While you may feel comfortable with mixing up your posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, Twitter sometimes seems like a different ballgame! There are, however, many ways to encourage engagement on Twitter! I found some great models in the education world for us to check out!
The Quote: Here, Edutopia shares a picture of a student, with a simple, yet deep opinion of what he believes the mission of schools should be. I think it's safe to say that as educators, we would all agree with this, and the idea of it coming from a student makes it even more powerful. How can it work for us? Working with our students everyday, there are many funny and profound things they say. When these times come around, be sure to write them down, snap a photo (if you can) of the student or the work they are doing. It is always intriguing to hear the thoughts of young people!
The Provocative Tweet: We Are Teachers does a great job of peaking your interest with a title that sparks your curiosity! They know that no one wants to sabotage their classroom management, but we all want to know what the ten ways are so we can be sure to avoid them! (Well played We Are Teachers!)
The Question: I don't know about you, but as soon as I saw this post, I wanted to click on the link to find out what the question was, and if I asked it! ASCD really pulls you in with this question. When thinking about creating your own question posts, try asking questions that no one can ignore!
The Idea Share: This is a great way to share ideas that you love with others! Dr. Justin Tarte does an excellent job of sharing ideas that he enjoys and believes that others may too!
The Punchy Thought! Scott McLeod tells it like it is! He's not attacking anyone, but his sarcasm comes through in this post. It shows us who he is, and that he passionate about student learning. This thought resonates with so many of us; who can't relate to thinking the same thing in a conversation with other individuals.
The How To/Strategies Tweet: This type of Tweet shares a link to an article with strategies or "how to" tips. It is a great way to share with your readers the topic of your blog post, and will also encourage them to click on the link to learn more and read about these strategies!
The Call to Action: In this tweet, Dr. Justin Tarte not only provides a picture quote that puts a postivie light on what we strive to do as teachers, he also encourages us in a call to action included in his text! A two for one in my book!
As Brynn mentioned in her earlier post, Twitter is not the place to market for TpT, it is the place to make connections. It is a place for you to grow personally and professionally. The positive is that Twitter and blogging do go hand in hand, so you can drive followers to your blog, which may include a TpT link to a product that goes along with your blog post topic.
Whatever type of Tweet you choose, do try to mix them up. You will engage different audiences and it will give your followers a better view of who YOU truly are!
