Although tweeting should be easy \u2013 I mean, it\u2019s only 140 characters after all \u2013 It\u2019s much harder than meets the eye.<\/p>\n
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No matter how many you write, yourlast twitter update just never really seemed to do, well…anything.<\/p>\n
In this article you\u2019re going to learn how to boost <\/strong>the potential of your tweets, and see what it takes to write a perfect twitter update – every time.<\/p>\n No matter what you use Twitter for:<\/p>\n It\u2019<\/em>s always in your best interests to have a strategy that you can stick to. And, more important, have something to compare your tweets to.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no benefit to writing the perfect twitter update if you don\u2019t know what made it perfect, is there?<\/p>\n This checklist aims to not only show you how<\/em> to write a good tweet, but to give you 14 questions<\/strong> to ask yourself before you hit that \u2018send\u2019 button.<\/p>\n And, if you only want to read this article once, you can get the whole checklist in image format right here:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let\u2019s get started on the checklist then…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s tempting to tweet because, well, you haven\u2019t tweeted in a while.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t<\/em> fall into that trap.<\/em><\/p>\n You shouldn\u2019t tweet for the sake of it. All of your tweets \u2013 just like any type of content \u2013 need a purpose<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Before you send your tweet ask yourself why<\/em> you\u2019re sending it.<\/p>\n Is it to:<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t really matter what<\/em> the goal is – that\u2019s going to come down to you and your brand \u2013 it’s more about having the goal in place, and being able to measure it.<\/p>\n Once you know your tweets have a goal, the next question that really matters is:<\/p>\n Do your audience want to hear it?<\/em><\/p>\n As Neil Patel found, tweets about your daily life don\u2019t perform too well<\/a>. Because, honestly, that\u2019s not the reason they follow you. Instead they follow you because:<\/p>\n So, you need to take a look at your brand \u2013 personal, or business \u2013 and ask yourself which<\/em> of those reasons it is.<\/p>\n Here at Share As Image, we focus more on the value side of social media. Instead of trying to entertain you \u2013 I\u2019m not that<\/em> funny in 140 characters \u2013 we try to impart some knowledge and improve your day.<\/p>\n Have you ever had a text message from somebody, and immediately had to call them up, because you\u2019re not quite<\/em> sure how to feel about what they wrote?<\/p>\n That\u2019s because writing is so open to interpretation. If your voice and tone don\u2019t match up, then it\u2019s easy for the wrong message<\/strong> to be put across. So, it pays to make sure everything goes together.<\/p>\n To better understand the difference, here\u2019s a quote from the guys over at Buffer<\/a> that makes it super clear:<\/p>\n \u201cVoice doesn\u2019t change, but a business\u2019 tone should vary based on a situation. If a follower did not have a positive experience, a business\u2019 tone may be more sympathetic and understanding.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When you\u2019re writing your tweet, then, ask yourself two important questions:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Okay, there\u2019s no ideal<\/em> length for a tweet. But, as I explored in this article<\/a><\/strong>, there are some best practices:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The length you choose should depend on your goal. And, there is never<\/em> any harm in testing lengths with your own audience.<\/p>\n If you really feel need to say something, but don\u2019t have the space to do it, try adding it to an image where you have much more room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n This is an easy mistake to make now that Twitter automatically shortens your links, so it\u2019s harder to tell if you just copied in the right link. And, if you\u2019re linking to the wrong content, you run the risk of missing out on all the traffic and social shares that come with it.<\/p>\n Play it on the safe side; open a new tab and copy your link in there.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hashtags are powerful influencers on Twitter<\/a>:<\/p>\n And, they really add to people joining your conversation. As long as you get the right<\/em> Hashtag, that is. This is a mistake I made<\/strong>, that I never want you<\/strong> to make:<\/p>\n Every Monday we share a motivational image to help you get through the first rough patch of the week. And, for a few weeks, I used the Hashtag #motivationalmondays.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Until, that is, until I followed up and did some research. That\u2019s when I found that the Hashtag #mondaymotivation<\/em> had almost 10,000<\/strong> more interactions then the one I\u2019d been using.<\/p>\n D\u2019oh.<\/em><\/p>\n When choosing your Hashtags then, don\u2019t just do it because it sounds cool. Come at it from a place of solid research.