How to Make a Audiogram for X (Twitter) in {{year}}

The spec for X (Twitter)

Build your audiogram to match how people consume video on X. Keep it tight, readable, and thumb-stopping.

Aspect ratio - vertical 9:16 (1080x1920) for reach, square 1:1 (1080x1080) for feeds that mix desktop and mobile, landscape 16:9 (1280x720 or 1920x1080) for thread explainers.
Duration cap - standard accounts should target under 140 seconds. For engagement, 30 to 75 seconds wins most often.
Autoplay behavior - videos autoplay sound-off in feed. Expect silence until the user taps. Burn in captions and use a visible waveform.
Caption expectations - short lines, high contrast, always-on. Many viewers will never unmute.
Safe areas - keep essential text 80px from the edges on 1080-wide canvases. Avoid placing captions near the bottom 120px on vertical to prevent UI overlap.
Format - H.264 MP4 or MOV, 30 fps or 60 fps is fine. Aim for -14 LUFS integrated loudness, peak no higher than -1 dBTP.
File size - stay reasonable for the target duration and bitrate. If you are compressing, use 6 to 12 Mbps for 1080p.

The structure that works

On X you are competing with a fast scroller. Your audiogram needs a direct hook, fast context, a crisp quote or clip, a beat change, and a crystal clear call to action.

45 second audiogram template

0 to 2 seconds - motion-first hook. Animate the waveform immediately. Display the headline as 1 line. No pre-roll.
2 to 7 seconds - micro context. One sentence that sets up the clip. If you must show a logo, keep it small and in a corner.
7 to 30 seconds - the core quote. Choose a moment with a turn or reveal. Edit out filler words. Keep captions at 2 lines max.
30 to 38 seconds - beat bump. Quick cut-in with a different background or a kinetic caption style to reset attention.
38 to 45 seconds - CTA. One action. Examples - tap for full thread, follow for part two tomorrow, or link in bio for the full episode.

75 second audiogram template

0 to 3 seconds - hook. Use a bold claim or a contrarian insight. Show the waveform active.
3 to 12 seconds - frame the problem. What pain does the clip resolve. Use a single supporting stat if relevant.
12 to 45 seconds - the voice moment. Trim hedges, remove long pauses, and avoid nested clauses in captions.
45 to 60 seconds - mini summary. The speaker restates the takeaway or you insert an on-screen TL-DR.
60 to 75 seconds - CTA with social proof. Show a metric or testimonial for 1 to 2 seconds, then ask for the action.

Editing notes - cut for rhythm, not just words. Every 6 to 10 seconds change something small - background, zoom level, text style - to re-engage the eye without being noisy.

Hooks that earn attention

Hooks on X should be readable in under 2 seconds and understandable without sound. Use formulas that force curiosity, revolve around a pain, or promise a specific change.

Contrarian truth - "Hiring fast isn't your bottleneck, unblocking ICs is."
Number-first - "3 ways to cut cloud costs by 28 percent in 30 days."
If-then transformation - "If you ship weekly, then you already have a growth loop."
Myth-versus-reality - "Myth - You need virality. Reality - You need retention."
Outcome plus timeframe - "Rescue your churn in 7 days with one metric change."

Build 5 variants, test across time slots, and reuse the winner on later clips. Keep each hook under 60 characters with high-contrast text.

Brand + voice

Audiograms convert when they feel like a thread from a trustworthy account. A consistent brand kit and voice will outperform any single viral hit. When your typography, colors, caption style, and motion language line up, viewers recognize your content in under a second and your engagement compounds across posts.

Use a tight brand kit - 2 font families max, one primary color and one neutral, plus a waveform style that matches your tone. Decide your voice rules once - short sentences, verb-first, no passive. Define your CTA conventions - "Tap for sound", "Follow for part two", or "Full episode linked in bio" - and use them every time.

