X/Twitter headlines are about short striking descriptive tidbits.
Why? So that they can spread virally quickly and frequently.
X/Twitter is full of often outrageous updates.
No joke. It’s hard to get noticed in that context where everybody screams.
As a marketer you have to optimize for X/Twitter.
When you share something there – create a custom one ideally.
Share me!
Getting re/shared on X poses some special challenges though!
One of the foremost is the resharable headline.
It’s a mix of traditional SEO and modern social SEO 2.
Why? X/Twitter headlines need both keywords and clickbait!
In a positive sense clickbait is the “awesome” effect needed on other social sites as well.
Clickbait also makes headlines intriguing by not giving away everything in them already.
Clickbait headlines leave the gist intentionally vague while traditional headlines give away the news upfront.
Clickbait: “This Invention Will Revolutionize the Internet”
Traditional: “AI Will Revolutionize the Internet by Automation”
In the first example you have to click through to find out what “this” is.
You also don’t know yet what the invention is and how it will revolutionize the Internet.
The most difficult thing about these headlines is of course fitting them in the shortest possible form.
X/Twitter headlines that worked
Thus I present to you the 5 keys to X/Twitter headlines.
They worked for me many times and I witnessed them working for many others.
Please note how short my examples are.
- Eye catcher: how to, 101, free
- Emotion: “wow”, “cool”, “LOL”, “FAIL”, “WTF?”
- Keyword/s: X/Twitter, SEO, social media
- Names, brand names: Apple, Elon Musk
- Value: tools, list, DIY, guide
- With an eye catcher you manage to get noticed. The usual suspects work also on X/Twitter.
- You need to get emotional, otherwise people won’t see a reason in clicking the link you tweet if you don’t even care for it.
- For those who search X/Twitter for keywords you need to add some. “X/Twitter” works for everybody. For my followers “SEO” will work.
- Use names and brand names people know on X/Twitter and X/Twitter users love or hate.
- Make sure to promise value in your headline. The value proposition is something like “free guide”, “tutorial”, “ebook”.
Will these simple 5 keys to X/Twitter headlines make you popular?
Not really by themselves, you need followers, the right ones.
You need to share at the right time – when Americans are awake – or wherever your audience resides.
X-tending or tweeting at night might be a good idea when you want to attract the night-life crowd.