<\/p>\n Including people \u2013 especially if they\u2019re part of the content you\u2019re sharing \u2013 is a great way to boost your interactions. And, if you\u2019re lucky, they\u2019ll share it too.<\/p>\n But include the wrong person in your tweet? You not only bring down the value of your tweet, you also give someone else a lot of your traffic for free.<\/p>\n You could also antagonise the person at the other end. Like this local Radio DJ who found himself with a tonne of traffic that was meant for a country music legend:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your audience love<\/em> feeling a part of your brand. They also want to be able to add their own comments to anything, and everything, that you write.<\/p>\n Don’t be selfish with your characters, leave at least enough room for someone to add a short remark as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some words go a lot<\/em> further on Twitter than others. In copywriting circles we call them \u2018Power\u2019 Words.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve been backed by solid research, like when Dan Zarrella studied The Science Of Retweets<\/a><\/em>, and found 20 of the most highly interactive words and phrases.<\/p>\n If you want to boost your engagement, I recommend dropping some of these into your tweets:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Unless this is your first visit to our blog, you\u2019ll know we\u2019re big proponents of using images on all platforms.<\/a><\/p>\n And you can find the biggest<\/strong> impact on your readers come from social media. Not only do they drive engagement (150% more Retweets, for example), but they can make you stand out<\/strong> on a dreary news feed.<\/p>\n It might take a few extra minutes to send the tweet; but the rewards are worth every second of it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Love them or hate them, the guys over at UpWorthy<\/a> have been successful across all social media platforms.<\/p>\n Part of that is because they have a Golden Rule that could benefit all<\/strong> of us when it comes to creating content. That rule is basically:<\/p>\n Would this offend your Mom?<\/em><\/p>\n Not only are middle-aged women the biggest sharers on the Internet<\/a>, your Mom is also someone you\u2019d hate<\/strong> to disappoint, wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n By following this rule, you not only save yourself from some awkward glances at the next family gathering; you can be sure that future employers, customers, clients and anybody else who might see this tweet isn\u2019t offended, either. <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Typos are inevitable when you\u2019re writing. Because, sometimes the thoughts are coming out too quick and your fingers just can\u2019t keep up.<\/p>\n There are also times \u2013 if you\u2019re like me \u2013 you might be English, writing for an American audience, and forget that there is no letter u<\/em> in the word, \u201cFavorite\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s not going to do a huge<\/strong> amount of damage to your feed. But, you also don\u2019t want to run the risk that it might turn somebody off, either.<\/p>\n <\/strong>Because, well, you never can be too sure, can you?<\/p>\n The final step in this whole process is this:<\/p>\n Make sure you\u2019re tweeting at the right time.<\/em><\/p>\n Now, the time you choose will depend mostly on your goal and your audience. But the times that it\u2019s convenient<\/em> for you to tweet, and the times that your tweets will get the most engagement don\u2019t exactly go hand in hand.<\/p>\nYour New 14 Point Twitter Checklist<\/h2>\n
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![\"shareasimage](\"https:\/\/getstencil.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/shareasimage-22.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n#1: What\u2019s The Goal?<\/h2>\n
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#2: Does It Add Value (Or Is It Entertaining)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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#3: Have You Used The Right Voice And Tone? <\/strong><\/h2>\n
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#4: Is It The Right Length?<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n#5: Have You Used The Right URL?<\/h2>\n
#6: Have You Used The Right Hashtag(s)?<\/h2>\n
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#7: Have You Included The Right People?<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n#8: Is There Space For Someone To Leave Their Mark?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#9: Have You Used Twitter \u2018Power\u2019 Words?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n#10: Have You Made The Most Of Media?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#11: Would It Upset Your Mom?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#12: Have You Spellchecked It?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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#13: Spellcheck It Again\u2026.<\/h2>\n
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#14: Are You Posting At The Right Time?<\/h2>\n