You’ve all heard the stories.
- So-and-so’s website crashed because of all the traffic it got because of a retweet.
- Someone else generated over 5000 page views because of a retweet from @mashable
While I’m sure you don’t want to crash your own site, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind the extra traffic from an influencer’s followers, right?
A few weeks ago you learned how to Send 10 Tweets in 5 Minutes. Today we’re going to talk about the retweet, or RT.
What is a RT?
As per Twitter’s Support Page, a retweet is a “re-posting of someone else’s Tweet.” The letters “RT” at the beginning of the message are a signal to your readers that you’re re-posting a message from someone. It’s not an official Twitter command, but just good etiquette.
Learn How to Retweet
If you’re using Twitter on the web, mouse over the message and look for the RT icon. Click it and a pop-up window appears. Click the Retweet button to re-post it to your followers.
Personally, I don’t like the way the web interface does it, because it doesn’t allow you to make a comment on the tweet. I’d recommend using a Twitter client like HootSuite or TweetDeck, so that you can add in your own comments to the RT.
Comment on All Retweets
This is my Number 1 Rule for Retweeting: You MUST comment on ALL retweets.
Remember, social media is social, it’s a conversation between you & your followers. So yes, you should ALWAYS put a comment on any retweet. Sometimes you don’t have much space, but that’s okay, still put your stamp on that content.
It’s a signal to the original poster that you liked their content, plus a signal to your followers that there’s a real person behind the account. Sure, you can send out the odd one without a comment, but don’t do it all the time.
Thank You for Commenting
This is a tough one, because it depends on the number of RTs the post gets. If it’s a few, then yes, you can thank them individually with a Reply post. If it’s a lot, you might consider a mass “Thx for the RTs!” post with a list of Twitter handles.
Analyze Your RTs
This is an important step. You’ve got to analyze your retweets, and see what content is getting reposted on Twitter. Was it one of your posts? A RT you made of an influencer? A personal tweet? News tweet?
See, there are many different kinds of tweets you can send, so it’s important to see what is striking a chord with your followers.
You can use this data in a number of ways:
- Plan future tweets
- Plan future blog posts or marketing campaigns
- Make new contacts
- Find new customers
Final Thought
Retweeting is a great way to get involved in the conversation with your followers on Twitter, as well as discover some new content. How are you handling retweets? Hit the comments and let me know.
