How to turn off ad replies on X (Twitter) Ads

When you create an ad through the campaign creation process, you'll see a setting that looks like it controls replies. You can choose options like "only people you mention" or "only people you follow" which sounds like exactly what you want.

The issue: it doesn't work. As soon as the ad goes live, X overrides whatever you set there and defaults back to "everyone can reply."

So the campaign builder is giving you a control that doesn't actually do anything. That's the bug I've noticed when I've built campaigns there.

The solution is to not build the tweet inside the campaign at all.

Steps to fix

X has a separate area called Creatives → Composer - and this is where you need to build your ad tweet before you touch the campaign.

Here's the process:

Step 1: Go to Creatives → Composer Navigate to this from your X Ads dashboard. This is where you can write a tweet that will only exist as an ad - it won't post to your timeline.

Step 2: Enable "Promoted Only" You'll see a toggle for "promoted only." Make sure this is turned on. If it's off, the tweet posts publicly like a regular tweet. If it's on, it stays hidden from your profile and only runs as an ad. This is X's equivalent of a dark post on Facebook - same concept.

Step 3: Set Your Reply Controls Here Inside the composer, set who can reply - "only people you follow," "only people you mention," or whatever fits your campaign. These settings actually stick when you apply them here.

Step 4: Post It Once you click post, the tweet is saved as a promoted-only ad. It won't appear on your timeline.

Step 5: Select It When Building Your Campaign Now when you go to create your campaign, instead of building a new tweet inside the campaign builder, choose "use an existing tweet." Your promoted-only tweet will appear there. Select it, and your reply settings will hold.