Finding the Most Popular X Account: A Guide to Top Followed Profiles

X, formerly known as Twitter, is a dynamic social media platform where trends are born, news breaks, and conversations unfold in real-time. Identifying the most popular accounts on X can offer insights into influential voices, trending topics, and effective content strategies. This guide explores how to discover these top profiles, understand their impact, and leverage this knowledge for your own X experience.

Who are the Most Followed Accounts on X?

As of March 2025, the following accounts lead the pack in terms of follower count:

  • Elon Musk (@elonmusk): As the owner of X, Elon Musk unsurprisingly holds the top spot. His account boasts a massive following due to his engagement with users and frequent posts on business, technology, and various other topics.
  • Barack Obama (@BarackObama): The former U.S. President remains a prominent figure on X, with his account serving as a platform for sharing his thoughts on current events, social issues, and more.
  • Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano): The Portuguese football star is the most followed sports personality on X.
  • Justin Bieber (@justinbieber): Despite not posting since 2022, the Canadian singer maintains a huge following.
  • Rihanna (@rihanna): The Barbadian singer, actress, and entrepreneur is the most followed woman on X.
  • Katy Perry (@katyperry): Katy Perry was the first person to surpass 100 million followers on X.
  • Narendra Modi (@narendramodi): The Prime Minister of India uses his account to share updates and insights related to his official responsibilities and initiatives.
  • Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump): The former U.S. President is a prominent figure on X.
  • Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13): The singer-songwriter is known for her narrative songwriting style.
  • Lady Gaga (@ladygaga): The singer, songwriter, and actress known for her unique style.

How to Find Trending Profiles and Influential Users

Identifying the most popular accounts is just the beginning. Here are several methods to discover trending profiles and influential users on X:

  1. Manual Exploration: Begin by exploring X to identify active users in your niche. Look for accounts that regularly post relevant content, engage with their followers, and align with your values.
  2. X's Advanced Search: Use X's Advanced Search to filter by keywords, hashtags, location, and engagement levels to pinpoint influencers already creating content relevant to your brand.
  3. Hashtag Tracking: Search for popular hashtags related to your niche and identify users who frequently contribute high-quality content.
  4. List Analysis: Explore X Lists, where users curate public lists of experts, creators, and thought leaders in various industries.
  5. "Who to Follow" Recommendations: Pay attention to X's personalized suggestions for new accounts to follow, based on your interests and interactions.
  6. Mutual Followers: Use tools to see who follows both you and a key account in your industry, or who follows the key account but not you, to discover related accounts and communities.
  7. Audience Overlap: Use tools to identify accounts with a significant overlap in followers with your own or with other influential accounts in your niche.

Understanding Engagement Metrics

Beyond follower count, engagement metrics provide valuable insights into the actual influence and impact of an X account. Here are some key metrics to consider:

  • Likes: The number of likes a post receives.
  • Reposts: The number of times a post is shared.
  • Replies: The number of responses to a post.
  • Mentions: The number of times an account's handle is mentioned in posts.
  • Impressions: The number of times a post is displayed on users' timelines.
  • Engagement Rate: Calculated by dividing the total number of engagements (likes, reposts, replies, etc.) by the total number of impressions, and then multiplying by 100 to express it as a percentage.
  • Post Engagement Rate: The average engagement rate for all your posts, calculated as the sum of engagement rates for each post, divided by the number of posts.
  • Media View Rate (MVR): Calculated as Media Views divided by Impressions.
  • Click Through Rate (CTR): Calculated as Link Clicks divided by Impressions.

Calculating Engagement Manually:

  1. Gather Data: Collect data on likes, reposts, replies, mentions, and clicks for each post.
  2. Sum the Data: Add up all the engagement metrics for each post.
  3. Total Engagement = (Likes + Reposts + Replies + Mentions)
  4. Collect Impressions Data: Gather the total number of impressions for your posts.
  5. Engagement Rate (%) = (Total Engagement / Total Impressions) x 100
  6. Total Impressions = Sum of all Impressions per Post

Why Track Engagement Metrics?

  • Informed Decision-Making: Analyzing X metrics provides valuable data-driven insights into how your content is performing.
  • Optimized Campaigns: By tracking key X metrics, you can understand what's working and not working in your marketing campaigns.
  • Enhanced Audience Research: X metrics provide a window into your audience's preferences and behaviors.

Conclusion

Identifying the most popular X accounts involves more than just looking at follower counts. By understanding engagement metrics and utilizing various search and analysis tools, you can gain valuable insights into influential voices, trending topics, and effective content strategies on the platform. Whether you're seeking to expand your network, improve your content, or simply stay informed, knowing how to find and analyze popular X accounts is a valuable skill in today's digital landscape.