5 scientifically proven ways to attract more retweets

What effect does the wording a tweet have on the amount of retweets it gets? A 2014 study conducted by Cornell University, in collaboration with a research scientist at Google, attempted a scientific experiment to analyse this question.

The study looked at Twitter users tweeting the exact same information, but worded slightly differently, a couple of hours apart (it’s assumed they do this because they’re unsatisfied with the level of engagement the first time around).

The researchers analysed 1.77m tweet pairs to eventually find 11,404 that were virtually identical in terms of content and subject matter, with the only difference being the use of words. To reduce the effect that the amount of followers would have on the results, the tweet pairs belonged to users who had at least 5,000 followers.

Certain features were then tested to see whether their presence in a tweet increased the amount of retweets. These included the length of the tweet, the kinds of words used (verbs, nouns etc) and whether hashtags and mentions were used.

The study made the following findings, that have been summed up byNick Chowdrey at Econsultancy:

1. Ask people to share

Tweets containing the words ‘RT’ and ‘retweet’ gained significantly more engagement, whilst those containing ‘spread’ and ‘please’ saw a noticeable improvement.

2. Be informative

More informative tweets got more retweets. Contrary to previous studies, the test found that longer tweets received higher engagement than shorter ones, presumably because they contained more information.

3. Be yourself, in Twitter terms

Although distinctive messages may attract attention, messages that conform to expectations tend to be more easily accepted and, therefore, more readily shared. In terms of the words you pick, a balance should be struck between using the general language conventions of Twitter and your own personal style.

4. Imitate headlines

Tweets phrased in a news headline style are often, by their very nature, more informative and attention-grabbing than other tweets, which means better engagement and more shares.

5. Be emotive, or have an opinion 

Using words that promote an emotional response in the reader increases retweets.