Your Guide to Successfully Live Tweeting at Events

live tweeting at events

When it comes to events like conferences, Twitter is truly the best platform to share live, in-the-moment updates. But if you’ve never done anything like this before, you might be wondering what’s the best way to go about live tweeting at events.

How do you share content without bugging your audience? What kind of things should you share throughout the event itself? Well, this post is sharing all the tips you need to know before you head to your next conference. I also have tons of other tips on live tweeting that you might find helpful!

Your Guide to Successfully Live Tweeting at Events

Here are the 10 things you need to know if you want to be a pro at live tweeting!

1. Follow Key Accounts & Create a Twitter List for the Event

Before the event kicks off, it’ll be beneficial to follow the accounts of those who are involved. Follow the official event account, as well as any speakers that will be there. You can even use the hashtag to find others who are attending the event and follow them too.

Then, if you really want to take it up a notch, you can create a Twitter list of all these people. This way, you can easily refer to the list to see the latest from those at the event. To help you get started, read my post all about Twitter lists.

2. Let Your Followers Know Beforehand

When it comes to live tweeting at events, you’re sure to be sharing more content than you normally would be. For that reason, it’s nice to give your followers some notice. Share that you’ll be attending this particular event and that they can expect to see an influx of tweets, keeping them updated about your experience and what’s happening.

You can even give them an overview of what to expect, which is sure to intrigue them and leave them wanting more. If you’re planning to share snippets from keynote speakers or your top takeaways at a conference, let them know. If they see the value, they’ll want to stick around and stay updated with your tweets.

3. Make Sure You’re Using the Right Hashtag

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the moment as you rush to post a tweet. And then what happens? You forget to add the event’s hashtag. Or you use the wrong one! Always double-check before publishing your tweet to ensure the hashtag is there and that it’s correct. It helps to have it copied so all you have to do is paste it.

4. Always Include Twitter Handles When Mentioning Someone

If you’re featuring someone in any way in your tweet, it goes without saying that you should tag that person. It allows your audience to easily check them out. Plus, if the person you tagged sees it, they may share it and ultimately generate more traction for your post. This is another reason why it’s beneficial to follow people before the event, as you’ll be able to easily locate their accounts.

5. Share Pictures Throughout the Event

One of the great things about live tweeting at events is that you’re able to take your audience along the journey with you. So many people are unable to be there in person and thanks to your tweets, it can make them feel like they’re really there. After all, no one wants to feel like they’re missing out!

You can help them feel like they’re part of the action by sharing photos on Twitter throughout the day. Snap pictures as keynote speakers are on stage, share what the venue looks like, and even take some selfies with the friends you make. They’ll be great memories for you and it gets your audience involved.

I love this tweet of a #TwitterSmarter meet-up we had at 2019’s Social Media Marketing World. It’s such a great reminder of an incredible day!

6. Keep it Fun & Interesting

It helps to think about what your audience would want to see from you before you start live tweeting at events. What kind of content would be valuable to them? What are they interested in learning more about? That’s what you should focus on delivering! And if you’re not sure, ask them beforehand.

You can get creative and share things like behind-the-scenes photos and videos, quotes from speakers, and even answers to questions that are asked during Q&A sessions. If you really want to take things up a notch, film yourself asking other event goers some of their takeaways in short, interview-style videos. The ideas are endless, so have fun with this.

In fact, Thinkific did a quick interview-style video with me at Social Media Marketing World. Such a great idea!

7. Get Involved in the Conversation

Don’t get so wrapped up in tweeting that you forget to engage. The best thing about social media is that it makes it so much easier for us to connect with new people.

You can use Twitter to initiate a conversation with someone else at the event. Think of it as a virtual icebreaker and then plan to meet up in person afterwards. And if you notice your community is replying to your posts, take the time to respond to them. It shows you’re really paying attention to what they have to say.

8. Don’t Forget to Bring a Portable Power Bank to Stay Charged

The last thing you want is for you to phone to die in the middle of an amazing presentation. So, bring along a fully charged portable power bank so you can give your phone some extra juice whenever needed. This way, you don’t have to worry about low battery warnings getting in the way while you’re live tweeting at events.

9. Don’t Be Afraid to Put Your Phone Down & Be Present

These days, we’re all pretty much glued to our devices. Our cell phones, laptops, and tablets are never far from our fingertips. And that’s totally fine! But we do need to make the effort to disconnect from time-to-time. Give yourself the opportunity to take a break from live tweeting and just enjoy being in the moment. Get some peace and quiet from the hustle and bustle. Grab lunch with a new friend without tweeting or Instagramming your meal. You’ll thank yourself later!

10. Follow the Event With a Blog Recapping Your Experience

Once the event is over, it’s actually really nice to recap your experience on your blog, podcast, or YouTube channel (depending on your favorite content format). This allows you to feature some of your key takeaways from the event itself and you can even feature some of your best tweets, photos, or videos that you shared live.

For anyone who missed out on attending, they’ll get the full scoop so it’s almost like they were there. And it’ll be beneficial for anyone who needs help deciding whether or not to attend the event in the future. Surely they’ll see how much fun you had and immediately snag a ticket for the next one!

Thinking About Hosting Your Own Event?

Make sure you create a unique, branded hashtag and encourage attendees to use it. It’ll help spread the word and it makes it easy for those not in attendance to keep up with updates. I have a blog post all about the power of event hashtags, so definitely check it out!