Making 140 Count

Getting a clear and concise Tweet out with only 140 character at your disposal can be a tricky craft. As public relations professionals, we often have to make a lot happen within that small text box. In all honesty, that small amount of text is usually the amount of engagement readers have with full length pieces. You want your message to be read, understood, and engaged with. Using a dull choice of words, or having to continue your message into another tweet increases the chances followers choosing to scroll on by. 

As challenging as navigating the Twitter world can be, these tips for making your 140 characters pop should help you out for future social media planning:

• Use verbs and show action. People respond to to calls to action more so than general statements. Use enticing verbs that draw people in, and make them wonder what the next steps will be. Big market words such as "drive" or "highlight" are always great to tap into. And don't forget to consider your audience when selecting choice verbs. If you know your following is fond of videos, instead of tweeting "new video," say "Watch this!" The instruction in the later makes followers more likely to engage.
• Add images wisely. As great as images are to add flare to content, they can often take up unnecessary characters. Plan ahead when your tweets will contain images, and then generate short, catchy captions that will trigger the follower's curiosity. Let the photo tell the story, and rely on short, witty, and concise wording to draw follower's in.
• Don't overload on hashtags. As catchy as they may be, using too many hashatgs can take up characters that could have been used to better get your message across. All hashtag usage should be done strategically. What will your message gain from having the hashtag there? Does your message really need it to be effective?
• Review before you tweet. PR professionals pride ourselves on our writing abilities. As eloquent as your tweet may sound, it's likely that you can cut down the wordiness and make it equally as attention grabbing. Read the tweet aloud; what is the gist of your message? Can you say this in fewer words or characters? Are all of your punctuation choices necessary? 

Twitter has definitely proven itself as a social media platform that is here to stay. Learning how to best navigate through it is the key.

What do you do to make your tweets stand out in 140 characters or less? Share with us in the comments!