By now, most brands have some presence on Twitter. If used correctly, It’s a fantastic platform for building an audience.
But Twitter can also be limiting – it can be difficult to say everything you need in 280 characters. If this is a frustration that you know – don’t panic! This article is here to talk about a potential solution: Twitter Moments. A feature that could transform your social media reputation.
What are Twitter Moments?
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Twitter moments are a feature that helps users avoid the 280-character limit. They compile Tweets together on a specific subject, almost like forming a story. When a user clicks a Moment, they can scroll through different Tweets and get the info they need.
It’s a feature you might often see in relation to breaking news. An event occurs, and users are eager to get information. Instead of having to piece info together from different Tweets, they can select a moment and get the full picture.
Of course, Moments are used by businesses too. Let’s say you’re launching a new product and want customers to know everything there is to know. In this way, Moments can be a fantastic way of reaching your target audience.
Why are Twitter Moments useful?
Twitter Moments go all the way back to 2015. But despite this, it’s a feature that a lot of brands aren’t aware of. This is a shame, as Twitter has a massive user base, comprising more than 353 million users.
For brands to stand out from this crowd, they need to find new ways of cutting through. Moments provide a useful way of talking to your audience.
Perhaps most importantly, Moments cut out the legwork. Users aren’t forced to piece together information to learn everything they need. They can choose a moment and gain instant access to information.
Below, we’ve compiled some other reasons that make Moments such a handy tool:
- Compile multiple viewpoints – With Moments you aren’t restricted to a single viewpoint. You can add Tweets from multiple accounts. This is particularly handy when commenting on breaking news, or the latest trends.
- Sell your brand – It’s difficult for customers to understand your brand from a single Tweet. Utilizing Moments, you can help customers gain a better grasp. A compelling collection of Tweets can be a great way of selling your brand.
- Connect with customers – Moments are a useful opportunity to work with user-generated content. What positive things are customers saying about your products? Although a call with customers using a phone system with IVR can be helpful, gathering user-generated testimonials can be much quicker.
Different types of Moments
You can use Moments for many different purposes. We’ve rounded up some of the top ways you might use the feature.
Cover the latest news
Is there a piece of breaking news that your audience would love to hear? Let’s say you’re a tech company, and Apple has just released a new product. Be the first to tell your audience by using Moments.
Address pain points
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What are the pain points of your audience? People often express problems on social media. Moments are your chance to address these issues.
You can put together a series of Tweets showing how your product can be a solution. Let’s imagine that users are complaining that they get teary-eyed when cutting onions.
This is a great chance to plug your onion goggles. You can put together user complaints, alongside info about your product.
For comedic purposes
Your posts don’t always have to be serious. Letting your audience have a laugh can be a great way to build loyalty. You could create Moments compiling comedic tweets and memes that relate to your industry.
Revive old content
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Who says your Tweets don’t have longevity? Whilst it’s true that certain content has a limited shelf life, some posts may have been missed.
Offering new content to your audience is important, but it does have some downsides. For example, influencer marketing can be a great way of engaging your audience. It also, however, can come with a big price tag attached.
Using Moments, you can bring attention back to old Tweets. This can also be a useful way of plugging old content, such as blogs on your website.
Share the latest business news
You’ll want your customers to stay up-to-date with the latest business news. But not everyone wants to sign up to your mailing list. Moments can help share the latest updates, and make sure you stay in the mind of customers.
Additionally, Ambassador programs can also be effectively promoted using Twitter Moments. By curating and showcasing content from your brand ambassadors, you can create engaging Moments that demonstrate the value of your brand through the voices of those who love it the most.
Choosing the right Moment
It’s clear that moments are a fantastic feature. But like any social media platform, your posts need to be properly planned. Handled poorly, and they simply won’t land.
First and foremost, you need to make sure you’re picking the right content. Just because something is trending on Twitter, doesn’t mean it’s right for your audience. Simply commenting on a topic because it’s trending will come across as disingenuous.
Just as you would create a development workflow for your website, you need a content strategy for your Moments. This means asking some of the following questions
- Will these posts interest my audience?
- Is the content still timely and relevant?
- Do my posts utilize multimedia?
- Am I using the right keywords to attract an audience?
How to create Moments
By now, you’re probably wondering how you can create a Moment yourself. It’s important to remember that you can now only create Moments on desktop. Twitter has suspended the feature of creating Moments from the IOS or Android apps.
Follow the step-by-step guide below, to create a Moment yourself.
- Once you’re logged into Twitter, it’s time to create some Tweets to form the basis of your moment. When Tweeting, choose the plus button at the bottom right, so that you can create a thread. Be sure to include a Tweet with an image, as you will need this for the cover image of your Moment.
- Now, it’s time to head to the Moments builder. Go to your toolbar on the left and choose *More>Moments.
