When it comes to spreading the word about your writing, you may already know about the power of Twitter. But tweeting regularly is just the first step in making Twitter work for you—you also want your Twitter followers to retweet (or RT) your tweets. To get more retweets to boost your reach, increase followers, and build your readership, try these tips!
How To Get More Retweets (For Authors)
- Share shortened links. Twitter users love interesting content. Just be sure to shorten links using a site like bitly.
- Ask for retweets. Though it may feel presumptuous, you’re more likely to see your tweet retweeted if you ask readers to “Please RT!”
- Talk about something other than yourself. What you had for breakfast may be interesting, but mundane tweets don’t offer practical info that’s fun to pass along.
- Be clever, funny, and surprising. If you are going to share observations from your daily life, be sure your commentary is scintillating. In other words, tweet like a creative writer! The wittier your tweet, the more likely it will be shared.
- Spread breaking news. When news hits the headlines in your field, be among the first to share it with your followers, and you’ll be more likely to see your tweet retweeted.
- RT other people’s links and news. Not only does this show you’re a community player, but YOU could get more followers by sharing other people’s cool tips, links, and news.
- Share quotations (using quotation marks). Twitter users love pithy quotes, especially when those quotes use quotation marks. Punctuation wins! And if the person you’re quoting is on Twitter, use their Twitter handle: @AUTHORHANDLE.
- Vary your content. Keep your readers coming back to your feed by posting lots of different kinds of posts, from personal observations, to videos, to retweeted news.
- Offer practical, helpful info. When a reader can actually make practical use of info in a tweet, it’s more likely to be retweeted.
- Share promos and good deals. Heard of a great deal on a book? Or is your own book on sale? People love to save money (and RT deals, contests, and opportunities).
- Be conversational but grammatical. Avoid stiff language. Be smart about your grammar—no one wants to retweet a mistake! Learn to write shorter tweets.
- Use one or two hashtags (and no more). Find out more about hashtags here.
- Ask questions. Engage your followers with simple questions (Example: Do your prefer pen or pencil? E-book or paperback?) that can be easily retweeted. And leave room for a reply. Include a short hashtag too!
- Come up with ideas for RTing games. Start an online rhyming game or a poetry game, and ask for retweets from players.
- Give prizes for RTs. Host a contest with a giveaway. Users must retweet to enter to win.
- Don’t overcapitalize. Twitter readers tend to prefer tweets to be capitalized the way that sentences are capitalized. Avoid ALL CAPS.
- Share videos and images. Posts with a visual component are especially popular.
- Tweet on the weekends. To reach individuals (as opposed to businesses), some experts suggest tweeting on the weekends. You can schedule your tweets to boost your efficiency.
- Tweet during the day. There’s a bit of disagreement about the best time to tweet, but many experts point to afternoons (Eastern Time) for the highest activity. Experiment to discover what works best for your audience.
- Tweet a lot. Twitter success can depend on the volume of your tweets. In other words, the more you tweet, the more likely you’ll get retweets.
- Don’t commit any of the eleven deadly sins of social networking.
- Be excited! When you share an exciting piece of news (with exclamation points), people are happy to pass along the happy!
Photo by marek.sotak
QUESTION: Are you on Twitter? Post a link to your profile!
Thanks for the advice. I never use hashtags but will start.