Use Twitter Replies the Right Way

I have noticed that many Twitter users don't fully understand the Reply function. In this screenshot you can see the Retweet and Reply buttons that appear beneath each tweet:

When you click the Reply button, it opens a blank message addressed to the person you are replying to.

Replies are a great way to interact with other people on Twitter, but I see a lot of replies that say things like "Excellent point!" When making a reply, it's best to reference the post you are commenting on and to make a comment that invites a response. The recipent of your reply can see the entire conversation thread by clicking on the bubble icon in the upper right side of the message.

A common mistake is using the Reply function to share a tweet with your followers. If you use the Reply button (or post any message that begins with someone’s Twitter user name) that tweet will only be visible to people who are following BOTH of you. Here’s an example:

@TonyEldridge Should You Mention Your Competition In Your Marketing Message? http://dld.bz/35Qs

If I want this message to go out to all of my followers, I need to use the Retweet button or manually type RT in front of the message, so it looks like this:

RT @TonyEldridge Should You Mention Your Competition In Your Marketing Message? http://dld.bz/35Qs

Rather than Retweeting, I often copy and paste the message and then acknowledge the original poster at the end of the message, like this:

Should You Mention Your Competition In Your Marketing Message? http://dld.bz/35Qs via @TonyEldridge

Using someone’s user name anywhere in the message, other than at the beginning, is referred to as a Mention. The Mention will be visible to all of your followers and it will show up in the other person’s @Mentions mailbox on Twitter. Replies also appear in the @Mentions mailbox.

Excerpted from Twitter Guide for Authors. For more book marketing tips, follow The Savvy Book Marketer @BookMarketer on Twitter.

 

Comments

[Nicole White]

Thank you! I'm new to twitter, this was very helpful.

[Pat W. Kirk]

Thanks for mentioning the fact that people should reference the message they are responding to. I often get replies to something I said days before and I can't remember what I said.

[Kay]

Is method of copying and pasting the message and then acknowledging the original poster at the end of the message more advantageous than retweeting? Or does it matter?

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Kay, I prefer listing the message first, then citing the original tweeter. Having the message text at the beginning is more eye-catching to readers and I don't like having a lot of RTs on my twitter feed. But either way works.

[Regan Marye]

I usually get messages that I have no idea if it was addressed to me. The concept of the reply button is to avoid that, and sadly, I think there are some that are still not aware of that button. Thanks Dana for delving into this topic!