Tweet Formula

The formula library

Each formula is a structure, not a script. Read the pattern, look at the example, then swap in your own topic and details. The examples use everyday topics on purpose so the structure is easy to see.

Teach something

Hook, point, proof

HookPointProof

Use it for: Your default for any single idea you want people to remember.

Open with a line that names the payoff or the surprise. State your point in one plain sentence. Then give one piece of proof: a number, an example or something you saw happen.

Example post216/280
Most houseplants die from too much care, not too little.

Water only when the top inch of soil is dry.

I moved my watering from "every Sunday" to "when the finger test says so" and haven't lost a plant in two years.
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Problem, agitate, solve

ProblemAgitateSolve

Use it for: When your reader has a common frustration and you have a fix.

Name the problem the way the reader would describe it. Make it concrete by describing what it costs them. Then give the fix in as few words as you can.

Example post257/280
Your meal prep goes bad by Wednesday.

So Thursday is takeout, Friday is takeout, and half the containers go in the trash.

Cook two proteins and three sides on Sunday, but don't combine them until the day you eat. Food lasts longer and you don't get bored.
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The numbered list

Promise1-5 itemsWrap

Use it for: Packing several small tips or ideas into one post.

Say what the list is in the first line, including the number. Keep each item to one line and start each with a verb or a noun. Stop at five; past that, it's a thread.

Example post222/280
5 things I check before signing a lease:

1. Water pressure in every tap
2. Phone signal in each room
3. Who pays for snow removal
4. The notice period to leave
5. Noise at 10pm on a weeknight

The last one saved me twice.
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Thread opener

PromiseCredibilityMapCue

Use it for: The first post of a thread, which decides whether anyone reads the rest.

Promise a specific outcome. Add one line on why you can speak to it. Map what's coming, then add a cue such as a downward arrow or 'here's how' so it's clear there's more.

Example post248/280
How to plan a two-week trip on a fixed budget without spreadsheets driving you mad.

I've done it six times with a family of four.

Covering: the 50/30/20 split for travel money, booking order, and the one cost everyone forgets.

Here's the method:
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Myth, then fact

Common beliefCorrectionWhy

Use it for: Correcting something widely believed in your field.

State the belief fairly, as its believers would. Correct it plainly. Then explain why the correction holds, ideally with a reason the reader can check.

Example post229/280
Common belief: you need to stretch before a run.

What works better for most people: a few minutes of easy jogging and leg swings first.

Holding long stretches on cold muscles doesn't prepare you for running. Moving gently does.

One mistake, one fix

MistakeCostFix

Use it for: Short, useful posts that people save and share.

Name one mistake you see often. Say what it costs. Give one concrete fix. Resist adding a second mistake; that's another post.

Example post225/280
The most common mistake in cover letters: repeating the resume.

The reader just read it. Now they're bored.

Use the letter for one story the resume can't tell, like the project where you fixed something nobody asked you to.
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The tiny checklist

Situation3-4 checks

Use it for: Anything people do repeatedly and get wrong under pressure.

Name the situation. Give three or four short checks in the order someone would do them. Use checkbox symbols or dashes so it scans.

Example post205/280
Before you hit send on an important email:

☐ Is the ask in the first two lines?
☐ Is there a date if you need a reply?
☐ Did you attach the file you mentioned?
☐ Would you be fine if it got forwarded?

The specific number

NumberWhat it meansWhat to do

Use it for: When a single figure explains a lot.

Lead with the number and its unit. Explain what it means in plain words. Say what the reader should do with it. Only use numbers you can stand behind.

Example post201/280
25 minutes.

That's how long most new runners should run slowly before they think about speed.

If you can't hold a conversation, you're going too fast. Slow down until you can, even if it feels silly.

The analogy

Hard ideaIt's likeWhere it breaks

Use it for: Explaining an abstract idea with something familiar.

Name the idea. Compare it to something everyday. Then say where the comparison stops working, which shows you understand both.

Example post201/280
Compound interest is like a snowball rolling downhill. The bigger it gets, the more snow it picks up each turn.

Where the analogy breaks: real snowballs hit trees. Fees and withdrawals are your trees.

The one rule

RuleWhyException

Use it for: Sharing a principle you actually follow.

State the rule in one short line. Explain why it works for you. Mention the exception, which makes the rule more believable.

Example post239/280
My one rule for freelance work: never start without a written scope.

It's not about distrust. It's that "a few small changes" means something different to everyone.

The only exception: repeat clients I've worked with three times or more.

Tell a story

Before, after, bridge

BeforeAfterBridge

Use it for: Showing a change, yours or a reader's, and how to get there.

Describe the before state in one or two specific details. Describe the after state with the same kind of details. The bridge is the step that got you from one to the other.

Example post218/280
Before: 40 browser tabs, three to-do apps, and a constant feeling of being behind.

After: one paper list, five items, done by 3pm most days.

The bridge was a rule: if it's not on the paper, it doesn't get done today.
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How I did X

ResultStarting pointStepsLesson

Use it for: Sharing a result you got and the steps behind it.

Open with the result. Say where you started so readers can compare. List the two or three steps that mattered. End with the lesson in one line. Keep numbers honest and modest.

Example post253/280
I finally read 20 books this year after years of reading 3.

What changed:
- a book in my bag, always
- phone in another room after 9pm
- quitting books I don't like by page 50

The third one mattered most. I used to stall for months on one boring book.
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Then versus now

ThenNowWhat changed

Use it for: Showing how your thinking on something has changed.

