12 libraries · 26 outlines · Free
Each outline follows the shape of posts that went viral. Pick one, fill the brackets with your own material, and post it as one tweet or a thread. The 12 libraries below hold real viral posts, sorted by topic and by who you are.
On X, the first line decides everything. The feed shows a post beside hundreds of others, and readers judge it in the time it takes to scroll past, so these outlines put the strongest beat first: a number, a before and after, or a claim someone could argue with. That's why the library opens on Hooks.
Each card says how the outline fits X. A tweet holds 280 characters (25,000 with X Premium), so an outline with more than two beats usually works best as a thread: one beat per post, the hook alone in the first. If you'd rather post once, keep the first two beats and cut the rest. Put any link in a reply under the post, not in the post itself: in our study of viral posts on X, posts with a link got fewer views.
The same outlines for LinkedIn, with LinkedIn examples, are in the LinkedIn post templates.
Words in [brackets] are yours to fill. Copy puts the format on your clipboard.
7 formats shown
Hooks
[The tool and a strong one-line reaction] [What it does for the reader] [How to start in a few steps]
A tool the reader can use today is the easiest post to share.
On X: a 3-post thread, one beat per post, or the first two beats as one tweet of up to 280 characters.
Answer this first: What tool would you tell a friend to try, and what does it do for them?
Hooks
[The reader's problem, in a few words] [Why the usual fix doesn't work] [What does]
Naming the reader's problem in a few words makes them read on for the fix.
On X: a 3-post thread, one beat per post, or the first two beats as one tweet of up to 280 characters.
Answer this first: What's a problem your readers have that you know how to fix?
Hooks
[A bold claim in one short line] [The reason, concretely] [What to do about it]
A short, bold first line splits the room, and both sides comment.
On X: a 3-post thread, one beat per post, or the first two beats as one tweet of up to 280 characters.
Answer this first: What's a bold claim about your field you can back up?
Hooks
[The two (or three) things, as the title] [What each one is, plainly] [When to pick which]
Putting two things side by side answers a question the reader already has.
On X: a 3-post thread, one beat per post, or the first two beats as one tweet of up to 280 characters.
Answer this first: What two things do people in your field often confuse or compare?
Hooks
[A hook that promises a numbered list] [The items, each with one useful line] [The one you'd start with]
A number in the hook promises a payoff the reader can count.
On X: a 3-post thread, one beat per post, or the first two beats as one tweet of up to 280 characters.
Answer this first: What's a list of things your readers should know or use?
Hooks
[Start in the moment itself] [What was going through your head] [What you took from it]
Starting in the middle of a real moment pulls the reader into the story.
On X: a 3-post thread, one beat per post, or the first two beats as one tweet of up to 280 characters.
Answer this first: What's a recent moment from your work worth telling?
Hooks
[The result as the first line] [The context in one more] [What made it happen]
A result in the first line, with nothing before it, is the hook.
On X: a 3-post thread, one beat per post, or the first two beats as one tweet of up to 280 characters.
Answer this first: What result can you share, with the number?
Updated .
A fill-in outline for a post on X: the order of its parts and what each part does. Fill the brackets with your own material and post it as one tweet or a thread.
Write each bracketed line as one post of the thread. For a single tweet, keep the first two lines.
Yes. Copying any outline is free and needs no sign-up. In Postel, "Use as template" writes the post in your voice for 1 credit per network (X, LinkedIn or both), or for free on your own AI key (on Pro and up).