Copywriting for Twitter
28 Comments · Filed on: Copywriting · Internet Marketing
A good marketing buddy of mine asked: “Do you use copywriting on Twitter and all the other microblogs? Would that be microwriting?”
The answer is a sound “Yes” – But not in the way that copywriting is commonly perceived by old-school internet marketers.
Twitter has a strict limit of just 140 characters and that requires you to be concise… there’s no room for fluff or hype! So the real question should be: How do you use copywriting in a way that works for microblogs?
Understanding twitter and web 2.0
First I’d look at the reasons you’re using Twitter in the first place. If you’re using for “interruption marketing” (to spam your offers all over the Twittersphere), then you may as well stop reading right now, as this won’t be of interest to you. However, if you’ve discovered, as have many smart marketers, that Web 2.0 is nothing if not about relationship, and Twitter facilitates this as few applications can.
While there have been many other apps come along to try and horn in on some of the action that Twitter has found, they seem to be falling by the wayside as we speak. Pownce closed down recently, and Google announced that they will be closing down Jaiku. The only other true microblog service to speak of would be Indenti.ca. So forgive me if I focus on Twitter solely for the moment.
Microwriting 101
Learning to write in a sort of web-shorthand can be a challenge for those of us born to be verbose. Cramming all of my thoughts on a subject sometimes requires multiple postings, chunks of a virtual conversation, so to speak. But this type of writing can lend itself to opening up yourself to allow others a glimpse at your personality, which is ultimately what they will follow. This type of writing obviously can be very informal, but the goal here is to get across your ideas in a few words as possible, and spark reciprocal conversation.
When you speak on a subject that interests you, do so with the passion you have for it. People follow people who have opinions, and are not averse to sharing them.
This doesn’t have to go as far as link-baiting, and it doesn’t have to be solely about you business. One of the more famous Tweets happened just last week, and demonstrates the power that Twitter can wield as a tool in the hands of millions. When that US Airways plane was forced to ditch in the Hudson River, an alert Twitterer uploaded a picture with the caption “There’s a plane in the Hudson. I’m on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy.” Crazy, indeed!
What you will find, after a while, is that along with sparking many interesting conversations and debate, you will also begin building a groundswell of trust and familiarity with your followers, and this will lead them to want to know more about what you do and how you do it. Now you’ve transformed that follower into a potential customer, all without having to cram a salesletter down their throat!
Use Twitter to announce what you’re doing, share your trials and tribulations, seek answers or just about anything else you can imagine. The one thing you DON’T want to do is try and sell anything off Twitter. Work around it; the sales will come, when you’ve put in the time to build relationships.
Ohh… and please don’t forget to follow me on twitter!
28 comments so far ↓
Comment #:1 by Evan
Really great post!
Comment #:2 by Kris Scheben-Edey
Great post, and it couldn’t be a more relevant time. Twitter’s soaring numbers have left a lot of people unclear on the how to use it properly – and Miguel, I hope every twitter user reads this.
A points for discussion:
-How important is punctuation in “Microwriting?”
Great post, great topic – looking forward to more.
Cheers,
Kris
Comment #:3 by Jonatan
I hate when people spam blogs, facebook profiles/groups, and twitter. I instantaneously block/delete them.
Social media sites like tweeter and facebook are like going to a party, you don’t go to a party to tell everybody about your product/business/opportunity… you socialize, you make friends… then you invite them to your home (blog/website) where they know you better and become customers…
Very good post Miguel, kudos!
Comment #:4 by Connie Werner Reichert
How about “micro-copywriting?” Or is that too many characters?
Comment #:5 by nanette09
Thanks for the article. Clear as to what we should be doing, so let’s enjoy the party.
Greetings
Nanette
Comment #:6 by Matt Ambrose
My current tactic is to share interesting facts I come across when researching articles (e.g. did you know Obama’s unofficial endorsement of Blackberry is estimated to be worth $50 million of marketing).
Twitter has grown 974% in the UK in the last year, and on the subject of popular viral Tweets: this week Stephen Fry (UK celebrity, who recently did a BBC series on the US) ran a competition to see who could write a sentence with 50 Ls into the 130 character limit. Created a flood of traffic and positive engagement in a fun way, something brands could learn from.
