8 Dead Simple Tips for Getting More Retweets

8 Simple Tips for Getting More Retweets

By A Drilling @ 09/19/11 in Blog, Social Media

Getting Retweeted is always exciting for a variety of reasons. First off, Retweets show that people are paying attention to you, prove your Tweets are of enough quality to share, and help you garner more followers.

While getting Retweeted shouldn’t be your main goal, here are eight quick tips I’ve picked up that can help you accomplish your task. These tips can be used individually or together to increase their effect. Go ahead, give them a try!

1. Use the actual URL

If you’re sharing a link, try to include the full link to the website. People don’t want or like being tricked into visiting a spam site and this transparency can improve the chances they’ll click on your link. For example, I would be much more inclined to click on a link if I see that it leads to credible sites like The New York Times or CNN.

2. Should you ask a question?

Asking a question can stimulate a follower’s interest and get them thinking. Retweeting a question looks just as good on your follower’s page as it does on your own and gives the impression that your follower is asking the question.

3. Make your tweet irresistible

If you include a link in your Tweet, explain why someone would want to click on it. For example, saying something like “This is the best piece of advice I’ve heard in awhile [link]” or “This is the funniest thing I’ve seen all day [link]” makes your tweet hard not to click on. Think about what would make your followers click on the link.

4. Show some wit

People like things that make them feel good; and laughing is one of these things. Your followers are much more likely to Retweet if it helps make others laugh. So, be funny and be silly. Inspirational life lessons messages can also work well.

5. Short and sweet

Concise messages are best. If you can say it 25 characters instead of 75, do it. It saves room for the RT @username and, if your followers are using a Twitter app that lets them edit a Retweet, they can add their comment and opinion to their followers.

6. Shoot for quality

Often, the more uncommon your Tweet, the more valuable it is. Instead of flooding the Twitter Feed with everything on your mind, try to make sure every Tweet has a purpose. This will give you a reputation and your followers will learn to always pay attention to what you have to say. So, generally less is more. One to four (at the most) Tweets per hour will help you stay in the stream without being obnoxious.

7. Afternoons are more popular

The highest amount of Retweets occur around 5 PM. This makes sense because it is when people relax after work and finally get to check their social networks. If you Tweet high quality content at this time, you’ll have a higher chance of being Retweeted.

Expecting Retweets at 3 AM is obviously not going to happen…unless you’re Justin Bieber.

8. #Hashtags

Hashtags increase the chance that your Tweet is seen by people who aren’t following you, but who are searching for content. Using commonly searched hashtags as a theme for your Tweet will help your content to be found and possibly Retweeted.