X Brings Back Lead Gen Ads with Prominent CTA for Global Advertisers

X has rolled out refreshed Lead Gen Ads to all advertisers globally, reviving a retired Twitter format with a prominent CTA and CRM export options. Operators should revisit direct-response campaigns.

What happened

X has announced that all advertisers globally can now run Lead Gen Ad campaigns in the app. The rollout follows the launch of the company's revamped Lead Generation Ads product in August, making the updated format available to a wider set of business users.

The refreshed format features a prominent call-to-action button along the bottom of a promoted post. X says the button's color will be dictated by ad visuals, helping the format stand out more in-stream and driving a direct response from users.

In an email sent to business users, X said:

“You can now capture high-intent leads directly from the conversation, with less friction and fewer drop-offs. Whether you’re booking demos, growing email lists, capturing quote requests, filling webinars, or running sweepstakes, Lead Gen Ads turn real-time engagement on X into qualified leads you can act on immediately.”

Key facts

• X launched its revamped Lead Generation Ads product in August and has now announced global availability for all advertisers.
• Refreshed Lead Gen Ads show a prominent call-to-action button along the bottom of a promoted post, with its color dictated by ad visuals.
• The format replicates the old Lead Gen Ads design that Twitter used to offer before retiring it in 2016 due to lack of advertiser interest.
• Advertisers manage all elements inside X's Ads Manager and can preview ads before they launch.
• Leads can be exported via direct download or linked directly to a chosen CRM, with various integrations available to streamline the process.

Our analysis

X is openly reviving a format that Twitter previously retired, which suggests the platform is leaning on a known direct-response mechanism to make its ad product more useful for performance-focused advertisers. The prominent CTA and in-app lead capture reduce the need for users to leave X, likely improving completion rates for lower-funnel asks such as demo bookings, email signups, and webinar registrations.

The fact that the format is being brought back after being discontinued in 2016 for lack of advertiser interest is a meaningful signal. It suggests X now sees different advertiser demand or a different in-app behavior pattern—especially around real-time conversation—that may make lead capture more viable than it was on the older Twitter product. Social media managers and creators who treat X only as a top-of-funnel awareness channel may be underestimating its direct-response potential.

For community operators and brand marketers, the update matters because it lowers the operational burden of moving an interested user from a post to a qualified lead. With CRM linking and direct download options built into Ads Manager, teams can route leads into existing workflows without manual export steps.

What it means for operators

• Review X Ads Manager now, because all advertisers globally have access. Test Lead Gen Ads for concrete asks such as webinar signups, email list growth, quote requests, or sweepstakes, which X explicitly lists as use cases.
• Design promoted post creatives with contrast in mind: since the CTA button color follows ad visuals, make sure the button is visible enough to drive direct response rather than blending into the image.
• Set up CRM linking or direct download before launch. Having the lead handoff ready in advance helps operators act on qualified leads immediately and avoid response delays.
• Benchmark performance carefully. Because Twitter retired this format in 2016 due to lack of advertiser interest, do not assume the revived version will scale automatically; measure cost per lead and lead quality against your current X campaigns before shifting budget.