Maybe it is just me, but I find that getting a notification that someone has retweeted my content is really exciting. It could just be that I am glad that my contribution is being appreciated and has provided something to the user. But more likely, it is a slightly childish ego that makes me happy to get praise, like being patted on the head and given a lollipop for drawing a pretty picture of a dog.
Whatever the case, I am positive this is a common feeling. Otherwise, you wouldn’t see so many people asking about how to increase their number of retweets.
Yes, yes … I know a lot of these people are professionals looking for social media-promotion opportunities. I am also aware of the fact that Twitter retweets are one of the most effective ways of increasing visibility and gaining a wider number of loyal followers. But, I bet there is a little of that grinning six-year-old in us all.
Here are six tips to get your content retweeted more often, no matter what your reasons are:
1. Download an eBook
This one is a must-read, and it is the number one step if you are working on getting retweeted. Download Dan Zarrella’s “Science of ReTweets” (view this presentation to get a better idea).
2. Learn The Right Times For Tweeting
Everyone has a main demographic, and a big part of aiming for that target audience is by knowing the time zone they are located in and when they are more likely to be on. There are plenty of tools out there that work by analyzing your followers and finding out the perfect time for you to tweet, which makes it easier to schedule updates accordingly. Two of the most popular services for this are SocialBro and Tweriod.
3. Viral Content Bee “Retweet me” Option
Viral Content Bee is the free social media platform that lets you get retweeted by retweeting other users’ articles. To get retweets, check “Retweet” option:
This option is meant to let you track your projects being retweeted:
- Get the stream of your retweets in your Tweetdeck column.
- Get more followers.
- Increase your influence.
4. Participate in Twitter Chats
Twitter chats are a great way to get people listen to you on Twitter because you are contributing to a shared Twitter stream. If you are unsure of how Twitter chats work, please check this article.
Here’s also a schedule of Twitter chats in the Internet Marketing niche (it misses one newer chat #seopub):
5. Look For Breaking News
Word spreads on Twitter very quickly—to the point that news and media outlets are actually monitoring the site right now for information (I’m serious). So if you get a handle on a story before anyone else (at least on Twitter) or you are among the first to post about it, you will be one of the main people retweeted.
Look for big news stories or even just something interesting. Make sure you are subscribed to some of feeds known for having news up when it first breaks, and then be quick to repeat it.
6. Mention Your More Influential Followers
You probably have a handful of people on your follower list that are better known than most or have a high number of followers. Giving them an @mention is an easy way to get a potential retweet back. As long as the post is relevant, they will probably want to share it with their own followers. Since they have a large list, more people will see it in their feed, which means more potential retweets.
BONUS – Don’t Be Afraid To Repeat Yourself
Sometimes, you say something that was really good or well received. Just like other content, it doesn’t just go into obscurity as time goes by. You should bring it back to people’s attention by tweeting it a second time, to show new followers what they might have missed. If it was popular once, it will probably be popular again, as long as some time has passed and allowed you a new wave of followers.
Do you have any retweet tips? Let us know in the comments!
