Although many people probably don't think there's a science to how you post on social media platforms, there is. If you want to garner the most traction and engagement with your posts, it's important to consider al the possible variables within the posts you are creating. As such, here's my guide to developing the perfect tweet.
The Body
What goes into the body of the tweet has to be well thought out. Why? Because tweets only allow you to use 140 characters, which is significantly shorter than the character limits imposed on Facebook or LinkedIn. When crafting the body of your tweet, keep in mind that you may need room for media, like a photo or a link at the end, and also, you'll want to add hashtags, so try to leave some space for that too.
A tweet should be straight to the point and include a call-to-action - or if there's no direct call to action like, "click here" or "click to learn more", make sure that there's enough information in the tweet so the reader will know what they are about to click and why they should.
The best part of Twitter is you don't have to worry about people writing too much and overwhelming people, as many brands do on Facebook. Twitter is made to be simple and to the point - and in fact, tweets with 100 characters or less are said to garner 17% more engagement than longer tweets.
Below is a great sample from DavidsTea. They decided not to use hashtags within their post, or a direct call to action, but their tweet still gives you an idea of what the link is going to lead to and why you should click it.
Call to Action
As mentioned above, there are a variety of calls-to-action that you can use within a tweet. Here are some options:
Direct Call to Action: This is pretty straight-forward, because that's exactly what this call to action is - telling people exactly what you want them to do. For example: Click here, learn more, apply now, register here, sign-up today (followed by a link)
Indirect Call to Action: This is what I mentioned above in the body section, a call to action that isn't as obvious, but the body text emphasizes or explains what they are going to be clicking, or at least entices the person to click.
Note: Not every tweet is necessarily going to have a call-to-action that's embedded within your post. Sometimes your post may just be informational, and you'll be able to explain everything you need to in 140 characters without people needing to know more information or do something other than absorb the information you're providing. Below is another example from DavidsTea of what a fully informational post may look like.
Media
Tweets with photos or videos average two times the amount of engagement, and this shouldn't be surprising. When scrolling through your feed, think of all the hundreds of tweets that come up - what's really enticing you to stop and read one versus just scrolling over it? Photos and visuals catch your attention quicker than words, and by using them in tweets, you're maximizing your opportunity to stand out. And hey, they always said a picture can is worth a thousand words right?
On top of photos, think about the links you're going to include. Tweets with links also generate more engagement than those without. In fact, they're 86% more likely to be re-tweeted than tweets that don't have links. Keep in mind a shortened link takes up around 22 characters on Twitter, so you have to logistically think that through with the limited 140 characters you have.
Below is another tweet by DavidsTea with the effective use of media. They've incorporated both a great visual, and a link, plus an indirect call to action that entices you to click.
Hashtags
Many people still wonder what the deal is with hashtags. How many do you use? Where do you put them? Well here's my advice: I suggest that you mix your hashtags amongst your tweet and/or at the end of your tweet. If you mention the word you would normally hashtag at the end, you might as well just hashtag when you first mention it. For example, below is a tweet from DavidsTea - instead of waiting till the end of their tweet to hashtag '#TeaPop', they just hashtagged it within the tweet body. Keep in mind, you should only be hashtagging a relevant keyword. If you hashtag too many things, it just become overkill and hard to read.
Another way to use hashtags is to put the hashtags at the end of the tweet. Below is an example of what I mean. Another thing to keep in mind for this is to, once again, only hashtag specific keywords. There is nothing worse than a tweet that has more hashtags at the end then words in the body of the tweet.
Hopefully, these tips will help you on the road to formulating your perfect tweet.
If you have additional tips, please share below in the comments.
Main Image via Shutterstock