One of my X threads went slightly viral some weeks ago.
I hated it.
Academics bashed it.
I meant well but failed miserably.
Here is my story and what I learned
(avoid my pain if this happens to you) ↓
What happened?
I came off a month of daily thread writing in June.
I was tired.
I was weary.
I was drained.
X thread writing is a lot of work.
So, I repurposed one of my older threads that did well before.
But with a different sensational hook.
Result: 624.1K vs. 33.2K views.
Why would I do that?
I've experimented with copywriting on X for >1 year.
To train my writing skills.
To build an audience.
To help people.
Everything I write is in good faith to help academics.
Your success is my success.
Ok, enough chitchat.
Here are my lessons:
1. Ensure you have banger content to go with a banger hook
The hook promised a masterpiece.
My strategies delivered thesaurus-powered rephrasing.
I get that many people thought that this underdelivered.
(Sorry, I was exhausted. 🤷)
Check the content when rewriting the hook.
2. Haters love to hate
If I read something that doesn't do it for me.
I would just move on.
Some folks don't.
Peer review instills natural criticism in academics.
My day has 24 hours.
I have many great things to do.
Why spend even a fraction of that hating on someone online?
3. A whale can flip everyone's opinions
The thread did ok for my audience.
Then, after about a day, one giant account flipped it.
They quote-reposted with negative messaging opening the floodgates.
Disaster.
Personal attacks followed.
48 hours later, I was still blocking people
4. Posts with more views are more likely to offend someone
Even if you have the best of content intentions.
The larger an audience sees a post,
The more people will complain.
Be stoic and prepared.
You can't make everyone happy.
But you're bound to make someone very unhappy.
Before I finish this, you wonder:
Who is this guy?
How can he help me?
What else can I learn here?
Don't pay me yet.
Don't ask for advice yet.
Don't just purchase my writing course.
Join 2,000+ people in my FREE writing newsletter:
view.flodesk.com/pages/6438556c47fd69214ac03f1d
Then → you decide.
5. People put meaning into everything you leave out
I barely provided enough context.
Few suggestions were workable for all papers.
So, what happened is: people started interpreting my words.
To overemphasize results.
To editorialize.
To lie.
That. Is. Bad.
I never said this.
6. Never underestimate people's desire to judge others
There is an art to telling someone they are wrong.
Yes, even on the Internet.
To see change.
Sarcasm isn't it.
Mockery isn't it.
Cynicism isn't it.
Yet, I got plenty of that.
Stop.
Store your darts.
Change their hearts.
7. Marketing is necessary, but nobody likes it
Trust me. I know.
When I started promoting:
I felt weird. I felt out of place. I felt loud.
If your audience is mainly academic (like mine).
You have to be cautious about how you pitch.
I'm still not perfect.
But I'm learning.
TL;DR 7 viral life lessons on X
1. Have banger content for the hook
2. Haters love to hate
3. A whale can flip everyone
4. Posts with more views are more likely to offend
5. People put meaning into void
6. Never underestimate judging desire
7. Marketing is necessary, not liked