#ContentWritingChat Recap: Twitter 101, How to Build a Following, Write Compelling Posts, & More with Madalyn Sklar | Express Writers
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#ContentWritingChat Recap: Twitter 101, How to Build a Following, Write Compelling Posts, & More with Madalyn Sklar

by | Jul 22, 2016 | ContentWritingChat

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Twitter 101, How to Build a Following, Write Compelling Posts, & More with Madalyn Sklar

Did you miss #ContentWritingChat this week? Well, you sure missed one busy chat! This Tuesday, we shared a ton of tips that will help you become a Twitter superstar. Keep reading to learn more!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Twitter 101, How to Build a Following, Write Compelling Posts, & More with Madalyn Sklar


Our guest host this week was social media guru Madalyn Sklar. Madalyn is the host of the #TwitterSmarter podcast and Twitter chat. She has also been ranked #1 in social media for the Houston, Texas area. Pretty amazing! Be sure to check out Madalyn’s website and her podcast.

Q1: What are the best practices for building a following on Twitter?

Are you looking to give your following on Twitter a major boost? You just need to keep these tips in mind:

What are Madalyn’s tips for landing more Twitter followers? Listen to others, engage with your audience, share great content, be consistent, and be real. If you do these things regularly, you’re sure to see results. Also, make sure you’re always true to yourself. If you aren’t, your audience will see right through you.

Madalyn also said to think of Twitter as a cocktail party. Make sure you’re talking to people and connecting with them. That’s a great way to look at it!

Engagement is definitely key if you want to grow your following on Twitter or any social media platform.

Chris knows participating in Twitter chats is a great way to build your audience. Twitter chats make it easy to connect with others. You don’t have to worry about feeling awkward when jumping into a conversation.

Sarah from ThinkSEM said to get to know your audience and share the content they want. When you give your audience what they’re looking for, you’re giving them a reason to follow you and stick around. Don’t forget to also listen to them as well. What are they saying online?

Post content that is both useful and interesting to your audience and do so consistently. Don’t forget to select a relevant hashtag or two to expand your reach.

Bill has us all blushing over here! He knows that Twitter chats, including #ContentWritingChat, are a great place to find like-minded followers. He’s also spot on with his advice. If you’re providing valuable content, people will want to follow you.

Q2: What makes Twitter chats a must for anyone on Twitter?

If you haven’t joined a Twitter chat yet, you’re really missing out! (And you should absolutely be joining #ContentWritingChat.) If you haven’t yet figured out why they’re a must, just read these tweets:

Madalyn said Twitter chats are an amazing way to connect with like-minded individuals. With so many chats going on these days, it’s easy to find one where your audience is hanging out. She knows they’re also a fantastic way to learn and expand your knowledge.

As Sarah said, Twitter chats are the perfect place to network, meet new friends, and get insight from others.

Connection, collaboration, and expertise. Great answer from Brittany!

Tim thinks Twitter chats are a lot of fun. He knows they’re a great place to connect, but also to learn and share the knowledge you have.

Brett said chats are a must for genuine relationship building.

The best chats are ones where you can share your knowledge to help others and you can learn a thing or two as well.

Chats are a good opportunity to network and learn something new.

Q3: How can you create content that stands out on Twitter?

Dealing with Twitter’s character limitations doesn’t have to hold you back. You can still create amazing content that gets noticed by your audience. Here’s how:

Madalyn knows it all goes back to your audience when it comes to creating content. If you want to share amazing content on Twitter, you have to give your audience what they want to see. Provide value to them.
She also recommends using images, videos, and GIFs to get your content noticed.

Ray is on the right track with his answer. He knows how important it is to consider your audience when creating posts for Twitter. Think about what your audience would value and give that to them.

Kristen feels passion is key when it comes to sharing content on Twitter. If you want your tweets to get noticed, make sure you’re passionate about what you’re posting.

Adding a visual is always helpful if you want your content to stand out. Create eye-catching graphics that will grab the attention of your audience as they scroll through their timeline. Don’t forget to add relevant hashtags as well.

Shereese said if you want to stand out, your content needs to have a great visual, a great subject, and a great deal of subject-matter research.

Provide value to your audience. What are they interested in? What would help them? Give your followers what they’re looking for.

Jane recommends keeping your message consistent across all of your posts. Don’t forget to add hashtags and interact with others as well.

Ellie said to check out your analytics and find out the demographics of your audience. When you get to know them, you can optimize your content for keywords and hashtags so you can stand out.

To put it simply, write for your audience. Give them what they’re looking for and they’re sure to love your content.

Q4: Are there rules to how often you should post on Twitter?

How often should you really be posting? Is there such a thing as too many tweets? Check out what some of the participants from Tuesday’s chat had to say:

Madalyn said there are NO rules when it comes to Twitter. You can post as often as you’d like. Just make sure you don’t post too little or too much. Find a balance that works for you.

She also recommends to post 3-5 times per day if you’re just getting started on Twitter. Great advice!

As Sarah said, it all goes back to your audience. No matter how often you post per day, make sure you stay consistent.

Ultimately, you want to make sure you’re providing value to your audience with every tweet you post. You should always be focused on giving your audience the great content they want to see.

Bill agrees that providing value is key. The value you give to your audience matters more than how often you post.

Keep an eye on your metrics to see how well your tweets are performing. You can do this by checking Twitter Analytics. Is your audience engaging with all the tweets you’re posting?

