The Twitter Thread Formula: How to Write Great Threads

There is no doubt that Twitter threads are the best way to grow on Twitter.

Do you need them to grow on Twitter? No.

Will it help you grow faster? Absolutely

This is why threads are so important:

• They allow you to reach a bigger audience
• They allow you to offer more value than with simple tweets
• They allow you to demonstrate your expertise and position yourself

In today's post, we will explore why Twitter threads matter, the different elements of a Twitter thread, and what's the right frequency to post them. Let’s dive in:

Why Twitter threads?

The more valuable and interesting content you share, the more eyes you'll attract. The more attention you attract, the more likely it is that these will become followers.

Twitter tweets often lack context and are short. It's one of the hallmarks of the service. However, if we want our value output to maximize, we must make threads

The main distinction between tweets and threads is:

• Tweets are for sharing your opinions and informing or entertaining your followers. They are short and often lack context

• Threads are longer form. You can demonstrate your expertise and add more value per tweet with them.

How to write a Twitter thread. The different parts.

There are several moving parts that go into crafting a good Twitter thread. Let’s break them down:

Hooks (aka the first tweet)

People decide whether or not to read your thread solely based on the hook.

If you can't convince them with that first line, you're done. No matter how good the content is. They won't even bother reading it.

As we have heard from top Twitter creators, they usually write 10-15 versions of the hook before publishing.

We can’t emphasize this enough: if the thread hook doesn’t get people’s attention fast, they won’t read your thread.

Here are a few tips:

• Keep it simple and focused. You can give more context later
• Make a promise. What’s in it for the reader?
• Make it “clickbaity”. Think of them as Youtube video titles. What makes you click on those? Apply the same here
• Use numbers. Numbers get attention. Followers, money…they draw interest

Let’s see a few examples from Tweet Hunter users:

Tobi uses here 2 elements:

• Numbers (17 habits, 95% of people)
• Transformation and a big promise: Make you 2x more productive

Another similar example, by Dakota:

Then check this one by Reini.

It generates this aura of mystery. You WANT to click it, it sparks curiosity, right?

You've probably noticed by now that the best thread writers are masters at drawing attention. They know that the first tweet must be good, or they will lose the reader.

This is only a general introduction to hooks. We could write an entire blog post about them. We probably will.

If you still have problems, Tweet Hunter and its powerful AI will generate thread hooks for you. Just enter one topic and the tool will generate it 👇

They are almost perfect and ready to go! A little tweaking and we're done!

Context tweet

It is optional to tweet, but it is recommended. This is the tweet that follows the hook. Here’s what you can do with it:

• Give your hook more context. Maybe you were a bit clickbaity, this is your chance to add more information.
• Give your biggest golden nugget to lure people in and keep them reading.

Consider giving a little more context depending on the topic of your thread.

The Meat (actual content)

Those tweets that go between your hook and your call to action (more on that later) are the "meat". Depending on the topic of your thread, these can go one way or the other, but here are a few tips to guide you:

• Share only one idea per tweet. Tweets with more than one idea can be confusing. If you are sharing "7 lessons learned while skydiving", use one tweet for each lesson.
• Let each tweet stand alone. This will increase their chances of being shared.
• Build on previous tweets. Build anticipation. Give it a story-like feel.
• Stick to a similar format/style through the thread. If you are writing 3-line tweets, try to stick to them. Your audience will find it easier to read them.
• Keep it under 10 tweets in total. Long threads also work, but as a rule, we always keep them to around 10 tweets.

Call to Action

Once the audience has gone through the “meat”, they’ll leave…unless you tell them what to do next. If you’ve done a good job, you now have:

• A hooked audience
• To whom you’ve given a tone of value

It’s time to make your ask. The call to action is where you do so. You can use the CTA to ask people to:

• RT
• Follow you
• Visit your site
• Buy your product
• Subscribe to your newsletter

If you make more than one or two requests, you risk losing the reader's interest.

TL;DR (optional)

TL;DR It’s internet jargon for Too long, didn’t read. They used to be bigger a few months back, but people still use them.

In short, it’s adding a summary of what your thread is about on your last tweet. Use it to recap the main ideas on your thread, and it will gather a good amount of likes

The reason is that The way Twitter shows threads on the timeline is by compressing them by only showing the first and the last tweet or two last tweets. So, by doing this, you make sure that even if people only see two tweets from your thread, they are highly valuable.

Types of threads

We’ve explored the most common structure for tweets, but what are the types of threads that work best?

The “story” thread: usually used to explain your story. Where you started, what happened, how you got here... These tweets usually garner lots of engagement and are a great way to start building your personal brand. They also make great pinned tweets!

The “learnings” thread: one of the most used formats on Twitter. Combined with a good hook, it's a safe bet. These are often used to share what you learned from an experience

The “curation” thread: these kinds of threads are great to get started, especially if you don’t know what to write about. Instead of creating, curate

As you can imagine, there are many more! But these three types should be more than enough to get you started.

When to post threads? Frequency

Before we leave, you might be wondering when and how often to post threads.

Well, there is no right or wrong here.

There is only one thing you need to keep in mind: the more threads you post, the more your audience might become saturated. Early on, it's best to write 1-2 threads a week, especially when you are just getting started.

In addition, we recommend that on the day you post a thread, you don't post any more tweets, so that your audience is concentrated on that one post only

It’s your turn

Before you get to writing threads and draw tons of attention to your profile, make sure you have made these 5 changes to your profile.

Now get out there and start writing threads. And don’t forget to craft a good hook!