Twitter has become a top resource for articles, news, and professional networking. It’s a fantastic platform for sharing information (in small bits). Typically, if you have a piece of content exceeding the 280 character limit for tweets, you link out to it. However, thanks to a new WordPress feature included in Jetpack 9.0, you can now publish your entire blog post as a thread.
In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of sharing blog posts on Twitter, and introduce you to the Jetpack feature. Then we’ll walk you through how to automatically publish your full posts as threads, directly from WordPress to Twitter. Let’s get to work!
The Benefits of Publishing Blog Posts on Twitter
Twitter describes its platform as “what’s happening in the world and what people are talking about right now.” If you’re in the business of marketing or trying to reach audiences with your message, using a platform that gets people talking is certainly ideal.
You can enter this conversation with content that is relevant to both your brand and what’s happening in the world. To emphasize the benefits of having an active presence on Twitter, consider the following:
- Twitter users are 38 percent more likely to talk about brands and products than people on other social platforms.
- The number one reason consumers visit Twitter is to “discover something new and interesting.”
- 53 percent of Twitter users are more likely to be the first to buy new products.
- Twitter is three times more efficient at driving brand conversation than other digital advertising platforms.
Users’ willingness to engage with brands demonstrates the power of using this social media network for marketing purposes. Regularly sharing content and participating in conversations can help:
- Drive traffic to your site and increase brand awareness
- Grow your audience and expand your reach
- Multiply your opportunities to connect users to content that resonates
Previously, this engagement was limited to a sentence or two, typically followed by a link to a full article. Now, you can publish entire articles on the platform as ‘Twitter threads.’
Unlocking Jetpack’s powerful new feature will enable you to generate more content with the click of a button, and establish your position as a thought leader. The plugin will automatically segment your blog posts into powerful, compact tweets that are easy to digest and share:
The organized, storytelling format of ‘tweetstorms’ offers you more flexibility and opportunities for keeping readers engaged. Users can consume your content in its entirety without having to leave Twitter, making it easier for you to deliver the message you’re trying to communicate successfully.
An Introduction to Jetpack’s New Twitter Publishing Feature
Jetpack 9.0 enables you to share any new blog post as a Twitter thread, from directly within your WordPress post editor. The Twitter thread can also include images, videos, and other embeds.
When creating this feature, the plugin’s developers kept Twitter’s format in mind. Content naturally flows, as it’s divided into individual tweets. The goal was to ensure that the content published as threads remains tweetable and optimized for the microblogging platform.
Jetpack lets you publish how you want, when you want. You can share each blog post as a single tweet with a link to the full article, or post it as a Twitter thread. When you’re ready to take the thread live, you can also choose between different Twitter accounts – as long as they’re connected through Jetpack.
How to Turn Blog Posts Into Impactful Tweets (In 3 Steps)
Now that we’ve identified some key benefits to Jetpack’s new Twitter thread publishing option, let’s put it to work!
Step 1: Install (or Update) the Jetpack Plugin
As always, it’s a smart idea to make sure your WordPress site and plugins are up to date (and backed up). You may not have access to all available features if you are running outdated versions.
If you haven’t done so already, install and activate Jetpack. You can do so by downloading it from the WordPress Plugin Directory, and then navigating to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin in your dashboard. You can also search for it on the Plugins page, and then click on Install Now followed by Activate:
If you already have the plugin installed, you can make sure it’s updated by going to Plugins, locating it on the list, and clicking on Update Now (if that’s an option). Once you have the latest version of Jetpack activated, you can connect it to your WordPress account by clicking on the Set up Jetpack button.
During the connection process, you have the option to upgrade to a paid version of Jetpack. If you’re ready to do that now, go ahead. If not, you can choose the free plan and upgrade later.
Step 2: Connect Your Social Media Accounts With Jetpack
To connect your Twitter account, navigate to Jetpack > Settings in your WordPress dashboard, and then click on the Sharing tab. Under Publicize connections, toggle the option to enable Automatically share your posts to social networks:
Next, click on Connect your social media accounts. This will direct you to WordPress.com’s Marketing and Integrations page, where you’ll find all of your social media integration tools.
Under the Connections tab, select Connect to the right of the Twitter icon:
If you want to add another Twitter account, you’re in the right place:
Click on the arrow to the right of the Disconnect button to expand the menu. Then you can select Connect a different account as needed.
Step 3: Publish Your Blog Post and Tweet Thread
Now you can write your blog post, and add any additional media as you usually would.
Before you publish it, select the green Jetpack icon, located in the top-right corner, to view the plugin’s features. Under Share this post, toggle the Twitter account you want to publish to:
You can create a custom message to introduce your thread, by typing it into the available Customize your message text box. This is optional, and you can leave it blank if your content doesn’t require an introduction.
Finally, verify your Twitter settings for this post. Select the Single Tweet option if you want it to be an individual Tweet with a single link, or Twitter Thread to share the entire blog post as a thread. When you’re done, click on the Publish button.
That’s it! Your entire blog post—text, images, videos, and embeds—will publish to Twitter as a thread, with no extra work required on your part.
Conclusion
Jetpack’s Twitter thread feature saves you time, and streamlines the process of promoting your blog posts. Plus, it puts you in control of publishing to the social media platform by offering various options for sharing your content. You decide which articles to publish on Twitter as a single tweet with a link, and which to post as a tweetstorm for greater impact.
Do you have any questions about turning blog posts into tweets? Leave them for us in the comments section below!
Photo by WebFactory Ltd on Unsplash