10 Simple Tips for Using Twitter in 2019 and Beyond

using Twitter in 2019

Remember the days when your Twitter timeline was simply in reverse chronological order? And the platforms didn’t have all these crazy algorithms in place that limited the reach on your posts? Those were the days, friends! But just because we’re dealing with algorithms now, it doesn’t mean we can’t make them work for us.

Using Twitter in 2019, you’re probably well aware that the platform gives you two different options for your timeline. You can toggle between the top tweets and the latest tweets with just a simple click. So yes, that chronological timeline is there if you want it!

But when you consider that many people are using the “top tweets” timeline, it might make you wonder just how to land there yourself. Well, this space is powered by various ranking signals such as recency, engagement, rich media, and more. So, to help you improve the way you’re using Twitter in 2019 and expand your reach on the platform, I’m sharing 10 tips to help you out!

10 Simple Tips for Using Twitter in 2019 and Beyond

Ready to make sure you’re shining and standing out when using Twitter in 2019? These 10 simple tips are things you can start working on today to start seeing a better return on your investment into the platform.

1. Make Sure You’ve Completed Your Profile

First and foremost, you need to have a complete profile if you want to make a good first impression. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has stumbled upon your profile for the very first time. What would they think? Would they be intrigued enough to stick around or would they be rushing to navigate away from your page?

Your profile should be fully filled out and should clearly state who you are and what you do. People want to know what’s in it for them before they hit that follow button, so let them know what to expect from you. For instance, my Twitter profile and header show that I’m a social media influencer and an expert on Twitter. People know right off the bat they can count on me for valuable social media content, particularly relating to Twitter.

A complete profile will have a bio, a link to your website, a header image, and even a pinned tweet. Don’t forget to pin something at the top of your profile because this is valuable real estate to take advantage of! You can pin your most recent blog post, a piece of evergreen content you know people will love, or to an opt-in freebie for your email list. Either way, use this space to show new visitors what you’re all about.

2. Maintain an Active Presence

If you’re struggling to gain any traction on the platform, ask yourself if you’re being active enough. When using Twitter in 2019 (or any social media platform for that matter), you need to be consistent about how often you’re posting. The algorithms favor people who are active over those who are posting sporadically. In fact, Twitter said it themselves! The more often you tweet, the better chance you stand that people will engage with your content.

optimal posting times

Optimal times for posting on Twitter, according to SproutSocial.

Make sure you’re posting a few times per day and you should be good to go! This post from CoSchedule reveals that 15 tweets per day is actually the sweet spot you should be aiming for. The important thing is that you aren’t just tweeting for the sake of tweeting. There should be real value in the content you’re sharing. And don’t forget to try posting at optimal times too!

3. Add a Relevant Hashtag to Tweets

The key to gaining more exposure for your tweets lies in hashtags. But not too many hashtags! This isn’t Instagram, after all. Twitter’s own research states that tweets with hashtags receive 2x more engagement than those without hashtags. However, tweets that use more than two hashtags show a 17% drop in engagement, so keep it simple.

You can use hashtags for various events, places, themes, things, verbs, or industry terms. Just do your research to find the best ones and make sure they’re always relevant to the subject of your tweet.

4. Utilize Photos, Videos, and GIFs

When using Twitter in 2019, you have plenty of options for rich media that can be added to your tweets. You can upload a photo, a video, or a GIF. The great thing about adding some sort of visual is that it helps your tweets stand out in a busy timeline. And let’s face it, Twitter is a busy place! A great visual will help you grab the attention of your audience as they’re busy scrolling away. And if you’re lucky, you’ll get them to stop and read your tweet.

new Twitter camera

A look at the updated Twitter camera for mobile.

Here’s a tip: Using Twitter’s newly updated camera in the mobile app will get you more attention. Why? Twitter confirmed to me that the new color treatment (you can choose between blue, green, orange, red, purple or black) of your photo or video will stand out in the timeline. Plus the size of the image or video is larger than those not using the new camera.

