In late 2017, X (formerly Twitter) doubled the number of characters allowed in posts from 140 to 280. For some users, however, 280 characters still aren't enough. So, if you have something important to say, you need to know how to write longer posts on X. So here are some easy ways to do just that.

1. Upgrade to X Premium

Among the other benefits of upgrading to X Premium, the subscription enables US-based users to write longer posts. By subscribing to the paid version, the character limit for your posts increases from 280 to 25,000. This also applies to replies and quote posts, so you won't have to worry about exceeding the 280-character limit or having to create threads.

However, you won't be able to schedule longer posts or save them as drafts. Though you'll have to pay for an X Premium subscription, using it is perhaps the easiest way to have longer posts, as you won't have to jump back and forth between X and third-party websites.

2. Take a Screenshot

This is a simple yet effective workaround for posting longer posts on X. Using screenshots to write longer messages is a growing trend. You've probably seen people using the "cheat" in your own timeline.

The principle is simple. Use any one of the best note-taking apps for Android or iOS and write what you want to say. Just make sure it all fits on one screen. Next, take a screenshot of what you've said and fire up the X app. Tap on the new post icon and attach the screenshot to your post. You don't even need to write any text, though adding alt text helps with accessibility. When you're ready, press Post.

This method, however, won't allow you to edit your posts on X.

3. Create a Thread

twitter thread

Not long after the increase to 280 characters, X launched the ability to thread posts. The feature lets you create a series of connected posts that display them in a continuous scroll format when viewed through the app. It's a way to post longer thoughts and ideas without relying on external apps and tools.

To create a thread on the app, start composing a post in the usual way. When you're ready to write the second post, click on the + button.

You can post an entire thread at the same time by clicking the Post all button. You can also add more posts to a thread at a later time by selecting the post and clicking on the Add another post option under it. Click on the More icon (three horizontal dots) to continue older threads.

4. Use ControlC

controlc longer tweets

ControlC is a great way to share any extended content with a lot of people online; it's not X-specific. That said, it's a fantastic tool to use for longer posts on X.

ControlC offers text formatting, which means you can edit font size, text style, text color, and more.

As such, it's a great way to quickly share longer content that extends beyond a few simple sentences. For example, perhaps you want to share some technical instructions or detailed directions and need to highlight certain parts of the text.

To use the app, write and format your text in the on-screen box. When you're ready, click Submit, and you'll get a link to share with other people. Sadly, you cannot send the link to X directly from the web app.

5. Use Tweet Compressor

tweet compressor

We've all written posts that are a few characters too long and ended up scanning the text over and over for any little savings that can be found.

Rather than doing the hard work yourself, you should just paste your post into the Tweet Compressor site.

It uses unicode to replace specific two-letter combos with single characters. The compressible combinations are:

  • cc
  • ms
  • ns
  • ps
  • in
  • ls
  • fi
  • fl
  • ffl
  • ffi
  • iv
  • ix
  • vi
  • oy
  • ii
  • xi
  • nj
  • period followed by a space
  • comma followed by a space

For those who don't know, Unicode is an IT standard that allows for the consistent encoding of all the world's writing systems. It has almost 150,000 characters in total. Tweet Compressor uses single-character unicode replacements such as Roman numerals and scientific abbreviations.

Learn More About Using X and Build Your Reputation

Thanks to these simple ways, you can post long-form content hassle-free. While subscribing to X Premium is perhaps the easiest option, you can use the other methods if you do not want to pay to write longer posts. Learning how to write longer posts is just one small part of becoming an X power user. But there are plenty of other tips for beginners that will help you get more out of the social media app and build your reputation.