the operators below for post search. Two caveats first. That page describes search as offered to developers, and we haven't confirmed that the search box on x.com accepts every operator, so test each one on a query whose answer you already know. Also, some operators only work alongside another one. Those are marked "needs a partner" below.

Words and logic:

People and conversations:

Post type and content (these need a partner operator):

Engagement, location and links:

X's page also says min_faves: and min_retweets: are not valid in its developer search and return an error there. It also says queries have a length limit: 512 characters for recent search on the self-serve tier. Keep queries short in the web search box either way.

Many guides mention the since:, until:, min_faves: and filter: operators. We couldn't confirm any of them on the X help or documentation pages we can read, so we haven't listed them as supported. The advanced search form covers dates with its calendar dropdowns, and that is the documented method. If you try the unlisted operators and they work, great. Just don't build a process on something X hasn't published.

Every query below uses only the operators from the tables above and can be pasted as is. Swap "Tool A" and the category words for your own.

Someone asking for an alternative:

`` ("alternative to" OR "alternatives to" OR "replacement for") "Tool A" -is:retweet lang:en ``

Someone asking for a recommendation:

`` ("can anyone recommend" OR "any recommendations for" OR "what do you use for") "project management" -is:retweet lang:en ``

Someone asking whether a tool exists:

`` ("is there a tool" OR "is there a way to" OR "is there an app") (invoices OR invoicing) -is:retweet ``

Someone unhappy with a competitor:

`` "Tool A" (frustrated OR "keeps crashing" OR "so slow" OR "not working") -is:retweet ``

Someone switching away:

`` ("switching from" OR "moving off" OR "dropped" OR "cancelled") "Tool A" -is:retweet ``

People replying to a competitor's own account:

`` to:toolaofficial ("alternative" OR "cancel" OR "refund") -is:retweet ``

A complaint about price:

`` ("price increase" OR "raised their prices" OR "too expensive") "Tool A" -is:retweet ``

Frustration during an outage:

`` "Tool A" (down OR outage OR "not loading") -is:retweet min_replies:2 ``

To cut out the noise, add this to any query:

`` -hiring -"we're hiring" -giveaway -"DM me" -"link in bio" ``

To narrow results to one country:

`` "looking for a" "crm" place_country:US lang:en -is:retweet ``

The recipe pages open the builder with several of these already filled in.

Even a good query returns a mix. Here are some sample posts, scored from 0 to 100 for buying intent the way HearBuyers scores them.

• Sample, score 93: "Our invoicing tool just raised prices again. Looking for something simple for a team of five, budget around $50 a month." This one has a specific need, a budget and a reason to act now.
• Sample, score 52: "What are people using for invoicing these days?" It's a real question, but there's no urgency yet.
• Sample, score 11: "We're hiring an invoicing specialist. Remote, apply below." It contains your words and wants nothing from you.

The exclusion terms and -is:retweet filter out a lot of the third kind, but you'll still have to read through the results to sort them. Reply to the first, give the second a helpful answer, and skip the third.

• You have to run the search yourself. A query doesn't watch for anything on its own, so plan a daily five-minute pass or let a tool run it.
• You need to be logged in. X's help page says advanced search is available when you're logged in.
• Only public posts show up. Private accounts and direct messages are outside any search.
• Operators change over time. X can add or remove them, so re-test your saved queries now and then.

For a routine built on these queries, see the 20-minute X lead generation routine. If you want the matching done for you and each post scored, X keyword alerts in HearBuyers does that.

Run any search on x.com, then pick Advanced search from the search filters on the results page. According to X's help page, you need to be logged in to use it.

No. X's help page says advanced search is available when you're logged in. Our guide to searching X without an account covers what you can and can't see without one.

Use the date fields in advanced search. Choose a "from" date, a "to" date, or both from the calendar dropdowns. X says you can search posts from any date since the first public post.

X's documentation lists OR, a minus sign to exclude a term, quotation marks for exact phrases and parentheses for grouping. A space between terms works as AND.

Open the builder and paste in the "asking for an alternative" query with your competitor's name. Read the first twenty results and count how many came from real buyers. That ratio tells you whether the query is tight enough to run every day.