You’re supposed to have a stiff upper lip…right?
Remember, you blog for you and no one else. The thrill of writing is the reward. Only self-centered, fame-hungry, glory hounds care about comments and retweets. Right?
Well, not quite.
Every human being craves feedback. If you say hi, you like to get a nod back. If you write an epic blog post, you expect to get a response. Something,. Anything.
Today, the feedback tool of choice is the retweet.
A retweet means that a reader decided to share your post with their audience. The rule of thumb is simple; The bigger the audience the better. And, if the right “influencer” mentions your post your work can go “viral”.
There are two schools of thought on retweets. Some people hate the fact that retweets mean so much. Others accept them for what they are – a great way to get your blog post in front of a large audience.
I am in the retweet fan club. {full disclosure}
I suspect you are too (even if you don’t like to admit it in public)
Now that we are on the same page, let’s talk about the elephant in the room.
Your posts aren’t getting retweeted.
Here are 7 Reasons Why You Aren’t Getting Retweeted
(1) Bad Retweet Button Placement:
Readers can’t click buttons they can’t find. Also, people will not click a button that doesn’t say, “tweet”. My retweets sucked until I quit being cute with the button. I put a large green button at the top of my post. And…Voila! I started getting retweets. Sometimes the best solutions are the easiest.
(2) Boring Headlines
Savvy content curators could beat Lois Lane to a story any day of the week. In order to stay relevant, twitter aficionados constantly hunt for the interesting, bizarre, paradoxical, and practical. That means they make instant judgment calls about your post based on your headline.
Your utterly factual headline will get ignored. However, if you write a neck-snapping work of art then you’ll get their attention. This isn’t as hard as you think and the web is littered with great spots to find headline ideas.
(3) Mumbling
What?
A blogger mumbles when they write 3 paragraphs of plodding prose before they get to their point.
Most people don’t have time for you to slowly build to your “aha” crescendo. If you make your reader wait for the punch line, you will never get the retweet.
That’s why I always tell my Blogging Bootcamp students to drop the first paragraph of their blog posts. Many of them find that their post instantly jumps in quality.
(4) Small Audience
New bloggers don’t have big audiences. It’s simple logic. No audience = no retweets. So, before you set your expectations to high, work on driving traffic to your blog. There are zillions of posts out there that talk about how to do this.
However, I do have one tip. Start tweeting. Find the big names in your niche and follow them. Go one-step further and follow the people they follow.
Next find a tweet chat that focuses on your niche. Actively participate in the tweet chat and start to build a quality crowd of followers. Once you get to 100 followers, start promoting your posts. It will take time but it will work.
(5) Shy Audience
Some people won’t retweet. They may leave a comment or even link to your post, but they won’t retweet. Why? There are a couple of good reasons -
For example, business audiences have to be careful about affiliations. Retweeting your post could violate a company policy. Other audiences may be less “Twitter-focused” than the social media crowd. Although they appreciate your post, they hate using twitter.
Whatever the reason are you will need to switch strategies if your audience can’t or won’t use twitter.
(6) Wrong Type of Posts
Some posts are more retweetable than others. Deeply personal, diary-type entries have a tough type getting shared. Readers feel that the post is semi-private and are unsure if it’s supposed to be retweeted.
On the other hand, the ever-popular (and effective) list post is the retweet champ. Readers can immediately see the value of “resource” posts and quickly RT it to their audience.
Reviews are also great retweet material. Last in the list would be the Opinion Post (or the rant). If the opinion post has a great headline, then it will be spread far and wide. But be careful, your rant can be so controversial that it could be too hot to handle. Most bloggers don’t mind a provocative post but many will avoid spreading personal attacks or controversy.
(7) Your Post Just Sucks
I’ve written my fair share of posts that just fell flat. My muse decided to hide out. Or, I made the mistake of forcing a topic that just wasn’t there.
It happens to the best of us.
Many times, when I look back on retweet duds I see that I was writing for myself and not my readers. Even though I got something off my chest, my readers couldn’t find what they were looking for. My bad.
This is tough to swallow but if your posts are routinely getting ignored then you may need to change your strategy. You might have to work on your writing. Your editorial calendar may need a hard and ruthless review.
