My Notes on Twitter/X Guidelines

Tweet Checklist

• Quality Content: Ensure your tweets are informative, engaging, or entertaining. High-quality content is more likely to generate interactions like likes, retweets, and replies.

• Use of Media: Incorporate relevant images, videos, or GIFs, as tweets with media often engage users more than text-only tweets.

• Optimal Posting Times: Tweet when your audience is most active. This increases the likelihood of immediate engagement, which can boost the tweet's visibility.

• Interaction with Followers: Engage with your followers by replying to comments and participating in conversations. This can increase the chances of replies and retweets.

• Hashtags and Mentions: Use relevant hashtags and mention other users when appropriate. This can help your tweets reach a wider audience and potentially increase engagement.

• Consistency: Regular posting can help in building a dedicated follower base, which might lead to consistent engagement.

• Trending Topics: Participate in trending conversations relevant to your interests or industry. This can increase visibility and engagement.

• User-Focused Content: Tailor your content to the interests and preferences of your target audience.

• Profile Optimization: Ensure your Twitter profile is complete and engaging, as this can influence follow-backs and interactions with your tweets.

• Analyze and Adapt: Use Twitter Analytics to understand which types of content perform best with your audience and adapt your strategy accordingly.

Posting Schedule

• Monday to Friday (Weekdays):
• Morning Post (7 AM - 9 AM): Start the day with a motivational quote, industry news, or a quick tip relevant to startups and indie hacking. This captures early risers and people checking their social media at the start of their workday.
• Midday Post (12 PM - 2 PM): Share an insightful article, a poll, or an engaging question during lunch hours. This can encourage interaction while people take breaks.
• Evening Post (5 PM - 7 PM): Post content like a detailed thread, a success story, or a personal insight from your experiences in the evening when people are winding down.

• Weekends (Saturday and Sunday):
• Late Morning Post (10 AM - 11 AM): Since people might wake up later on weekends, a late morning post can work well. This could be a more relaxed, personal, or reflective post about the week's learnings or achievements.
• Afternoon Post (3 PM - 4 PM): Share something light and engaging, like a fun fact about the startup world, an interesting anecdote, or a preview of what's coming in the next week.

• Consistency Over Frequency: It's better to post regularly than to post frequently but irregularly. Choose a frequency you can maintain.

• Engage with Replies and Mentions: Set aside time to interact with any replies or mentions you receive. Engagement isn't just about posting; it's also about building a community.

• Special Content for Special Days: Consider having specific themes for different days of the week (e.g., #MotivationMonday, #TechTipTuesday).

• Flexibility: Be prepared to adjust your schedule based on engagement metrics and feedback from your audience.

Monitoring and Adjustment

• Regularly check your analytics to see which posts are performing best and at what times.

• Be open to adjusting the schedule based on this data. For instance, if you notice higher engagement in the evening, consider adding more evening posts.

A Good Hashtag

• Relevant: The hashtag should be relevant to the content of your tweet and your audience. It should resonate with the interests of your target followers.

• Specific: Specific hashtags are more effective than overly generic ones. For instance, #TechStartups is more targeted than just #Business.

• Trending but Not Overused: While it's good to use trending hashtags, overly popular ones might cause your tweet to get lost in the noise. Balancing popularity with specificity is key.

• Understandable: The hashtag should be easy to understand and interpret. Avoid overly complicated or lengthy hashtags.

• Branded Hashtags: For building a brand or a campaign, create a unique branded hashtag. This should be memorable and consistently used across your posts.

When to Use a Hashtag

• Topic Relevance: Use a hashtag when your tweet relates to a trending or relevant topic within your industry or area of interest.

• Events or Conferences: If you’re tweeting about a specific event, conference, or webinar, include the official hashtag of the event.

• Joining a Conversation: Use hashtags to join broader conversations on Twitter. This is a way to engage with users beyond your current followers.

• Campaigns and Promotions: If you’re running a campaign or promotion, create and use a specific hashtag to make all related tweets easily searchable and trackable.

When to Use Mentions?

• Direct Engagement: Mention other users when you are directly referring to them, their content, or if you want to attract their attention to your tweet.

• Collaborations and Credits: Use mentions to credit sources, collaborators, or to acknowledge contributions from others.

• Starting a Conversation: Mention someone you want to start a conversation with, especially if it’s relevant to their interests or expertise.

• Networking: Mentioning relevant influencers, industry leaders, or peers can be a part of your networking strategy.

• Don’t Overdo It: Avoid using too many hashtags or mentions in a single tweet, as it can look spammy and reduce engagement. One to three hashtags per tweet is often recommended.

• Context is Key: Ensure that your use of hashtags and mentions adds value and context to your tweet, rather than just being there for potential visibility.

• Regular Monitoring: Keep an eye on trending hashtags in your field and the performance of your own hashtags to continually refine your strategy.

Discover Trending Topics

• Twitter's Trending Section: Regularly check the 'Trends for you' section on your Twitter homepage. It shows trending topics and hashtags based on your location, who you follow, and your interests.

• Explore Page: Visit the 'Explore' tab to see a wider range of trending topics and news stories.

• Search Relevant Hashtags: Regularly search for hashtags that are commonly used in your industry or area of interest to see what’s currently being discussed.

• Follow Industry Hashtags: Keep track of a few key industry-specific hashtags to stay updated on relevant trends.

• Follow Key Figures: Follow influencers, thought leaders, and organizations relevant to your field. They often discuss or initiate trending topics.

• Twitter Lists: Use or create Twitter Lists of influential people in your industry to see a curated feed of their tweets.

• Third-Party Analytics Tools: Tools like TweetDeck, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social offer features to track and analyze trending topics and hashtags.

• Google Trends: For broader insights, Google Trends can show you the popularity of search terms and topics over time.

• BuzzSumo: A tool for content research that can show you the most shared content on social media for certain topics or keywords.

• Brandwatch: Provides insights into trending topics and consumer sentiment across social media.

• Engage in Twitter Chats: Participate in Twitter chats relevant to your field. These are usually centered around trending topics.

• Online Communities: Platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn groups, or specific industry forums can be early indicators of trending topics.

• Industry Blogs and Newsletters: Subscribe to influential blogs and newsletters in your field.

• Regular Monitoring: Make it a habit to regularly check these sources.

• Engage and Experiment: Engage with trending topics by tweeting about them, using the trending hashtags, and observing the engagement you receive.

• Stay Informed: Keep up with news and updates in your industry to naturally understand emerging trends.