Participating in tweet chats is always fun and helpful, but in order to get the most out of your tweet chat experience, there is a series of steps to follow all the way from before the tweet chat starts to after the tweet chat ends.
M A K E N O T E O F D A T E + T I M E
Whenever you find out about a tweet chat, write the date, time, and hashtag in your planner! I always record them in
my blogging planner. Most tweet chats occur on the same day and time each week so you may not need to always write those ones down, but some tweet chats happen every two weeks, once a month, or one time only. I personally write down every single tweet chat I want to participate in, even if they are weekly, in case I forget about them due to having a busy week. It also helps me from getting them mixed up since I participate in at least three each week!
I N T E R A C T W I T H O T H E R S
The most important thing to do in a tweet chat is interact! Introduce yourself once the tweet chat starts and say your name, blog/business, and where you're from. Contribute to the conversation as much as you can -- whether it be saying hello to someone else, asking a question, or answering the questions that are asked. Don't forget to use the tweet chat hashtag or else your tweets won't be seen! If you really connect with someone or like the insight they have to say in the chat, follow them. Chances are they will follow you back!
F A V O R I T E I M P O R T A N T I N F O R M A T I O N
If you see a tweet that you find really helpful and you want to make note of it, favorite it! Retweeting may be helpful, but if you tweet a lot (like me!), scrolling through your tweets to find what you need may take forever. Favoriting allows you to easily look back after the chat to use that information.
U S E A N O T E B O O K
This one goes along with favoriting tweets, but if you prefer to write important information down instead of favoriting, do so in a notebook. I favorite the tweets because the majority of times I'm participating in tweet chats are when I'm on my phone in bed (#SorryNotSorry), so I don't really have a notebook handy. But I do like to go through the tweets I favorited the next day and write down what I learned in my business notebook! Do whatever works for you.
C O N N E C T A F T E R
If you find that you really connected with someone in the chat and really liked what they had to say, send them an email after the chat! Do it the same day of the chat or the day after -- sending an email later than that can cause you or the person to forget what exactly was discussed in the chat. Sending a follow-up email afterwards allows you to network and build connections with like-minded people that could later turn into friendships, partnerships, and more. I've been reaching out to tons of people I've "met" through tweet chats with similar goals and careers as me for advice -- and it has really paid off! Say who you are, mention how nice it was connecting with them in the chat, and ask them about their life/career. Doing so does wonders!
C R E A T E S P R E A D S H E E T O F C O N N E C T I O N S
After sending the emails out, keep track of who you reach out to! I use a Google spreadsheet where I record the name of the person, their website, their email, their career, their Twitter handle, and any notes (such as what tweet chat you "met" them in). This will help you later on when you're looking for a graphic designer, social media manager, or digital content strategist -- you can use the people you know! It will not only help you but other people as well -- if a friend needs a reference, you can easily provide them with one.
How do you get the most out of tweet chats?
