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#ContentWritingChat Recap: The Secrets of Running a Great Twitter Chat (Celebrating One Year at #ContentWritingChat)

#ContentWritingChat Recap: The Secrets of Running a Great Twitter Chat (Celebrating One Year at #ContentWritingChat)

by | Jan 6, 2017 | ContentWritingChat

Did you catch #ContentWritingChat this week? In honor of our Twitter chat’s birthday, we celebrated in the only way we know how. With a party, of course!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: The Secrets of Running a Great Twitter Chat (Celebrating One Year at #ContentWritingChat)


We figured there was no better way to celebrate #ContentWritingChat’s first birthday than by talking all about how the chat came to be and how we’ve grown it to where it is today. I guest hosted this week’s chat alongside our CEO, Julia, and it was a blast!

The questions were slightly different this week as well. There were questions geared specifically toward Julia and I and questions that everyone could answer. This allowed us to answer questions about the chat, while still giving our participants something to answer. Ready to dive into the recap? Let’s get started!

Q1: For Julia: Discuss the backstory of why you created #ContentWritingChat. / For everyone: What do you look for in a great Twitter chat (and one that you add to your weekly schedule)?

How did this chat get started and what makes a great one? We’re spilling all the details!

Julia created #ContentWritingChat as an educational community around content. She certainly made that happen! She also wanted the chat to be an extension of her book and her podcast, which also launched in 2016.

What makes a great Twitter chat, in my opinion? I like chats that teach you something new and that have an engaged community. It’s always great when you can leave a chat having learned new tips you can implement for yourself.

Georgina feels the same way. She likes chats that provide her with actionable tips she can use.

For Sarah, she likes chats that have great topics, thoughtful questions, hosts and guests that are engaged, and great insights from participants. She’s also a big fan of puns!

As Jenn said, a great chat need to have interaction. If the host of the chat, the guests, and the participants aren’t engaging with one another, what’s the point? After all, a chat is meant to be social!

Bill enjoys chats that have a great topic, a well-respected guest, and deeper conversations that go beyond the Q&A. You don’t have to just stick with the questions asked in the chat. You can feel free to get deeper into the conversation with other participants. That’s what makes chats so great.

Varun looks for an engaged community and the exchange of knowledge. Learning something from chats makes them even more valuable.

As a one-person team, Kristi uses Twitter chats as a creative outlet. The best ones allow her to brainstorm and learn new things. Plus, it’s great having that social aspect built into a day where you’re otherwise by yourself. It’s a virtual Twitter date every single week!

Q2: For Rachel: Tell us what inspired you to get involved in helping manage #ContentWritingChat. For everyone: What are your favorite Twitter chats to join?

I’m sharing how I got involved in the Twitter chat and we have plenty of new chats for you to join with these suggestions:

Prior to joining the Express Writers team and taking over the behind-the-scenes tasks of the chat, I had already been joining Twitter chats regularly. I had even hosted some in the past. Starting to work on this chat was a great fit and it has been something I’ve truly enjoyed.

It should come as no surprise that our own team member, Tara, is a fan of #ContentWritingChat! She also enjoys #semrushchat, #bufferchat, and #brandchat.

Just like Jacob, we are huge fans of Buffer’s #bufferchat. We’re there every week!

#semrushchat is another weekly stop for us here at Express Writers!

#TwitterSmarter is definitely a chat you need to join!

This is a great round-up of chats from Tony. Have you joined any of these?

Q3: For Julia/Rachel: How did you get people interested in #ContentWritingChat? How did it grow? For everyone: What are your tips for getting the most from joining a weekly Twitter chat?

Getting people interested in your chat is easier than you might think! We’re sharing the “secrets” behind growing the chat!

Julia is right! Getting people to join your chat isn’t really that hard. If you already have a list of contacts, invite them to join you. It also helps to tag people in “reminder” tweets before the chat begins. We have grown the chat strictly through word of mouth and it works!

If you want to get people to join your chat, you need to invite them. You have to spread the word and this is the best way to introduce them to your chat.

One great tip is to make sure you join the chats that are of interest to you. There are Twitter chats on a variety of topics these days and you’re sure to find one that you’d enjoy. Don’t forget to interact once you join.

Don’t just answer the questions when you join a Twitter chat. You need to actually participate by engaging with other participants.

Andrew also agrees that it’s important to engage with others during the chat. Start discussions by replying to the tweets others post.

It’s also important that you’re not just sharing your own answers, but listening to others as well. Not only is it an opportunity to start a conversation, but you could learn something too.

