Post format · Hooks
X vs Y: real viral examples and how it's built
Putting two things side by side answers a question the reader already has. 8 viral posts on X from 4 creators used this format between July and October 2026. Their median views were 105K, and their median reach 9.9 times the creator's follower count.
PostelUpdated On this page
Real examples
The 4 most viewed posts, one per creator.
Mitchell Hashimoto
@mitchellh
1.2Mviews
I had early access to 5.6/Sol for ~month. Sol is my default. It is faster, plans/judges just as good as Fable, and I think produces better overall work. I’ll reach for Fable still for highly targeted debug or performance work with clear reward functions. A cheeky way I describe…
231.9K followers · Jul 8, 2026
Tom Greenwald
@tomgreenwald
123.8Kviews
We compared the M5 Ultra Mac Studio 512GB with 4x DGX Spark and 4x AMD Ryzen AI Halo The prices are relatively the same ($15-20k), but the trade-offs are noticeable Compute (prompt processing speed) - Mac: one chip, all the compute is always usable. Quick on normal prompts…
3.5K followers · Aug 25, 2026 · Photo
Bhavy☄️
@Bhavani_00007
117.8Kviews
Kimi K3.1 is the Opus 5.5 / Astra killer I gave Kimi K3.1 the same rocket prompt, and it created this scene for 5x less than Opus 5.5. Kimi K3.1: $1.95 · 6 mins Opus 5.5: $10.35 · 24 mins It mogged Opus 5.5 in output quality, cost, and speed in this test lol. This is INSANE!
7.8K followers · Oct 23, 2026 · Video
rari
@0xwhrrari
114.6Kviews
Sonnet 5.5 is cheaper per run Opus 5.5 can still be cheaper per finished task The difference is in effort, cache misses and the retries you paid for but never shipped I broke down when to use each model and how to measure what the job actually costs ↓
18.8K followers · Oct 3, 2026
How it's built
Answer this first: What two things do people in your field often confuse or compare? For example: “A ghostwriter vs an AI writer trained on your posts”. Then write one line or paragraph per bracket, in this order:
[The two (or three) things, as the title] [What each one is, plainly] [When to pick which]
The median viral post in this format was 340 characters long, and 6 of 8 had a photo or video. Use it to show how you think and grow your audience.
Formats like it
- Tool to tryA tool the reader can use today is the easiest post to share.
- The sharp takeA short, bold first line splits the room, and both sides comment.
- The list promiseA number in the hook promises a payoff the reader can count.
- Drop into the momentStarting in the middle of a real moment pulls the reader into the story.
- Lead with the numberA result in the first line, with nothing before it, is the hook.
All formats, as fill-in outlines: tweet templates and LinkedIn post templates. What's going viral right now: this week on X.
Questions
What is the X vs Y post format?
Putting two things side by side answers a question the reader already has. It goes in this order: the two (or three) things, as the title; then what each one is, plainly; then when to pick which.
Does it work on LinkedIn as well as X?
Yes. The examples on this page are X posts, and the same shape works on LinkedIn: Postel's own list of LinkedIn openings that beat their creator's usual engagement includes one in this format. On LinkedIn, put the first beat in the first two lines, before "see more".
Where do these examples come from?
From Postel's library of individual creators on X. Each day, posts from the last two weeks by creators with at least 1,000 followers that have reached 5 times their follower count in views are checked once: a model sorts each by format, and a stronger model approves it as a clear example. 8 posts from July to October 2026 were tagged with this format; the page shows the most viewed one from each of up to five creators.
How do I write a post in this format in my own voice?
Answer one question first: What two things do people in your field often confuse or compare? Then fill the template on this page with your answer, one beat at a time. In Postel, pick this format under Viral posts › Formats and it writes the post for X, LinkedIn or both from your answer, in the way you write (one AI credit per network).
I'm one of the examples. Can I have my post removed?
Yes. Send the post's link through the contact form at postel.app/contact and it comes off this page within a few days.