The Method

1. A sharp face

   −8points

   A human face, sharp, filling the frame.

   A landscape, a distant figure, an abstract logo, or a face lost in the frame. A media or institutional account keeps the points with a clean logo and a consistent editorial tone.

2. Readable when small

   −4points

   Still readable at 48 pixels, the size in a timeline.

   Detail that disappears when the image is shrunk.

3. Current and recognisable

   −3points

   Current, and the same face used elsewhere.

   A photo a decade old, or one nobody would match to you on another network.

1. A banner that says something

   −6points

   Restates or extends the promise the bio makes.

   Scenery, a mood, or anything carrying no message.

2. Proof on the banner

   −5points

   Shows proof a stranger can check: covers, mastheads, numbers, roles.

   Nothing verifiable anywhere on it.

3. Not the default banner

   −4points

   Not the X default, and not tied to a date that has passed.

   The default banner, or an event poster from last year.

1. A precise specialty

   −8points

   Opens on a precise specialty, not a category.

   A field where a niche belongs. “Law” loses points that “criminal law and prison reform” keeps.

2. What a follower gets

   −8points

   States what a follower gets, concretely and repeatedly.

   A description of you with no promise to the reader.

3. Proof in the bio

   −5points

   Carries proof: a role, an institution, a number, a publication.

   Claims with nothing behind them.

4. One call to action

   −5points

   Exactly one call to action.

   A newsletter and a podcast and a site and an inbox. Two destinations dilute both. None wastes the field.

5. Verbs, not labels

   −2points

   Active verbs, not self-descriptors.

   “Passionate”, “curious”, “jack of all trades”, “views my own”.

6. Emoji under control

   −2points

   At most 2 emoji, and only as arrows or separators.

   Decorative rows of them, which read as a lifestyle account.

1. A keyword in the name

   −5points

   The display name carries a keyword after the name.

   A bare name. The keyword is what X search indexes and what a reader sees in a reply thread.

2. One link, named

   −4points

   One link, to one destination, named in the bio.

   A dead link, a generic homepage, or a hub of five options.

3. The verified badge

   −3points

   The paid badge is on.

   Reach and credibility at once: the same post is shown to a fraction of the audience without it.

4. A healthy follow ratio

   −3points

   The following count is not far above the follower count.

   5,000 followed against 800 followers reads as a numbers game.

1. Something is pinned

   −10points

   There is a pinned post.

   The one slot you control, left to whatever you posted last.

2. A format that converts

   −6points

   It is one of the three formats that convert: an introduction thread, your best recent performance, or a resource thread.

   An announcement, a promise of news, or a post that gives nothing away.

3. Pinned recently

   −5points

   Pinned within the last 3 to 6 months.

   A pin from two years ago, which reads as an abandoned account.

4. Recent posts underneath

   −4points

   The posts under it are recent, on your 2 pillars, and not only replies.

   Weeks of silence, four unrelated subjects, or a wall of replies with nothing of your own.

Grades