Describe what you used to believe or do. Describe what you do now. Explain the event or realization in between, in one line.

Example post254/280
5 years ago: I thought good managers had answers.

Now: I think good managers ask better questions and wait longer for the answer.

What changed was a boss who let a silence run for a full minute. I said more in that minute than in a year of one-on-ones.

The mini case study

SituationActionResultTakeaway

Use it for: Showing how a decision played out, with enough detail to learn from.

One line each for situation, what you did, and what happened. Close with the takeaway a reader can use.

Example post226/280
Situation: our community garden had 30 plots and a waitlist of 50.
Action: we split plots in half for first-year gardeners.
Result: the waitlist dropped to 10 and fewer plots went untended.

Smaller starts beat empty promises.

Behind the scenes

What people seeWhat actually happensDetail

Use it for: Showing the work behind something that looks easy.

Describe the polished result people see. Then describe the unglamorous work behind it, with one specific detail.

Example post222/280
What people see: a neat weekly newsletter.

What actually happens: a notes file I add to all week, a messy Thursday draft, and a Friday morning where I cut it in half.

The cutting is the job. The writing is the easy part.

Lessons from

Event2-3 lessons

Use it for: Turning an experience into something others can use.

Name the experience in one line. Share two or three lessons, each with a detail from what happened. Skip lessons that would apply to anything.

Example post233/280
Lessons from running my first neighborhood yard sale:

- price everything before 7am, not during
- people buy boxes of random cables, somehow
- a free table brings in more buyers than any sign

Next time: more change, fewer sweaters.

I was wrong about

Old viewWhat changed itNew view

Use it for: Admitting a change of mind, which readers tend to trust.

Say what you believed and that you were wrong. Explain what changed your mind with a specific moment. State the new view without overcorrecting.

Example post214/280
I was wrong about to-do apps.

I said they were procrastination with extra steps. Then I tried one for a month and stopped forgetting bills.

New view: the app doesn't matter. Writing things down in one place does.

Start a conversation

The open question

ContextQuestionYour answer

Use it for: When you want replies from people who know things you don't.

Give one line of context so people know why you're asking. Ask a question with a specific answer. Then give your own answer first, which makes it easier for others to reply.

Example post193/280
Planning my first long bike ride, about 60 miles.

What's the one thing you wish you'd packed on your first one?

Mine so far: a second water bottle and a lot more snacks than seems reasonable.
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The quiet observation

ObservationDetailSmall question

Use it for: Low-key posts that invite people to share their own version.

Notice something small and true. Add one specific detail that makes it real. End with a light question or leave it open.

Example post174/280
Every hardware store has one employee who knows where everything is without looking it up.

Mine is called by name over the speaker at least four times an hour.

Who's yours?

Ask for recommendations

NeedConstraintsAsk

Use it for: Getting useful suggestions instead of random ones.

Say what you need. Give two or three constraints so people can filter. Ask directly, and promise to share what you pick.

Example post216/280
Looking for a novel to read on a long flight.

Want: under 400 pages, a plot that moves, nothing too dark.
Already read and loved: anything with a good heist.

What would you hand me? I'll post what I end up reading.

Opinion and reason

OpinionReasonInvitation

Use it for: Taking a clear position without starting a fight.

Say what you think in one sentence. Give your best reason. Invite people who see it differently to say why. Skip insults and straw men.

Example post218/280
I think most meetings should be 25 minutes, not 30.

The five minutes between calls is when people actually write down what was decided.

If you run 30-minute meetings on purpose, I'd like to hear why it works for you.

Share and curate

Steal this template

Use caseTemplateNote

Use it for: Giving people wording they can copy and adapt.

Say when the template helps. Paste the template with blanks in brackets. Add one line on how to adapt it.

Example post237/280
For when someone asks you to "pick your brain" and you're busy:

"Thanks for thinking of me. I can't do a call this month, but send me your top question in an email and I'll answer it by Friday."

Kind, short, and you keep your calendar.

Feature, advantage, benefit

FeatureAdvantageBenefit

Use it for: Describing something you made or recommend without sounding like an ad.

Name the feature plainly. Say what it does better than the usual way. Then say what the reader gets in their own life. Keep claims modest and checkable.

Example post214/280
Our library now lends out kitchen equipment.

You can borrow a stand mixer or a pasta roller for two weeks, same as a book.

So you can try that bread hobby before spending money on gear that ends up in a cupboard.

The roundup

Theme3 picksWhy each

Use it for: Pointing people to resources you've found useful.

Name the theme. List three picks with one line each on why. Put links in replies or in the post itself, remembering each link counts as 23 characters.

Example post223/280
Three free things that made learning to draw less painful:

- a public library card (art books you'd never buy)
- a cheap sketchbook you're allowed to ruin
- drawing the same mug every day for a month

The mug did the most.

Questions

Which formula should I start with?
Hook, point, proof. It works for almost any topic, and it trains the habit that matters most: backing up every claim with a specific detail.
Do I have to follow a formula exactly?
No. Formulas are scaffolding. Once the draft exists, cut any part that isn't pulling its weight and rewrite it so it sounds like you.
Can I use these formulas for threads?
Yes. Use the thread opener for the first post, then use shorter formulas such as one mistake, one fix or the tiny checklist for the posts that follow.

Formula names on this page are our own. Several follow classic copywriting structures that have been taught for decades. Tweet Formula is not affiliated with X Corp.