Madalyn Sklar

What’s New in Twitter: Video Replies on Mobile and Fleets

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What's new in Twitter-video replies on mobile and fleets - #TwitterSmarter chat with Madalyn Sklar - December 24, 2020

As we prepare to bid farewell to 2020, we figured it’s a good time to look at some of the latest features in Twitter. With many people taking the annual holidays to spend time with family and loved ones, it also made sense to keep the conversation light. That’s why we decided that our Christmas Eve chat will feature our beloved community. We fired off questions to our trusty folk, and they responded spectacularly. Here’s a summary of our chat.

Guest: The #TwitterSmarter community!
Topic: What’s new in Twitter: video replies on mobile and Fleets
Format: Eight questions directed at our community. Everyone’s welcome to share.

Q1: What are some ways to use video replies on mobile?

The best thing about video replies is that it’s quick and comprehensive at the same time. As Alberto pointed out, even if you’re out and about, you can still share a personalized message with people you want to engage with.

A long term proponent of video replies, Madalyn demonstrated how exactly a video reply looks like. It’s also an effective way to stand out from the rest of the crowd and helps your audience resonate with you.

Chaim told us about how he uses video replies to share how-tos and answer questions from his audience. Video is an ideal medium to communicate guides and help-based content.

Q2: Share some best practices for replying with videos.

Rachel from Express Writers mentioned the golden rule of video replies: don’t ramble on. Keep it short and to the point. This can be challenging, especially if you’re just starting out. To overcome that, though, you have to put yourself out there.

John pointed out the importance of captioning your videos. A lot of people use social media in public places and don’t always have headphones. Captions and subtitles help everyone, including those hard of hearing, interact with your videos.

Jake spoke about practicing your videos. The more you practice speaking on camera, the more confident you’ll become and the less filler words you’ll use. Fluency increases your credibility and helps convey your message to a wider audience effectively. You can also practice making videos and not share them—it can be useful self-feedback.

Q3: What are some don’ts when replying with videos?

When you’re replying to someone, remember that you’re responding to an existing conversation, and not initiating one. This means, as Cindy mentioned, you shouldn’t go off topic.

Mehul recommended being aware of your backgrounds. Bad lighting and too much external noise can impact your message negatively. Not only will your audience find it hard to understand you, but sloppy backgrounds also reduce your authority and credibility about the topic.

Q4: What are Fleets?

Carla put it in a perfect nutshell: Fleets are Twitter’s response to Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories and LinkedIn Stories. It’s a short video message that’ll disappear in 24 hours.

Jim even created a video explaining how to use Fleets. Check it out.

Q5: What kind of content should businesses share on Fleets?

We love live tweeting from events—it’s a great way to engage your audience. As Lindah pointed out, it’s also a good use case for Fleets. As she said, while a stream of tweets from an event can flood your audience’s feeds, a Fleet could be a snappier alternative.

You can also use it for anything you’d usually tweet about—like product launches, reviews, behind the scenes, travel experiences, and unwrapping gifts even.

Q6: Share some do’s and don’ts for sharing Fleets.

Consistency is crucial on Twitter. When you consistently share Fleets, your audience will become accustomed to checking your content regularly.

However, as Madalyn mentioned, don’t skimp on the quality of your content. Just because Fleets are short-lived doesn’t mean you don’t have to put in effort.

If you haven’t tried Fleets yet, it’s the best time to do so. As Jake reminded us, it’s still relatively new and Twitter is observing how people use and engage with the feature.

Q7: How are Fleets different from Instagram and Facebook stories?

If you’ve already done Stories on Facebook and Instagram, you’ll find Fleets pretty much the same. As Madalyn said, because it’s still a new feature, you can use it the same way as Stories and can even cross-post content.

Q8: How can you incorporate Fleets in your content strategy?

The easiest way to incorporate Fleets into your strategy is to repurpose content from elsewhere.

You’ve likely seen people on Instagram share their latest post in their Stories. You can do the same thing with Fleets. Share your best tweets in your Fleets and give it a more extended exposure.

Well, folks, that’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading through to the end. Check out this Twitter Moment that Joana put together. If you feel like taking some time off on New Year’s Eve, join us on #TwitterSmarter next Thursday (December 31, 2020) at 1pm ET. It’ll be a community chat and we’ll be discussing some more of the new features on Twitter. Hope to see you there!

But if not, Happy New Year from all of us at #TwitterSmarter. May your 2021 be better than… well, better.

 

About me, Narmadhaa:

I write all the things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.

Say hello: Personal blog | LinkedIn | Twitter

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