TikTok's reach for a new account can outperform Instagram by a wide margin, but only if you're genuinely willing to film process content regularly, not just repost your Instagram reels. If you're not going to film consistently, don't split your attention — a dead TikTok account does nothing for you.
For most client-facing trades, X isn't where your customers are — this isn't the platform to chase a fully-booked diary through. Where it does matter is if you're building something adjacent to your trade business: documenting your journey as a founder, sharing what you're learning running a small business, or building a following among other tradespeople and business owners rather than end clients. That's a real, different audience, and it behaves nothing like Instagram.
If that's the goal, the honest bottleneck on X is the same as everywhere else — consistent, decent writing takes time you don't have between jobs. Tools like ClimbX exist specifically for this: it studies what's actually working in your niche and drafts posts in your own voice so you're editing rather than starting from a blank page every time. Worth knowing about if you're serious about building a presence there, not worth bothering with if X was never where your clients were going to be anyway.
None of the above replaces this. When someone searches "barber near me" or "decorator in [town]", Google Business Profile is what shows up — not your Instagram. Keep it updated with photos, respond to reviews, and make sure your booking link is in the profile. It converts better than any social platform because the person searching has already decided they want to book someone today.