Hosting a Tweetchat like a Boss…. Boss baby I mean.
Hi guys,
Ever partook in a tweet chat or come across one on Twitter? Wondered what it takes to host one? Well, Your favourite house body to the rescue.
So, a few weeks ago, December 21st 2020 to be exact, I hosted my first tweet chat.
This here is about my experience, mistakes and how to get better.
Hosting a tweet chat is like running a political campaign where you appoint your campaign managers (chat guests).
STEP 1: Name your baby
This is the very first step in being a successful host.
You need to find your topic.
What do you want your tweet chat to be about? If you are working with a team, you and your team need to hold that romantic session where you think of all the cute and buzzy name for your tweet chat.
You need to be careful here so as not to make your topic too complex for your guests and your followers.
STEP 2: Find and Invite your guests to the party
Yay!! You have scaled the first part. Now its time to invite your guests for the party. These guests can be as many as possible depending on your chosen topic. However, I will recommend that you don’t have more than 2 at a time since it’s your first time. Although this writer started with 3… Super hero stuff, right?
You can search for them on LinkedIn, Twitter etc. I sourced for my guests from LinkedIn and this requires a whole lot of romancing and sweet-talking. Just like your regular party, your guests should have a Twitter account, be knowledgeable about your topic and bring life to your tweet chat.
STEP 3: Create your synopsis
Your synopsis is your game plan. This is where you channel your inner Mourinho and Pep Guardiola all into one. You have to be attack-minded and at the same time defensive.
Your synopsis will guide you on how to run your tweet chat; one small mistake and you are lost and floundering like a drunk driver.
Here is a sample synopsis I made for myself to help me. Also special thanks to this Hootsuite blog
STEP 4: Set out your formation
You have your game plan. Now its time to list your first eleven players. This is where you populate your synopsis.
What day do you want to host your tweet chat?
What time will your audience be available?
Who will anchor your tweet chat? This can be done either by you or someone else from your team. This could also be someone from outside the team with more experience.
Your objectives for hosting the tweet chat. Is it for brand authority or to increase your brand awareness? Are you planning to increase your social media followership or reach out to prospects about an upcoming programme or probably you just plan to get to know your audience? You need to brainstorm and ensure that your objectives are SMART and flexible.
Your questions: you have to create your list of questions. The global standard is 10 questions so as not to make it too long.
Ensure your questions are clear and unambiguous. You don’t want to confuse your followers or mislead your guests.
For the main event, you can do no wrong with question cards and graphics. Design a template question card. Depending on how artistical you are feeling, you can use IA, Canva or go the easy route and create one using the old and sure guy…… PowerPoint.
STEP 5: Publicity
Hey, who attends a party no one heard about? You don’t want your tweet chat to just be a thread, right?
So, you need to start advertising your tweet chat. Create a tweet announcing your event at least 1 month to the event. Sensitize your followers and don’t be afraid to advertise across all platforms.
You don’t want to deprive your friends of the next street of attending your party.
Create your flyer with the details of your tweet chat including the details for your guests. Post them across all your social media pages.
Share them with your mutual and friends and your business customers.
Now you are good to host your event.
You shouldn’t forget to say thank you to your guests and other people who made the event possible.
Reflect and learn. Track your mentions and impressions. Measure engagements and use an analytics tool to keep tabs on your chat’s progress. Hootsuite Insight is one such awesome tool.
As you reflect, take notes of what worked and what didn’t.
Brainstorm on solutions for the future.
Here is to hosting more tweet chats.
By Ayo Moses
Ayo Moses is a Lagos- based STEM Instructor, UI/UX Product Designer, writer and researcher. He’s passionate about design, science, and children financial education.