It looks like Jenn agrees when it comes to checking your analytics. She knows they can help you grow and learn so you can better your strategy.

As David said, make sure you re-post content for different time zones. Keep in mind that your followers are likely located all over the world. You don’t want them to miss anything by limiting your posts to a certain chunk of the day.

Do what feels right for you and your audience. There isn’t a magic number that works for everyone.

Tim said you should experiment with your posting schedule. Find your peak times for posting and tweet the most during that time. If you have something to say, don’t be afraid to share.

Kristen also recommends taking advantage of your peak posting times. Find out when your audience is most active on Twitter and schedule your posts around those times.

Make sure you’re posting daily. You should create a schedule and stick to it.

Consider your industry and your community. They’ll respond to things differently than another online community.

For Nick, he likes to schedule 5-7 tweets per day. He mixes that up with live interaction with his audience.

Remember that social media isn’t just about talking about yourself or your business. You should also make sure you’re engaging with your audience and having conversations.

Q5: How important are hashtags on Twitter? What can they help you do?

Are you using hashtags regularly on Twitter? You should be! A relevant hashtag can help you expand your reach on the social media platform. Check out these tips:

Madalyn knows hashtags are great for finding tweets using a relevant keyword. They’ll help you to connect with your audience and others who are interested in what you’re sharing.

Jim said relevant hashtags give your tweet wings. Hashtags allow you to target your content to a specific audience, helps to extend its life, and makes your post more discoverable.

Hashtags are a must if you want people to find what you’re posting. They can help you to grow your following organically.

Tim said hashtags can help connect you to others who are interested in what you’re saying. They also help us to have amazing Twitter chats, just like #ContentWritingChat!

As Chris said, hashtags are essential but it is possible to overdo it. Limit yourself to two hashtags per tweet.

Use hashtags that are relevant to your audience and the content you’re sharing. Don’t go overboard either. Twitter is not the place for it!

Alexia said hashtags are vital for making sure your content reaches your target audience.

Relevant hashtags will help new people discover you. Try a tool like hashtagify.me to find the right ones for you.

Never, ever do this. It’s just not cool.

Think of hashtags as search keywords to help your content be seen.

Hashtags can help you generate brand awareness, plus help you build relationships with your community.

Great tip! Do some hashtag research and find ones that are relevant to your audience. Save them all by order of possible impressions and refer to them when scheduling your posts.

Q6: How can you take advantage of Twitter’s features such as Analytics and Lists?

Twitter Analytics and Lists are great tools to utilize if you really want to make the most of Twitter. Here are some great tips from Tuesday’s chat:

If you haven’t used Twitter Analytics yet, you can access yours at the link Madalyn shared.

Madalyn recommends checking out your analytics every month so you can see what’s working best. Which posts are resonating with your audience? Which ones didn’t perform as well as you’d hoped?
For lists, she feels they help you cut through the noise to see the most important tweets. Carefully curate your lists so you see just the updates you’re truly interested in.

As Ellie said, you can get insight into what your audience likes and doesn’t like when it comes to your posts.

Analytics can help you determine your best times to tweet. You can schedule your most important posts around these times for an increase in engagement.

Your analytics will give you insight into what’s working for you and what’s not. The metrics you see can help guide your social media strategy and set up up for success.

You can also discover the demographics of your audience, as well as their interests and locations. You can target your posts accordingly.

Varun knows lists are great for monitoring relevant and important accounts. You won’t miss a thing if you keep your lists in order.

As Andy said, TweetDeck is a great tool to use if you want to stay updated with your lists. The columns TweetDeck provides makes it easy to see what everyone is sharing. You’ll never miss a thing!

Q7: How can you write a targeted Twitter bio that earns more followers?

The bio you include on your Twitter profile is so important. It can make or break whether or not someone chooses to follow you. Take a look at these tips to ensure you maximize the characters you have for an amazing bio:

Madalyn’s advice is to be compelling and descriptive. Use your bio to tell your story. It can play a deciding factor in whether or not someone follows you, so you better make sure it’s a good one.

Brittany said you should tell people what you do and why you do it.

Sarah recommends stating your mission, describing who you are, and how you can add value to your audience. Don’t forget you have to do all of that in only a few characters.

Tim said to use relevant hashtags in your bio and summarize your unique selling point.

Zala said to keep it short and precise. You should share what you’re doing and why. Make sure you’ve also included your location and a link to your website. She said if your handle doesn’t include your real name, you should add it to your bio.

Kevin and Zachary know the combination of your bio and pinned tweet can make your account a winner.

Q8: Quick Q&A for Madalyn! Ask your questions about Twitter.

For the last few minutes of Tuesday’s chat, we allowed everyone to ask Madalyn questions. Here are a few highlights:

Madalyn has been a digital marketer for 20 years and has been in social media for 11 years.

In response to Kristen, Madalyn said she loves pinned tweets. The pinned tweet is prime real estate on your profile and you want to take advantage of it. Pin something you want to receive extra attention.

What does she see for the future of Twitter? She thinks the platform will continue to grow, so keep using it.

She thinks Twitter ads are hit or miss, but that they’re worth trying out. If you’re thinking about using them, just give it a go and see how it works for you. Everyone has a different experience.
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM CDT for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!
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Tags: social media | Twitter | Twitter content tips