Channel 4 of 5 · First-line length
First lines that get read on X
The first line decides whether anyone reads the second. Here is how to write one that carries the post.
On X, the first line of a post does most of the work. It is what a scrolling reader sees before deciding to stop, and for long posts it is part of the small slice shown before "Show more". A good first line tells the reader what the post is about and why it might matter to them. A weak one asks them to read on to find out.
The meter's first-line dial measures the weighted length of everything before your first line break, or the first sentence if there are no breaks. It turns amber past 80 characters and red past 120.
Lead with the news
News writers call it the lede. The most important fact goes first, then the details in order of importance. Newsrooms have taught it for generations because readers stop at unpredictable points, and the ones who stop early should still leave with the main fact.
Posts work the same way. Compare:
We've been working hard over the past few months on something we think you'll love, and today we're excited to share it.
Offline mode is here: the app now works on the subway.
The first line spends 120 characters and says nothing. The second says what changed and why a reader would care in 54 characters, with room for a link or a detail on the next line.
A useful test: if a reader saw only the first line, would they know what happened? If the answer is "they'd know something happened", rewrite it.
Keep it short enough to land
On a phone, the post text column is narrow. In a typical app layout, a line of screen text holds somewhere around 35 to 45 characters, depending on the device and the font size the reader has chosen. So:
| First line length | On a phone |
|---|---|
| Under 45 | One screen line, read at a glance |
| 45 to 80 | Two screen lines, still easy |
| 80 to 120 | Three lines, starting to feel like a paragraph |
| Over 120 | Four or more lines before any break |
The wrap preview on the meter shows how your first line breaks at phone width. If it runs to three or four lines, look for the point where the main fact ends and put a line break there.
None of these numbers is a rule from X. They come from what fits on a screen, and you will sometimes need a longer first line to say something precisely. That is fine. The dial only asks you to look twice.
Patterns that work
Most strong first lines fall into a few shapes.
The plain announcement states the fact. "Registration for the spring 10K opens Monday." It works because it is easy to scan and easy to repost.
The specific number gives the reader something concrete. "We cut our checkout page from 5 steps to 2." Numbers stand out in a feed full of words, and a specific number is more believable than "much faster".
The direct answer replies to a question people are already asking. "Yes, the bridge is open again." It suits customer service posts and updates during an outage or an event.
The real question asks for something you want to hear back. "Which feature should we fix first: search or sync?" It works when you plan to read the replies.
The quote or detail opens with the most surprising concrete thing. "'I didn't know the library lent out telescopes.' We hear that a lot." It needs a payoff in the next line.
Patterns that don't
Some openers are common because they look like they should work. Most readers have learned to scroll past them.
- The warm-up: "So, something exciting happened today..." It delays the point.
- The fake cliffhanger: "You won't believe what we found." It reads as clickbait, and readers who do click through often feel let down.
- The vague thread opener: "A thread on what I learned this year 🧵". It says a thread is coming without saying why it is worth reading. Name the best thing in it instead.
- The all-caps shout: "HUGE NEWS!!!" Capital letters are slower to read and come across as shouting. The meter flags them.
- The handle pile: starting with several @mentions. A post that opens with an @handle can look like a reply, and the reader sees names before any message.
First lines in long posts
If you have X Premium, you can post up to 25,000 characters. In timelines, though, long posts are cut down to an opening section followed by "Show more". The meter's Premium mode marks roughly where that cut falls, at about 280 characters.
Treat that opening section as a post of its own. It should make sense alone and give the reader a reason to tap. The first line matters even more here, because a reader facing a long block of text decides very quickly whether it's worth the time.
First lines in threads
In a thread, the first post carries the whole thread. Readers who don't like the first post won't see the rest, and the first post is what gets reposted. Put the strongest point or the clearest promise of what the thread delivers in that first line. "Five things I'd tell a new freelancer" is a start. "Five things I'd tell a new freelancer, starting with the one that cost me $4,000" gives a reason to read on.
A quick rewrite routine
When a first line feels weak:
- Write down, in plain words, what the post is about.
- Find the most concrete fact: a number, a date, a name, a change.
- Put that fact in the first sentence and cut everything before it.
- Add a line break after it.
- Check the meter. Under 80 is comfortable on a phone.
You'll usually find the right first line already sitting in the middle of your draft.
Questions
How long should the first line of a post be?
Short enough to read at a glance, which on a phone usually means under about 80 characters, or two lines of screen text. The meter turns amber past 80 and red past 120. A short, plain first line followed by a line break gives the reader a natural pause.
What counts as the first line in the meter?
Everything before the first line break. If the post has no line breaks, the meter uses the first sentence instead.
Should the first line always be a question?
No. Questions work when you really want answers. A question used as a teaser ("Want to know the secret?") tends to read like an ad, and many people scroll past it.
Sources
Twittermeter is independent and not affiliated with X Corp. X changes its limits and features from time to time. If something here doesn't match what you see in the app, X's help center has the final word.