Why X still matters for founders
LinkedIn is where professional reputations are formalised. X, formerly Twitter, is where many conversations happen first. Founders, investors, engineers, designers, journalists, and operators share ideas there in real time. For startup, tech, and investing circles especially, X remains one of the fastest ways to meet interesting people, test ideas, and become known for how you think.
It can also be a huge time sink. The goal is to use X deliberately: to build relationships and reputation, without letting the feed take over your day.
Set up your profile for the right people
Name and photo: your real name and a clear photo. People connect with people.
Bio: what you are building and what you think about, in plain words. Mention your company and one or two topics.
Pinned post: your best thread, a clear introduction, or what your company does and who it is for.
Link: your company website, newsletter, or personal site.
Decide what you will be known for
Like any personal brand, X works best when you are consistent. Pick two or three topics you genuinely care about and know well: your industry, building the company, a craft like product or engineering, or the market you serve. People follow accounts that reliably give them something useful or interesting.
What founders can post
Lessons from building. Hiring, fundraising, pricing, product decisions, and mistakes, shared honestly.
Opinions with reasons. Clear points of view on your industry, backed by experience.
Building in public. Progress, metrics you are comfortable sharing, launches, and what you are learning. It builds trust and accountability.
Useful resources. Tools, templates, and frameworks your audience can use.
Questions. Asking smart questions often starts better conversations than broadcasting answers.
Threads and long posts
Threads and longer posts let you go deeper: a story, a framework, or a lesson broken into clear steps. A strong opening line that makes the value obvious matters most. Keep each part focused, use specific details, and end with a clear takeaway or link. A good thread can also become a LinkedIn post or a newsletter section, as we explain in how to turn one idea into a week of content.
Replies are where relationships start
Many founders grow on X not through their own posts, but through thoughtful replies to others. Adding a genuine insight, experience, or question to someone else's post puts you in front of their audience and starts real conversations. Direct messages that follow good public exchanges often turn into partnerships, hires, customers, and investor introductions.
Protect your time and your reputation
Set specific times for X rather than checking it all day. Use lists to follow the people who matter most instead of relying on the main feed. Avoid getting pulled into arguments, pile-ons, and hot takes outside your expertise. Remember that everything you post is public and permanent, and that investors, customers, and future hires will read it.
X or LinkedIn?
It depends on your audience. LinkedIn is usually stronger for B2B buyers, corporate decision-makers, and many Indian business audiences. X is often stronger for startups, tech, investors, media, and global conversations. Many founders use both, with slightly different tones: sharper and faster on X, more structured on LinkedIn. Our guide on what to post on LinkedIn covers the other side.
Founder content at Outlier Labs
At Outlier Labs, we help founders and leaders build their presence across LinkedIn, X, and newsletters through founder-led content. We interview you, find the ideas worth sharing, and write in your voice, while you approve every word. If you want to show up consistently without it taking over your week, tell us about yourself.
