Retweeting and how to do it (part 2 of 2)

OK, here we go again. More tips on how to retweet as Dan Zarrella figured them out. In case you missed part 1, check it out here first.


Retweeting may seem complex, but many use it to do more than say hi, even more than to pursue business it seems. 


To get your retweets higher, here are five more tips Dan Zarrella has for Twitter users.


1. The semicolon problem


Zarrella says semicolons are “the only unretweetable punctuation mark.” Colons, however,are #1 for retweetable punctuation marks. We all use punctuation in some form when tweeting and retweeting, but avoid semicolons at all costs. Use periods or colons instead.


2. Show your language


Use better language with more syllables when tweeting. Actually, people on Twitter tend to be quite smart, and the more complex your wording the more interest you might actually get. Tweeters are actually a more intellectual bunch of social networking users. Retweets actually use longer words with more syllables more.


3. Be original


Instead of going back in history or saying your cat is cute, focus on relevant content for the day. While  it may require some research to be up on all the news, stick to your field and the blogs or Tweeters you follow in your niche for new content. If you go on about things that happened ages ago, retweets are unlikely, even if it seems important.


4. Timing


Zarrella noted timing does come into play,not surprisingly, with retweets. About the end of the normal word day, say 4-6pm, is the best time for retweets. The worst time seems to be earlier in the morning, when we’re all on the job or busy.


5. Tweeting rules of room


Tweeting is a science for Zarrella, as I said before, and word count is never more important. The number you usually want is length of username + five characters, so be aware of the room you have, he says.


So, here you have them: 5 more tips. You can follow Zarrella if you really want to get everything out of Twitter and retweeting here.


Personally, I won’t apply the tips, not because I think they’re crap (on the contrary), but because I’m not on Twitter for business purposes.


Just to get to know people, thank people, follow people, tweet the posts on my blog and retweet the things I think the people that follow me will like (in this case social media marketing and email marketing). And also to tweet completely irrelevant stuff like saying “goodnight” (what you shouldn’t do if you follow the tips) and things that are maybe only important to me like “Donate here for Haiti”.


That’s it, folks. Let me know what’s the effect when you apply these tips. I hope they serve you well (and thank Zarrella if you achieve your goals by applying them, his blog is here and you can follow him on Twitter here).




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