How to get retweeted

The folks at one my favorite authors blogs, “Where Writers Win,” listed the 20 most retweetable words on Twitter along with the 20 least retweetable words. Be sure to click through and read the list to see what people share. (Then subscribe to the excellent blog.)

They pulled the list from The Science of Marketing: What to Tweet, What to Post, How to Blog, and Other Proven Strategies by Dan Zarrella, an inbound marketing manager at Hubspot. (Read a free sample chapter courtesy of Hubspot.)

Which word do you think gets retweeted the most, according to Zarrella’s research?

It’s “you.”

What word gets retweeted the least?

“Game.”

“You” suggests that the content being retweeted is focused on helping others, while “game” indicates that the tweet is more personal in nature — as in “I’m watching the game,” which isn’t the kind of content we retweet. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place for personal tweets. There is — they help us get to know you better. But don’t expect your tweets with “gme,” “lol” or “tired” to get retweeted because it isn’t going to happen.

Tips for getting retweeted

If you want others to help you extend your reach by retweeting your messages, make sure they:

• Focus on others
• Use the words in the list on the Where Writers Win blog post
• Contain helpful information that’s interesting to others

Messages that are self-serving or self-centered won’t be shared nearly as much as those that serve others. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to use Twitter properly for book promotion. (Get a few tips in this article.)

What’s your best Twitter tip for getting retweets?