Ready to Get Retweeted?
What are some of your tips for getting retweeted? Have you discovered any pitfalls that I missed? Talk to me and I’ll talk right back
About Stanford
Okay, so I’m still new to the blogging game. Very new. Although I appreciate my retweets and my new subscribers (I really do!!), I want more! Who doesn’t?!?
Really good advice! Thank you.
I follow the tweets of a college student. She posts quotes… motivational, humorous, etc
I love them! I dont know where she gets them but seem to be a good way to tweet. They act as good reminders for the day
Great blog post
stanford,
haha love #7. just say it as it is stanford! so true.
though I said a little amen to #4. though I find myself adding a useless opening paragraph a lot… all that schooling is making me do it.
I think one other way to help with the re-tweets is to write something timely and concurrent with trending hashtags. For instance, those following some publishing houses or their employees might see a particular hashtag for a conference on ebooks or digital media; write your next post to coincide with that topic and add the hashtag so all of those in that frame of mind will have ready access to your work.
That’s a very smart tip. Thanks for commenting Aaron!
Thanks for the information, I’m new to the blogging game. Thanks to you I’ve added the big ‘ol retweet button. I find that WordPress is a great platform for this, so simple to use and add teh needed pluguins.
Keep up the great work.
Thanks. This is really helpful. I had my twitter account in my name. Two days ago I changed it (started a new one) to the name of my blog. So now I suffer from your item #4 Small Audience. But it is coming up quickly. I am off to read some of your other posts you linked too.
I think that good Tweet button placement is important (the more ReTweets people see on a post, the more likely they are to ReTweet that post themselves). Unfortunately, I’ve seen a few bloggers just use a RT image as opposed to an actual clickable button.
In regards to your second point, I also agree that a great headline is important. If it’s confusing, too long, etc. it makes it difficult to ReTweet. Finding the right headline makes it easier for people to share your work.
Thanks for this post! I’ve never really thought about the re-tweet button (mine is immediately at the end of the post, so that’s good, I think).
From now on, I’ll keep an eye on how many people retweet which posts. Of course, I also advertise the post on Twitter myself!
Thanks for the great advice, Do you have a specific wordpress plugin that you recommend for the retweet button or are they all basically the same?
I think I target the right audience but most of those who follow me don’t think that my original posts are interesting. I get retweeted but not that often. I need to improve but I don’t know where to start.
Stanford,
Do you think industry type has anything to do with retweets? Are some industries better for twitter than others or have you seen twitter benefit all kinds of companies?
Some audiences are more Twitter-focused than others. The best way to find out is to watch how the industry leader is communicating with their audience. If they have a robust and active twitter following then it’s likely that you can break into the conversation. However if the top players aren’t on Twitter you will need to test the waters and see if their is untapped potential. Twitter isn’t “REQUIRED” for social media. It’s just another channel. If your audience prefers Facebook or LinkedIn then retweeting isn’t a big deal.
Really good points. I would like to add that the posts should have a teaser first paragraph, because it holds the attention of readers and increases the chance of getting retweets
I agree. Just don’t “mumble” in your teaser paragraph.
Hi Stanford,
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Keisha makes an interesting point – keep the url short for retweeting. But, isn’t the Permalink/url part of SEO optimization. If you shorten it on your blog post, does that impact your SEO?
Any clarification you can share would be appreciated.
Take care
Tim
Recent blog post: Top 5 Marketing startegies for a country
I normally don’t focus on SEO first when designing a headline. But here’s the process I use:
1. Write the headline based on research (see the 17 Clever Spots for Jaw Dropping Headlines Post)
2. Go back and see if I can use a preferred keyword
3. If it makes sense, I include it…
4. If not, I decide if how important the post if for SEO. If the post has decent keyword density for the preferred keyword I will leave it out.
5. Go back and make sure that my preferred keywords are included in tags and metatags.
By the way, with many themes you can use one “human” headline and use a custom headline for SEO purposes (another good reason to get a custom theme). Genesis allows this.
Thanks Stanford.
Happy blogging.
Tim
Hey Stanford,
I have been struggling with getting retweeted since I started using Twitter. It gets kind of old having to keep tweeting my own posts all the time.
