Podcast Summary: Coffee With Cole: The Digital Writing Podcast
Episode: The X Algorithm Has Changed! (Your New 2026 Content)
Date: February 24, 2026
Host: Nicolas Cole
Guest: Dickie Bush
Overview
This episode provides an in-depth, tactical analysis of the major changes to the X (formerly Twitter) algorithm as of early 2026. Cole and Dickie explain how shifting priorities in content formats are affecting digital writers, creators, and businesses. They break down what content works now, how to adjust your 2026 content strategy, and why building a personal content library is the most resilient, valuable move in an ever-changing digital landscape.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. How Distribution Has Shifted Across Platforms
- 2020-2023: X/Twitter was the #1 traffic driver for Cole and Dickie’s business.
- 2023-2025: LinkedIn surpassed X as a source of leads, now driving 70% of their business leads.
- [00:12] Dickie: “LinkedIn now drives like 70% of our leads for our business. It's crazy.”
- 2026: X dropped further, ranking behind LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram, despite both hosts having large X followings.
- [00:23] Dickie: “At the beginning of 2026, X fell to the bottom of our traffic list. … I have over 200,000 followers ... Cole has over 400,000 followers. So what happened?”
2. The Cyclical Nature of Digital Writing Platforms
- Cole shares his 15 years of digital writing experience: platforms rise, dominate, and fade (Quora, Medium, now X).
- [02:30] Cole: “Every two to five years, something changes. … As time goes on in the world of digital writing, the platforms change, the rules change, algorithms change, incentives change, formats change.”
- Winning long-term means not relying on one platform or algorithm, but building a "library" of versatile content.
- [06:10] Cole: “The whole goal is to build a library that you can reuse over and over and over and over again.”
3. Interpreting the New X Algorithm
- New Head of Product: X hired Nikita Bier, a viral consumer platform specialist, who’s designed X to behave more like "TikTok for text."
- [13:45] Cole: “Nikita ... is aiming in a direction of how do you make X like TikTok for text.”
- Consequences: The X feed now heavily features short, viral, mass-appeal one-liners and snippets from random accounts—less niche, more meme-like virality.
- The platform's incentives are: maximize daily active users, screen time, and engagement—meaning formats that require less cognitive load proliferate.
4. Your 2026 X Content Playbook
Key insight:
- Don’t change your niche. Change your content packaging and format to fit what the algorithm favors.
A. Long-Form Articles: The Hot, Must-Use Format
- Major Algorithm Prioritization: X now heavily pushes "Articles" (a new premium feature), similar to Medium/LinkedIn long-form posts.
- [32:00] Cole: “Being able to post long form on a platform like this … is a huge deal. … This article has 162 million views, and it was posted less than a week ago. That is insane.”
- Strategy: Repurpose your best-performing content from other platforms as X articles.
- [27:10] Cole: “I am going to copy paste over an article that I have already written. That is what I am going to do. ... This is the purpose of building a library.”
- Notable Example: Dan Ko, a digital writer, had a single X article with 162 million views—far more than his follower count; this is algorithmic distribution, not audience-dependent.
B. Short-Form Paragraph Posts
- Rising Format: Concise, single-paragraph posts—often a sharp idea compressed as much as possible—are outperforming traditional threads or tweetstorms.
- [43:15] Cole: “Really the two formats that I would encourage everyone to experiment with is this short form paragraph style ... or articles.”
- The psychology: A “paragraph” post on X stands out visually (like a quote from a book) and feels smart, novel, and skimmable.
C. Threads & Other Formats: Less Effective
- Threads still work, but are no longer prioritized. Use primarily for content that demands that structure, but focus on the two favored forms above.
D. Video
- Video can add brand depth and variety but is still peripheral on X. Leverage for positioning, not for reach.
- [46:10] Cole: “I don’t think either LinkedIn or X are intended to be video platforms … it’s for brand building, not virality.”
E. Content Volume & Cadence
- Past: X tolerated high posting frequency—up to 8 times daily.
- Present: 2 short paragraphs per day + 1 article per day is the recommended cadence.
- [51:34] “I would aim for, like, two short paragraphs a day ... and an article per day.”
5. The Power of Content Libraries and Repurposing
- Why build a library? So you can “play the hits” and quickly meet new arbitrage opportunities when platforms or formats change.
- [27:10] Cole: “Every time a new platform comes out ... take your library, play the hits, and copy paste.”
- Example: Dan Ko likely reposted past content as X articles, riding the new wave.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- [06:10] Cole: “The game is not really putting all your focus on how do I game the algorithm. The game is on building a library so that when platforms change and when algorithms change, you can take advantage of it.”
- [11:55] Cole: “A very easy way of capitalizing on opportunities in the world of digital writing is just follow the money, follow the incentives.”
- [32:00] Cole: “This article has 162 million views, and it was posted less than a week ago. … This is not an outcome that he or anyone has any control over. ... He posted something and woke up one day and he won the Powerball.”
- [52:40] Cole: “Library over everything. Just because you wrote about it once doesn’t mean that’s the only time you can use it. Use it forever.”
- [50:20] Cole: “That is my entire thesis for writing on the Internet: take the things that you’ve written and copy paste them in as many places as possible. And then when a new format comes out, adjust or rewrite them for the new format … If you do that, the compounding is insane.”
Actionable 2026 X Content Strategy
- Focus:
- Stick with your niche/industry—don’t dilute for mass virality.
- Package your expertise into short-form paragraphs and long-form articles.
- Cadence:
- Aim for 2 short paragraphs per day.
- Republish 1 article per day (using your library).
- Newsletter:
- Don’t start a newsletter until you’ve published online consistently multiple times per day, every day, for at least 6 months.
- Experiment:
- Try different formats; learn from what performs and double down.
- Repurpose and reuse: repost your best library content in new formats or new platforms as opportunities emerge.
- Mindset:
- Consistency matters above all (“If Dan had quit in year one, the 162M article never would have happened”).
- Leverage compounding—reusing and reshaping content multiplies reach.
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:00 — Episode topic introduction: X algorithm update
- 03:14 — Platform history: Quora, Medium, rise/fall, lessons for writers
- 13:45 — “TikTok for text,” X’s head of product & algorithm philosophy
- 27:10 — Why and how to build a content library
- 32:00 — Articles explode: 162M-view example explained
- 43:15 — Short-form paragraph style: what it is and why it works
- 46:10 — Using video on X and LinkedIn: purposes & limits
- 51:34 — Practical recommendations: formats, cadence, library repurposing
- 52:40 — Final takeaways: be consistent, follow incentives, value of the library
Final Summary & Takeaways
- The X algorithm now heavily favors long-form articles and short, strong paragraph posts.
- Repurpose your existing content library into these new formats—adapt, don’t reinvent.
- Consistency is king: publish daily, experiment, and double down on what works.
- Algorithms and platforms will keep evolving; managing your own evolving, flexible content library is the most resilient and lucrative approach.
- As Cole summarized: “Library over everything.”
- Don’t chase virality; aim for strategic, format-aware publishing in your niche.
If you want to thrive as a digital writer in 2026, what you publish is important—but how you package and repurpose it across formats is the real game.