Ur tweets ain’t got no style kid.
Case studies in how to spruce up your tweets!
#socialmedia #marketing
I am on Twitter every day for at least an hour. I find it very interesting to see what works, what is hot, and what is not. Unfortunately for me, I have no formal writing background. I write for around two hours per day, and am getting better at it. But, writing tweets is a very different kind of writing. I have found it much harder to write successful tweets than to write a popular blog.
I learned that you can be a mediocre writer, yet have a successful blog providing you pick interesting topics that your audience likes and bring up interesting points within the article. However, writing tweets that get systematically retweeted requires a very different skill set which includes a knowledge of tags, ability to create slogan type phrases, and identify what is hot.
Below are some case studies of how I jazzed up my own tweets. I do a lot of trial and error. It is hard to put great information in 140 characters or less, plus fit a link and a tag or two in there as well.
Case #1.
The first line of the tweet should be an intro.
If you have a tweet, it is good to have the tweet on more than one line for best results. The reader’s eye needs to catch the main point. Many people suggest having shorter tweets. However, what I found is that long tweets are better than short ones — just make sure the first line of the tweet is short so the reader’s eye can process the information when they are scanning through thousands of tweets.
The second line should develop the theme.
Normally, when I write tweets, the second line of the tweet gives useful additional information about the article being linked to. You can’t fit all of the main points of the article in the tweet, but you can put some of the more salient features. Sometimes you can put a list of things to do or see on the second line. Putting lists of countries hasn’t worked well for me in the past, but lists of activities works — if they are hot with your audience. Although in Twitter, people tend to use bad grammar and sentence fragments, try to avoid this. If you are going to use a sentence fragment, at least use a complete sentence fragment.
People responded better to my second version of this tweet.
For some reason, people often retweet you more if you put a number in the tweet. 5 ways to improve your business; 6 places to have crab; 7 ways to annoy your boss, etc. I think that “crab or crabcakes” annoyed the reader with a perceived unnecessary variation in terms. Roast crab didn’t entice the readers too much, but the idea of fusion from exotic places like Cuba and Vietnam struck a chord. Getting retweeted is about catching the reader’s attention pushing the their buttons.
Best places to have #Crab or #Crabcakes in #LosAngeles
Roast crab, crab/salmon sashimi on a tortilla, more!
http://blog.meander411.com/2014/06/06/places-to-have-crab-crab-cakes-in-los-angeles/ …
#foodie
(This one got no retweets)
6 places to have #Crabcakes in #LosAngeles
Cuban fusion, Vietnamese fusion, sashimi & traditional
http://blog.meander411.com/2014/06/06/places-to-have-crab-crab-cakes-in-los-angeles/ …
#foodie
(This one got several retweets.)
Case #2
The first version of this tweet about the hills of Los Angeles was boring. People are not so interested in hiking unless you can put a twist on it. Views can be exciting if you can elaborate on what made the view special or show a picture. The second version was hot because it included mingling with the stars which is a very cool concept. In real life, the stars are not going to give you the time of day, but it is exciting to think about passing by them on a hiking trail which really happened to me. Skybar is one of the most bling-bling bars in the entire state of California. Merely mentioning it provokes thoughts of Los Angeles’ most chic people lounging with an amazing view of the metro.
Explore the hills of Los Angeles
Hike at Griffith Park and enjoy ocean views in Malibu
(include link and tags here)
Explore the local hills of #LosAngeles
Mingle w/the stars @Runyan Canyon, then visit Skybar in W Hollywood
http://blog.meander411.com/2013/11/12/have-you-ever-taken-a-hill-tour-of-los-angeles-ca/
#ttot
Case #3
The first version of this tweet has a list of interesting or unusual activities. It accentuated some of the highlights of Thailand which is good, but the tweet in general didn’t catch the audience’s positive response. The second one was more popular because it used some simple basic grammar structures which made it more pleasant to read. Verb-Activity; Verb Noun. Although there was not room for complete sentences, it used acceptable grammar for “headers” which made it easy to read. I put the activities eachon a different line which made it easier to read. Additionally, there was a different verb for each activity which made it comfortable and enjoyable to read — and a bit like a travel commercial aimed at children. We actually experimented with composing tweets in the same style that Disney does which is very what I call, “G Major” and childlike. Childish tweets that are cute and endearing can be very popular with adults and children alike.
Adventuous things to do in Thailand
Coral Diving, kick boxing, eating insects, and more…
(include link and tags here)
Adventurous things to do in #Thailand
Go Coral diving
Try Thai kick-boxing
Eat a silkworm
(include link and tags here)
Case #4
This was a fun one. I like to read other people’s blogs. If the blogs have content that usually pleases me, I will become a regular visitor. The article I tweeted about here was written by a very interesting girl who is an actress and world traveler. the first version was fun and got some response. But, the second version got retweeted, and the retweets got retweeted. It went slightly viral which is exciting. I combined verbiage suitable for a very formal sounding tutorial and combined it with the ridiculous and provocative theme of crashing weddings in India (of all places) and it was an instant hit. Then, I added a little more information about the article about bollywood and cultural advice which further interested the readers. I wish tweets could be longer than 140 characters — it would allow so much more flexibility and options.
Crashing weddings in India
What to do and what not to do
(include link and tags here)
A step by step guide to crashing weddings in India
Bollywood dancing & general cultural advice
(include link and tags here)
I hope you enjoyed reading about sprucing up your tweets. I have never seen an article before with case studies of improving tweets one by one. Normally people write very generic advice about tweeting which isn’t so easy to apply. I hope you learned something and feel free to tweet questions to me.