This is great advice from Bill! Make it a point to follow-up with people after the chat concludes. It’s actionable advice that will have you seeing results and forming strong connections.

Never be afraid to ask questions if you have them. Chats are filled with amazing communities of people who are willing to answer your questions and provide help. All you have to do is be willing to ask.

Christie comes prepared to learn by having a notebook by her side. If she learns something new, she’s able to quickly jot it down. This is a great way to ensure you don’t forget any valuable information you picked up during the chat.

Q4: For Julia/Rachel: How do you pick guest hosts for #ContentWritingChat? For everyone: What do you like to see from guest hosts when you join a Twitter chat?

How do you pick guest hosts for you chat and what makes a great one? It’s pretty simple! Here’s what you need to look for:

When the chat started, Julia made a list of potential guests that were aligned with the values of Express Writers as a brand. These days, Julia and I both collaborate on guest host ideas. If I think of a potential guest, I send it over for her approval before contacting.

We choose our guests because we know they can bring something of value to the chat. We want to be able to learn from them and so does our audience.

You want to make sure you choose guest hosts that are going to make people feel welcome. It’s so simple, but very important. You don’t want a guest who ignores chat participants.

Christie also agrees that engagement from hosts and guests is important. You want everyone to be involved in the conversation.

A great host cares what others have to say. They should interact with participants by answering questions and starting conversations.

Jacob feels there should be a mix of leading and interacting when it comes to guest hosts.

Great answer from Zala! All of these are important factors in a great guest host.

Guests should provide a fresh perspective for the chat’s audience!

Q5: Julia: Share how you got your first sponsor for #ContentWritingChat. For everyone: How long have you been joining #ContentWritingChat and what’s your favorite thing about it?

While most of our chats are not sponsored, we have done them before. It’s a simple way to monetize your chat, but it’s important to remember not to turn the chat into a sales pitch. In this question, Julia shares how she landed that first sponsor.

Our participants shared how long they’ve been joining our chat, plus what their favorite thing about it is. We received some lovely answers from this one!

After the chat reached a certain status, Julia reached out to our friends at Search Engine Journal to see if they would be interested in trading event tickets to their summit for advertising spots during #ContentWritingChat.

When their ads were incorporated into the chat, they were spread throughout the hour. The priority was always to make sure they didn’t take away from the value the chat provides. We didn’t want it to come off like a sales pitch or anything of the sort.

For me, I joined the Express Writers team in January of 2016 when the chat was only a couple weeks old. It’s been amazing to see it grow from the very beginning to where it is now.

Lexie from Netvantage Marketing has been joining our chat pretty much since the beginning. It’s great seeing familiar faces and brands every week!

While Jamie has only been joining for a few months, it’s amazing to know that the chat felt welcoming right away.

Tony said he started joining Twitter chats in September or October of 2016. After he discovered one chat, he started joining more. They can be pretty addicting, right?

We’re totally blushing! It means so much to hear great things about this chat of ours.

And we love having Jenn bring her GIF A-game each and every week!

This is awesome to hear!

This makes our hearts happy, Zala!

As Julia said, we are truly grateful for everyone who has joined our chat and continues to be part of our community.

Q6: For Rachel: Share tips on how you put together a blog recap for a weekly session of #ContentWritingChat. For everyone: Do you read posted recaps of the chats you join?

Not all Twitter chats share a recap on their website afterwards, but we’ve been creating one since the very beginning. Here’s what some of our chat participants had to say about reading those recaps:

When creating the recaps, I try to pick some of the top tweets. Those tweets are ones that provide value and will be helpful to anyone who missed the chat and relies on the recap to catch up. I also try to include tweets from as many participants as possible to make sure there’s diversity.

Recaps are truly the best way to go back and see what your missed during the live chat hour, especially because they can be so busy.

Debi enjoys chat recaps because they contain some of the most intriguing answers from the chat. It’s a great way to go back and look through the conversation again. You just might find something you missed!

This is a great idea from Michael! You can go back through a chat recap and you might find new people to engage with.

With a chat recap, you’ll never have to worry about missing tips on those hot topics!

Jacob, we hope this inclusion in the recap makes you feel special! 🙂

Q7: For Julia/Rachel: Share a few key tips for anyone wanting to start a Twitter chat. For everyone: What was your favorite #ContentWritingChat of 2016? What would you like to see in #ContentWritingChat in this New Year?

