How to make a texting-story video for X
On X (formerly Twitter) a square video fits the timeline without heavy cropping. Here is the workflow from script to upload, with a sample that opens at 1:1.
Try it: start from this sample
Jun, we launch in ten minutes.
Great. What are we launching?
The thing you built last week.
I built a lot of things last week.
Write for a feed that scrolls fast
X is a stream of short posts, so a texting story has to read like one. Open on the line that makes a reader stop, as the sample does with a countdown and a confused reply. Aim for three to six messages: one idea, one escalation, one punchline. Anything that needs a paragraph of explanation belongs in the caption or in a part two.
Build it in the X DM-style look
The X DM look is on the Free plan. It supports read receipts but not a typing indicator, so pacing comes from the speed setting: slow, normal or fast, about 2, 1 or 0.5 seconds between messages. ChatsRat draws its own interface in a similar general style and uses the name only to describe the layout. Pick dark or light, give the people plain first names, and keep bubbles short.
Export square and post
Video export is a Creator plan feature. Choose 1:1 in the export dialog; a preset opens the dialog at that shape when your plan allows it. Video on the timeline can be horizontal, square or vertical, and square or 4:5 fits without heavy cropping. These notes are typical as of November 2026, so check the platform's own help page before you post. Upload the file with a short caption that says the story is fictional.
A quick checklist before you post
Read the sample aloud: the first line should raise a question, the third should answer it with a surprise. Check that every bubble stays inside the square with room around it, that the names are invented, and that the post says it is a fictional chat. If all four hold, upload. If one fails, fix that before anything else.
Tips
- Write the caption last, once you know which line is the hook.
- Keep text in the middle with a margin on every side of the square.
- Use fast speed for banter and slow for the one line that matters.
- Watch the file muted; if it does not make sense, add captions.
Questions
Why square instead of vertical?
Square is a safe shape in the timeline: it keeps your whole chat visible without heavy cropping. A vertical file also works, but may be cropped in previews.
Does the look need a paid plan?
No. The X DM-style look is on the Free plan, but video export and the 1:1 ratio need Creator.
Can I turn on a typing indicator?
Not in this look, because the X DM-style look has no typing indicator. Use the animation speed setting to control pacing instead, and the end hold for the punchline.
Can I post a story that looks like a real DM?
Only if it is clearly fictional. Label it, use invented names and never present it as a real message from a real person.
Use it for simulated, labelled content. ChatsRat makes mock-ups and fictional conversations for creators, designers and teachers. Do not use it to pass off a made-up conversation as a real one, to impersonate a real person, or as proof of anything. See the Acceptable Use policy.
About the watermark. Exports on the Free plan carry a visible ChatsRat watermark, and every export carries an invisible mark that the verify page can read. Plans list what changes on paid plans.
ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app. App names on this page describe a style only.