6 Ways to Create Short and Compelling Tweets

Twitter may be the number one place to share content and links. However, if a tweet doesn’t seem valuable or doesn’t grab a reader’s attention on the first glance, it probably isn’t going to do well. Jason Hartman believes in value in both tweets and content. Here are some methods to both shorten and spice up your tweets.

1. Rewrite

Once the Tweet is written, don’t just hurriedly hit “publish.” Take a close look at it first. For a more efficient and attention-grabbing Tweet, it’s important to always rewrite. Shorten the Tweet where possible and consider how you can add more value and “umph” to the Tweet. Among an entire Twitterfeed, it’s going to need to stand out.

2. Check For Synonyms

Most words have synonyms which can either be used to shorten the tweet or strengthen the wording. So, decide which words can be shortened or strengthened and break out the Thesaurus. Replace any words which aren’t benefiting the tweet as a whole.

3. Remove Unnecessary Words

Tweets are short. They aren’t limited by word count, but character count, and there are only 140 characters to spare. This means you can get rid of any and all words which aren’t directly contributing to the message. Words like “that”, “very”, “which” and other modifiers are often completely unnecessary in tweets.

If a sentence seems wordy, and you can’t think of a way to simplify it by cutting words out, try rephrasing it. For instance, “people who are sick need this medicine” can be rephrased to say “this medicine helps the sick” or “the sick need this,” linking to the medicine.

4. Use Symbols

Though many style guides say to spell out most numbers and symbols, this isn’t exactly applicable to tweets. By using a number or a symbol instead of spelling it out, you can save quite a few characters. For instance, instead of spelling out the number “seven” simply use “7.” Instead of spelling out “percent” simply use the “%” symbol.

5. Add Value

People on Twitter don’t click on every link and tweet. They simply scan, on the lookout for interesting tidbits of information with value. Your tweet should have a link to something of value, and it doesn’t hurt for the tweet itself to have its own value, whatever you can think of in 140 characters or less to intrigue a potential reader.

6. Provide Reward

Every tweet should have a promise, and it should keep the promise with valuable content or information. The tweet should be urgent, offer something of value to the reader, be specific, and be unique. This will make the readers feel like there’s something in it for them, and they’ll be more inclined to engage with the content.

Interested in making more out of Twitter? Read “5 Ways Twitter can Improve Your Podcast” for more information. (Top Image: Flickr | ShawnCampbell)

The Speaking of Wealth Team