Seriously, Tweeting Doesn’t Have to be Complicated

Are you an expert at coming up with original tweets for Twitter? Are you a user-generated content (UCG) genius? If so, I may be just a little jealous of you. You see, I come across hilarious and clever tweets in my stream on a daily basis, and people make it seem so easy. However, on the rare occasions when I do feel brave enough to share my thoughts through an original tweet, I think people see it as me trying to tell a joke, which sadly goes flat. Maybe I’m just a little paranoid?

 

The truth is, I’m a copywriter, which means the majority of my original ideas resides in a deep and well-hidden place in my brain. As a result, I rely heavily on my ability to research, so I can occasionally bring those ideas to the surface. That’s why I mainly stick to sharing OPC (other peoples’ content) through legitimate links.

 

If you are like me and suffer from regular “Tweeter’s Block,” or “Twitter Envy,” it’s good to know there’s a cure. Tweeting really isn’t all that complicated, and you really don’t have to go to extremes to find tweetable tidbits. And I’m not talking about tweeting your lunch plans to the world, but rather about real content your audience may really want to hear about.

 

These are 5 back-to-basic places you may consider when looking for stuff to tweet about:

 

Twitter: I follow thousands of people who always have interesting things to tweet about. Oftentimes, the links and information they share may also be useful or entertaining to others in my network. Most people don’t mind if you share their tweets, especially when you give them the recognition they deserve. “RT’s” and “Mentions” go a long way on Twitter. Indeed, it is among the best ways to show your appreciation for their content.

 

Other social media platforms: I spend time on other social networks, especially Facebook, Google Plus , LinkedIn and Pinterest. All you need is a link and verbiage to fit within the 140-character limits and boom! You have a tweet. Images have become very popular on Twitter. Uploading a picture into Twitter has never been easier.

 

Curation sites: Sites such as Scoop.it, Feedly, and Prismatic are great for finding articles you like based on topic and/or author. The sites also have sharing capabilities which makes the process even simpler.

 

Quora: Have a question? Have an answer? Chances are you’ll be able to have success doing both on this site. You’ll find information and discussions about anything there.

 

Your own backyard: Wherever you are…your office, home, car, on vacation, and anywhere in between - there is always something going on! Hopefully it’s funny and you will share it with me!

 

 

Over to you

 

Where do you find some of your best Twitter fodder? I would love to hear your ideas. Please feel free to leave a comment or tweet me @jennghanford anytime!

 

 

 

* I originally published this article on the LinkedIn Publishing Platform. Click here to view the LinkedIn version: [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140428185548-20230609-back-to-basic-ideas-for-finding-stuff-to-tweet-about?trk=mp-reader-card]
Featured Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net