What Makes a Good Tweet? (The Basics)

Every day, hundreds of millions of posts compete for attention on 𝕏. Most fail. They're skipped, ignored, or scrolled past without a second thought.

The posts that succeed share common traits. Understanding these fundamentals gives you a baseline to build from, regardless of your specific niche or goals.

The Core Elements

Three things separate posts that work from posts that disappear:

A clear point. The reader should know what you're saying within seconds. Ambiguity doesn't intrigue; it confuses. If you can't summarise your post in one sentence, it probably needs editing.

A reason to care. Why should someone stop scrolling for this? Useful information, genuine insight, entertaining perspective, or emotional resonance all create reasons to pay attention. Posts without any of these are just noise.

Respect for attention. Readers are busy. Their feed is crowded. Good posts deliver value efficiently without wasting words or burying the point.

The Hook

The first line matters most. Readers decide within three seconds whether to keep reading or scroll past. This is the hook, the opening that earns continued attention. This principle applies equally to high-value replies.

Effective hooks create curiosity, make a surprising claim, or signal immediate value. Weak hooks are generic, obvious, or require too much commitment before the payoff.

Compare these openings:

Generic: "I've been thinking about productivity lately." Stronger: "The productivity advice that helped me most is counterintuitive."

The second version creates a question in the reader's mind: what's the counterintuitive advice? This curiosity gap motivates reading further.

Length Considerations

Shorter posts are easier to read but harder to write. Fitting a complete thought into 200 characters forces clarity.

Longer posts can develop ideas more fully but risk losing readers before the payoff. If you're writing longer, front-load value. Don't save your best insight for the final paragraph.

For beginners, err toward shorter. Learn to make your point concisely before expanding into more complex structures. When you're ready for longer formats, see thread strategy in 2026.

One Idea Per Post

The impulse to pack multiple insights into a single post is understandable but usually counterproductive. Each additional idea dilutes the others. Readers skim rather than absorb. The post becomes harder to engage with because it's unclear which part to respond to.

Save your extra ideas for future posts. One clear, well-developed point beats three competing half-thoughts.

Specificity Beats Generality

"Work on your weaknesses" is forgettable advice. "Spend 80% of practice time on your worst fundamentals" is actionable and memorable.

Specific details, numbers, examples, and concrete scenarios create texture that generic statements lack. Readers remember specifics. They forget generalisations.

When you find yourself writing abstract concepts, ask: what specific example could I include? What number would make this concrete?

The Value Test

Before posting, apply a simple test: if this appeared in my feed from someone else, would I stop for it?

Be honest. Most drafts fail this test on first attempt. That's normal. The edit is where good posts happen.

If you wouldn't stop for your own post, your audience won't either. Either improve it until it passes the test or save it as raw material for a better idea later.

Common Weak Patterns

Throat-clearing. "So I've been thinking..." or "Something I've noticed..." These phrases delay the point. Cut them and start with the actual insight.

Hedging everything. "Maybe this is just me, but perhaps sometimes..." Constant qualification signals uncertainty and reduces impact. State your point directly.

Burying the lead. Three sentences of context before the interesting part. Readers may never reach it. Move your strongest idea to the front.

Vague calls to action. "Thoughts?" at the end of every post becomes invisible. If you want engagement, ask a specific question that's easy to answer. See what counts as good engagement to calibrate expectations.

Format Basics

Break long posts into shorter paragraphs. Text walls discourage reading.

Use line breaks strategically. A pause before your key point can emphasise it.

Avoid excessive formatting tricks. All caps, lots of emojis, or unusual punctuation can undermine credibility. Used sparingly for genuine emphasis, they're fine. Overused, they signal trying too hard.

Practice Over Theory

Reading about good posts matters less than writing them. The feedback loop, posting, seeing results, adjusting, accelerates learning faster than any guide.

Post regularly. Notice which posts perform above your average. Identify what they have in common. Apply those lessons to future posts. Understand how the algorithm works to make sense of what performs. This cycle compounds faster than studying theory.

Your first posts won't be great. They're not supposed to be. Each one teaches you something about what works for your audience and your voice. See what to write for your first post to get started. The fundamentals here give you a starting framework. Practice makes it yours.