Twitter/X Management Expert Knowledge

Twitter API v2 Reference

Authentication

Twitter API v2 uses OAuth 2.0 Bearer Token for app-level access and OAuth 1.0a for user-level actions.

Bearer Token (read-only access + tweet creation):

Authorization: Bearer $TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN

Environment variable: TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN

Core Endpoints

Get authenticated user info:

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN"
"https://api.twitter.com/2/users/me"

Response: {"data": {"id": "123", "name": "User", "username": "user"}}

Post a tweet:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.twitter.com/2/tweets"
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN"
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{"text": "Hello world!"}'

Response: {"data": {"id": "tweet_id", "text": "Hello world!"}}

Post a reply:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.twitter.com/2/tweets"
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN"
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{"text": "Great point!", "reply": {"in_reply_to_tweet_id": "PARENT_TWEET_ID"}}'

Post a thread (chain of replies to yourself):

• Post first tweet → get tweet_id

• Post second tweet with reply.in_reply_to_tweet_id = first tweet_id

• Repeat for each tweet in thread

Delete a tweet:

curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.twitter.com/2/tweets/TWEET_ID"
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN"

Like a tweet:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.twitter.com/2/users/USER_ID/likes"
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN"
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{"tweet_id": "TARGET_TWEET_ID"}'

Get mentions:

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN"
"https://api.twitter.com/2/users/USER_ID/mentions?max_results=10&tweet.fields=public_metrics,created_at,author_id"

Search recent tweets:

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN"
"https://api.twitter.com/2/tweets/search/recent?query=QUERY&max_results=10&tweet.fields=public_metrics"

Get tweet metrics:

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TWITTER_BEARER_TOKEN"
"https://api.twitter.com/2/tweets?ids=ID1,ID2,ID3&tweet.fields=public_metrics"

Response includes: retweet_count , reply_count , like_count , quote_count , bookmark_count , impression_count

Rate Limits

Endpoint Limit Window

POST /tweets 300 tweets 3 hours

DELETE /tweets 50 deletes 15 minutes

POST /likes 50 likes 15 minutes

GET /mentions 180 requests 15 minutes

GET /search/recent 180 requests 15 minutes

Always check response headers:

• x-rate-limit-limit : Total requests allowed

• x-rate-limit-remaining : Requests remaining

• x-rate-limit-reset : Unix timestamp when limit resets

Content Strategy Framework

Content Pillars

Define 3-5 core topics ("pillars") that all content revolves around:

Example for a tech founder: Pillar 1: AI & Machine Learning (40% of content) Pillar 2: Startup Building (30% of content) Pillar 3: Engineering Culture (20% of content) Pillar 4: Personal Growth (10% of content)

Content Mix (7 types)

Type Frequency Purpose Template

Hot take 2-3/week Engagement "Unpopular opinion: [contrarian view]"

Thread 1-2/week Authority "I spent X hours researching Y. Here's what I found:"

Tip/How-to 2-3/week Value "How to [solve problem] in [N] steps:"

Question 1-2/week Engagement "[Interesting question]? I'll go first:"

Curated share 1-2/week Curation "This [article/tool/repo] is a game changer for [audience]:"

Story 1/week Connection "3 years ago I [relatable experience]. Here's what happened:"

Data/Stat 1/week Authority "[Surprising statistic]. Here's why it matters:"

Optimal Posting Times (UTC-based, adjust to audience timezone)

Day Best Times Why

Monday 8-10 AM Start of work week, checking feeds

Tuesday 10 AM, 1 PM Peak engagement day

Wednesday 9 AM, 12 PM Mid-week focus

Thursday 10 AM, 2 PM Second-highest engagement day

Friday 9-11 AM Morning only, engagement drops PM

Saturday 10 AM Casual browsing

Sunday 4-6 PM Pre-work-week planning

Tweet Writing Best Practices

The Hook (first line is everything)

Hooks that work:

• Contrarian: "Most people think X. They're wrong."

• Number: "I analyzed 500 [things]. Here's what I found:"

• Question: "Why do 90% of [things] fail?"

• Story: "In 2019, I almost [dramatic thing]."

• How-to: "How to [desirable outcome] without [common pain]:"

• List: "5 [things] I wish I knew before [milestone]:"

• Confession: "I used to believe [common thing]. Then I learned..."

Writing Rules

• One idea per tweet — don't try to cover everything

• Front-load value — the hook must deliver or promise value

• Use line breaks — no wall of text, 1-2 sentences per line

• 280 character limit — every word must earn its place

• Active voice — "We shipped X" not "X was shipped by us"

• Specific > vague — "3x faster" not "much faster"

• End with a call to action — "Agree? RT" or "What would you add?"

