Twitter is a fast-paced and popular social network, so you may be wondering if there’s some way to make your Tweets stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, the answer is yes. In this article, we’ll show you research-backed ways to craft Tweets that will grab your readers’ attention and encourage them to like, retweet, and respond.
Ask a question.
Questions are a great way to engage your audience.
They pique people’s curiosity and encourage conversation. Whether you’re seeking opinions, trying to get practical information, or just looking for a way to break the ice and get to know your followers, pose an interesting question and invite your readers to reply with their answers.
- For example, try something like, “What are your favorite ways to unwind during stressful times?” or, “I’m looking at 4 possible designs for my new logo. Which one do you like best?”
- You can also create a Twitter poll to get answers from your followers. Click the Tweet compose box and click the Add poll icon, which looks like 3 horizontal bars of different lengths. Type your question into the compose box, then add up to 4 possible answers in the Choice boxes below.
- Twitter enjoys really great replies, retweets, and great sarcastic tweets.
- You have to be a little bit witty and come up with clever responses to them.
Create a compelling announcement.
The Twitter format works well for dropping tidbits of news.
Twitter is a very news oriented platform where people go to get news. If you have something important to tell your followers, compose a short Tweet letting them know. Keep it simple and straight to the point, but don’t be afraid to get a little playful or creative. For example:
- “Drumroll, please: I just unveiled my newest illustration! Click here to check it out.”
- “Ooh, la la, new French milled soaps are finally here. Follow the link to explore our glorious Provence-inspired scents.”
- “We did it! Thanks to all my fabulous followers, we beat our goal of raising $10,000 to help our park district. Can we push it to $15,000?”
Share an impactful quote.
Quotes can prompt a discussion or arouse curiosity.
Inspirational quotes also give your readers a boost of positivity, which may encourage them to share your Tweet with others. In addition to sharing quotes from people like your favorite writers, historical figures, and motivational speakers, you can also try:
- Sharing an attention-grabbing quote from a news article or a piece of your own writing (such as a blog post or article you’ve written), along with a link to the larger piece. For instance, “Thoughts on this new statistic from Pew? ‘Tweets about health made up an average of 8% of Americans’ news tweets in 2021, up from just 2% in 2015.’”
- Posting an inspiring or motivational quote of the day with a hashtag like #qotd, #motivation, or #dailyquotes. For example: “‘There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature.’—P.G. Wodehouse #qotd”
- Using the Quote Tweet feature to embed another user’s Tweet in your own post as a quote. Hover over the Tweet you want to share and click the Retweet button, then click Retweet as Quote Tweet. Add your own comment, or retweet with a relevant image, gif, or video.
Namedrop other Twitter users.
Mentions encourage other users and their followers to engage.
Using the mention feature both alerts the other user and causes your Tweet to show up in their public feed. It’s a good way to start a conversation, and can also help you take advantage of your fellow users’ built-in follower bases. To mention another user in a Tweet, type the ‘@’ symbol in front of their username and include it in the text of your Tweet.
- For example, “Spent the morning learning how to bathe my new Russian tortoise. My little buddy is fresh and clean now. Thanks, @wikiHow!” Or, “My first short story was just accepted for publication! Big shout-out to my literary hero @neilhimself, who kindly encouraged me to keep writing.”
Grab your followers’ attention with an image, gif, or video.
Media helps your Tweets stand out.
Instead of just posting text all the time, spruce up your Tweets with a relevant image. You can add a gif, a video, or up to 4 images to your Tweet. To add a photo or video, click the icon in the Tweet compose box. This will let you upload a photo from your computer or mobile device. Or, if you’re using Twitter on your phone, select the button to take a picture or short video.
- To add a GIF, click the GIF icon to open Twitter’s GIF library, and type in keywords to find the perfect GIF.
- For example, use the photo feature to show off your latest artwork, or announce some exciting news with the Kermit Flail GIF.
- If you have more to say, don’t worry about images cutting into your character count. You can still include just as much text as you like in a media post!
Include a link.
Use Tweets to direct your followers to other content.
To include a link in your Tweet, all you have to do is copy and paste the URL into the compose box. No matter how long the URL is, Twitter will automatically generate a short URL that’s only 23 characters long. This gives you more space to add your own comments about the link.