Are you convinced it’s now time for you to start your own Twitter chat? Julia and I have some tips. Plus, we got some great recommendations for another year of chatting in 2017. Check out these responses:

Ask your audience if they would be interested in joining a Twitter chat. If your audience is interested, you’ll know it’s a good idea to move forward with. Then, choose a topic for your chat and select the date and time you’ll host it. Don’t forget to invite people and share all the details with them! To keep them coming back, provide value with every chat.

Julia has already created a document with notes on how to launch a Twitter chat. When asked if they’d like to see this as a full blog post, everyone said yes!

We had a great time at the holiday GIF party, too! We just might need more of those around the holidays.

Chats about social media are always popular ones with our audience.

Maybe you’ll see some of these topics in a future chat!

We’ve actually had a chat on this topic in the past, but it’s one we could definitely revisit for a future Twitter chat!

We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM Central Time for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!

A Guide to Twitter Chats: Why They're a Huge Opportunity, How to Join, & 8 of Our Favorites

A Guide to Twitter Chats: Why They’re a Huge Opportunity, How to Join, & 5 of Our Favorites

by | Sep 27, 2016 | Social Media

Have you joined any Twitter chats before?

If not, it’s safe to say you’re missing out on an incredible opportunity. And I’m not saying that just because Express Writers has our own monthly chat, #ContentWritingChat.

Twitter chats bring likeminded people together from all over the world. They provide a place for everyone to share their thoughts, offer advice, and ask questions. Not only that, but the right chats could lead to new friendships and even potential clients for your brand. That’s why it’s time you take advantage of them.

To help you see the true value in Twitter chats, this guide shares their benefits, tips for joining in on the fun, and five chats to add to your calendar ASAP.

twitter chats

Why Twitter Chats Are a Huge Opportunity for Your Brand

Twitter chats are a live conversation in which a host asks questions and encourages participants to share their thoughts and opinions. These chats are an hour long and typically happen on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. And there’s usually a specific topic for each new chat. It’s essentially one big hangout where people with similar interests can come together and talk.

It sounds great, right? But why do these chats present such a huge opportunity for those who are using Twitter to build their online presence?

Here are three reasons participating in Twitter chats is great for your brand:

  • They Help You Make Connections: With so many likeminded people together for a lively hour of Twitter chatting, it’s a great way to make friends or discover potential customers who may be interested in purchasing your brand’s offerings.
  • You Get to Share Your Expertise: Positioning yourself as an authority in your field is essential to establishing your brand and also building trust with your target audience. Through Twitter chats, you can share your knowledge, showing people that you really know your stuff.
  • They’re a Great Place to Learn: Not only do you get to share what you know, but you’ll be able to learn from others who are participating in these chats. You never know when someone might share a game-changing tip or trick that will help you take your online presence to the next level.

How to Join a Twitter Chat: 4 Tips for Being a Great Participant

To get started, you’ll want to identify different Twitter chats in your niche that you may be interested in. If you’re using chats as a way to grow your brand, you’ll want to be strategic about the ones you join. Meaning, it’ll be smart to participate in chats where you can showcase your expertise and connect with your target audience. Once you’ve selected a few, you just need to schedule time to join them.

Once that time comes, there are a few rules you’ll want to keep in mind.

1. Label your answers with A1, A2, etc. This is a pretty standard rule for all Twitter chats. The reason you want to do this is because it helps other participants match your answers with the correct question. If someone wanted to read all the responses to the first question, yours will be easy to identify.

2. Engage with others. Once you’re in the chat, don’t just share your answers to the questions and ignore the others who are also responding. Make an effort to interact with those who are joining in by replying to their answers and adding your own thoughts. You can even ask questions to further the conversation.

3. No self-promotion. Sharing a link to a blog post you know would be helpful is one thing, but you definitely don’t want to spend the hour promoting your content and offerings. Doing so may come off a little sleazy and kind of intrudes on the host of the chat.

Twitter chat rules for #ContentWritingChat

4. Follow any other rules the chat may have. Some hosts make it a point to share set “house rules” for their chat. If you find yourself in a chat with rules like this, please be respectful of them. For example, our chat has a few simple rules that you can see in the graphic above.

5 Twitter Chats to Add to Your Calendar

Now that you’re prepared to be an amazing participant in Twitter chats, you’ll need to find a few to join. Luckily, I’ve rounded up a list of some great options for content creators and marketers.

1. #CMWorld, Hosted by @CMIContent

If you’re a content marketing expert or wanting to learn more about being a content creation pro, mark your calendars for every Tuesday at 12 PM Eastern. That’s when #CMWorld from Content Marketing Institute takes place. This chat always features knowledgeable guests and educational topics, so you’re sure to learn something that you can implement for your brand.

