Social Media Boot Camp Day 16: What Makes a Good Tweet? Dissecting Some of the Best

As you get more acquainted with Twitter, you may be asking yourself, “What exactly am I supposed to tweet about?” Although the specific content you include is entirely up to you, certain things – such as statistics, links, or hashtags, for example – can make your tweet more noticeable to other users. To help you on your way, here are five great tweets, followed by an explanation of what makes them outstanding.

Great Tweet #1

Why it works: Tweets that include some kind of information, statistic, or fact are much more interesting than tweets that share what you had for lunch. This tweet shows that @LTCTeresa is knowledgeable about her subject, while at the same time demonstrates to her followers that long term care insurance is important – without shoving it in their face.

Great Tweet #2

Why it works: This kind of tweet works well to communicate to your clients that you’re invested in their financial future – and the financial future of their family. In this case, @skip_weisman forwarded on a message originally sent by @jcarole (this is called “re-tweeting”) that he thought his followers would find useful. Not only does this help establish his credibility and trust with his followers, it also earns him points with @jcarole, who no doubt appreciates having the original tweet passed on to an even larger audience. Re-tweeting is a great way to share information on Twitter, and a feature you should use strategically whenever possible.

Great Tweet #3

Why it works: Here, the tweeter is engaging followers by seeking their input. With a question like this, no doubt the user will receive strong responses, and maybe even a few that he can’t help with. But he might get a response – like “I don’t qualify” or “It’s too expensive” or “I haven’t found the right plan” – that he can turn into a prospecting opportunity (taken out of the stream, of course, via direct message). He can also use the responses to see if there are areas within his own business – such as customer service issues, product offerings, etc. – upon which he can improve. Social media is all about interaction, and tweets that encourage it are great.