Commenting on and sharing Tweets is the main component of using Twitter successfully. It starts conversations and introduces you to new people and new ideas. A Twitter Thread helps connect you with even more people and on a deeper level.
For businesses, it is a powerful way to connect with your target audience, as well as learn from others in your industry.
A Tweet is a 280 character message that can be posted with images, video, GIFs or polls. Usually, links are attached directing users to a Website or app. Twitter threads are ongoing conversations in the form of Tweets centered on the original Tweet’s subject or topic.
There are many ways a business or brand can use a Twitter thread. You can use threads to communicate with company team members, generate a buzz about your brand, business, or cause, or to survey your existing or potential customers about a product or service.
A recent Twitter thread showed a conversation that began with someone congratulating one of their colleagues and resulting Tweets of congrats from other company members.
These are public conversations that show the behind-the-scenes and “human” side of a business. Showing the people behind your business engages your audience on a personal level and encourages trust.
Another example of using threads to engage users is this sponsored Tweet from @BetheMatch, the Twitter profile for the National Marrow Donor Program. The Tweet asks a question of its audience, who respond with varying messages, including one person who states she’s been a part of the donor program for more than a decade.
The Tweet and resulting thread show how important the donor program is, the people who support it, and encourages others to join.
Sourcing Information
Finding content, contacts and more can also happen in Twitter threads. This thread shows a conversation about a Women’s March photo that a CNN reporter was trying to source, possibly for a story:
How to Start a Twitter Thread
To get your Twitter conversations going, here’s how to comment on a Tweet from within the Twitter App and to start a Twitter thread. The process is basically the same if you use the Twitter desktop app.
1. Log into to your Twitter app and use a hashtag search to find a Tweet topic or thread to which you want to respond or join. You can also start your own thread by replying to your own Tweet.
At the bottom left of the Tweet, click on the comment icon:
2. Write your comment, add a photo, GIF or question poll, and click the Reply button:
Here’s my published comment, which is featured below the original Tweet.
If anyone else comments on the original post, it will be featured below mine, creating a Twitter thread based on the original Tweet. I can also add another Tweet to the thread by replying to my comment.
Anyone can join in at any time. Be sure to add relevant hashtags (which I did not in my example) so people can find your thread.
In Summary
There are many ways to use Tweets and a Twitter thread to generate conversations with your target audience, communicate with your company team members, and generate a buzz about your brand.
Get your Twitter conversations and brand presence going and growing!
