from Nicolas Cole 🚢👻 | by Nicolas Cole 🚢👻

In 2021, I abandoned Quora & Medium and started writing consistently on Twitter. These 10 Twitter threads generated over 10 million impressions and 100k engagements. Here's why I think they worked 🧵👇

Thread Topic: Ghostwriting 101 Why it worked: I have a ton of credibility in this domain, and it comes through in the opening tweet. Also, the thread gives readers templates (and readers LOVE templates—highly actionable). t.co/tTTyN918NU

Thread topic: Freelance Writing 101 Why it worked: After I saw the success of my Ghostwriting 101 tweet, I doubled-down on the format and wrote dozens of other "101" writing advice threads. Not all were home runs, but a few were. t.co/KraDOhRFDE

Thread topic: Success & Happiness Why it worked: Readers love transformation stories coupled with actionable takeaways (I call this The Golden Intersection). Pro tip here: pair this type of story with a before/after photo to SHOW the transformation. t.co/a0mXXubctT

Thread topic: Reddit Finance Why it worked: This was an outlier thread for me (not my usual wheelhouse). It was a timely summary of a massively trending topic happening in the news. Great short-term burst of attention but not very valuable long term. t.co/ykFRGv91YR

Thread topic: Writing Advice Why it worked: This is a classic example of advice-inverted. I've learned readers like reading content about what NOT to do than they do "how to do" something. "Mistakes" are an endless source of compelling ideas. t.co/zqIveospsj

Thread topic: Writing Advice Why it worked: Long, nuanced "How To" threads are hard to pull off. But this worked because of the lead-in Tweet's format: "Here's where I am today. Here's how you can too—if you're starting with $0." Clear transformation. t.co/Ec9cxFIqGB

Thread topic: Reading advice Why it worked: Lots of threads about writing advice. Lots on "book recommendations." But not very much content around the importance of reading aloud as it relates to writing. t.co/9QWc07N5b7

Thread topic: Languaging Why it worked: Notice the 101 format again. This worked because it combines a success story lots of people recognize with a NEW explanation ("here's the REAL reason"). Very proven approach. t.co/fhMDwHf8u3

Thread topic: Category Design Why it worked: Same as the above. Recognizable success story + new explanation of why it worked (that most people don't know/haven't heard before). t.co/iXH6LCfJ4X

Thread topic: Self-publishing Why it worked: Again, notice the 101 format. Self-publishing is a huge point of discussion. But the lead-in tweet presents a polarizing & uncommon POV. This + "Ultimate Guide" full of actionable content = goldmine. t.co/qzQ3h4d3e5

2 big things you should take away from this list: 1) Notice how many of the formats are similar. When I find something that works, I repeat it over and over again. 2) Notice how 7/10 of these threads are about writing advice. This is my niche. Specificity is the secret.

If you found this thread valuable, would love it if you shared with a fellow Twitter-er: t.co/SfEQNMLLIJ

And if you want to learn how to write viral Twitter content, here’s a free resource to get you started: t.co/fXXAwRxbXq