First 1,000 X followers checklist

One-sentence niche defined: 'I write [topic] for [audience].'

Niche test: does it filter out 80%+ of X's general audience? If not, narrow further.

10 accounts at 5-50k followers in your niche audited — note hook patterns, thread cadence, reply discipline

Niche locked for 90 days (no niche-hopping)

Profile picture set + bio names niche in first 80 chars

External link points to ONE landing page (newsletter, product, free resource)

Pinned tweet is your best work — even from week 1

Banner reinforces niche visually (no stock photos)

3 originals + 20 replies per day, every day for 90 days

Originals scheduled (or banked) in advance — no daily 'what do I post' decisions

Each original starts with a hook (contrarian, specific-number, curiosity-gap, or personal-stake)

Each original is one you'd want a stranger to bookmark

1 thread per week (5-9 tweets)

30-50 account reply list built (5-50x your size, in your niche)

Daily 1-hour reply block scheduled (same time each day)

Each reply: 2+ sentences with real value

Track which reply targets followed you back (5%+ conversion is healthy)

Reply list refreshed weekly — drop inactive, add new

Test 4 hook patterns over 4 weeks (1 pattern dominant each week)

Identify which pattern wins for YOUR account by week 5

On weeks 5-12, lead with the winning pattern 60% of the time

When a tweet breaks 3x+ your usual: immediately follow up with related content

Don't quit at month 1 if no viral hit — most break-outs happen in months 2-3

At day 90: audit. Are you on track for 1k? If yes, sustain. If no, retry with stronger hooks.