We’ve all done it – hit publish only to realise that the hashtag is spelt incorrectly, you forgot to add the link, or the wording isn’t quite right and your point could be misconstrued. Not too much of a worry if you notice right away, you can always quickly delete and repost before anyone has seen your mistake.
But what if you go off to make a cup of tea or it was a scheduled post? What if the offending Tweet is already out there in the Twittersphere making your organisation look sloppy, unprofessional and haphazard? For a comms perfectionist, there’s nothing worse than someone publicly pointing out a spelling mistake. And if your post invites challenges that you didn’t predict, you can say goodbye to that early finish.
According to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, the platform isn’t getting an edit button any time soon. That’s why I’ve created this handy little checklist to help you make your Tweets sing.
Twitter pre-publish checklist
- Check your spelling, then check again. Look out for words like our/out, have/gave, but/bit and in/on, which won’t get picked up in spell check but are easy to misspell on your keyboard.
- Have another look at hashtags. I tend to have all my regular hashtags copied to the top of my content plan, which can help reduce errors. But for those off the cuff Tweets, double check that you’ve spelt them correctly. And make sure you use CamelCase so screen readers can pick them up.
- Look before you tag. Tagging partners, influencers and friends in Tweets is a great way to get them seen by more people. If you’re adding someone new, double check their handle. Beware spoof and unofficial accounts – tagging them will make you look careless.
- Ask yourself, what’s the worst that can happen? Not-for-profits in particular will often be addressing sensitive or contentious issues. I like to have a document of signed-off key messages, language ‘rules’ and answers to difficult questions for social media campaigns I’m running to make sure potential issues have been considered. Even if you have made these preparations, it’s always worth a final sense check before you publish.
- Publish! Send your Tweet out into the world then sit back and watch the likes and Retweets come in, and respond to all the lovely comments being posted by your community.
What are your tips for creating beautiful and useful Tweets? Please share in the comments below or on Twitter tagging @colvinecomms. And if you need a bit of help to manage your organisation’s channels. Check out our social media packages or get in touch.
Claire, Director, Colvine Communications.
