Broetry (The Broem Writing Style)
Mobile-optimized, vulnerable storytelling that stops the scroll.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 85%
Broetry (the 'broem') is the one-sentence-per-line storytelling format Fechter pioneered on LinkedIn. It is mobile-optimized so skimming readers glide sentence to sentence, and it wraps standard copywriting in a vulnerable, controversial narrative arc. You open with something controversial, dig into genuine pain, and stay relevant to the platform. Fechter insists there's nothing magical about it — it is thousand-year-old copywriting principles most people simply never learned. Applied consistently, it drove close to 200 million views for him.
Origin
Fechter reposted a viral Quora story onto LinkedIn almost by accident, saw it hit tens of thousands of engagements despite ~1,500 followers, noticed nobody was storytelling in status updates, and became one of the first to do it — a style later dubbed 'broetry.'
Core principles
- 01Format for mobile: one sentence per line with spacing so skimming eyes jump easily.
- 02Open with something controversial to create anticipation for what comes next.
- 03Show vulnerability and pain so readers trust you and feel attracted to the story.
- 04Make it relevant to the platform's audience (e.g. career topics on LinkedIn).
- 05It's just classic copywriting principles applied — nothing magical.
How to run it
- 1
Format for the thumb
Write one sentence per line with spacing between sentences so a mobile reader's eyes move easily instead of hitting a wall of text.
Pro tip This alone makes the piece far easier to skim and finish.
- 2
Open controversial, then get vulnerable
Lead with something controversial (e.g. about your career) to build anticipation, then dig into real pain to show vulnerability.
Pro tip Controversy gets people excited for what's next; pain earns trust.
Watch out Faking vulnerability reads hollow — the trust comes from the story being real.
- 3
Apply plain copywriting rules
Strip adverbs and vague adjectives, keep language descriptive, and make the story relevant to the platform's audience.
Pro tip Re-read The Elements of Style and simply apply its principles.
In the wild
Fechter repurposed one of his viral Quora stories onto LinkedIn and it drew around 30,000-50,000 engagements; a second repost hit roughly 90,000, revealing an untapped format.
→ He 10x'd the approach to roughly 200 million views and LinkedIn cited his work as a factor in changing its feed algorithm.
Common mistakes
Writing in chunky essay paragraphs
The education system trains people to write intro-body-conclusion blocks that read poorly on mobile and don't pull emotion.
Refusing to be vulnerable
People struggle to be vulnerable, but without it the story can't build trust or an audience.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders and marketers building a personal brand on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Quora through storytelling.
Not ideal for
Formal long-form documents or audiences that expect dense analytical prose.
From the transcript
“it's mobile-optimized so you don't see a lot of sentences duck together you know see spacing usually between each sentence”
“the controversy gets people excited of what's gonna happen next the pain shows that you're vulnerable and when you're vulnerable people get more attracted to…”
From the episode
Josh Fechter: Growth Hacker Marketing Secrets
Josh Fechter