What’s so great about getting retweeted? Well, it’s simple really. Retweets are a great way to get your message in front of people who might otherwise never have seen it.
How Does the Retweet Work?
That’ll involve some math. You just wrote what hopefully is a really interesting blog. Presumably, you want people to read it, so you send out a tweet to your 100 followers. At best, 100 people will see it. But, let’s say one of your followers retweets your link. And that follower has 50 followers, who can now see your tweet. One of those followers likes it and decides to retweet it … You see where we’re going here.
And, even better, if those people find your tweets of value, they could start following you as well.
Now that I want it, how do I get it?
If the purpose of retweeting is to share with others stuff you think they will find helpful or entertaining, then logic would dictate that your tweets need to be one or both of those things.
Be valuable. If you have something people want, they’ll want to retweet it so their friends can get it, too. Tweet about a great deal you’ve got going on or the arrival of a must-have item. Tweet links to your blogs. Or even a thought-provoking quote you’ve come across. Anything worth talking about.
Don’t be afraid to be funny. People love sharing a good joke. Apply those age-old marketing techniques when composing your tweets. Make your headlines so intriguing that not clicking on the link is not an option.
Am I doing it right?
Once you start implementing these strategies for getting retweeted, you’ll want to know what you’re doing right and what you’re doing that’s not so right – and maybe even wrong. Because Twitter shows you how many times a post has been retweeted, you’re able to compare your tweets to those that are getting a lot of attention. Figure out what they are doing differently than you. Are they using a better call to action, such as coming out and asking for a retweet? Do they have better headlines? Once you’ve cracked their secret to success, mimic it.
Timing is everything. Make sure you’re talking when the Twittersphere is listening. Posting something in the wee hours of morning and expecting retweets doesn’t make a lot of sense. Instead, save your best stuff for Twitter’s peak hours, which studies have ID’d as before lunch during the work week. But play around with timing and see when you get the best response.
Follow the Golden Rule. If you want retweeted, retweet others. Sharing what others have to say shows that you are involved in the conversation. People will see you’re willing to help others and can make them more likely to help you.
A Final Word to the Wise
Sadly, there’s no magic button to push to instantly grow your Twitter audience. If you want it, you’ll have to put the work in to get it. You have to be willing to put in the time to analysis your success and failures and be committed enough to make changes.
