Maybe some people missed the message that Twitter is all about creating and sharing information with people. You know, making a connection.
Usually, we tweet about links we find interesting, inspiring, startling or in other ways worth sharing. We pose and answer questions, complain or resolve complaints. We share and learn about breaking news and events as they unfold. And yes, sometimes we tweet about food and follow celebrities.
But some people miss the part about “connecting” and “people.”
I’ve been noticing and collecting Twitter fails for a while, and find that many give people no reason to click, like, follow or in any way connect with the Twitterer. Here are some actual examples (not using screen grabs of the tweets as I’m not out to embarrass anyone) and how to fix them:
“[NAME] magazine is out! LINK”
How to fix it: Pull out one of the most interesting topics or the theme of the issue and lead with that. Even if people know you and might know your magazine has useful content, they want to know why they should open this one. For example, “10 tips for using Twitter and more in NAME Magazine, now out: LINK.”
“Check out my latest articles: LINK”
How to fix it: Again, pull out one or two interesting topics or the theme. “Lots about #podcasting in my latest blog posts: LINK.”
“Like us on Facebook! LINK”
How to fix it: Tell us why we should like you. “Like us on Facebook and you could win [something fabulous]” or “Like us on Facebook and stay in the know about [topic].”
“Follow us and we’ll follow you back!”
How to fix it: Realize that smart people aren’t collecting followers in a game to see who gets the most. Tell us why we should follow you, and why we might like you to follow back. “Follow us to learn breaking new about [current topic]. We’ll follow you back so we can start a conversation.”
“Good times. LINK”
How to fix it: Give a hint about what these good times might be. “Good times with my @IABC tribe at the latest conference: LINK” or “Remembering good times with #family at the cottage: LINK.” (Note that a tweet like this might load a preview of the page when seen in Twitter, but nothing in another app like Hootsuite. Assume the latter and give some explanation.)
“LINK.”
How to fix it: Say something! As above, assume someone looking at the tweet may just see the link, which might not give any clues. If nothing else, say why you are sharing it. “This is the most adorable dog video you’ll see today” or “Let’s get [#important topic] trending on Twitter.”
[A tweet with multiple hashtags; I’ve seen one with 10]
How to fix it: Choose one or two hashtags at most to categorize your comment. Too many hashtags make the tweet unreadable, and highlighting everything basically means highlighting nothing.
What other Twitter fails have you seen? How would you suggest fixing them? I’d love to hear them. Please share in the comments, or send me a tweet at @SueHorner.
Related reading:
Not using Twitter much? Here are 3 baby steps to take
Image: Oscaline on Pixabay.