Madalyn Sklar

The Secrets of Writing Tweets That Grab Attention

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writing tweets

We all know that tweets have a rather short lifespan. 15 to 20 minutes, to be exact.

It’s all the more reason to make sure you’re writing tweets that grab attention and get people to stop scrolling. But the question is, what exactly makes a tweet worth reading, liking, and retweeting? Is there a magical formula you should follow?

Well, the 2021 Twitter Planner actually offered up some great tips to keep in mind. I’m summarizing their best tactics to implement and adding a few extra tips for you to try.

The Secrets of Writing Tweets That Grab Attention

So, before you start writing tweets to fill up your scheduler’s queue, let’s talk about what makes an outstanding tweet when it comes to copy and media.

First, Get Started With Captivating Copy

Copy is always the first step, right? And because we’re limited to 280 characters on Twitter, you kinda have to get straight to the point. But if you do need a little more space, that’s where Twitter threads come in. There’s no way you’re going to be rambling in a tweet like you might in an Instagram caption. It needs to be short and sweet, encouraging you to focus on what’s most important to those within your community.

Part of that copy should be your call to action. Tell people to read the post, watch the video, or make a purchase with a simple CTA. You can even ask them to reply or retweet to encourage engagement. The CTA essentially needs to tell people what the next step is.

And of course, you’ll want to incorporate relevant hashtags, but use them sparingly. Twitter says no more than two hashtags per tweet for the best engagement rates. Because of the character limit, it’s best to hashtag words you’ve already used in your tweet. So if you can, incorporate keywords your target audience might be searching and make those your hashtags.

Complete the Tweet With Quality Media

Using some kind of media when writing tweets will grab attention in a busy feed. People are more inclined to notice images or videos as opposed to a tweet that just has text. However, that doesn’t mean you need to be a graphic designer or a videographer to create amazing media elements.

You can use a free tool like Canva to design images that pair nicely with your tweets. Canva has gorgeous templates that are sized perfectly for Twitter. You can add your own text and brand colors to make them your own. Just don’t go overboard on the text. Twitter suggests keeping it minimal in that department.

Or if you want to use your own photos, your smartphone is really the only tool you need to snap some eye-catching shots. If you do this, make sure the photos are clear, not pixelated. And Twitter’s advice is to use photos that display some sort of movement or emotion.

But what if you want to upload some videos? Well, one easy thing you can do is to add a logo to one of the corners of the video file. This way, your branding will always be present, but in a subtle way. And although Twitter videos can be 2 minutes and 20 seconds, they actually say to keep them 15 seconds or less. Not much time, but keeping it short could boost engagement.

Always Rely on Analytics When Writing Tweets

As with creating any content on social media, writing tweets should still reflect what you see in your analytics. This will tell you what your audience is responding well to. That’s what you want to do more of so you can maximize the effort you’re putting into the platform. Try using Twitter’s built-in analytics to get started. And my post on the metrics you should be tracking will be helpful to read as well.

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