How to Leverage Twitter as an Influencer

Here at Obviously, our most popular social media channels for collaborations, by far, are Instagram and YouTube.  These are both highly visual platforms, which makes them great for brands that want to show off their latest fashions, delicious foods, or favorite products.  They also leave a lot of room for creativity, which makes them great for influencers who want to create beautiful, engaging content.  So, if you're working with Obviously, you can be pretty sure that you'll be working on Insta or YouTube.  But, every once in a while, a brand comes along that is interested in other social platforms, like Twitter.  In these cases, it's important for us to have influencers who have cultivated a strong presence on Twitter, rather than just using it to share links to their Instagram posts.  Different social platforms have different strengths, and Twitter is certainly no exception. 

Here are a few great ways that influencers can leverage Twitter and grow their audience across platforms. 

Share Your Experience

Often, when influencers are invited to events, they will share an Insta Story from the event to highlight their in-the-moment impressions and reactions.  However, constantly creating Stories can be time-consuming and take away from enjoying the event.  Live tweeting is a quick, entertaining, way to let your followers in on your experience.  

When actress Shay Mitchell (@shaymitch) was on Pretty Little Liars, she had her own hashtag #pllaywithshay specifically dedicated to live tweeting the show.  Fans had a blast following along with her as she watched the episodes, and interacting with her transformed them from passive observers to actively engaging with the show.

When live tweeting an event, make sure to post a variety of content, from quotes, to memes, to jokes, and be sure to use the right hashtag!

Share Your Passion 

This is especially true for bloggers, who have built a following giving insight and advice on whatever subject they are passionate about, whether it be fashion, food, parenting, or pets.  After all, Twitter was designed as a "micro blog," a place where thoughts are distilled down to their most essential parts.  

My favorite sports blogger, Chris Wilson (@rakesofmallow) does a great job balancing Twitter with his long-form writing. The blog features everything from in-depth analysis of coaching strategy to lighthearted observations about stadium atmosphere.  His Twitter account gives his followers a first-glimpse into his thoughts and holds us over until the next installation comes out. 

Full disclosure: this is a Notre Dame blog, and I am not sorry. 

Share Your Humor

Everyone loves a good one-liner, and 280 characters or less is the perfect format for that.  While there is a lot about yourself that you can share with your followers through a photo, your ability to craft a joke might not be one of them. 

It's no surprise that The Good Place writer Megan Amram (@meganamram) is a master of the one-liner.  On her Twitter account, she uses that wit for cutting observations that may be just a little too real for network TV.

These are just a few examples of ways that you can up your Twitter game as an influencer.  Ideally, all of your social media should work together as a seamless whole and serve to show off who you are and what you love.

Have additional advice on using Twitter?  Share it in the comments!