How to Crush It on Twitter: David Perell and Matthew Kobach Workshop

Author: David Perell and Matthew Kobach URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5d6zm3YbqM One-line: A workshop on using Twitter as a networking-and-learning engine — write with compression and novelty, curate your feed ruthlessly, own a hyper-specific niche, and post consistently until the audience teaches you what works.

Key claims

• Twitter is a networking-and-learning network first. “Twitter is the most amazing networking and learning network ever built” (Bill Gurley). On it you can build a network “solely based on your clarity and quality of thought.”
• VCs crush it on Twitter because the job rewards novelty. Their work is to have ideas others don’t (VC Twitter, Venture Capital) — “be a contrarian without going too far.” See Tyler Cowen’s Why is VC Twitter so peculiar?.
• People don’t read Twitter like a book. Catch attention, then give context. Limit to no more than two pieces of clickable text (link, hashtag, mention) so a post doesn’t look spammy. Reward compression: “Don’t use 5 words when two words will do.”
• Curate your feed like a healthy meal. Find good people in the retweets of people you already like; unfollow anyone who stresses or spams you; limit “ice cream” accounts that are fun but empty.
• Every tweet should have one idea. The first line is the subject line of an email — give it its own line because it looks better. Formatting/brevity is why Kobach drafts on a test account.
• Own a hyper-specific niche, then expand. Not wine, not white wine, not French white wine — white wine from one specific region. Once you have followers (6–8 months out) you can broaden.
• Post every day for 30 days, then learn from the data. “Your audience tells you how to format a tweet, how to word a tweet, and what your content should be. You don’t tell them.” Integrate what works, ditch what doesn’t, repeat — the compound effect makes the account more than the sum of its parts.
• Become a lighthouse for like-minded people. Matthew Kobach can reach anyone in finance and get a response within hours. Reply to big accounts — but only when you genuinely add to the conversation.

Notable quotes

“Twitter is the most amazing networking and learning network ever built.” — Bill Gurley

“Twitter is great for writers, investors, and entrepreneurs because when you post your thoughts you get instant feedback that’s more unfiltered than anything you’ll get face to face.” — Allison Allen

“Twitter is the writing improvement tool that we’ve never had in human history.” — David Perell

“Become a lighthouse for likeminded people.”

“I try to write for an hour every day and I make sure not to have my phone next to me. When I read books I make sure not to have access to my twitter. If you’re more than 7 seconds away then you’ll be so much less distracted.” — David Perell

“When people know that others are going to step into our minds, we want to make sure everything is cleaned up.” — David Perell

“You want your audience to say, ‘Whoah, I’ve always known that but didn’t know how to put it into words!’”

Notes — David’s presentation

• How to write a good tweet
  • Compression — Twitter rewards taking an idea and putting it into a small amount of space.
  • No spam — don’t use hashtags; limit a tweet to “no more than two pieces of clickable text” (a link, a hashtag, a mention). You can break your own rule, but always go for quality and clarity.
  • Simplicity — catch people first, then give them context.
  • Novelty — VCs spend a lot of time thinking about novelty; novelty is what makes people react positively (VC Twitter).
• Curate your feed
  • To get better at writing: “Read good writers.” Perell looks at the books his favorite authors read.
  • Follow the people that people you like follow; unfollow anyone who stresses or spams you.
  • Twitter has fewer users than Instagram/Facebook — it takes work to build the feed you want, but it pays off.
• Your Twitter presence
  • Your pinned tweet introduces people to you. Note-taking is a conversation with your past self.
  • Every tweet = a single idea; “your presentation is as important as your content.” First line = the subject line of an email.
  • Reply to people with big followings — but only when you truly add to the conversation.
  • Bio: state your job (credibility) and what to expect when someone follows you.
  • Hone your strategy: tweet every day for 30 days and learn from your successes.
  • On tweeting about articles: create a “curiosity gap” so readers need to read the piece to feel complete.
  • A pseudonym is fine where appropriate — adds mystery and protection.
  • Related watch: The Defiant Ones (movie) (#movies-to-watch) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgztAU7p-WM
  • The 7-second rule on distraction: keep your phone/Twitter more than seven seconds away while writing or reading (#The 7 Second Rule).

Notes — Matthew’s presentation

• Start with strategy — “Someone should follow me because ______.” Keep the reason very specific at first.
• Own your niche — be unbelievably niche; the more specific you are, the more unique you are. Expand only once you have followers (6–8 months down the road).
• Post consistently — post every day for 30 days, then audit engagement: keep what worked, ditch what didn’t, repeat until successes outnumber failures. Use the compound effect; “we have two masters: engagement and ourselves — the best accounts marry those two.”

How it connects

• David Perell / Matthew Kobach — the two instructors; they met on Twitter.
• Twitter / VC Twitter / Venture Capital — the platform and why VCs thrive on it (novelty as edge).
• Writing / Networking — Twitter as a writing-improvement and networking engine.
• Bill Gurley / Tyler Cowen — sources cited on Twitter’s value and VC Twitter’s peculiarity.
• The Defiant Ones (movie) — flagged as a watch in the talk.