I think my problem is my headlines. I suck at writing headlines. Thanks for the tips, hopefully it helps….
Actually your headlines aren’t “that” bad.
I think your follower count is still low. The more quality followers you get (no spam robots) the more likely you are to generate retweets. I didn’t really start generating organic retweets until about 1500 quality followers.
Great stuff, Stanford. With a headline like ’7 Reasons Why Your Posts Aren’t Getting Retweeted,’ I’d imagine you’d get a lot of traction. I was glad to see some really good advice in here. I love #7 because it forces us to take an honest look at our product as opposed to the volatile conditions of the ‘social media market.’
Thanks. I did stack the deck didn’t I?
I can honestly say that I am guilty of more than 1 point here. As always, your advice is straight to the point and cutting to the bone.
Which one hit the hardest? C’mon we’re all friends here
Guilty as charged… I’m still nesting but will be ready to fly soon.
The best way to learn to fly is to step out of the nest (#justsayin)
Some great tips here as usual Stanford – I appreciate your efforts very much..
Cheers : )
Thanks Mark for coming by!
everyone thinks that his post gets the maximum number of tweets as possible just like mashable or techcrunch.
Content + huge audience do the trick and finally a community of bloggers help you to get everything
Thanks for the advice on the retweets. I am trying to build my audience and this is a frustrating task at times. I am more comfortable with facebook, but I am learning to love Twitter. I am going to incorporate a few of your tips right now!
Great post Stanford. The most important point to me is your Number 3. It happens far too often that I and quite a few posts I read mumble on until they get to the point. I don’t really know why. Maybe it’s a habit that stuck with us from school and uni. Where mumbling is required. That’s why I love blogging. Keep it up.
You’re right. School teaches us to mumble. I make it a rule to get to the meat of my post in 3 sentences (or less)
I’m trying not to feel too bad that your 7 reasons so outshines my 5 reasons…:)
LOL – your post was much more fun!
Gotta say Stanford, much as I love your posts, that Marjorie Clayman is a funny lady – it would be a hard choice if I had to put a beermat between you (as we say in the UK)
Cathy
So for us newbies who hit a few hundred followers with no twitter love . . . translation blogs suck, or hang in there and build your chat voice? I understand the content marketing side, but this social marketing is entirely a different beast.
Anyone want to help out? I’m open to feedback. Thanks for the great pointers too.
Bonnie,
Definitely hang in there and refine your writing and voice. Also actively follow users from communities that have high engagement. Many of the people who comment here are enthusiastic retweeters if you publish excellent stuff.
Honestly, like the first person said, I don’t see a retweet button at the top of your post. It may not show under all browsers or something because I don’t see it. I am using Google chrome. I see a Facebook like button at the bottom but no retweet button.
Thanks for telling me that! That dang google chrome – let me see what I can do…
Thanks for a great article! We’ll definitely be leveraging some of these tips!
This is funny! “your post just sucks!” Ya know.. this is a big deal though. Glad you posted this. It raises awareness on how one can improve clicks in places like twitter. I’ve been messing with Feedburner and telling it to post the Title and Body into the tweet.. so that it engages the reader (it grabs the first couple of words from your post.. so make them compelling!)
Great post.
I’ve managed quite a few social media streams for clients, including finding relevant articles to retweet. If I can’t find that retweet button quickly, chances are good I’ll pass it by unless it’s too fantastic to skip.
Totally agree that you can’t just focus on the retweet numbers. It could very well be that twitter is not the way your audience spreads the word. Look at the big picture.
Another thing to consider – are you sending out too much noise? People quickly figure out the folks that are sending out constant noise and won’t bother checking out your tweets to find the bits of signal. Be generous about what you retweet & tweet, but also take pains that you’re being a careful curator, not merely vomiting out everything you’ve taken in.
Great post and something we all wonder about and try to get better at but I have one problem with basing even part of a blog’s success on the retweets and that’s the fact that me, myself and I can hit the button all day long and the number goes up. Did it spread beyond my network? No. Do I have hundreds of RTs now listed on my blog posting? Yes. So how does this make me successful?
In regards to your last comment point about blogs with major suckage….do you have any tips and tricks to share? Its difficult sometimes to write to the theme or problem the company we work for solves rather than our own self-interests as professionals and people with lives. Any ideas?