HyperVids' per-project brand kit makes this easy. Set your colors, fonts, caption box style, waveform type, and CTA stickers at the project level, then generate every audiogram with the same visual grammar. Teams can ship more consistently without re-tweaking settings on each render.

For technical teams, the /hyperframes skill gives you reusable frames for hooks, quotes, and CTAs that inherit your brand kit. You can wire this into your existing Claude CLI workflow so your prompts stay short while your output stays on-brand.

Captions + accessibility

Captions carry your message on X. They should be readable at arm's length, scan-friendly, and useful for viewers who never unmute.

Always-on captions - burn in open captions. Do not rely on auto captions alone.
Line length - cap at 32 to 38 characters per line for 1080-wide canvases. Avoid more than 2 lines at a time.
Font size - 6.5 to 8 percent of canvas height for mobile legibility. For 1080x1920, that is roughly 70 to 85 px depending on font.
Contrast - white or near-white text on a semi-opaque dark box, or high-contrast color pairs. Minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio.
Line breaks - break on phrase boundaries, not hard character counts. Keep verbs intact.
Position - captions should sit above the bottom UI area. On vertical, keep them roughly 210 to 240 px from the bottom edge.
Emphasis - use bold to highlight 2 to 3 keywords per sentence. Avoid italics which blur on small screens.
Waveform - choose a subtle style that does not obscure captions. Align it to the bottom third or behind the speaker card.
Accessibility extras - add alt text to the post with a one sentence summary, and link a transcript in your thread for longer clips.

A sample HyperVids prompt

Here is a realistic single-line prompt that produces a vertical audiogram optimized for X:

"Audiogram - 60s vertical for X, hook 'Stop guessing churn', clip from minute 12:05 to 13:05, captions bold keywords, TL-DR at 50s, CTA 'Follow for part two tomorrow', brand kit 'Clean Sans, electric blue, charcoal background, rounded caption box, minimal waveform'."

HyperVids takes this prompt, applies your per-project brand kit, and assembles hook, context, trimmed quote, TL-DR frame, and CTA with captions and a waveform. With the /hyperframes skill the frames remain consistent across posts, and your Claude CLI subscription lets you script batch generation for a full week of clips.

Common failure modes

Slow start - any fade-in or logo pre-roll at the top will tank retention. Begin with motion and text on frame 1.
Under-edited audio - long pauses and filler words increase caption density and reduce readability. Trim hard.
Low contrast - light text on light backgrounds will be skipped. Use a caption box or darken the backdrop.
Too long - anything past 75 seconds needs serious payoff. Most clips should fit in 30 to 60 seconds.
Unclear CTA - asking for two actions at once confuses viewers. Pick one and phrase it in 6 to 8 words.
Off-brand style - random fonts and colors dilute recognition. Use a kit and stick to it.
Busy visuals - animated backgrounds behind dense captions make reading hard. Keep motion minimal beneath text.
Wrong ratio - landscape posts can underperform on mobile. Use square or vertical unless your audience is primarily desktop.
Overmixed music - backing tracks louder than speech reduce comprehension. Keep music at least 12 dB below the voice.
Missing alt text - you lose accessibility and metadata. Add a sentence that summarizes the clip.
No thread context - a lone clip without a thread misses distribution. Pair it with 2 to 3 supporting tweets.

FAQ

What length works best for audiograms on X?

Most audiograms should be 30 to 60 seconds. It is enough time to deliver a single idea while staying within the scroller's attention window. Use 75 seconds when the quote has a clear arc and a strong payoff.

Should I use vertical or square?

Use vertical 9:16 for reach and mobile-first clips. Square 1:1 can help if your audience splits across desktop, or if your footage fits square better. Landscape 16:9 is only ideal for thread explainers and screen demos.

Do I need captions if the clip is short?

Yes. X defaults to sound-off. Burn in captions on every audiogram. Keep them high contrast, 2 lines max, and place a "Tap for sound" micro-CTA near the hook for the first 3 seconds.