Ten top tips: Twitter

Twitter Australia’s Jennie Sager and Chris Ledlin share their top tips and tricks for using the social media platform effectively

Jennie Sager is Twitter Australia’s partnerships manager for Music, Entertainment, and Events. Throughout her career, she has produced award-winning programs for top television networks, including MTV, Discovery, NBC, ABC, CBS, the Nine Network and HGTV.

1. Be yourself. Give people an insight into the real you and your world. Don’t try to be someone else, or feel that you have to perform all the time.
2. Be active. We recommend sending two or three Tweets a day.
3. Put your followers in the picture! Tweeting photos and videos directly from the Twitter app can boost your engagement by 70%.
4. Be timely. The best times to Tweet are Sunday through Thursday from 7am-9am, 12pm-2pm, and 5pm-10pm.
5. Don’t be shy! Tweet to verified users (look for the blue tick) and other people you are interested in. A reply, Retweet, or fave from them could help you grow your followers.
6. Know your audience. Think about your voice on Twitter and who you want to reach. Then, make sure you are giving them something interesting every day.
7. Plan. Think about some ongoing Tweet content you could use to keep your audience interested. For example, if you have a show coming up, Tweet teasers to promote it, or some backstage or behind the scenes photos.
8. Get schooled! Familiarise yourself with Twitter tools like multi-photo, in-app video function, filters, and more to help make your Tweets pop.
9. Measure. Dive into the free Twitter analytics to see what your followers are responding to most.
10. Experiment with Twitter’s apps like Periscope and Vine to expand your reach and grow your following.

Chris Ledlin is director of Global Media Partnerships at Twitter Australia. Previously, he ran the News and Current Affairs social media department for the Nine Network. Follow Chris on Twitter @chrisledlin

Twitter is simple and it does one thing really, really well: it’s the world’s most open, public communication platform and it allows you to start a conversation with people anywhere. Whether you’re an actor, writer, director or producer, people should be Tweeting about you and they should want to Tweet with you. So don’t miss out on your chance to shape the conversation happening around your movie or television show.

Twitter allows you to be in the moment and have those multi-directional conversations, not only with your co-stars, but also in one-on-one, real-time moments with your fans, so you aren’t just living life – you’re broadcasting it.

How can Twitter help your personal brand? As someone in the media and entertainment industry, you will come across some pretty cool stuff. One of the best ways to appeal to fans is to share exclusive content with them via Twitter. Whether it’s a red-carpet premiere, launch/wrap party, sneak peek or behind-the-scenes moments, Tweets can help establish your voice and identity. They also afford fans the special access to you that they crave.

The key is to make your content unique. The more you can do this, the more buzz you will generate. It also makes other Twitter users more likely to Retweet and engage with you. But how do you know what works and what doesn’t?

Twitter has researched this and we’ve found out what pieces of content people are more likely to Retweet and engage with in the entertainment landscape. Actors, writers, directors and producers are 53 per cent more likely to get a Retweet when they include a quote, and 48 per cent for a video URL. Not far behind videos are photos, with 46 per cent more Retweets.

So let’s say @KevinSpacey normally gets 100 Retweets; if he includes a photo, he could potentially get 146.

1.When you Tweet behind-the-scenes content, make sure you include a hashtag connected to your brand so users find them more easily.
2.If your show or movie has an official Twitter account, don’t forget to include their handle in your Tweet to alert the social-media team, who may Retweet it, amplifying it to a whole new audience.
3.Never share images across social-media platforms. Always upload your content to the native Twitter app – that way it doesn’t get turned into a link.
4.Have some fun with Twitter: share your opinions, favourite articles and quotes, even live-Tweet your favourite prime-time TV shows.
5.Follow your interests. Twitter is an incredible listening tool; use it to get the latest breaking news, sports updates, weather, surf reports or inspirational quotes.

Visit discover.twitter.com for insider tips and hints, then download the official app to start telling your story.