Christina,
Short answer, gaming the numbers is for losers. If you are serious about solid feedback then this isn’t an option. That’s kinda like a Kobe Bryant bragging about beating a 6 year old in basketball. Pushing Social readers are serious about their success – so thankfully I don’t have to caveat this post.
Good article, nasty over-the-page ad. Annoying.
Very good, honest advice. I like it muy mucho!
I’m going to have to go back and take a look at where my stuff fits in here. I’ve got posts that got over 100 tweets, but most of my posts don’t. A lot of my audience is really beginner, and they don’t seem to understand the benefit of twitter. I tend to think more of the comments on my site ~ since I know I may not get a ton of retweets.
Jackie – It really isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of deal. You identified the x-factor with your tweeting/retweeting issue when you stated that your audience is made up of newbies that may not be Twitter-savvy. If your audience is engaged in comments I’d say you’re still doing it right. The bottom line is you simply adjust course based on where your “tribe” is and THEIR preferred method of engagement.
Hiya Francisco I mean Stanford
But how does one know that one’s post sucks before you post it? Therein lies the dilemma.
As always thanks for the info, this is indeed a post worthy of the retweet.
Dear Francisco, nice and oh so frank….! So I get about 20 to 30, sometimes upwards of 40-50 RTs. I sometimes respond back with the link in the tweet so I would say maybe 5%-8% of those RTs is me either putting the post out there or thanking others selectively. Otherwise I let it do its thing. You are absolutely right about Title, nature of the post, and whether it is a subject that is Retweeable. I’d love to increase my RTs and will go again over your tips. I thought I am staying clear of what not do for the most part….but perhaps it’s also a matter of time before people find you….! Speaking of which, you have been one amazing FIND for me
!
Umm…I’m Stanford. I’m sure Francisco is tall dark and handsome but I wrote this post. Why won’t you love me?
Ha, “Your Posts Just Suck.” Ya, been there…still there actually.
haha – too funny Alex!
Hi Stanford,
These are definitely reasons why I don’t retweet a post. I hate to try to retweet a post and it’s not configured properly, if its posts the whole URL which takes up all the 140 character limit. That’s very annoying.
To get more retweets, sometimes you have to start out by retweeting the posts of others. They’ll see your tweet and will often return the favor. You’ve got to help to be helped.
What I also find helpful is of course a catchy title – people love numbers, so sometimes I add numbers to the tweet even if it doesn’t have any in the title. Sometimes I rephrase the title as a question.
You are a clever one aren’t you
URL Length is super important – 120 characters max I think – right?
I suggest using the URL shortener feature, it allows you to pick between bit.ly, tinyUrl, and some other ones. That’s my suggestion because it allows other people to add comments if they’d like.
When I tweet using my iPod’s Twitter app, I can shorten URL’s before I hit the Tweet button with just a couple of taps. It makes tweeting any post a breeze. I haven’t figured out how to do this in my PC browser. Not to mention that our PC is a dinosaur and Twitter needs about 5,000,000 times more memory than it has to function well.
Stanford…am I going crazy — or are you playing a prank maybe? — or can I not find the Retweet button on this post!
Otherwise just loving this post…
Carol,
It’s not sitting on the left-hand side up top there? That would be an evil prank wouldn’t it?
No, it’s at the top right, above the picture, out of the way where I had to look twice to find it. But apparently it’s getting found! There are 133 tweets showing so far!
I am using the WordPress plugin Share and Follow, and it puts a nice Twitter button at the top of my post. Really handy. I also like having a Facebook button up there too. I think more people are on FB than on Twitter, and it is just so easy for people to hit the like button!
Wow. Less than 3 months and this post got 518 re-tweets? What’s the magic Stanford, I’m sure it’s more than just keep it simple, writing an awesome post and having the button prominently displayed…
Now that you mention that Carol, I’ve found myself searching high and low for Stanford’s darn retweet button on some of his posts… didn’t miss it here on the left though…
Yep, I realized that my fancy Digg Digg plugin didn’t show up for some folks. So I went back to the trusty TweetMeme plugin. Sorry for the hassle.