X/Twitter Glossary

What is Ratio?

Getting 'ratioed' means a reply to your post receives more likes/engagement than your original post, indicating disagreement or that the reply was better.

Full Explanation

A ratio occurs when someone's reply to a post outperforms the original post in engagement—usually likes, but sometimes retweets or replies too. This typically happens when the original post contains a bad take, misinformation, or something the community disagrees with. Someone replies with a correction or clever comeback, and the crowd shows their agreement by engaging more with the reply than the original. Getting ratioed is generally seen as an 'L' (loss) and a sign that your take was wrong or poorly received.

Why It Matters

Understanding ratio culture helps you navigate X's social dynamics. Getting ratioed can damage credibility, especially if it happens frequently. On the flip side, ratio-ing someone (being the reply that outperforms their post) can boost your visibility and credibility. Some creators intentionally post controversial takes hoping the engagement from being ratioed will boost their reach—a risky strategy.

Examples

  • Original post: 500 likes. Reply: 5,000 likes. The original got ratioed.
  • Saying 'ratio' as a reply is attempting to get more likes than the original
  • Self-ratio: when your own follow-up reply does better than your original post
  • Community notes appearing on a post often leads to it getting ratioed

Tips for Creators

  • 1.Think twice before posting hot takes—consider how they might be received
  • 2.If you get ratioed, don't delete—it often makes things worse
  • 3.You can use ratio culture strategically by replying cleverly to bad takes
  • 4.Don't intentionally post bad takes just for engagement—it damages trust
  • 5.A ratio isn't always bad—sometimes the reply is just funnier, not a rebuke
Related Poaster Feature:Poast Analyzer

Poast Analyzer helps you evaluate your posts before publishing to avoid unintended hot takes that might get ratioed.

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