How to Write a Thread on X, Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon

To write a thread, write the whole thing as one piece, then cut it where sentences end so each part fits the network's limit, and make the first post worth reading on its own. The limit per post is 280 characters on X, 300 on Bluesky, and 500 on Threads and a standard Mastodon server, so the same draft splits differently on each.

Per-post limits and how each composer works

On X, Threads and Bluesky you can write every part before anything goes out. On Mastodon you post the first part and reply to it. Either way, the limit applies to each post, not to the thread.

The counts aren't simple character counts. X weighs emoji and most non-Latin characters as 2 and every link as 23, Bluesky's app counts a shortened form of each link, and Mastodon counts every link as 23. Our guide to how each network counts characters has the details.

Step 1: Write it as one piece

Draft the thread as a single text with normal paragraphs, then split it. If you write post by post, each post ends where you ran out of room rather than where the thought ends, and you get parts that stop mid-argument.

Writing it whole also lets you reuse it. The same draft can become a thread on X, a shorter thread on Threads, and one post on LinkedIn.

Step 2: Make the first post stand alone

The first post is the one most people see. X's help center says a thread of 2 or 3 posts generally appears in the timeline connected by a line, and one of 4 or more is cut short behind "Show this thread". Reposts and quotes of any part show the same prompt.

So the first post has to work without the rest:

• Put the point in it. "Five checks I run before I schedule anything" tells readers what they'll get. "A thread 🧵👇" doesn't.
• Give one useful piece. If someone reads only the first post, they should leave with something.
• Save the link for the end unless the link is the point. Readers who reach the last post are the ones who want it.

Step 3: Cut where sentences end

Good cuts follow the text's own breaks. In order of preference:

1. A paragraph break, when the part before it fills at least half a post. Ending on a short paragraph wastes room.
2. The end of a sentence.
3. A word break, only when a single sentence is longer than a post.

Never cut inside a link: a broken address doesn't work on any network. And aim for one idea per post, which makes each part easier to quote and reply to.

Here's a 596-character draft split with those rules by our free thread maker, with numbering on:

Before I schedule anything, I read it out loud once. Five checks, in order.

First, does the opening post make sense to someone who reads nothing else? If it needs the rest of the thread to land, I rewrite it.

Second, is there one idea per post? When I find two, I split them and keep the stronger one for today.

Third, every link gets clicked. A broken link in the last post is the easiest mistake to miss.

Fourth, images get alt text. If I can't describe the image in a sentence, it probably isn't saying anything.

Fifth, I cut the last sentence. It's usually a summary of what I just said.

Every cut falls on a paragraph break, and no part ends mid-thought.

Step 4: Number the parts per network

Numbers tell readers how long the thread is and where they are. They also cost characters and fix the length in place.

Three things to know before you number:

• The total differs by network. The example above is 3 posts on X and Bluesky and 2 on Threads and Mastodon. Paste the X version onto Threads and you'll post "1/3" in a thread of 2.
• Numbers break when you add a post. X lets you add to a posted thread with Add another post, and on the other networks you reply to your last post. A thread numbered "1/3" that gets a fourth part reads wrong.
• Reserve the room. Count the marker as part of each post's limit before you cut, not after, or the last sentence of a full post won't fit.

If you might add to the thread later, skip the total and write "1/", "2/" and so on, or don't number at all.

Step 5: Post it all at once

Posting every part together means nobody sees a thread with one post and a promise. How it works on each network:

• X: Write each post, tap the plus icon for the next, and tap Post all. To add more later, open the thread and use Add another post, which only you see.
• Threads: Write the first post, use Add to thread under it for each next part, then post.
• Bluesky: Tap the plus button under your post to add the next, then Post All in the top corner.
• Mastodon: Post the first part, then reply to it with the next, and so on. fedi.tips calls it polite to post the first part as Public and the replies as Unlisted, so only the start of the thread shows on live feeds and in search. Your followers still see every part in their home timeline, so a very long thread fills their feed either way.
• LinkedIn: There's no thread. A post holds up to 3,000 characters, so most threads fit as one post with paragraph breaks. If yours doesn't, put the rest in a comment under it.

When a long post beats a thread

Two networks have a single-post alternative:

• X Premium: subscribers can post up to 25,000 characters in one post, and everyone can read it.
• Threads text attachments: you can attach up to 10,000 characters of text to a post, with basic formatting. Meta's API docs say attachments work only on text-only posts.

A thread suits a list of separate points that people might reply to one by one. A long post suits an argument that only works when read in order.

Writing threads in Shaflex

In Shaflex, you write one draft and each network gets its own copy, sized to its own limit. On any copy that runs long, Split automatically turns it into a thread, cut where sentences end. Threads, X, Bluesky and Mastodon get a real thread of replies, and on LinkedIn the parts after the first go in as comments under your post. Here's how scheduling to X, Threads and Bluesky works. To split a draft without signing up, use the free thread maker.

Sources

Checked on October 19, 2026.

• X Help: How to create a thread on X (plus icon, Post all, Add another post, how threads show in the timeline)
• X Help: About X Premium (longer posts up to 25,000 characters)
• X developer docs: Counting characters
• Threads API docs: Posts (500 characters) and Text attachments (10,000 characters, text-only posts)
• Meta: Attach text to your Threads posts (September 2025)
• AT Protocol lexicon: app.bsky.feed.post (300 graphemes per post)
• Bluesky app source: Composer (Add another post, Post All)
• Mastodon docs: Posting toots (500 by default)
• fedi.tips: How do I post a thread on Mastodon?
• LinkedIn Help: Post and share updates (3,000 characters)