Twitter Cards enable publishers to attach media experiences to tweets - beyond the 140-character limit.
They add a few lines of HTML metadata to blog posts and other thought leadership content that enable brands to stand out from the pack in Twitter feeds that are full of text. They can help you drive website traffic, introduce new products and services, share rich content such as videos, and improve engagement. Bypassing the character limit also helps increase conversion rates.
Tweets with images and other media attract:
- 89% more "favorites"
- 18% more clicks
- 150% more retweets
Get started with Twitter cards in 4 easy steps.
1. Choose a card type
Summary card
- Includes title, description, thumbnail, Twitter account attribution, and a direct link to your content
- Best for blog posts or sites with pages that contain a lot of information
Thanks to all of those who participated in our #islands2014 photo call! View all the entries here: http://t.co/Rn7mGJ4tFe
- United Nations (@UN) June 19, 2014
Summary card with large image
- Similar to a summary card, but with a larger image
- Best for highly visual content producers
Everything you need to know about the Amazon Fire Phone http://t.co/uULA47di9M - TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) July 23, 2014
Photo card
- Photo only
- Best for sites that features photography or art because the images speaks for themselves
Stunning photo of mountainous landscape and reflections http://t.co/esvsXTy7Tq
- Flickr (@Flickr) January 15, 2014
Gallery card
- A collection of 4 photos
- Best for telling a visual story or displaying multiple views of a product
App card
- Details a mobile app with a link for direct download
- Best for showing a snapshot of an app with its price and ratings, along with a description that drives people directly to their App Store
Got a trade question, or any other kind of baseball question? I'll be chatting at http://t.co/KhMF7VYaSS in a minute! http://t.co/m3VOWnzaMJ - Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) June 20, 2014
Player card
- Video, audio, or other media
- Best for sharing video and song clips within a tweet
Sometimes I think my days can't get any more rediculous until today. https://t.co/x8HoullQMT - Gareth Paul Jones (@gpj) December 18, 2013
Product card
- Customized for product information
- Best for selling items with details including price, description, and availability
Today marks 50 years since #The Beatles took the US by storm! Listen to non-stop Beatles songs on 24/7 Beatles Radio: http://t.co/SMCaQalY4Y - iHeartRadio (@iHeartRadio) February 7, 2014
2. Add meta tags
Here is some sample code for a Twitter summary card - consult Twitter's guide for each card type's meta tags.
3. Validate Twitter card code
Run the URL through Twitters' card validator tool to receive approval from Twitter:
4. Measure results
Study your analytics snapshot to obtain a holistic view of how your content is performing on Twitter, showing the number of Tweets containing a link to your website or app.
Check out the infographic below from SurePayroll and Ghergich & Co that walks through all the basics of Twitter Cards.
top image: Bloomua / Shutterstock.com