Thread Structure

Tweet 1 (HOOK): Compelling opening that makes people click "Show this thread"

• Must stand alone as a great tweet
• End with "A thread:" or "Here's what I found:"

Tweet 2-N (BODY): One key point per tweet

• Number them: "1/" or use emoji bullets
• Each tweet should add value independently
• Include specific examples, data, or stories

Tweet N+1 (CLOSING): Summary + call to action

• Restate the key takeaway
• Ask for engagement: "Which resonated most?"
• Self-reference: "If this was useful, follow @handle for more"

Hashtag Strategy

• 0-2 hashtags per tweet (more looks spammy)

• Use hashtags for discovery, not decoration

• Mix broad (#AI) and specific (#LangChain)

• Never use hashtags in threads (except maybe tweet 1)

• Research trending hashtags in your niche before using them

Engagement Playbook

Replying to Mentions

Rules:

• Respond within 2 hours during engagement_hours

• Add value — don't just say "thanks!" — expand on their point

• Ask a follow-up question — drives conversation

• Be genuine — match their energy and tone

• Never argue — if someone is hostile, ignore or block

Reply templates:

• Agreement: "Great point! I'd also add [related insight]"

• Question: "Interesting question. The short answer is [X], but [nuance]"

• Disagreement: "I see it differently — [respectful counterpoint]. What's your experience?"

• Gratitude: "Appreciate you sharing this! [Specific thing you liked about their tweet]"

When NOT to Engage

• Trolls or obviously bad-faith arguments

• Political flame wars (unless that's your content pillar)

• Personal attacks (block immediately)

• Spam or bot accounts

• Tweets that could create legal liability

Auto-Like Strategy

Like tweets from:

• People who regularly engage with your content (reciprocity)

• Influencers in your niche (visibility)

• Thoughtful content related to your pillars (curation signal)

• Replies to your tweets (encourages more replies)

Do NOT auto-like:

• Controversial or political content

• Content you haven't actually read

• Spam or low-quality threads

• Competitor criticism (looks petty)

Content Calendar Template

WEEK OF [DATE]

Monday:

• 8 AM: [Tip/How-to] about [Pillar 1]
• 12 PM: [Curated share] related to [Pillar 2]

Tuesday:

• 10 AM: [Thread] deep dive on [Pillar 1]
• 2 PM: [Hot take] about [trending topic]

Wednesday:

• 9 AM: [Question] to audience about [Pillar 3]
• 1 PM: [Data/Stat] about [Pillar 2]

Thursday:

• 10 AM: [Story] about [personal experience in Pillar 3]
• 3 PM: [Tip/How-to] about [Pillar 1]

Friday:

• 9 AM: [Hot take] about [week's trending topic]
• 11 AM: [Curated share] — best thing I read this week

Performance Metrics

Key Metrics

Metric What It Measures Good Benchmark

Impressions How many people saw the tweet Varies by follower count

Engagement rate (likes+RTs+replies)/impressions

2% is good, >5% is great

Reply rate replies/impressions

0.5% is good

Retweet rate RTs/impressions

1% is good

Profile visits People checking your profile after tweet Track trend

Follower growth Net new followers per period Track trend

Engagement Rate Formula

engagement_rate = (likes + retweets + replies + quotes) / impressions * 100

Example: 50 likes + 10 RTs + 5 replies + 2 quotes = 67 engagements 67 / 2000 impressions = 3.35% engagement rate

Content Performance Analysis

Track which content types and topics perform best:

Use this data to optimize future content mix.

Brand Voice Guide

Voice Dimensions

Dimension Range Description

Formal ↔ Casual 1-5 1=corporate, 5=texting a friend

Serious ↔ Humorous 1-5 1=all business, 5=comedy account

Reserved ↔ Bold 1-5 1=diplomatic, 5=no-filter

General ↔ Technical 1-5 1=anyone can understand, 5=deep expert

Consistency Rules

• Use the same voice across ALL tweets (hot takes and how-tos)

• Develop 3-5 "signature phrases" you reuse naturally

• If the brand voice says "casual," don't suddenly write a formal thread

• Read tweets aloud — does it sound like the same person?

Safety & Compliance

Content Guidelines

NEVER post:

• Discriminatory content (race, gender, religion, sexuality, disability)

• Defamatory claims about real people or companies

• Private or confidential information

• Threats, harassment, or incitement to violence

• Impersonation of other accounts

• Misleading claims presented as fact

• Content that violates Twitter Terms of Service

Approval Mode Queue Format

[ { "id": "q_001", "content": "Tweet text here", "type": "hot_take", "pillar": "AI", "scheduled_for": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z", "created": "2025-01-14T20:00:00Z", "status": "pending", "notes": "Based on trending discussion about LLM pricing" } ]

Preview file for human review:

Tweet Queue Preview

Generated: YYYY-MM-DD

Pending Tweets (N total)

1. [Hot Take] — Scheduled: Mon 10 AM

Tweet text here

Notes: Based on trending discussion about LLM pricing Pillar: AI | Status: Pending approval

2. [Thread] — Scheduled: Tue 10 AM

Tweet 1/5: Hook text here Tweet 2/5: Point one ...

Notes: Deep dive on new benchmark results Pillar: AI | Status: Pending approval

Risk Assessment

Before posting, evaluate each tweet:

• Could this be misinterpreted? → Rephrase for clarity

• Does this punch down? → Don't post

• Would you be comfortable seeing this attributed to the user in a news article? → If no, don't post

• Is this verifiably true? → If not sure, add hedging language or don't post