Twitter tips for journalists

However, very few communication professionals know how to take advantage of the platform, which allows them to interact in real time with their audience, this being an important advantage that television broadcasts do not facilitate curiously, the BBC has asked its journalists to limit the use of the tool or the publication of news in print newspapers, as these are not platforms where the public can play an active role.

Recommended Twitter Features for Journalists

In view of this, Twitter has shared a series of specific tips and examples so that journalists can improve the health of conversations, better interact with their audience and increase their followers on the social network, which will also allow them to generate the following. interest and confidence in their work. . They are:

Hide answers: According to Twitter, healthier conversations will be achieved by using the tool that lets you moderate conversations and hide replies that start with each of the posts. To do this from a tweet reply, just click on the V icon and select “hide reply”.

Mute the conversation: If an irrelevant conversation keeps showing up on your timeline or in your notifications, you can mute it. To do this, you just have to go to the information of any tweet or a reply of the conversation that you want to silence. Tap the V icon and select “Mute this conversation”.

Protect the account: Twitter recommends journalists enable two-factor authentication. To do this, in the side menu, click on More then on Settings and privacy.
Click Account Settings, then click Security. Tap Two-Factor Authentication. You can now choose between three methods: SMS, authenticator app or security key. However, it must be taken into account that after the takeover of Elon Musk by Twitter, this system was temporarily suspended.

Edit notifications: Twitter also recommends setting up notification filters so you don’t receive too many or miss important ones. To do this, go to your Notifications timeline and to filter them, click on Settings. Click the box next to Quality Filter to enable or disable the filter. Click Advanced Filters and check the box next to your preferred filters to enable them.

Insert an existing video: If someone shared a video you’d like to tweet, you can easily do so from your computer or from the iPhone app (not yet available for Android). To do this, you must do the following:

Type the text of your tweet in the compose screen and copy the URL of the tweet where the video appears. Now paste the URL into a new tweet. Add “/video/1” to the end of the URL.
Tap Tweet and watch your new tweet where another user’s video appears.

Use advanced search: To find tweets on a specific topic, you can filter the search by certain users, using particular keywords, or within a specific time range. To do this, enter your search, then click the Advanced Search option, located under Search Filters, in the upper right corner of your results page.

Know who shared your articles: Maybe you didn’t know it, but you can include the URL of your published article in the Twitter search box and you will know all the people who have shared it.

Create lists: This will help you organize and categorize your timeline. So you can create a list on Twitter to monitor accounts within specific groups.

Set alerts: On Twitter, you can receive an alert whenever an account that interests you – that of the politician you follow or that of a competing media outlet – tweets. All you need to do is go to the account profile and tap the notification icon. Choose between two notification types: All Tweets or Only Tweets with live video.

Actions that will help the journalist improve the conversation on Twitter

Join the conversation: According to Twitter, the best way for a journalist to interact with their readers is to respond to tweets and engage followers in conversation. It takes effort and time, but dedication pays off in the form of more following and audience.

Convert subscribers into a source of information: In this second recommendation, Twitter stresses that the public is the best source of information for a journalist, who can use the platform to consult his followers on his knowledge and gather information.

Respond to comments: When a journalist publishes a news event on a topic on his account, his followers may have many doubts or complaints about this information. Given this, Twitter invites journalists to respond to their followers to clarify any misunderstandings and improve public knowledge on the subject.

In the wings: Twitter invites journalists to show the human side of the profession and to break down the barrier that exists between communicators and the public, by showing what is not seen behind television cameras or photographic lenses. The journalist Carlos Loret is an example of this because, before starting a television program, he constantly transmits on Twitter from his editorial office to chat with his followers and comment on what he will talk about in his new program.

Pleasure above all: Again, this strategy aims to show the public the human side of communicators. So does journalist Evaristo Costa, who has a friendly and calm personality on social media and takes advantage of the platform to thank his audience, offer advice, and talk about memes and trends in a completely natural way.