How to host a weekly chat on X

A one-off chat is easy. A weekly chat that people still show up for in month six takes a plan. The good news is that the plan is mostly about consistency, and the hour itself follows a pattern you can reuse every week.

This guide covers the setup decisions, the run of show, and the habits that keep a regular chat from fading out.

Decide what the chat is for

Write one sentence that describes who the chat is for and what they get out of it. "A weekly hour for people who write email newsletters to swap what's working" is specific enough. "Conversations about marketing" isn't; it describes the whole internet.

That sentence becomes your profile bio, the top of your pinned post, and the test for every topic you pick. If a proposed topic doesn't serve those people, skip it.

Pick a slot and keep it

A weekly chat lives or dies by its slot. People build it into their week only if it never moves.

• Choose the hour your core audience can make. Weekday evenings in US Eastern time are a long-standing choice because they're still afternoon on the West Coast. If your audience leans European or South Asian, an evening in US time is the middle of the night for them.
• Check the conversion. The chat planner shows your start time in ET, PT, UK time, Central European time and India time. Watch the weeks around daylight saving changes: the US and Europe switch on different dates, and India doesn't switch at all, so the gap between regions changes for a few weeks each spring and fall.
• Start with an hour. Sixty minutes is long enough for six to eight questions and short enough that people stay to the end. You can shorten it later.

Choose a hashtag

The hashtag is your chat's address. It should be short, easy to spell from memory, and not already in use. Search it on X, open the Latest tab, and scroll back a few weeks. If it's quiet or only used by people who'd fit your chat, it's yours. If it's busy with anything else, especially spam, choose another.

Write it in camel case (#NewsletterChat, not #newsletterchat). It's easier to read and screen readers pronounce the words correctly.

Write the questions in advance

Good chat questions are open, specific and answerable in a post. "What do you think about subject lines?" invites one-word replies. "What's a subject line that got far more opens than you expected, and why do you think it worked?" invites a story.

Draft six to eight questions per session, in an order that builds:

1. An easy warm-up anyone can answer.
2. Two or three questions that get into the substance.
3. One that asks for a mistake or a surprise. These tend to get the best replies.
4. A practical closer: a tip, a tool, or one thing people will try this week.

Post your questions in the planner and it lays out the timing, writes each question post with your hashtag, and checks the length against 280 characters.

Run the hour

A typical weekly hour runs like this:

Between questions, your job is to read and reply. Like and repost strong answers. Ask a follow-up when someone says something interesting. Welcome people who say it's their first time. The conversation between participants matters more than your questions do.

Stick to the clock even when a question is going well. People plan around the schedule, and some will only stay for the first half.

Get help: co-hosts and guests

Hosting alone is hard because two jobs compete for the same minutes: keeping time and actually talking with people. A co-host solves that. One person posts the questions on schedule; the other replies, greets newcomers and handles anything off-topic or spammy in the hashtag. Some co-host teams coordinate in an XChat group chat while the public chat runs.

Guests bring an audience and fresh answers. Send your guest the questions a few days ahead, agree on whether they'll answer each question first or join the replies, and give them the hashtag and start time in their own time zone.

Keep it going

Weekly chats usually fade because of small slips, not bad sessions. A few habits help:

• Announce every session. A post a few days before and a reminder an hour before. See promoting your chat.
• Publish the topic schedule a month ahead. People can plan to join the sessions they care about most, and guests can see what's coming.
• Write a recap. It brings back people who missed the session and gives your regulars something to share. Our recap guide explains how to quote participants fairly.
• Take breaks on purpose. Skip holiday weeks and say so in advance. A planned break looks organized. An unannounced gap looks like the chat ended.
• Ask regulars for topics. The best sessions often come from a question someone asked in last week's replies.

When to switch formats

If your chat keeps attracting people who'd rather listen than type, try a monthly Space alongside it. If your weekly text chat has dwindled to the same five people, consider moving to every other week and putting more effort into each session. A smaller chat that's always good keeps more people than a weekly one that often runs thin.

Common questions

What is the best day and time for an X chat?

The one your audience can reliably make. Evenings in US Eastern time on weekdays have long been common because they also land in the afternoon on the US West Coast. If many participants are in Europe or India, check the time zone table in the planner before you commit.

How many questions should a one-hour chat have?

Six to eight is typical, with about seven to ten minutes per question. Fewer, better questions produce more conversation than many quick ones.

Do I need a co-host?

It helps a lot. One person posts questions and keeps time while the other replies to participants, welcomes newcomers and watches for spam in the hashtag.