8 Tips for Successfully Hosting Twitter Spaces
Twitter Spaces is still one of my favorite features on Twitter’s platform. Not only is it a lot of fun to use, but it’s a great tool for engagement and growing your online brand. And whether you’re looking to improve your hosted Spaces or just get started, you’re in the right place.
In this article, you’ll learn a few tips for successfully hosting Twitter Spaces that will not only be a delight for you, but for your listeners as well. Soon you’ll be a regular Twitter Spaces host that everyone will want to join for an amazing live conversation!
8 Tips for Successfully Hosting Twitter Spaces
Fun fact for you: I’ve hosted tons of Twitter Space since the feature was first launched. In fact, I currently host three weekly shows. In this time, I’ve learned a thing or two about what it takes to host Twitter Spaces. Now, I’m passing that information along to you with these eight tips:
1. Listen & Participate in Other Twitter Spaces
If you want to be a great host, it’s important to be an active participant in other Spaces that are taking place. Why? Because they’re great learning opportunities! A quick scroll through the Twitter Spaces tab will show any Spaces that are currently live and ones that are scheduled sometime in the near future. See if any catch your eye and join in on the fun!
While inside someone else’s Twitter Space, there are two main things you should do. First, pay attention to the host and how they direct the conversation overall. Are they great about keeping listeners engaged or are they droning on and on? Does the host have good banter with the participants who grab the mic and share their own thoughts? Make note of the things the host does well and areas they could improve so you can implement these things when you’re hosting.
Next, make sure you’re talking and adding your two cents to the conversation. Hosting a live discussion, whether it’s video or audio, can feel intimidating your first few times. By being a participant who actively shares their thoughts and engages with others, you’ll get more comfortable with speaking. It’ll make hosting a little bit easier when the time comes.
2. Choose an Engaging Topic
A crucial element of hosting Twitter Spaces is making sure you have something to talk about. Think of it like a radio show. You can’t have dead air! This means you’ll need to come prepared with a topic that you can discuss endlessly. It also needs to appeal to your target audience so they’ll be interested in joining you. If you’re not sure what people might be interested in, come up with a few ideas and run a Twitter poll to see which option is most popular.
3. Invite Guest Hosts When Applicable
If you’re brand new to hosting Twitter Spaces, having a guest host just might help to ease your nerves. After all, it can be stressful trying to do this yourself! By inviting a guest host or two that are experts in your chosen topic, it’ll create a great back-and-forth conversation.
4. Promote Your Space Beforehand
You’ll obviously want to make sure you have listeners tuning in while you’re live. That means you’ll need to put in the work to spread the word beforehand. To do this, you’ll want to first schedule your Space on Twitter.
Then, you can start sharing the details with everyone on all of your platforms. Tell your Twitter followers, but let everyone on your other social media channels know as well. And if you have an email list, notify them! The more you share it, the more likely you are to attract a large audience.
5. Introduce Yourself and the Topic
Once you initially go live, you’ll want to take a moment to do a proper introduction before diving into the content. This is when you’ll want to introduce yourself and any guest hosts you’ve bought on to join you for the conversation. Listeners will get to know who each of you are, as well as what you do. Perfect if it’s someone’s first time seeing your account!
Then, you can introduce the topic. Let everyone know what you’ll be discussing so they can determine if it’s something they want to stick around for. You can even tease some of the questions you’ll be asking or points you’ll be mentioning to really get them intrigued. From there, you can take the lead as the Twitter Spaces host to open up the conversation.
6. Lead the Conversation With Confidence When Hosting Twitter Spaces
A great host is going to take command of the conversation, ensuring the conversation stays on topic and that there are very few awkward silences. One of the best ways to prevent this is through practice. The more you host Twitter Spaces and the more you participate in others, you’ll develop strong speaking skills that will allow you to be a confident host.
It’s also helpful to have a list of questions or topics prepared beforehand. This way, you never have to worry about your mind going blank or forgetting what you wanted to talk about. If there’s a lapse in the conversation, simply turn to your notes and get back on track.
7. Occasionally Reset the Room
This tip is especially important when you’re hosting Twitter Spaces that have been live for a while or suddenly see an influx of listeners. Since those people will have missed the initial introduction, it’s smart to “reset” the room with a second introduction. What you’ll do is reintroduce yourself, any guest hosts, and the topic. Keep it short and sweet. Just use it as a way to let people know what’s happening so they can decide whether or not to stick around.
8. Close With a Call to Action
A call to action (CTA) is the perfect way to take advantage of the momentum of your Twitter Spaces. If someone has made it until the end, they’re obviously really enjoying themselves and have found the conversation to be engaging and the information to be valuable. Odds are, they’ll be happy to take things a step further with your brand. However, you can’t expect them to figure out how to do that on their own. That’s why you need to end with a CTA.
Your CTA could vary depending on what you’re currently focusing on in your business. You may simply prompt people to follow you. Or you could invite them to join your email list or check out your products and services. Whatever you feel good about!
And it’s only polite as the Twitter Spaces host to extend this same offer to your guest hosts. Invite them to share a brief CTA so they can get followers, subscribers, customers, etc. Make it a mutually beneficial experience and they’ll want to host with you again in the future.
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