These Twitter best practices are part of an ongoing series we have called Social Media best practices. Included in this series: Facebook Best Practices, Instagram Best Practices, TikTok Best Practices, Snapchat Best Practices and LinkedIn Best Practices.

Platform Information

As a social media channel with 217 million monthly active users, Twitter plays a key role in the social media marketing strategy for many individuals, brands, and organizations. It allows companies to keep a pulse on their industry and gather customer insights organically. The need to keep tweets under 280 characters keeps communication snappy, and offers a playful outlet for more engaging content when compared to other social channels. But with over 500 million tweets shared every day, you need a sound strategy for your organization to stand out on Twitter.

Platform Audience

Current audience demographics as of January 2022.

• 39% are 25-34
• 21% are 35-49
• 17% are 18-24
• 17% are 50+
• 7% are 13-17
• 56% male
• 44% female

Posting and Cadence Times

Twitter requires the most frequent posting cadence out of all the social media platforms. The algorithm rewards accounts that tweet consistently (i.e. multiple times a day) and pushes their tweets out to a larger audience. Cadence

• 3-5 times a day is ideal
• 1x/day minimum

Posting Times

• All week
• 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 5 pm (local time)

(Post cadence may change depending on industry and unique audiences)

Content Formats

Content performs differently on Twitter than on other social platforms. While videos are favorited almost 50% more often than images, images can get 128% more retweets than videos. Text tweets with links are a great option for brands, as tweets with links get retweeted 86% more often than those without. Altogether, 92% of engagements for brands' tweets come from link clicks.

Ad Recommendations

Single Image ads feature one image below a block of text Carousel ads are 2-6 images shared in a slideshow format with one caption and CTA. Twitter claims that using this format can increase campaign awareness by 20% and purchase intent by 7%. Text ads aren't as popular as other formats but can be effective when using a short text tweet that originally performed well organically. Follower ads offer a preview of your Twitter profile with a caption, enticing users to follow your account. Amplify ads are 15-second video ads appearing before longer content from other users. Takeover ads are images or videos displayed at the top of users' organic timelines the first time they open Twitter, with a goal of maximum visibility when users are the most engaged.

Image/Video Specs

• Feed images/videos: 16:9, 1200 X 675
• Cover photo: 3:1, 1500×500
• Video max length: 140 seconds

Twitter Hashtag Usage

Out of the major social channels, Twitter was where hashtags originally took off. They allow users to track current events, trends, and other topics while expanding the visibility of tweets shared by brands and individuals. Twitter recommends using no more than 2 hashtags per tweet, but there is no limit.

Twitter Growth Opportunities

Join the conversation: Engaging and retweeting content from other accounts and responding to followers who reply to your tweets will help grow your account more than scheduling tweets will. Ask followers to RT: Asking followers to retweet has a 4x higher retweet rate than with no prompt Try out polls: A well-posed question or poll on Twitter can help your brand increase impressions and engagements. Experiment with different topics and share the results in a followup tweet. Research hashtags: While Twitter shares trending hashtags on the homepage, tools like Hashtagify and RiteTag allow you to to research niche hashtags related to your specific audience. Tweet about current events: With today's fast-paced news cycle, people turn to Twitter for information about the news and current events. Take advantage of the trends that pop up in your industry, like event-specific hashtags, and participate in that conversation to engage with potential followers.