---
name: viral-writer
description: Write viral, human-sounding tech content for X (Twitter) — single tweets, threads, and quick-take replies to breaking tech news. Use this whenever the task is "write a tweet," "write a thread," "react to this news on X," or feeds an automated posting pipeline that needs fast turnaround (under 5 minutes from event to post). Optimized for tech/startup/AI audiences. Do NOT use for LinkedIn, blog posts, or long-form writing — this skill is X-only.
---

# Viral Writer

Writes tweets that sound like a sharp, opinionated human in tech — not an AI, not a brand account, not a content farm. Built for speed: this skill assumes the input is often breaking news that's 1–5 minutes old, and the post needs to go out before the window closes.

## 0. Non-negotiables before writing anything

1. **Speed beats polish on breaking news.** The first 18–30 minutes after an event decides whether it gets distribution. A perfect tweet posted 40 minutes late is worth less than a good tweet posted in 3.
2. **One clear take per post.** Pick a single angle. Don't hedge between three opinions.
3. **Never invent facts, numbers, or quotes.** If the source doesn't give you a number, don't make one up to sound credible. Fabricated specificity is the fastest way to get ratio'd and it's also just wrong.
4. **No links in the main tweet.** Links in the body kill reach (roughly 30–50% reach reduction as of 2026). If a link is needed, it goes in the first reply, never the original post.
5. **0–1 hashtags, max.** Hashtags don't help discovery anymore — semantic ranking does that. A second hashtag actively hurts.

## 1. How the post actually gets distributed (so you write for the right target)

X's ranking system decides reach almost entirely on **engagement velocity in the first 30–60 minutes**. Concretely, that means:

- **Replies are worth far more than likes** (informal estimates put a reply at ~13–27x a like, and a reply-that-gets-a-reply-back at ~150x). Write to provoke a response, not just a reaction.
- **Reposts** signal "this is worth my followers seeing too" — the strongest out-of-network distribution signal.
- **Native video/images** get a meaningful boost over text-only. If a screenshot, chart, or clip exists, use it. Text-only isn't penalized, but it has to earn attention on its own.
- **Threads** outperform single tweets for total reach (engagement compounds across each tweet), but the opening tweet still has to work standing alone — most people never click "show this thread."
- **Community Notes / factual corrections** carry a real reach penalty while active. Don't write things that are technically true but framed to mislead — it'll get noted and throttled.

What this means practically: every post needs either (a) a debate-worthy claim, (b) a question people want to answer, or (c) information specific enough to be worth bookmarking/sharing. Generic restating of news with no take is the single most common failure mode — it has nowhere to go.

## 2. Voice rules — sounding human, not like an AI

This is the part that actually gets violated most often. Apply all of these by default.

**Never use:**
- Em dashes where a comma or period would do. (Max one per entire post, and only if genuinely the best punctuation.)
- Hedging words: "may," "might," "could potentially," "generally speaking," "in some cases." State the take. If you're not sure, say "not sure but" honestly — don't hedge with corporate fog.
- The "not just X, it's Y" construction, or "It's not about X. It's about Y." This is the single most recognizable AI tell. Just say the thing.
- Throat-clearing openers: "In today's fast-moving tech landscape...", "It's worth noting that...", "Let's talk about..."
- Inflated vocabulary: delve, underscore, pivotal, robust, seamless, unlock, unleash, harness, game-changer, landscape, realm, tapestry.
- Preview/summary framing: "Here's what this means:" followed by a listicle that says nothing specific. "In conclusion" / "Ultimately" closers.
- Uniform sentence rhythm. AI writes every sentence the same length. Vary it on purpose — one short line, then a longer one, then a fragment if it lands.
- Exactly-three-item lists used as a default structure. Use however many items the content actually has.

**Always do:**
- Lead with the most specific, most surprising thing you've got. Front-load it into the first 6–8 words — that's the entire window before someone scrolls past.
- Take a real position. Agreement or disagreement, not "interesting development to watch."
- Use first person when there's a genuine personal angle (built something similar, tried the tool, has a stake in the space). Don't fake experience that doesn't exist.
- Write the way you'd say it out loud to a smart friend, not the way you'd write a press release. Read it back — if it sounds like a LinkedIn post, rewrite it.
- Keep contractions: it's, don't, won't, that's.
- Let a sentence end early if the point is already made. Don't pad to fill a "complete thought."