2. #semrushchat, Hosted by @Semrush

If you love SEO, digital marketing, and everything in between, #semrushchat is the place to be. Hosted by our friends at Semrush, you’ll learn all sorts of amazing tips that will help you get your content ranking on the first page of those Google search results. If you want to join, this chat happens every Wednesday at 11 AM Eastern Time.

graphic for #TwitterSmarter chat

3. #TwitterSmarter, Hosted by @MadalynSklar

Don’t let the name fool you! While Madalyn Sklar’s #TwitterSmarter chat is often focused on Twitter-related conversations, she still covers general social media topics that appeal to all marketers. It’s a must for anyone wanting to stand out on social media. This chat is held every Thursday at 1 PM Eastern Time.

4. #ContentChat, Hosted by @SFErika

Here at Express Writers, we love Twitter chats that teach the value of creating great content. That’s exactly what Erika Heald does every Monday at 3 PM Eastern during #ContentChat. This chat covers topics like content marketing, social media, email marketing, and more.

5. #Digital360Chat, Hosted by @B2the7

Bernie Fussenegger leads the #Digital360Chat every Friday at 12 PM Eastern. The way he’s set up this chat is rather unique. One chat per month is dedicated to sharing tips focused on marketing (digital and social media). Then, the rest of the chats are an “In the Spotlight” feature that is centered around a specific marketer and their career.

Join Us for #ContentWritingChat!

While you’re adding these awesome chats to your calendar, there’s one more you don’t want to forget. And that’s our very own, #ContentWritingChat! It takes place on the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central Time. We chat about all sorts of topics from content marketing to SEO and social media. It’s the place to be for content creators.

Make sure you follow us @ExpWriters and @writingchat so you don’t miss out!

10 Rules to Be A Successful Participant In Your Twitter Chats

10 Rules to Be A Successful Participant In Your Twitter Chats

by | Sep 8, 2015 | Social Media

Starting around June of this year, I stopped impersonating an ostrich and got my head out of the sand.

Photo credit sportsjournalists.com

I finally realized what a Twitter Chat was, how successful they truly are, and how to join one. I was amazed how long these had been going on (we’re talking years for some).

Now, in August, Express Writers and my social team (including myself) are active in #bufferchat, #semrushchat, #CMWorld, #LinkedInChat, and just starting to poke our heads into more.

We’re also on the brink of creating our own (stay subscribed to our newsletter and we’ll let you know when we do!).

Today, I am going to give you a tour into Twitter Chats and help you learn more about these awesome tools, and how you can successfully participate in one.

How Do Twitter Chats Work?

Twitter Chats have been around for quite some time and have provided awesome connections for businesses and clients.

But, before I get into some excellent rules to help you be a successful participant, you probably want a brief rundown of just what a Twitter Chat is.

buffer

Nicole Miller from Buffer lays out what this is perfectly in her article about Twitter Chats. Basically, a Twitter Chat is a group of Twitter users who get together and chat about a certain topic.

One or two people host it and a hashtag is given out for people to use throughout the chat. Sometimes a chat involves the hosts asking questions and receiving answers from participants.

Alternatively, a Twitter Chat can involve participants asking questions with the hosts providing answers.

Now that you have a brief rundown let’s look at how you can participate and do so successfully.

Learn how to be awesome in Twitter chats.

Learn how to be awesome in Twitter chats.

10 Great Rules to Help You Have an Awesome Twitter Chat

Do you want to engage in an awesome Twitter Chat? Well, I’ve compiled some great rules that can help you have an awesome experience.

1. Have Great Twitter Chat Etiquette. Etiquette is a vital part of participating in a Twitter Chat. A lot of basic, in real life etiquette can work well for these. Things such as not talking over the host, letting others get a chance to participate, and respecting the rules will go a long way to making your experience grand.

Be sure you know the rules beforehand and always make sure you follow them closely. If you need, have the rules pulled up on your computer for quick access during these chats.

2. Know How to Answer the Questions. When you get the rules for a Twitter Chat, make sure that you know the format for answering or asking questions. Do you use Q1 (Question 1)/A1 (Answer 1) or something else?

Whatever is listed, be sure to use it. For example, if I were to ask something like this for a #fantasylitchat: “Q1: Who is the best fantasy author? #fantasylitchat” you could write your answer as such: “A1: JRR Tolkien! #fantasylitchat”

3. Figure Out and Use the Correct Hashtag. As I showed above, my make believe chat has a certain hashtag. All Twitter Chats will have a specific hashtag and you need to use it.

