With over 145 million daily active users, Twitter has the potential to connect you to new and loyal fans alike. The biggest change we’ve seen this year from Twitter, in addition to their updated interface, has been the addition of Fleets. Read up on how Twitter works, the key features you should be taking advantage of, and the Do’s and Don’ts of the app.  

Key Features & How Twitter Works

Users can craft Tweets using up to 280 characters, with the exception of Japanese, Korean or Chinese Tweets which reflect up to 140 characters. To make your Tweets more engaging, attach images, videos, GIFs, polls and most recently, Fleets. 

Fleets

We know about Tweets, so what’s a Fleet? Fleets are for sharing momentary thoughts – they help start conversations and only stick around for 24 hours. You can Fleet text, reactions to Tweets, or photos and videos. You can also customize your Fleets with various background and text options. Soon, stickers and live broadcasting will also be available in Fleets. 

To share a Tweet in a Fleet follow these steps: 

1. Tap the “Share” icon at the bottom of the Tweet.
2. Tap “Share in Fleet.” 
3. Add your thoughts with some text or emojis. 

Auto-Playing Video

• Videos up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds can be posted natively on Twitter.
• Videos auto-play on the platform, but are muted. Once a user clicks/taps a video to view, the sound comes on Tweets, with videos appearing larger in user timelines than text Tweets.

Polls 

• Create a poll by clicking the “Poll” icon in your Tweet composition.
• Polls can have up to four choices and can remain open from 5 minutes up to 7 days.
• Voting is anonymous.

Try it out: Engage your fans by asking them anything from a silly question to what song they’d prefer to hear on tour. Polls are a great way to learn more about your audience and their interests. 

Threads

• If 280 characters are not enough, or you would like to serialize a story, use the “Threads” option to let fans easily find and follow multiple Tweets.
• Click the plus button in the composition screen to activate, and your Tweets will be connected and published at the same time.

Explore Tab

• The Explore tab showcases the top current stories happening on Twitter, allowing users to discover popular and relevant news in an instant.
• This tab is categorized by News, Sports, Entertainment, and more.
• The explore tab makes it easy to find and engage with relevant topics on the platform.

Photo Editing

• Edit your photos directly on the platform by tapping the smile icon.
• Twitter’s photo editor allows you to:
  • Select a filter
  • Edit brightness
  • Crop an image
  • Add Stickers  

Dos and Don’ts 

When promoting music on Twitter, there are a few essential things you must do in order to be eligible for a retailer to retweet or engage with your post. 

When tagging a retailer such as Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music, make sure you are only tagging one per Tweet. When tagging these accounts, make sure you include a relevant photo, video, or GIF to make the Tweet more fun. 

Here are some Do’s and Dont’s as well as helpful optimizations if you are looking for retailer support or wanting to verify your page: 

Do… 

• Engage your fans by replying to their questions and comments.
• Plan your Tweets often – around three to five times a day.
• Keep Tweets concise.
• Use relevant hashtags in posts to allow users tracking a hashtag to see your posts – even if they do not follow you.
• Tweet about relevant trending topics.
• Retweet yourself to bring new light to an old Tweet.
• Engage with other Twitter accounts – be a part of the community.

Do Not… 

• Over promote. Excessive selling, self-promotions, and retweeting will clutter fan feeds and deter followers. Aim for 70% personal Tweets, 30% promotional.
• Link to other social networks. Sharing from Facebook and Instagram looks messy on this platform and is very unengaging for fans.
• Share news without a link. Make it as easy as possible for users to get to your promotional content, whether that be a new release, YouTube video, merch, etc.  
• Use too many hashtags. Aim for three or less per post to avoid looking like spam.

Tips for Promoting on Twitter

• Tag retailer accounts – be sure to only tag one per Tweet.
• Link out to releases, sales, or promotions. 
• Posts tagging retailers should include a relevant photo, video, or GIF.

*All 3 of these bullets must be in place to be eligible for a retailer to retweet

Analytic Breakdown 

To access your Twitter analytics, navigate to analytics.twitter.com/ on desktop to view your full report. If you do not have access to the referenced link, you can find the page by clicking “more” in the menu. Once you have found it, Twitter will give you a 28 day summary of your insights, along with your Twitter highlights.  If you are ahead of the game and have already been using analytics, please note that the events page was removed last year.

That’s it! Use our tips, tweet away and see your results. For additional information on Twitter see our detailed 2021 Best Practices guide below: 

Twitter 2021 Best Practices from The Orchard