A Timely Post Gets More Viewers
What a successful Twitter post taught me about writing
We all want our blogs to be viewed by as many readers as possible. The same goes for any social media posts we create to promote our work and to connect with the writer and reader communities.
But not all of us manage to get that kind of attention, at least not consistently.
We hear from the experts that many factors go into the success of a blog post or a popular social media post.
Timely posting is a big factor, especially if one is writing or posting about a topical issue
I have not experimented with timely posting so far because I don’t usually write about anything that is time sensitive.
However, one has to be living under a rock to not be aware of and affected by the Ukrainian crisis unfolding in front of our eyes currently.
As I scrolled through my phone this morning, checking for messages, a meme about the current crisis popped up that was simple yet powerful at the same time.
On an impulse, I chose to share it on Twitter.
I am relatively new on Twitter and have way under 500 followers. But, that does not worry me as I seem to get a few new followers every day and above all it is a social media platform I actually enjoy posting on.
I like the crispness of wordplay required to create a successful tweet. However the success of my tweets have been limited to date.
Imagine my absolute surprise when this meme that I tweeted with a brief caption, actually took off almost immediately!
Getting 183 Likes and 27 Retweets would be nothing for someone with a big following on Twitter, but for me this is huge!
To think that there are 183 people out there who actually have empathy for Ukraine’s plight to take the time to Like the message is somehow reassuring. That 27 people have retweeted to spread this simple yet very apt message is also heartening.
There is a lot of power in public condemnation of injustice.
Words are not in the power of men; men are in the power of words. Herman Bahr
What I learnt from this Tweet
As a writer who is trying to grow on Social Media, particularly on Twitter, what are my takeaways from this successful tweet of mine?
Analysing my tweet has made me come up with the following factors behind its (modest) success:
- The Tweet was relevant and timely. It was about a topic that was ‘trending’ on Twitter.
- Due to my time zone, I had caught the other parts of the world at a time when they were keen to tweet.
- I kept the introduction to my tweet short and to the point. Tweets with super long texts do not do well unless one is so popular that anything will work.
- I did not stuff the tweet with hashtags. In fact, I only chose ONE of the three or four trending Ukraine related hashtags.
- The image was the main draw card of the tweet. I let it remain so. It clearly shows the name of the original creator who should get full credit for the artwork.
That is all I can think of. If you can think of anything else, please do let me know. I am keen on growing my Twitter presence.
How will I use this lesson in the future
- I will be very mindful of how I am wording my tweets
Just like a blog post title , a tweet either captures or loses its audience in the first two or three words.
- I will choose my tweet image with a lot of care
Pictures have a lot of instant appeal. It can complement a carefully worded post really well.
- I will pick my three hashtags (Twitter, unlike Instagram, finds hashtag stuffing spammy and can send the tweet into oblivion) after a lot of deliberation.
- I will analyse other successful tweets of famous/ not so famous people to look for trends and patterns.
- I will apply the element of relevance to all my articles as well. My mantra will be to keep it relevant, crisp and timely
Would you like to connect with me on Twitter?
I think Twitter is an under utilised networking opportunity for us Medium writers. I can see large networks of fiction writers on Twitter. But, only when I search up Medium writers by name have I been able to connect with them on the platform.
If you are interested in connecting with me, please find me @writerrhea
I have also created a List (Twitter group) for us Medium Writers to network and support each other. 👇🏼
Please check out The Medium Writers Hub and join if you want to. Remember, I have just created it so it is not full of members yet. Please do share the news of The Medium Writers Hub with other writers on Medium.
Thank you for being with me so far. I am looking forward to connecting with many of you on this platform as well as on Twitter.
Please leave any thoughts or suggestions for me in the comments. I do read and respond to each one of them.
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