This means that you will need to keep your questions or answers short so that you can include it at the end or beginning. This helps to keep track of all the comments people are making and makes it easier for people to connect with each other.

It also makes it easier for the host to find your responses and respond themselves. So before you start joining in on a Twitter Chat learn what the hashtag will be.

Hashtags are great for so many things, helping to put everything under an easy-to-locate tag. Even when you aren’t doing a Twitter Chat, you should still be using hashtags in your other social postings.

4. Make Sure Your Followers Know You Will be Tweeting More. Along with basic etiquette when participating, you also need to show respect to your followers. Make sure you alert them to your increased tweets an hour or so before you start.

And always make sure you inform them just before the chat begins. This gives them the option to mute you during the chat or to follow along.

5. Don’t Overly Promote Yourself in the Chat. Twitter Chats can be used for connecting and networking, but their primary goal is to provide information and knowledge to people.

What this means is that you shouldn’t overly promote yourself in the chat. If your business already does something mentioned in the chat, you can say so but don’t “advertise” it. In a way, simply by participating, you’re already promoting yourself.

Just engage with people as a regular person, have fun, and take this time to learn awesome new things. You’ll be surprised by how much networking you can get done just by answering or asking questions and not promoting yourself.

6. Proofread Your Answers Well Before Tweeting. Yes, you want to get your tweet out there ASAP so that the hosts can see your answers or questions. However, you don’t want to have a lot of typos.

When you engage in a Twitter Chat, make sure that you are proofreading each and every tweet that goes out. This can help boost the likelihood of getting re-tweeted and/or getting responses.

Plus, if you make sure there aren’t typos, you’ll look professional and knowledgeable. You might be incredibly smart and know your grammar and spelling, but just a few typos can really damage the way others perceive your business.

7. If You’re Asking a Question, Have What You Want to Ask Ready. Engaging in a chat where you ask the questions is a great chance to have an outline ready. You already know what you want to ask, so why not write it down beforehand?

This gives you the ability to know all that you want to ask and to evaluate which questions are the most important to you. This will also ensure you remember what to ask and get the answers you’re looking for.

8. Have Others from Your Business Engage in the Chats. You don’t need to be the only one who is engaging in the chats. In fact, other employees from your business can, too. As I mentioned earlier, there are people from the whole EW team who engage in these.

This helps provide more coverage for questions and answers and ensures you will learn significantly more. This can work with being a participant or even if you decide to host a Twitter Chat yourself.

9. Engage with Other Participants and Form Connections. As I said, this is a great chance to build connections and, instead of promoting yourself, engaging with others is the best way to do so.

If you have advice to give a person based on a question they asked, answer it. You can mark it to respond to later to allow the hosts to answer. But this can help create strong connections with others in your industry.

In fact, everyone involved can learn a lot of great, new things when they all start connecting and engaging.

10. Use Tools to Help You Keep Up With the Chat (Tweetdeck is Great). It can be overwhelming to try and keep up with everything during a Twitter Chat, especially if you’re just using the regular desktop version of Twitter.

We love being part of #semrushchat and during one of the chats we saw over 2,000 tweets in an hour. Crazy, isn’t it?

Using a tool like Tweetdeck can help you stay on top of the chat, seeing people’s questions and answers, as well as not getting too overwhelmed by all the interaction.

4 Easy Twitter Chats to Participate in for Marketing

Now that I’ve looked at some rules, what about some good marketing Twitter Chats? Here are a few that I think are great to be part of for your business!

1. #SEOtalk. This is great to learn more about SEO, how to use it for your business, and learning new tips and tricks from industry leaders.

2. #BlogChat. If you want to connect with other bloggers or to learn some great new tricks, this is the chat for you.

3. #BufferChat. This is a fun, warm community that revolves around social media, community, and online marketing topics (Buffer.com is the creator & host).

 4. #SEMrushchat. I love this chat for Express Writers and I know that all of our clients would definitely like this Twitter Chat. It’s all about SEO, content marketing, and often has excellent guests.

This is by no means a thorough list. I’d recommend checking isocialfanz.com excellent calendar for all the top Twitter chats.

Get Chatty, Make Connections, and Boost Your Knowledge

This is the perfect time to get chatty within your industry and learn excellent tips and tricks for your business. You don’t need to be a large business to participate in these chats.

In fact, most of these chats are absolutely perfect for smaller businesses.

Do you have any favorite Twitter Chats or tips to offer the Twitter Chat beginners? Please share in the comments!

Photo credits

Ostrich – sportsjournalists.com

buffer.com