- You’ll get a list of all your moments. Assuming this is the first Moment you’ve created, then the list will be empty. Select ‘Create’.
- You’ll be presented with a split screen, we’ll focus on the left side for now. Here, you’ll find a list of available Tweets. Choose the Tweets that you want to display within your Moment – there are several types of Tweets that you can choose from:
- Tweets that you have liked.
- Tweets imported from a Collection ID (via Tweetdeck).
- Tweets from a specified account.
- Click the pencil on the right of your screen. Now you need to add relevant keywords to your Moment to make it more discoverable. It’s worth taking time to research keywords to find the perfect match.
- Once you’ve chosen a series of Tweets, it’s time to add a cover image for your Moment. From the top right of the screen, click the camera. You should be able to see the image that you Tweeted earlier. Select it from the list.
- With your Moment ready, all you have to do is hit ‘Publish’. Be sure to make your Tweet public, otherwise not everyone will see it. Your Moment should now be ready and viewable!
*Don’t see the option? Head to point one in our ‘FAQ’ section to find out why.
Best practices for creating Moments
Approach Moments in the right way, and you’ll pull in audiences. You might even be tempted to delete your Instagram account in favor of going full-time on Twitter. But before you do, consider some of the following best practices.
Use a multimedia approach
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If you’re not careful, your Moments can become stale very quickly. If a user has to read through walls and walls of text, they probably won’t stay interested. Similarly, a user probably won’t have the time to sit through video after video.
Try to put the experience of the customer as your number one priority. This means ensuring that there is some variety within your moments. Add a mixture of images, videos, and text only Tweets.
Remember: For videos, users won’t always be in an environment where they can listen out loud. Always add subtitles to your video content (this also ensures content is available to those with hearing disabilities).
Don’t overlook mobile users
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Not all your Twitter viewers will be on the desktop version. In fact, nearly 60% of internet users are on mobile. It’s vital you can accommodate these users.
When preparing your Moments, make sure you optimize your images for mobile users. For example, once you’ve chosen the cover image for your Moment, be sure to crop it. Otherwise, the image might not be fully visible to mobile users.
Think about structure
It’s important to remember that Moments are all about telling stories. In other words, you need to have a ‘beginning’, ‘middle’, and ‘end’. Without a clear flow, a Moment can seem rambling and might lead a user to go elsewhere.
Start with an intriguing introduction and draw the user in. If you’re promoting a product, this is the stage where you talk about a problem.
The ‘middle’ is where you bring in new plot points to support your introduction. It’s here you might introduce your product and how it overcomes issues.
In conclusion, you should bring all the plot points together and offer a satisfying resolution. In the context of product marketing, you introduced your call to action (CTA).
To better plan out your structure, it’s useful to have a clear workflow set up. You might want to consider how some of the best Zapier Zaps templates might help you.
Avoid repetition
Moments have to hold the attention of a user. They need to present new and unique information that persuades a user to stick around. Repeating the same information, even if worded in a slightly different way, doesn’t achieve this.
Content for the sake of content is pointless. It can be better to have a shorter Moment, rather than one that loses the attention of the user. Always aim for new and original content.
Each time you add a new Tweet to your moment, ask yourself a clear question, ‘does this bring value?’ If the answer is ‘no’, don’t include the Tweet in your Moment.
Stay simple
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Twitter itself says that moments should be ‘snack-able’. Social media users have notoriously short attention spans. The recommended video length on the platform is now just 44 seconds.
Make sure that simplicity is central to every aspect of your Moment. This begins with your introduction – choose 30 words or fewer. Keep all your posts bitesize, so that users can take in info at a glance.
Moments FAQ
Are moments available to everyone?
Since December 2022, Twitter Moments have been made only available to certain accounts. You will need to be classed as a ‘professional content creator’ to create a moment.
What information can you view about a moment?
You can view lots of different insights into your Moments. By clicking on ‘activity’ you can gain a series of key insights. These include
- The number of people that clicked on a moment
- The number of times a moment was liked or shared
- The percentage of users that viewed the full moment.
What is the maximum number of Tweets that can be in a moment?
You can add up to 100 Tweets in a Moment.
Will too much content slow my Moments?
You can add as many images and as much video content as you’d like to your Moments. You won’t see an impact on speed and performance.
Unlike on your own site, you won’t need a CDN to boost speed, as Twitter servers are fully equipped to handle large amounts of content. If you’re wondering ‘what is a CDN’, it’s a relay of servers that boosts website performance.
Final thoughts on Twitter Moments
Social media is a crucial tool for businesses in the modern world. But with pretty much everyone setting up their stall online, brands need a way of standing out. Done correctly, Twitter Moments can be a way of cutting through to an audience.
But as we explored, Moments are more than a random selection of Tweets. They need a proper strategy that engages the user. If you’re unsure where to start, stick to our best practices.
So, why not get started? This might be the ‘moment’ that launches your social media success.