Twitter: mattambrose
Comment #:7 by Ricky G. Davis
What a truly great post!
Comment #:8 by Wilma Tyler
Thanks, This really help get more of an understanding of twitter. Great tool!
Comment #:9 by Alvin Yudistira
Thanks Miguel for the respected posting. How about thinking web 2.0 just like a party before go we feel like to prepare buy something, meanwhile in party we feel hungry just got drink or buy some, after the party we feel like to have any preparation for another party and buy some too. Twittering as well chat for having feeling in relationship, then virtual become real life.
Comment #:10 by Donna Maher
Appreciate your time & wisdom!
Donna
Comment #:11 by Robert Raszczynski
Thanks. Twitter is a great tool, but it still need to understand it a bit more to use it more effectively.
Comment #:12 by Terry at Hollister Creative
While I applaud the concept of copywriting for Twitter, I simply think that it is a waste of time. The 140 characters available should be used to convey useful, compelling information; there’s not much room for creativity and still be personal. By providing useful, timely content, a Twitter user will the gain the trust of followers and later be able to build on that trust in other channels.
Comment #:13 by Mark
Nice post, and I’m now following you on Twitter for more advice and observation. The power of Twitter to reach an audience and monitor how that audience is perceiving your company/product is huge! Your post is great advice as companies realise they need to get their head around the power of Twitter. Thanks! Mark
Comment #:14 by Tom - marketing tips
140 characters is a bit short to write novels.I often look at how other interesting people do their tweets and then mimic their approach.It seems to be working.
Comment #:15 by Copywriting Defined in a Single Tweet
I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot lately: how to use Twitter. Here are three keys:
Be on target (know your followers’ interests)
Be entertaining
Be personal
But mix it up. And always be interesting no matter what you’re tweeting about.
Ryan
Comment #:16 by John Ellis
I’m also struggling with the grammar debate. It’s difficult to find agency writers who can work in micro spaces and also handle full-lenght paragraphs on a site.
A lot of the best headlines are well under 140 characters. Twitter could produce some of the most succinct writers ever.
Comment #:17 by Bronzilla
Great post Miguel. I was one of those people who learned the hard way. At first I was doing tweets and was wondering why I didn’t have as many followers as I did. Then it hit me! Use engaging content or useful information that help people. Since I’ve change how I tweet, I now have more follows and have been listed several times. Thanks for sharing
Comment #:18 by Uptrendhits
Thanks again for the tips. I already try to use interesting headlines and questions, but Ive never put PLZ RT at the end of my tweets. I will give it a try.
Comment #:19 by Copywriting voor Twitter? Hoe dan? — Insperide
[...] van dit artikel komen uit een artikel over Twitter van Copywriting.com. [...]
Comment #:20 by Eric Twardzik
Awesome article. I find twitter to be an amazing, and not fully realized rescource for copywriting. I’ve included a link in my blog about creative careers
Comment #:21 by BigDogHobbies.com
Twitter is a forum to drip little nuggets of commentary, wisdom and daily briefs. Just make it consistently interesting, and people will follow.
Comment #:22 by timely copy
Yes, twitter is helping you to search more content on your niche or market.
Comment #:23 by Daniel Ball
Great info. Twitter can certainly be a powerful medium if used skillfully.
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Comment #:24 by SEJWritingServices
Nice tips, Twitter certainly should not be about the hard sell. It’s a far better medium for building relationships and if you get lucky, they might turn into a sale.
Comment #:25 by Jamie Fairbairn
Hi Miguel, writing for Twitter is definitely a skill in its own right.
The 140 character limit is restricting but I try to limit my tweets to a maximum of 120 characters to allow space for people to retweet them as these include your Twitter name.
It’s a real challenge to get your content noticed in amongst all the ‘noise’ but it’s a great feeling when it works.
Comment #:26 by calpol89
that was a nice read,twitter is turning into a great marketplace,the tweets should contain the most attractive part of your post.and do not spam.
Comment #:27 by Copywriter Johannesburg
As the man said, had I had more time, I would have written less.
Have to make every character count. Long, hard work sometimes.
Comment #:28 by Judith
Great post, Miguel.
Building relationships through twitter and other microblogs can be quite challenging. Thanks for the tips.