## 3. Hook formulas for tech/breaking news

Pick one. Front-load it as the first line.

| Formula | Shape | Example shape (not a real event) |
|---|---|---|
| Direct claim | "[Thing] just made [other thing] obsolete." | "Local inference just made the API middleman obsolete." |
| Contrarian take | "Everyone's calling this [popular reaction]. It's actually [opposite]." | "Everyone's calling this a privacy win. It's a liability shift, not a fix." |
| Specific-number stat | Lead with the number, not the context. | "40% faster inference and nobody's talking about the actual reason why." |
| First-person reaction | State what you did/saw, then the take. | "Spent an hour with it. The headline feature isn't the interesting part." |
| Blunt prediction | Short, falsifiable, no hedge. | "This kills three startups by the end of the year. Here's which ones." |
| Expectation vs. reality | Two short clauses, contrast. | "What the demo shows: instant. What shipped: a 6-second delay nobody mentioned." |

What to avoid: questions as hooks ("Did you see the news about...?") — they read as filler, not a take. Also avoid "BREAKING:" unless something genuinely just happened and speed itself is the value; otherwise it reads as manufactured urgency.

## 4. Structures

### Single tweet (default for fast turnaround)
```
[Hook — the take, front-loaded]

[One supporting specific: a number, a detail, a consequence]

[Optional: a question or implicit invitation to disagree — this is what generates replies]
```
Keep it under ~220 characters when possible. Shorter, sharper posts read faster on mobile (where ~80% of viewing happens) and leave room for the reply to do the work the algorithm rewards most.

### Thread (when the take needs more than one beat)
```
Tweet 1 (hook): The full claim, must stand alone if nobody opens the thread.
Tweets 2–6 (body): One point per tweet. Concrete > abstract. A number or example in nearly every tweet.
Final tweet (closer): One-sentence takeaway. Not a CTA like "follow for more" — let the content earn that on its own.
```
5–9 tweets is the sweet spot. Don't pad to hit a length; cut to it.

### Quick-take reply (fastest path to reach when the account is small)
Reply to the highest-velocity post on the topic within the first 15–20 minutes. The reply needs to add something the original doesn't: a number, a contrary read, a concrete consequence — never "this." or "great point" filler.

## 5. The 1–5 minute breaking-news workflow

When the input is something that just happened:

1. **Identify the one fact that matters most** — not the most facts, the most important one.
2. **Pick a take immediately.** Don't write three options and pick later — that's how the window closes.
3. **Write the hook first, alone.** Get that exactly right before adding anything else.
4. **Add one piece of concrete support** (number, quote under 15 words if essential, named detail).
5. **Cut everything else.** If a sentence doesn't sharpen the take or add a fact, it's not making it in.
6. **Final check (10 seconds, not a rewrite pass):** does this sound like a person who has an opinion, or like a summary? If it's a summary, it's dead on arrival — rewrite the first line only.

Do not wait for "perfect." A correct, sharp take posted now beats a polished one posted after the velocity window has passed.

## 6. Formatting checklist

- Line breaks between distinct ideas, not within one. Don't break mid-thought just for visual effect.
- No more than 0–1 emoji, and only if it's doing actual work (not decoration).
- No hashtags unless there's a genuinely relevant branded/event tag.
- Numbers as numerals ("40%" not "forty percent") — scans faster.
- Any link goes in the first reply, never the body.
- Tag/mention real accounts only when directly relevant to the news (e.g., the company that shipped the thing) — never to bait attention.

## 7. Pre-post self-check (run every time)

- [ ] First 8 words contain the actual point, not a windup
- [ ] Exactly one clear take, not a hedge between several
- [ ] No em-dash overuse, no "not just X, it's Y," no hedge words
- [ ] At least one concrete, verifiable detail
- [ ] Would a real person reply to this, agree or argue? If neither, the post has no engagement mechanism — rewrite the hook
- [ ] No fabricated numbers or quotes
- [ ] No link in the body
- [ ] Reads out loud like a person talking, not a report

If a post fails more than one of these, don't ship it — fix the hook line first, that's almost always where it broke.

## 8. Bad vs. good (illustrative, not real events)

**Bad (AI-sounding, generic):**
> It's worth noting that the latest update to this tool isn't just a minor improvement — it's a significant step forward for the industry. This could potentially change how developers approach their workflows in the coming months.

Why it fails: hedge words, the "not just X, it's Y" tell, zero specifics, no take, nothing to reply to.

**Good:**
> They shipped sub-100ms inference and buried it under three paragraphs about "developer experience."
>
> That latency number is the actual story. Everything built on top of the slow version just got a free upgrade.
>
> What's the first thing you'd rebuild with this?

Why it works: specific number up front, a real opinion (the framing is wrong), a question that invites replies, no filler.

## 9. Notes for automated/agent use

If this skill is driving an automated posting pipeline:
- Always pass the actual source text/event in, never paraphrase-of-a-paraphrase — fabrication risk compounds with each hop.
- Generate 2–3 hook variants internally, pick the sharpest one, post only that one. Don't post all variants.
- If the news is unverified or single-sourced and shaky, say so plainly or hold the post — a wrong take that gets community-noted tanks the account's reach for future posts too.
- Log the take taken (not just the post) so a human can spot pattern problems (e.g., always agreeing, always negative) over time — virality requires a real point of view, and a real point of view has to actually vary.