5 proven short-form formats for X, LinkedIn, and Substack

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After writing thousands of viral short-form posts on both X (Twitter) and LinkedIn, I have identified 5 formats that typically out-perform the average over and over again.

These formats also make for a great compounding library of content. (For example, you can take your entire short-form content library on X and copy/paste it over to LinkedIn, and then copy/paste it over to Instagram as screenshots/carousels, and then copy/paste it over to Instagram Threads, etc. etc. etc.)

Let’s dive in!

Format #1: Paragraph Style

This is where you write a thought-provoking paragraph connected to your core industry/niche/topic.

There’s something about this formatting, especially on a fast-moving platform like X, that immediately makes it “stand out” simply because it’s formatted differently. As a full paragraph, you (as the reader) inherently assume it to be “smart.” (Ironic, I know.)

It works so well for a few reasons:

• It takes a strong stance instead of hedging.
• It uses concise, economical language and alternates long and short sentences to create rhythm and emphasis.
• And it leans on subtle, barely-perceptible literary touches—a bit of alliteration, repetition, or antithesis (an obvious observation followed by a non-obvious one)—to make the writing more “satisfying” than plain prose would.

One of my favorite formats!

Format #2: What, How, Why

This is a very repeatable formula:

• “What” = The first line is “what” you are trying to say to the reader.
• “How” = The middle 3-5 bullets is “how” to accomplish the “what.”
• “Why” = The last sentence is “why” this is so important.

It works well for a few reasons:

• The first line/hook grabs attention up front.
• The bullets deliver tangible, differentiated, actionable items—no fluff.
• And the closing line motivates action or warns of the cost of inaction, so the reader walks away with a push to actually do something.

You can apply this format to literally any topic, in any niche, and it will work well.

Format #3: Listicle

Anything you can list is a great short-form piece of content.

For example:

• Tips
• Skills
• Tools
• Traits
• Steps
• Goals
• Books
• Habits
• Stories
• Quotes
• Secrets
• Insights
• Benefits
• Lessons
• Reasons
• Creators
• Routines
• Mistakes
• Podcasts
• Examples
• Questions
• Inventions
• Templates
• Resources
• Challenges
• Companies
• Data Points
• Realizations
• Frameworks
• Presentations

The “Listicle” format has a simple opening sentence promising the “what” you’re about to give the reader, followed by a skimmable list that delivers exactly that—tips, tools, books, mistakes, etc.

It works so well because it compresses what could be a long article into a few seconds of reading. Instead of making someone consume 1,500 words to get 7 recommendations, you hand them all the answers instantly.

You’re listing tangible, specific items tied to a clear goal, problem, or outcome (which means you’re differentiating yourself from all the fluff content out there!).

Format #4: Old vs New

This is where you compare the “old” way someone did something (in your niche) to the “new” way.

Or, where you compare any sort of archetype.

Some examples might be:

• Bad vs Good
• Rich vs Poor
• Right vs Wrong
• Productive vs Unproductive
• Legacy vs Cutting-Edge
• Etc.

Here are a few reasons why this works so well:

• The opposing comparison creates tension
• The “new” side subtly sells the reader on the better way
• The symmetry is visually appealing and easy to scan—the two halves mirror each other

Giving TANGIBLE examples on both sides leaves no doubt in the mind of the reader if they’re on the “Old” or “New” side of the equation.

Format #5: 10 Magical Ways

This is where you can mix and match any of these styles by using what I like to call the 10 Magical Ways To Expand Anything:

• Tips
• Stats
• Steps
• Lessons
• Benefits
• Reasons
• Mistakes
• Examples
• Questions
• Personal Stories

These 10 Ways work in any niche and are always valuable to readers in that space.

The key is differentiation—if you promise benefits, list unconventional ones people don’t already know. If you promise mistakes, surface the less obvious ones. It consistently gives the reader something fresh and useful.

So, to take this a level deeper, you can take an idea you’ve already written about in the previous 4 and expand it by adding one of the 10 Magical Ways!

For example, let’s take this short form post from Example 1:

There are AT LEAST 20+ more posts buried in this piece of short form!

You could write another post on:

• Give 5 examples of classic literature every writer should study (then cycle through all the other types of writing here and/or sub-sets of literature, sales copy, etc.)
• Explain 1 mistake writers make when studying writing to hone their skills
• List 3 questions every writer should ask of every sentence they read to help them understand how to construct a good sentence

Etc., etc., etc.

Short-Form Content Skill Pack

Now, to help you put this into action we created the Short-Form Content Skill Pack for you.

This is a custom Claude Skill that turns a single idea into a scroll-stopping short-form post—for whatever platform you choose to write on (X, LinkedIn, or Substack Notes).

It uses the exact frameworks we’ve used to generate millions of views on our own content.

(Plus you get the 45+ short-form templates it’s trained on inside the Pack!)

You do the thinking, and then AI handles all the heavy lifting.