It’s funny… Before I was on Twitter I used to make every excuse under the sun not to use Twitter. And one of my biggest excuses was “But I don’t know what to tweet” – thinking it was a good excuse, haha.
Now, as a prolific Tweeter I have other newbies asking me the same question. Not knowing what to tweet seems to be one of the biggest barriers for Twitter newbies. But then I guess it’s not surprising considering how often you have to tweet to gain any real traction in the Twittersphere.
In my last post about how to use Twitter I did mention some of the things you can tweet in “My Top 7 Tips to Tweet Better“. But that may not be enough to help a Twitter newbie get started. So in this post, I expand on that and provide you with a list you can refer to over and over again. No excuses!
But before we get into it, just remember that Twitter is a community. It’s about sharing and connecting with others. The more you give, the more you’ll get back.
So here goes… my list of 13 different things you can tweet about. I hope you find it helpful…
13 different things you can tweet about
1. Other people’s tweets (Retweets)
If you see a tweet your followers might like, why not retweet it to your followers?
Retweeting is an easy way to get a tweet out, and a great way to connect with the person who originally sent the tweet. By retweeting, you’re showing the person you value their content – which, in turn, helps to start a conversation and build relationships.
Just remember to include: ‘RT @theirusername’ in your tweet to acknowledge the original tweeter. More about how retweets work here.
2. Other people’s blog posts or articles
Sharing other people’s blog posts or articles (called ‘curating’) is another great way to tweet. And I do a lot of this.
There’s so much info out there that it takes time to sift through the crap and get to the good stuff. So share the good stuff you come across with your followers. They’ll appreciate the favour and may even recommend others to follow you.
Don’t forget to use a link shortener such as bit.ly or tiny.cc to save space – and include hashtags!
3. Latest news
People are always interested in what’s going on in their industry and around the world. So keep an eye on industry news as well as news sites such as BBC and CNN, then share relevant and interesting news with your followers.
You could also comment on a news story to get the conversation going.
4. Ask a question
The Twitter community is a friendly bunch so if there’s anything you want to know about or need help with, why not ask your Twitter followers? You may be surprised by the number of responses you get. The example below got five retweets in just six minutes.
Another way to get a conversation going is to make a statement then ask “Do you agree?”, “What do you think?”, or “Has this happened to you?”
Asking questions can also be a good way to conduct research for your business.
5. Inspirational or funny quotes
We all love to laugh and be inspired, so share an inspirational or funny quote, joke or anecdote. Make it uplifting and fun. Good quotes tend to get a lot of retweets too!
6. Celebrations
Hit a milestone, got a new client or achieved something special? Then share it with your followers. Everyone loves a good news story and sharing your achievements is a great way to involve others in your celebrations.
7. Thank-yous and messages to others
Twitter is all about building relationships and interacting with others. So reply to tweets, thank others for retweeting or sharing your posts, and chit-chat about your day. Make it fun. Make it interactive!
8. Your own blog posts
If you’re a blogger, Twitter is a fantastic place to share your blog post with others. Include a link back to your blog post and watch your blog traffic grow. Or turn up the heat by using powerful Twitter tools like Triberr to skyrocket your blog.
Remember to write a compelling tweet so it’s irresistible to your readers (here’s a good article from Copyblogger) – and repeat your tweet at different times over a week.
9. Industry tips and other helpful stuff
Twitter is a great place to share information. So offer free advice. Share tips, tricks, stats, product reviews and other stuff that may be helpful to your followers.
10. Live feeds from an event
If you attend a seminar, conference or event you can provide a running commentary on the stuff you learn or hear about. It’s an excellent way to get the attention of your followers and keep them following your tweets.
11. Your opinion about something
Got something on your mind? Or perhaps there’s something you want to vent about or comment on? Your opinion can make a great conversation starter.
12. Customer service messages
If you’re a local business why not use Twitter to tweet about things that are going on in your business? Do you have a competition running? Is your phone system down? Do you have a sale coming up?
Just remember to try and keep promotional tweets to a minimum (say up to 20% of the time) as no-one likes to be sold to. I’ve unfollowed people because they had too many self-promotional tweets. Always keep in mind that Twitter is about building relationships, not selling.
13. Oldies but goodies
And last but not least, why not reuse tweets that have worked well in the past? After all, you’ll have accumulated a lot of new followers since then. Just spread your tweets out over different times. And if it’s a link to an old blog post, simply use the words “Repost” or “Archive” in your tweet.
Over to you…
There you have it – my list of 13 different ideas for tweeting. Do you have other ideas that have worked well for you? Please feel free to share with us by commenting below…
And if you liked this post please share with others so they can enjoy it too!
by Online Marketing Rookie on November 13, 2012