| 1. A Top 10 List |
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| People love lists, on Twitter just as across the Internets (ahem, did you notice the headline of this blog post?). A Twitter headline that concisely packages the content being linked to by referring to it with a quantity – doesn’t have to be 10 – sends the message to the reader that wherever they’re led after clicking on your link won’t take too long to read and will be digestible. |
Top 5 Tools for Monitoring Your Online Reputation ow.ly/jAhMd |
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Top 7 websites for finding a nonprofit job (huff/to/14wLxzl) |
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| 2 The Promise of Something |
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| The best headlines, in traditional copy and tweets alike, make a promise. Hook people with a promise, and they’ll feel that they’ll be more entertained, informed, smarter, or better off in some way than before they clicked the link in your tweet. |
Why Lead Nurturing Is Like Hosting a Dinner Party (and 9 Ways to Do It Right) by @charlotte_tone via @MarketingProfs http://bit.ly/13i49Ud |
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You officially have our permission to waste an hour staring at these insane jellyfish(-like creatures). (http://oak.ctx.ly/r/42y2) |
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| 3. A Poignant Question |
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| Ask and you shall receive. Pose a resonant question, and you’re more likely to attract engagement. People also want to follow, for the most part, Twitterers that do more than push out 140-character press releases around the clock. Tweeting relevant and pithy questions suggests that you actually care about your followers’ input. |
How Much Money Do I Need in My Emergency Fund? - http://ow.ly/k8KdQ |
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[PICTURE] = In the studio recording a cover! What song would YOU like us to cover?:) |
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| 4. A Call to Action |
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| Similarly, tell your followers to click on a link – and as long as your tweet is well-written (grammatically right, concise, engaging), they’ll do so. Also, according to Dan Zarella, the most retweeted word is “you.” |
I'm hosting a Google Hangout on digital trends & etiquette next week. Click here for a chance to receive an invite: http://bit.ly/ZyuZj9 |
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Who do you think should win at tonight's Screen Actors Guild Awards? Click here to cast your ballot! http://ow.ly/h5W7q |
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| 5. A Direct Message |
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| When you prefix your tweeted link with a targeted audience, you perk up the ears (er, fingers) of the followers that fall into that category. People are more likely to click on the link in a tweet if they feel that it’s super-relevant to them. |
Soon-to-be graduates and recent grads should print this list. How to get a job in PR: 11 tips http://bit.ly/Z1In3D |
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Readers expecting a visit from the stork should click here to get all the facts about maternity leave. http://bit.ly/ImvnNb |
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| 6. Intrigue |
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| When you catch a reader’s eye with stand-out phrasing or buzzy language, they are that much more likely to engage with your content. With this one, you’re going for the virtual double-take reaction. |
Great piece: Jonathan Cohn's "The Hell of American Day Care" http://on.tnr.com/YW3uUW |
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Is that $100,000 MBA Worth it Anymore? http://copy.bz/171RqDB |
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| 7. A Newsy Nugget |
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| It’s nearly impossible these days to pinpoint what outlet broke what news, on what platform, and when. But tweeting something that’s ultra-time-sensitive gives tweeps a major incentive to click your tweet. |
Google will now mute your microphone if you're typing during a Google+ Hangout http://tnw.to/f0dpS by @epro |
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Riding The Consumerization Wave, Concur Launches An App Store To Show Off Its Partners, Investments http://tcrn.ch/13iZwJn by @sarahintampa |
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| 8. The word “infographic.” |
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| Infographics shared on Twitter get 832% more retweets than images and articles. That’s a big payoff for one 11-letter word. Throw a hashtag in there (#infographic) for extra shareability. |
How social media leads to social change: http://bit.ly/12j4Fys #infographic |
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The Super Unhealthy Diets of 9 Countries #infographic http://bit.ly/12F26sP |
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| 9. A Celebrity Name |
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| Hollywood’s got pull, even on Twitter. Tap into existing popularity by linking your Twitter headline to someone high-profile. |
This is what happens when you ask @pattonoswalt to improvise something about Star Wars. http://bit.ly/13hT4Cm #ParksandRec #awesomethings |
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President @BarackObama Responds to Jay-Z's song #OpenLetter: http://bet.us/YWlxv4 |
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| 10. A How-to |
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| Tips, tricks, and how-to’s have made sites like Lifehacker formidably popular, so it makes sense that well-worded tweets along those lines get tons of clicks. |
How To Schedule Your Day For Peak Creative Performance http://trib.al/MpUpqEZ |
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How to Create a Business for $100 or Less http://pte.bz/ObnrCC |