Twitter Tips: Sweet Tweets

HubSpot published some interesting data recently regarding Twitter and specifically, the most effective tweet length. The author’s research suggests that longer tweets get more clicks and the optimum character count is 130. The clicks actually dropped once the count surpassed that number of characters. So, what can you do with 130 characters? How should you be tweeting for results? We all try to write effective subject lines which are strong enough to stand on their own on multiple channels, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t mix it up. I like to tweet a new post early in the morning before the office rush has started up and then I will tweet about the same post later in the afternoon — of course, I rewrite the tweet. A good subject line is always a good place to start, but give it a little thought and try to use some creativity with your tweets. Many voices There are many “voices” you can use for a tweet. Those voices dictate how the tweet is written, the tone. Remember your old drama classes and try on some different character voices. Here are three examples for inspiration where I’ve allowed for about 20 characters extra, assuming one of the URL shortening services (character counts vary by service) is being employed and I’ve not allowed for # tags. Whenever possible I try to work hash tag words into the body of the tweet. The reaction: Wow! Everyone is talking about our latest post on tweet lengths! We’d love to hear your thoughts too! The question: Do you have a preference against email marketing preference centers? We do! We can do better! Here’s how! The ring announcer: Ding! Ding! Our CEO takes off the gloves about the subject of email list buying & doesn’t pull any of his punches! Content elements Your content has a lot more to it than a snappy headline. Think of all you have to work with:

  • Quotes
  • Stats
  • Snippets
  • Comments/Reactions
  • Retweets of other comments/tweets

  The point here is that you can be creative and have a lot of fun with your tweets. Just give it some thought, use a little creativity and above all else, have some fun with it!