5. Vary Your Content to Keep it Interesting

Do a quick scroll through your Twitter profile. Do all of your tweets look the same? You might be guilty of posting link, after link, after link. And if you are, don’t worry! We’ve all been guilty of it from time to time. However, you really want to think about varying your content to keep it fresh and exciting for your community. Otherwise, they’re at risk of getting bored.

So, change it up! You can post a tweet that’s just text, share a link to your blog or someone else’s, upload a video, post a graphic, share a fun GIF, or encourage people to respond to a poll. You can also incorporate events and holidays into your posting schedule. Twitter actually has a downloadable calendar to help stay on top of this. The ideas here are endless, so take advantage of it! Then, you can see what really resonates with your audience when you check your analytics later.

6. Research Your Competitors

I want to make it clear that I’m in no way encouraging you to copy exactly what your competitors are doing. That won’t get you anywhere! Instead, let your research inspire you and your own strategy. Pay attention to what’s working well for them. What kind of posts are getting the most engagement and the best feedback from their audience? Is there something about it you could replicate? Or maybe there’s something missing from their strategy that you could focus on?

You can also see how they handle customer service on Twitter. Is this something they’re even doing? Could they be doing a better job at it or are they showing ways you could potentially improve? Again, it’s not about copying, but rather about getting inspired.

7. Monitor Brand Mentions

There will be times when people talk about your brand on Twitter, but they won’t actually tag you in their tweet. And if you aren’t actively monitoring mentions of your brand, you’ll miss out on key opportunities to engage with them.

brand24

Tracking #TwitterSmarter mentions in Brand24.

You can use a tool like Brand24 to keep track of mentions, or you can manually find them yourself. All you need to do is search for your name or your brand’s name on Twitter and the results will be revealed. Read through them and find ones that you should respond to. Make it a point to do this frequently throughout the week so you don’t miss something important.

8. Keep the Conversation Going

Whether you’re using Twitter in 2019 or later, one of the most important things is that you spend time engaging with your audience on the platform. Social media is all about connecting with people and building a relationship with your community. And if you’re not doing that, well, you’re just not doing social media right!

Whenever you receive a tweet from someone, take the time to reply to them. It keeps the conversation going and helps you to build a stronger relationship. If you’re new to Twitter and you aren’t seeing that much engagement, don’t be afraid to get the conversation started yourself! Ask questions and share tweets that are going to encourage people to talk.

9. Use Twitter Analytics to See What’s Working

If you aren’t already using Twitter analytics, you’re missing out. One of the key elements of crafting a Twitter strategy is tracking your results to see what’s working for you and what’s not. This way, you can focus your attention on creating more of what’s delivering massive ROI.

When was the last time you looked at your Twitter analytics? Go here to view them now.

If you notice that tweets on a certain topic gain a lot of retweets and replies, while other topics fall flat… This tells you what your audience is interested in hearing more about. You may also notice that tweets with some sort of rich media perform better than plain text tweets, which is even more encouragement to make sure you have a great visual every time. Do your research and use it to strengthen your strategy moving forward.

10. Stay Updated on Twitter Best Practices

Here’s the thing… Social media is always evolving! And if you want to stay on top of your Twitter game for the rest of this year, it’s smart to stay updated on Twitter best practices. You can do that by reading articles like this from me and other sources. Twitter’s own blog can really come in handy as well. The important thing is that you’re taking what you’ve learned and actually implementing it into your strategy.

Call to Action:

  • Take some time to look over your Twitter profile. Do you think it’s really giving off a great first impression? If not, consider changing up your bio or your profile header to reflect who you are and the value you can provide to your community.
  • Get creative with your tweets over the next week. Instead of tweeting the same things over and over, switch it up. Experiment with new graphics, add video, or share a poll. It’s a great way to get people talking.
  • Dive deep into your analytics and find your top performing content over the last few months. Do you notice any similarities that you can replicate moving forward?