How to write a Twitter thread?

Threads dominate Twitter. But any beginner will tell you how tough it’s to write an engaging thread that increases followers, awareness, and overall branding.

I’ve written threads for top CEOs with engagement rates between 3-10% (the average is 0.04%).

Here are 6 tips to get you started:

1. Choose the right topic

Gary Vee has built a 3.1M following on Twitter by writing only about marketing, startups, and self-help. You won’t find him talking about geopolitics or healthcare policies because that’s not what he’s about. By narrowing his niche, he’s attracted an ocean of fans who trust and promote him.

Similarly, short-list 3-4 topics you want your readers to view you as an expert on. Ideally, choose the topics that you’ve experience in and know better than most. If you’re a marketer, you could speak about marketing strategies, personal case studies, and anything related to marketing.

Once you narrow the topics and publish a few threads, scan through comments to find which topics resonate with your readers the most. Double down on them.

Now, onto the actual writing part.

2. Write an attention-grabbing hook

If your hook doesn’t persuade your readers to read more, your thread won’t do well, no matter how good the rest of the content is. So, ensure you put 80% of your effort into writing a hook that makes the reader curious to know more.

Key ingredients of a successful hook:

a) Addresses why the readers should care about it and what they will learn.

b) Shares credibility to highlight why they should trust you.

c) Builds intrigue by giving the spiciest information upfront before expanding on them later.

Here are 5 examples of a great hook to get you started:

a) Teach something by proving why they should learn from you

b) Intrigue readers and withhold information

c) Give personal references to educate your audience

d) Make it about the readers (“here’s how IKEA makes you spend money”)

e) Provide a common goal, but the problem to achieve it, and then provide the solution

3. Maintain a proper structure

The best writing is lost if you don’t write in a proper structure. The antidote to this is to maintain a logical structure throughout. Here’s how:

• Make a claim
• Support your argument
• Give further context
• Explain how

For example,

Email is the best marketing asset.

You can’t lose your audience overnight, unlike with other platforms.

Plus, you generate $31 for every $1 spent.

Start building your email audience.

4. Fill your thread body with examples and visuals

Once you hook your readers, you’ve to persuade them to keep reading until the end. Share personal anecdotes, add visuals (images and videos) and examples to simplify concepts, and back your arguments with data and research.

Another thing you should do is to ensure every tweet of the thread has at least one unique insight or a statement that makes the reader read further.

For example, read the last sentence of this tweet from the thread:

The writer intentionally spoke about the patterns, which he later mentions in the next tweet, so readers scroll to the next one and continue reading.

5. Follow the basic writing techniques

Twitter rewards good writing, so follow these guidelines:

a) Write short sentences and shorter paragraphs.

b) Use simple words instead of jargon (understand vs comprehend)

c) Readers skim—so use whitespace

d) Use active voice.

6. Add a CTA

Don’t let your effort go to waste. Tell the readers what to do next at the end of the thread. It could be “follow me,” “subscribe to my newsletter,” “sign up for an event,” “buy this,” or “read more of my threads.”

Thread your way to more awareness, followers, and leads

By writing threads, you’ll attract followers and build your personal brand. Ultimately, you can turn your followers into paid customers. So, what are you waiting for? Use these tips to get started.