- For instance, you might Tweet out a link to an interesting article or blog post, or link your readers to your personal website or another social media account.
- Readers are a lot more likely to click on a link if you tell them what to expect. Say something like, “I’ve been experimenting with some fun arts and crafts projects with the kids. Click the link to my blog to see what we’ve been up to!”
Make your Tweets authoritative with numbers and statistics.
Studies show that people love seeing numbers in Tweets.
In fact, Tweets that include numbers—whether it’s a sports score, an interesting statistic, or the number of items in a list—get about 17% more Retweets than Tweets without numbers. Whenever you can, add some digits to your Tweet to get people engaged.
- For instance, start a Twitter thread with a Tweet like: “Here are the 10 most important things I learned during my time working in food service.”
- Or, make your Tweet stand out with a statistic. For example, “Did you know that the UN estimates there will be more than 25 million people in the world over the age of 100 by the year 2100? Check out this article from the New York Times.”
Include a call to action in your Tweet.
If you want your followers to do something, be direct.
There are all kinds of actions you can ask your followers to do, from clicking a link to replying to your tweet. Make your call to action sound friendly, but phrase it as a direct command rather than an indirect suggestion or request.
- For instance, try something like, “Interested in learning more about our editing services? Click the link!” Or, “I’ll be hosting a Q&A about my new book on Friday, the 23rd. Retweet to spread the word!”
- You can even give the action a deadline to make it feel more urgent. For example, “Signups for the event end this Saturday, so visit our site now to secure your spot.”
Keep it short and sweet.
Research shows that shorter Tweets get the most engagement.
While you can write Tweets that are up to 280 characters long, it turns out that people are more likely to respond to Tweets that are only about 100 characters long. Write Tweets that are concise and to-the-point. Remember, you can always make a thread or link to a longer content piece if you have more to say.
- For instance, instead of writing a whole paragraph about your opinion on a trending topic, try to boil it down to your main point. Say something like, “IMO, Beyoncé’s latest album is her best one yet. The lyrics on track 3 hit me hard. Read my review for more of my thoughts.”
- Since you’re keeping it short, focus on making your message clear and specific. For instance, instead of Tweeting something like, “Lots of good deals coming up soon in my shop,” try saying, “I’ll be selling my handmade jewelry at 50% off starting next week!”
Use a conversational tone.
A casual tone makes your Tweets more engaging.
Think of every Tweet as the start of a conversation. This will make your Tweets feel more accessible and encourage your followers to interact more. Use simple language instead of lots of jargon, and don’t be afraid to use humor or show a little enthusiasm.
- Using emojis can also make your Tweets feel more fun and easy-going. For instance, you might write something like, “OMG, I am obsessed with my new gel nails! 💅 😍 Check out the step-by-step tutorial on my blog to find out how I did them.”
- However, keep in mind the context and the overall tone that you want your account to have. You might want to keep it a little more formal if you’re Tweeting about a serious issue or trying to share important news with your followers.
Make use of hashtags to make your Tweets easier to find.
Hashtags are a powerful way to boost visibility.
If there are any trending tags that are relevant to your Tweet, make sure to take advantage of them. Keep your tags short, easy to remember, and relevant to the content of your Tweet. Try to stick to just a couple of hashtags per Tweet to keep your message clear and simple.
- You can explore trending tags and topics on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/explore/tabs/trending
- For instance, if you’re a wedding photographer posting an example of your work, you might use popular tags like #WeddingInspiration or #InstaWedding.
Try threads for longer discussions or storytelling.
Threads let you make a series of related Tweets.
This is a great option, for example, if you want to share a list of items, tell a story, or easily add updates to your original Tweet. To make a thread, click the button on the Twitter main page to create the first Tweet. Before you post, click the button next to the blue button at the bottom of the compose box. This will allow you to add another Tweet onto the first one. Once you’ve added all the Tweets you want to your thread, hit to post the thread.
- To add more Tweets to a thread you’ve already started, click the Compose icon in the Twitter app and pull down the Compose menu. Select Continue Thread, then Add to Your Last Tweet.
- Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to continue a pre-existing Twitter thread on the browser-based version of Twitter, aside from replying to the Tweets in the thread you created.