What makes people follow, favorite, click, and retweet?
This post updates one I did two years ago–a generation or more in social media right?–with info I learned from a Random Penguin author tutorial I watched today.
The Twitter Basics…
1. Funny
is good.
2. Informative
is even better.
3. Tweets with Images
are retweeted 94% more often (no that’s not the funny part of this).
4. Be genuine and intimate
What does this mean? Well, the webinar suggested sharing behind the scenes as you wait to go on the Today Show.
I just want to say that (1) If you’re going on the Today Show, you probably need to be reading something about how to put on tv makeup rather than this post; and (2) If I’m ever going on the Today Show and calm enough to remember to Selfie and Tweet on my way in … that’s probably an imposter Meg.
…and in the weeds
5. Size matters
You get 140 characters, but 120-130 is ideal. Ok to abrve8.
6. People like to be asked
So polish up that question mark.
7. No one likes a whiner
Well, almost no one. And no one likes a bore. Not even those few folks who don’t mind whiners.
8. Ring your own bell
Surprisingly, people like a self-promoter. (I confess, I did consider omitting this.)
9. A Random Thought
People like random thoughts.
10. #Don’t #overuse #hashtags
But DO use them. You can reach new folks if you’re funny and informative with just a hashtag or two. More than that looks spammy. Some hashtags to consider if you’re an author: #amwriting #amreading #FridayReads #MondayMotivations #ff and anything that’s trending that interests you. And try playing Twitter Hashtag Games, which bring out some of the best twitter literary wit around.
11. Join the Conversation
Chat with friends and jump into conversations where appropriate–readers like to eavesdrop on conversations of folks they follow, but @mention folks who aren’t friends @your own risk.*
12. Tweet on weekends and afternoons
Tweets at those times get more response than at other times–although afternoon Pacific time is, of course, evening on the East Coast, and even later in Britain, and this is a global thing, right?
13. Imbed links in the middle
They get more clicks that those else-tweet.
14. Unlink from facebook
Facebook links are 47% less likely to be retweeted than other links.
15. CTAs work
If you don’t know what a CTA is, well I didn’t either. It is, for example “RT this if you like to read the end of a book 1st, favorite if that idea makes you squirm.” But don’t overuse this one!
16. A request to retweet
… actually makes a tweet more likely to be, as long as you don’t do it too often.
Two I haven’t tried:
17. Use Periscope
This is video, and yes, a little daunting.
18. Contests
Enter to win by retweeting, for the prize of a book.
And one I’ve participated in, without doing
19. The twitter fiction festival
A lot of innovative tweeting goes on at this annual event. I judged the festival in its second year, and it did make me realize there are so many creative ways to use twitter, if only one didn’t need time to write something other than tweets!
OK, how does this all translate into selling books?
Well, your guess is as good as mine. But Twitter is a fun way to connect with others in the industry as well as readers. And I go by the theory that anyone who has connected with me and, hopefully, found my tweets informative and/or funny (if somewhat self-promoting), is more likely to pick up a book with my name on it and give it a try.
Thanks to Alana Buckbee, Senior Manager of Community Development for Crown Publishing Group, who did the author webinar.
And if you found this helpful, please do use the twitter link below! I’m @MegWClayton, and I do retweet! – Meg
*The original data came from a four-page, fairly technical Stanford study, Who Gives a Tweet? And since I’ve gotten some questions about this one: “Twitter-specific syntax was a common source of complaint, particularly the overuse of hashtags and @mentions … Users also disliked tweets mentioning someone rather than just @replying or Direct Messaging them.”
