Making Every Tweet Count

Western Bluebird

By Laurie Epps

Twitter has become more and more popular. This is both good and bad. Here to guide us through the gauntlet is my mentor in her book, 
Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. 


The popularity of Twitter is:

• good, because it's easier than ever to connect with other people.
• bad, because it keeps getting increasingly harder to stand out.

To overcome the bad, you'll need to make every Tweet count.

• Let someone else benefit from something you're learning about, or share a quick statement you found helpful. Don't be afraid to share your process.
• Share someone else's success. Especially, a colleague and this also gives your tweets relevance.
• Pass along opportunities. For example, once a month my friend Vonda Skelton has a job blog, so I'll share it! For this month's listing, click: 
• http://www.vondaskelton.com/2014/03/18/writers-headlines-writing-opportunities-conferences-who-won-the-contest/
• It doesn't really matter if you tweet or re-tweet, just join the conversation.

Some things to keep in mind when composing a tweet or Facebook post.

Blue Grosbeak

• Use open ended questions whenever you can.
• Bring up an intriguing point.
• Write about something we all struggle with, and demonstrate that you've got an answer for it.

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Don't give away the ending.
• Don't sum up your post.
• Don't give them a reason not to visit your blog or website.
• Essentially, don't write a tweet that's your blog's own spoiler.

The most important Twitter tip: Remember that Twitter is a tool to engage your followers into a conversation, and NOT a self promotion page!

Connect Activity:

Create lists of 140 character bursts for Twitter, such as:

• Thought provoking questions to engage followers in a conversation.
• A reference list of industry professionals you can suggest others to follow.
• Create a list of thought provoking quotes that lead back to you.

Can't get enough social media? Check out Edie Melson's Social Media Mondays column at:

http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com

Come back next week and we'll discuss Twitter etiquette.

Laurie Epps is a senior at Anderson University majoring in Creative Writing. Already Laurie is most published as a feature article writer, essayist, and poet. A seeker of beauty and world traveler, Laurie hopes to grow into a career in travel writing illuminating the many stories that make us human despite our differences. Currently, Laurie also has a Thoughtful Thursday column dedicated to the fine art of poetry.