Wondering how you can get more retweets and what you can do to boost your chances of getting retweeted? Pulling in all the latest research as well my own experience of factors that consistently lead to retweets, I have compiled this list of 20 quick and easy ways you can get more retweets.
Enjoy and be sure to leave me a comment below letting me know if I have missed anything!
1. Use Mentions
The more mentions you include in a tweet, the higher your chances of getting a retweet. This holds true until 6 mentions; anything higher than that and there is a decrease in the number of retweets.
2. Use Links
Multiple studies have confirmed that using links within your tweets will result in more retweets. They add interest, not to mention links to your site drive traffic and allow you to capture leads.
3. Be a Retweeter Yourself
When you’re generous with your retweets, those around you will be more likely to reciprocate. If you look to give more to others than you expect in return, the return is often greater than you expect!
4. Use Hashtags
Tweets with hashtags (#) receive more retweets than those without. In fact, using 5 hashtags in a tweet gets around .301 retweets, while a tweet with no hashtags receives an average of only .0116 retweets. And recent data released by Twitter confirms this:Â [Tweet “It indicates that tweets with hashtags receive 16% more retweets than those without.”]
5. ASK for a Retweet
You have probably already found that asking for a retweet increases the chances of getting one but did you know that actually spelling out Retweet will net you better results than using the abbreviation RT? Asking nicely (‘Please Retweet’) will help even more!
6. Place Your Link Carefully
Tweets that contain links receive more retweets than those without. But research has also found that putting the link 90% of the way through your tweet increases the likelihood of getting a retweet.
7. Optimize Your Tweet Length
If you are looking for retweets, you will want to make sure your tweet isn’t so long that people will need to edit it for retweeting. According to some research, 71-100 characters is the optimal length in terms of getting retweets.
 
Image courtesy of TrackSocial
8. Reach Other Time Zones
If you want the opportunity for retweets in other parts of the world, try scheduling tweets to go out while you are away or sleeping. You can schedule your tweets with a number of tools, including Hootsuite and Twuffer.
9. Don’t Flurry Tweet
If you only have a few minutes per day to Tweet, make sure you schedule your tweets rather than posting multiple tweets in one fell swoop.
10. Tweet Great Content
It goes without saying that if you want retweets, your content needs to be retweeable! [Tweet “Always be thinking about what your audience wants and needs to see, and you’ll increase your chances of getting retweets.”]
11. Make Your Retweet Button Prominent
Having a retweet button on every page of your site is critical if you want your visitors to retweet your content. And make sure the button placement is prominent, so they don’t have to go looking for it!
12. Use Pictures
Tweets with pictures receive far more retweets than those without. In fact, they receive an average of .404 retweets, compared to .0133 for those without.
In particular, you will want to tweet Twitter pictures, as opposed to Facebook or Instagram pictures. These tweets are actually less likely to be retweeted!
Image courtesy of Dan Zarella
13. Tweet at the Optimal Times
Tweeting on Sundays will increase your chances of getting a retweet, as will tweeting after work hours. Tweets sent out between 10-11pm receive more retweets than average.
14. Include a Number
Where relevant, use a number or digit within your tweet. [Tweet “Tweets containing numbers get retweeted 17% more often than those without.”]
15. Show Enthusiasm (!!!)
While you may not be entirely comfortable using lots of emotion in your tweets, using exclamation marks can actually increase the likelihood of getting retweets. In fact, using 6 exclamation marks produces around 0.299 retweets, while using 9 results in around 0.484 retweets!
16. Use CAPS
Tweets with a higher ratio of capital letters receive more retweets. Of course, balance this with some common sense – you probably don’t want to be TWEETING IN ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME!
17. Add, Well, Pretty Much Anything to Your Tweets
While I have covered most of these extra elements above, recent data released by Twitter confirms that adding pretty much anything ‘extra’ to your tweets will get you more retweets. Things like hashtags, digits, quotes, videos and PHOTOS!
18. Don’t Talk About Yourself
Tweets that contain a self-reference are retweeted less than those that don’t. So talk more about others, about issues, about anything other than yourself!
19. Focus on Popular Content
When asked what type of content they like to retweet, respondents of one study indicated that they are most likely to retweet (these are in order of popularity):
- News
- Instructional tweets
- Entertainment
- Opinion
- Products
- Small talk
20. Talk About Twitter
People are more likely to retweet if your post mentions Twitter, as opposed to another social network.
Sources:
5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Get more ReTweets – Dan Zarrella
Why Was That Retweeted? The Retweet Report – Trackmaven
What Fuels a Tweet’s Engagement? – Twitter Blog
Use Images on Twitter to Get More ReTweets – Dan Zarrella
Optimizing Twitter Engagement – Part 3 – TrackSocial
How to Get More Retweets on Twitter – Kim Garst
What do you think? Do these tips hold true in your experience? What’s missing from this list?
About Author
Pretty interesting, right, Geoff?
Valérie, glad you got some value from the post! Thanks for dropping in!
Twitter doesn’t frown on multiple hashtags per se but I do think more than 2-3 is too much. It makes your tweet look like spam.
Awwhh, thanks Liz!
Talking about what is trending is definitely helpful and sometimes gets your content some extra attention. – Boom Care Squad – Aida Ingram
Woohoo! Love hearing this!
I would start reading some of my content. There are tons of tips on how to attract your ideal customer/client to your business.
Thanks a lot. It’s good that I browse this. I learnt much from your article. Keep it up
What is your end goal?