Behind every naturally grown account lies a deep understanding of the X platform (Twitter) content recommendation algorithm. I will openly share some 'lessons learned' that helped me achieve extraordinary results during the account growth process.
The timing of posts significantly affects interaction volume. I am in the Eastern Time Zone (EST), and most of my audience is also in the Eastern to Pacific Time Zones (EST - PST)... So my usual posting window is from 9 AM to 9 PM, with peak traffic occurring around 10 AM to 4 PM. You need to experiment on your own to find the optimal posting times for your audience and their browsing habits.
This is a general rule, but posting more than once per hour will reduce the reach of individual posts and force the algorithm to prioritize one of them in front of your followers. The rule of thumb is to space posts apart by more than 1 hour.
Never @ more than 3 accounts in a single post. This will completely ruin your reach... Especially if the @ accounts do not engage afterward. I have found that generally, unless the @ accounts interact quickly after the post is published, mentioning any account in the original post will lead to reduced algorithmic visibility. However, as your account grows, the impact of this issue diminishes, but it is still worth noting. I prefer to @ relevant accounts in popular comments.
External links can severely impact dissemination. Both Nikita and Musk have stated multiple times that they will not be demoted, but the reality is that people spend less time on the post once they click the link. To be honest, based on my personal observations, I absolutely do not believe in the 'not demoted' narrative; I am 100% convinced that external links will lead to algorithmic demotion of the post. The best practice is to place recommended links or other external links in popular comments.
Basically, if your tweet's text exceeds the platform's default maximum character limit for a single post, what will appear in the timeline is a truncated version of the content, and users can click 'View more' to expand. If your tweet is of high quality or has a good opening, this can significantly enhance its reach, because people will click to expand. But if your first 140 characters (approximately) are poorly written, then this tactic is completely useless; no one will want to click 'View more.'
Using similar logic, you'll notice that many accounts separate their posts line by line and leave blank spaces. Rather than being an 'algorithm trick', it is more of a tactic to address the short attention span of younger users. When people see large blocks of text exceeding 3 lines, they generally skip over it. Breaking down and formatting the post content can increase the likelihood that readers will spend time reading, thus allowing users to linger longer on the post, enhancing interaction volume, and expanding the algorithmic reach.
A high-quality image can definitely enhance a post. If the text exceeds 10 lines? Then you likely need to include an appropriate image to attract users' attention. If the content in the image is interesting, it actually positively impacts interaction volume. This is because it forces people to spend more time trying to understand it, increasing the time users spend on the post. But poor-quality or meaningless images will cause people to scroll away faster. Use with caution.
In my view, this point isn't as critical as some 'masters' claim. A good opening certainly helps, but it is not a prerequisite for a post to go viral. I've used very effective examples: like 'In the past X days, I earned X money solely from social capital,' and then discussed Polkadot or other projects I've worked on that can generate income. If I had started differently, those posts likely wouldn't have attracted as much attention; people just want to know how to earn money through posting.
I'm still exploring this, but generally speaking, audiences prefer content that they find comfortable and familiar. Such content is easier to understand and doesn't require too much active thinking from people (I won't comment on whether that's good or bad). For me, this means occasionally launching content series to give visitors to my homepage clear expectations about the post content. This can also cultivate fan loyalty; a good content series can generate a lot of interaction and attention in a short time.
This is a double-edged sword; if used well, it can propel you to great heights. If you can reference a high-value, high-audience account's tweet, and your own post receives a positive response, then get ready to go viral. However, if you post something foolish and get blocked by the referenced account, then that's it; you've ruined your own chances. Using quoted tweets effectively requires timing and situational awareness; there are many nuances. Some have reported that quoted tweets generally have lower interaction and exposure... My personal experience is the opposite, but that may relate to my audience composition.
This is probably the most misunderstood point, mainly because the rules were just updated... The previous situation was that a pinned post would only receive algorithmic recommendations once every 24 hours. It has recently been updated to once every 12 hours. According to the new message notifications in the iOS app, if you try to pin a post within 12 hours after pinning the previous one, this notification will be displayed. Be sure to make good use of pinned posts; every time someone visits your homepage, they will see it. Moreover, there is now a dedicated information stream in 'For You' that highlights 'Recently Pinned by People You Follow,' which will further emphasize pinned posts. Most people have not properly utilized the pinning feature, and this can become your competitive advantage.