It’s been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In 2013, it could be that getting retweeted on Twitter is.
Getting retweeted (“RT”) on Twitter is a good boost to our ego, and helps validate the content we’re sharing on social networks. However, there’s a very fine science and art to getting retweeted more often than your competition.
120 Is The New 140:
Perhaps most importantly, leave room for your followers to add a short message or even the “RT” tag, if using a platform like HootSuite. When creating a tweet, think of the Twitter experts’ “slogan” “120 Is The New 140“. Leaving room for your followers to leave a message creates better engagement and continues the conversation.
The Shorter The Better:
What “link shortener” you use can also affect how often you are retweeted. My personal favourite is bit.ly (due to it’s ease and usability), and as it turns out, that is the URL most often retweeted. If you’re still using tinyurl, you will want to make the switch to something else quickly, as tinyurl has shown an incredible decrease in retweetability lately:
Adding a link will increase your retweetability. We’ve already shown interest in your content by wanting to retweet, so give us a place to get more information.
“Searching” For The Best Words:
It should go without saying that the actual content you share increases or decreases your chances of getting retweeted, but it can be broken down into specific words or wording choices. Verbs ending in “ing” tend to be least retweeted, although the exception to the rule is “looking” or “searching” as we tend to like to be helpful in passing along a message that someone is in need of something.
Time Is On My Side:
What time of day you tweet will also affect how often your content is shared. Generally speaking, the “best” times to tweet are between 10am-2pm, as most of us are facing a computer during that time. The most retweets are sent out around 2pm EST (11am PT):
The most retweets are also found nearing the end of the work week, on Thursday and Fridays. (So maybe stock up on some of that good stuff you find ’round the net early in the week!)
This information comes courtesy of a huge study of over 5 million tweets (and 40 million retweets). You can read more about it here.
