Twitter Blue Feature: 4000-Character Tweets Are Rolling Out
Do you remember the days when tweets could only be 140 characters?
How about when everyone was freaking out about tweets getting expanded to 280 characters?
Well, there’s another major platform change coming your way as Twitter Blue users are getting the ability to craft longer tweets. 4000-character tweets, to be exact!
And in this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about this feature. Plus, there are a few ideas you can use to craft longer, yet still valuable, tweets. Then, you can make them part of your Twitter content strategy.
Twitter Blue Feature: 4000-Character Tweets Are Rolling Out
On February 8, 2023, the official Twitter account announced that longer tweets would be rolling out to U.S.-based Twitter Blue subscribers. It’s yet another feature they’ve added to entice users to join their subscription service. And it’s apparently needed since Twitter Blue currently has less than 300,000 subscribers. Only time will tell if this drives more interest!
This feature grants subscribers the ability to post 4000-character tweets. So, you no longer have to feel limited by that 280-character limit! When these long-form tweets appear in your feed or are embedded in an article, there will be a link you have to click to view the entire post. On your feed, you’ll see a “Show more” link. For embedded tweets, you’ll see a direct link to the tweet. You can see an example of this below.
more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more words more… https://t.co/0mcFJ1wwZK
— Twitter (@Twitter) February 8, 2023
While this didn’t appear to be a feature that was widely requested among users, it is something that Twitter chief Elon Musk wanted. It was previously reported he thought long-form content could create new avenues for monetization.
Again, it’s only available to subscribers located in the United States right now. At the time of this article, Twitter hasn’t announced a timeframe for bringing 4000-character tweets to other markets. However, if all goes well, it could see a broader reach in the near future.
3 Ways to Use Long-Form Tweets
Previously, Twitter has never been the platform we thought of when hearing the phrase, “long-form content.” However, all that could change with this new feature rolling out to Twitter Blue subscribers. While many are likely to stick to short and to-the-point tweets, we’re probably going to see those longer posts cropping up from time to time.
If you’re on the fence about whether this feature will be beneficial to you… It really depends! Your best bet is to experiment with a few ideas and see how your audience responds to longer content on Twitter. If your engagement rate is high, you’ll know to continue testing it out. To help you get started, here are a couple of ideas for your first batch of 4000-character tweets:
1. Give Yourself a Proper Introduction
One downside of crafting a Twitter bio is that it can only be 160 characters long. That means you only have a small space to let people know who you are and what you’re all about. But if you’re a Twitter Blue subscriber, the introduction of 4000-character tweets can alleviate that issue.
Write a proper introduction of who you are, what you do, and what you have to offer those who follow you. Make it enticing so anyone who reads it can’t help but follow along! Just don’t go overboard and use only as many characters as you truly need. Then, you can pin it to the top of your profile for new visitors to see and check out.
2. Share Snippets of Your Blog Posts
Getting traffic to your blog is obviously important. So, why not share snippets of your blog posts to your Twitter feed? This way, you can build excitement about your core content formats. Plus, you’ll drive traffic to your website, while boosting engagement.
If you want to test this out, go through your archives and find an evergreen blog post you’re really proud of. Make sure it’s something that is still high-quality and would be of value to your audience. Then, repost a portion of it on your Twitter with a link back to your blog. You can then start doing this with each new blog post as it’s published.
3. Always Focus on Adding Value
As with any type of long-form content, people aren’t going to consume what you’ve created unless they see value in it. And this is especially going to be the case when it comes to this new feature on a platform where people are accustomed to brevity. If you want your followers to read and engage with the 4000-character tweets you’ve created, they better be good!
Check out a long-form tweet I posted:
My Quick Guide to Using Twitter Like a Rockstar 😎
📌Craft a strong profile: Your profile is your first impression on Twitter, so make sure it’s strong. Use a high-quality profile picture and cover photo, write a bio that accurately reflects your brand, and make sure you link to… https://t.co/YA4Fn8BWIk pic.twitter.com/7G7HXwRVwu
— Madalyn Sklar Digital Marketing since 1996 (@MadalynSklar) February 14, 2023
At the end of the day, you just need to make sure you’re providing something they’ll be interested in. Answer their burning questions. Provide a solution to their biggest pain points. Anything that is going to grab the attention and keep it while they’re reading.
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