How Long Should a Twitter Thread Be? Size It to the Idea

How long should a Twitter thread be? Long enough to land one idea, and not one part longer. For a single claim that usually means somewhere between 5 and 9 parts. When you hit part 10, it's worth asking whether you have two threads.

How many characters can each part of a thread have?

Each part of a Twitter thread can hold 280 characters. A link counts as 23 characters whatever its length, and an emoji counts as 2. Those three numbers decide how much fits in a part.

So a part with a link and one emoji has 280 - 23 - 2 = 255 characters left for words, minus the spaces around them. Two emoji and a link leave 253. It sounds fussy until a part comes back at 283.

How long should a Twitter thread be for a given idea?

Match the length to the shape of the idea, not to a number you've seen somewhere. These sizes are working rules from writing a lot of them.

• One claim with two proofs: 4 parts. Hook, proof, proof, link.
• A five-step how-to: 7 parts. Hook, five steps, close.
• A story with a turn: 8 to 10 parts. Scene, trouble, attempt, turn, result, lesson.
• A list of tools or examples: as many parts as items, but cap it at 10 and cut the weakest.

Count the ideas, then add a hook and a close. That's the length.

What should you cut when a thread runs long?

Cut the parts that restate an earlier part, the parts that warm up, and any part you could skip without the reader noticing. A good test: read the thread with one part covered. If it still makes sense, that part goes.

Here's a 14-part draft about hiring, trimmed to 8.

1. Parts 2 and 3 both said "hiring is hard." Keep one, shortened.
2. Part 5 was a definition of "structured interview." The reader knew it. Cut.
3. Parts 7, 8 and 9 each gave an example of a bad interview question. Keep the sharpest one.
4. Part 12 thanked the reader. Cut.
5. Part 13 repeated the hook. Cut.

The result is a hook, three reasons, one example, one result, one close. Eight parts, and the reader reaches the last one.

Cutting hurts the first time. Keep the removed parts in a separate note, because half of them make a decent post on their own next week. And if you're stuck between 6 parts and 9, take 6 and see whether anyone asks for the rest.

When should you write a long post instead of a thread?

Write a long post when the idea is one argument that flows, and a thread when it breaks into steps a reader can take one at a time. X allows posts up to 25,000 characters with Premium, so a 2,000-character essay doesn't need to be chopped into eight parts.

If you can number the parts without rewriting them, it's a thread. If numbering them makes the logic fall apart, it's a post. A how-to wants a thread. A reasoned opinion often wants a long post, because the connective tissue between sentences is the point.

How do you size a thread in SocialFaktory?

Ask for a thread in the brief and SocialFaktory's X writer returns the draft in parts, each under 280 characters with its own count. Add or drop parts before it goes out. If a draft runs to 12 parts, drop the four weakest and read it again.

You press Write three drafts after typing a one-sentence brief or pasting an article link, and three versions come back. They often differ in length too, which tells you something about how much the idea can carry. Pick the one with the right size, trim it, and look at the preview before you post it or queue it.

For the full path from brief to schedule, see writing a Twitter thread with AI. If you already have an article and want to cut it down, turning a blog post into a Twitter thread does that part by part. Get started when you want to see the sizes for your own idea.

In one sentence: Size a Twitter thread to one idea, with 280 characters per part (a link counts as 23, an emoji as 2), usually 5 to 9 parts, and cut any part the reader wouldn't miss.