📝 9 Twitter Tips For Bloggers
Twitter tips for bloggers
When it comes on to promoting blog posts on social media, Twitter is not always the first channel that comes to mind. But if you are wondering whether Twitter is good for bloggers, the answer is yes. Here are some fast facts to back that claim up:
The micro-blogging platform has well over 330 million monthly active users
Twitter is considered to be one of the top platforms for breaking news and updates
More than 650 million tweets are sent each day, on average
93% of Twitter users following small businesses intend to make future purchases
Approximately two billion search queries are carried out on Twitter each day
Still not convinced? Well, being a predominantly text-based app, Twitter encourages reading. By creating engaging tweets with links to your content, there is a good chance you can attract readers back to your blog and grow your audience in the process. Keep reading to receive useful Twitter tips for bloggers.
1. Make your profile attractive
People need a good reason to interact with strangers online. One of the things that can help Twitter users feel comfortable about checking out your content is having an attractive profile that reflects your brand. This includes using a custom photo, twitter handle, background theme, and color that remains consistent with your brand image online.
The contents of your bio should also capture your overall brand personality while mentioning all the reasons why you are worth following. Twitter only allows 160 characters for your bio, so you have to be quite strategic when writing one. Be sure to include the main keywords relating to your blog. For example, if your blog is about internet security, you will want to mention those exact keywords or a variant such as “cybersecurity.” Finally, don’t forget to include a link to your blog in your bio.
2. Keep your tweets concise
Although the character length for tweets has moved from 140 to 280 characters, it is best to keep your Twitter posts as short as possible. In fact, data shows that copy containing under 100 characters tend to generate anywhere from 21% to 56% more engagement than longer tweets. Keeping your tweets that short might seem challenging more often than not, but it just requires a bit of creativity. The next tip is helpful in this regard.
3. Tweet using eye-catching blog post quotes
Linking to your blog post on Twitter does not guarantee that anyone will ever click on it. To improve your chances of getting traffic, you want to create a suitable caption to accompany the link. One way to do this is to pick out an attractive quote from the blog post that will appeal to the curiosity of Twitter land. If there is an interesting statistic or compelling quote mentioned in the article, for instance, use it to caption your tweet. Avoid tweeting the title of your blog post, even if it’s catchy. Chances are high that the title will already be displayed in the link description, so you will just be repeating yourself.
4. Include relevant hashtags
Hashtags drive vast amounts of interaction around trending topics on Twitter. In 2020, for instance, the #COVID-19 hashtag was used in almost 400 million tweets, making it the top trending topic on the platform for the year. With that said, including relevant hashtags in your tweets improves their chances of reaching the feeds of people searching for such topics.
But there are a few things to keep in mind when using hashtags. For starters, it is best to use one or two hashtags in your tweets. Using three or more can actually result in reduced engagement. Also, don’t just toss hashtags in your tweet just because they happen to be trending. Using hashtags that have nothing to do with the content you are promoting is misleading and can cause people to avoid your posts, mute your profile, or even block you.
5. Be social
At its core, Twitter is just like any other platform – a place where people interact with each other. This means you need to engage with other users in order to get the best results. Find other bloggers to follow, as well as brands that relate to your niche. Retweet their content and share your views on stories they post that are of interest to you.
Start your own conversations around various topics, not just those relating to your blog. Practice the 80/20 rule as it relates to what you share; that is, only 20% of your tweets should be directly related to your blog posts or brand. By engaging with others on the platform, it shows that you are a real person and not a bot.
6. Tweet on a regular basis
Getting the desired results from Twitter demands that you remain active. For starters, the average tweet has a lifespan of about 18 minutes. So, unless all your posts go viral, you won’t have much presence on the timeline if you are only tweeting a few times a week. Instead, you want to be tweeting throughout the day. If you share a blog post, for example, you should tweet it out at least three times in between other tweets. This ensures people in different time zones get a chance to view your tweets and increases your visibility on Twitter.
7. Pay attention to visuals
Although Twitter is text based, it is also a highly visual platform. Sharing videos, images, gifs, and memes can add visual appeal, especially when added to your blog post tweets. When sharing blog posts, the blog image will sometimes be automatically shown with the link, so you want to make sure the pictures you are using in your articles are eye-catching and of a high quality. One thing to keep in mind is not to overshare when it comes on to gifs and memes. Too many of these can result in followers not taking your account seriously.
8. View the numbers
Twitter provides analytical information on all the tweets you share. Be sure to take a look at the metrics once per week to see which tweets are getting the best results. Pay special attention to the blog posts you share. This will give you an idea of which posts are getting the most engagement, which is information you can use to improve your content going forward, as well as how you use Twitter.
9. Create useful content
The Twitter strategy that matters the most is ensuring that the content you are sharing will be useful to your followers. Take time crafting compelling blog posts people will actually want to read and share. A reputation for sharing great content will see your follower list keep growing, as well as more traffic to your blog.
Ready to get the best results for your blog via Twitter? Be sure to use the above tips to help you optimize your Twitter presence and usage.
—Casey