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Campaigning on Twitter
The Handbook for NGOs, Politics & Public Service
Campaigning on Twitter | The Handbook for NGOs, Politics & Public Service Top Tips
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3 Introduction
5 Getting Started
16 Finding Your Voice
23 Twitter Tools
30 Campaigning
51 Safety on Twitter
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Introduction
Twitter’s mission is to serve the public conversation. We want to
ensure that the conversations on our platform are healthy and
characterized by openness, civility, and diversity of perspective.

When the first Tweet was sent in 2006, no one could have
foreseen the impact it would have on the world. As the world’s
online public space — a one-to-many communication platform
where conversations that shape opinions happen — Twitter has
bolstered the ability of citizens to interact with one another as well
as their public representatives, and for politicians and journalists
to keep their finger on the pulse of the public opinion.

This resource will help you make the best use of this unique
platform. It’s a platform that is particularly suited to getting your
message out to an active and engaged community. Whether
you are a politician and want to highlight your policy ideas, a
government official who wants to share critical information,
or a civil society organization that wants to build campaign
momentum, Twitter is the platform for you.

Twitter will not only help you to inform and engage people who are
already part of your campaign, but it will also allow you to reach
those who might otherwise not have gotten involved. A timely,
well-crafted message on Twitter can resonate internationally.

@Policy
@Nonprofits
@TwitterGov
@TwitterForGood

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Six Top Tips

Timing matters Engage

Twitter is what’s happening. If something happens Twitter is a digital public square. It can be a great
in the world, you’ll see it on Twitter. This makes place to speak to your audience, to learn from
timing one of the most important elements when them, and to gain insights from them. Engaging with
using the platform. Engage in real time, don’t wait your followers in conversation is one of the most
until the moment has passed. rewarding aspects of Twitter.

Be authentic Schedule Tweets

Be you. Tell us what’s happening and show us Some of your content can be pre-prepared and
what you see through your eyes. Twitter gives set to publish at a specific time. You can schedule
you the platform to show who you are, as well as Tweets in advance using TweetDeck or Media
what you think. Studio, freeing you up to engage in real time.

Tap into the conversation Get creative

It’s often easier to join a conversation than it is Twitter has a variety of options for you to engage with
to create one. Take a look at trending topics and your followers. Get creative and use a mix of media
what your community is talking about. Is there — text, photo, video, live, polls, emoji, and Twitter
a new TV show or movie making a splash? Is Cards — to find novel ways of getting your message
there a holiday or event ongoing? Joining the across and being part of the conversation. Using rich
conversation is better than interrupting it. media content is proven to drive higher engagement.

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Getting Started
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Getting Started
When you Tweet, your message is publicly posted on your Twitter
profile. In addition, people can follow your account so that your
Tweets automatically appear in their own timelines every time
they log in to Twitter.

Why 280 characters?

Twitter was born as a mobile service, designed to fit the character
limit of a text message. Today, Twitter still works on any SMS-
ready phone. Brevity keeps Twitter fast-paced and relevant by Setting up your profile
encouraging people to Tweet in the moment and to focus on Your Twitter profile shows the world who you and your
the essential ideas they want to communicate. In November organization are, moment by moment. Your profile is where you
2017 we increased our Tweet character limit from the original demonstrate what they can expect from your Tweets and why
140 characters to 280 characters.* We decided to expand the they should follow you.
character limit so every person around the world could express
themselves easily in a Tweet. It is especially important for organizations to define their voice
and the issues for which they stand. The tips in this handbook
Note: *Japanese, Korean, and Chinese will continue to have 140 will help you set up your Twitter profile to best represent your
characters because cramming is not an issue in these languages. values and your campaign.
In fact, these languages have always been able to say more with
their Tweets because of the density of their writing systems. Your username on Twitter is part of your identity
on the platform
Anatomy of a Tweet It will be displayed when people reply to your Tweets or add you
Twitter helps you create and share ideas and information instantly, to a conversation. The username is the one that begins with the
without barriers. It’s the easiest way to follow the trends, stories, “@” — it can be up to 15 characters in length. Your display name
and breaking news making headlines around the world, but it can be up to 50 characters in length.
also helps you stay in touch with subjects a little closer to home:
friends, family, businesses, and social causes that are dear to
your heart. Don’t worry if some of the terminology is unfamiliar
or confusing to you. We’ve included a helpful glossary of terms
at the end of this resource.
Tips for growing your Twitter
username recognition

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Tips for growing your

Twitter username recognition Your cover photo is your billboard. It should be a high-quality
landscape photo that captures your interests, your personality, or
• Put your Twitter @username on your printed materials the issue and campaign you want your followers to know about.
and merchandise: Adding your Twitter @username to your
promotional materials and merchandise is a great way to get
wider exposure and name recognition for your candidate,
campaign, and policy concerns. It also indicates that people
can reach you directly through this channel — that you read
and respond here.

• Put Twitter on your website: Adding Twitter buttons to your

website is a great way to gain wider distribution for your
content and gain more followers. You might also be mindful
of when your audience will be online. For example, people
are frequently on Twitter in the morning on their commute, at
lunchtime, or in the evening when watching TV.
How to find great accounts to follow
Start by following people you know. Search for their names or
Biography their @usernames. Find those who are most important in your
Your account bio must be 160 characters or fewer. We recommend community. Follow newspapers, reporters, and local schools and
that you include details about your organization and its mission, clubs, and find academics who research your specific policy
along with a taste of your personality! Use keywords, account areas. Lastly, search for accounts of people sending the type of
usernames, and hashtags in your bio to optimize your profile for Tweets you’d like to receive: breaking news, community leaders,
search. Connect with other conversations and accounts related and other campaign-related accounts. Whomever you think is
to your organization, primary campaign you’re running at that most important for you to reach, engage, or learn from, you’ll
moment, etc. likely find them on Twitter.

Photos Finding a conversation is a great way to find people to follow as

You can reinforce a campaign message with powerful, high- well. If you see an interesting hashtag, tap into the conversation,
resolution imagery. Choose a profile photo that shows who you engage the community, and follow anyone with whom you would
are. Every Tweet you post will be accompanied by this photo, like to connect. Simply follow what interests you.
and this may be the first impression that people have of you or
your organization. If you’re an individual, a smiling face has been
shown to be most effective in driving engagement. If you run an
organizational account, the logo should demonstrate who you
are. This photo will be shown on all official Twitter platforms, and
on embedded Tweets in news articles.

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How to Tweet To reply to a Tweet:

●● Select the reply icon in a Tweet.

To post a Tweet: ●● The @username of anyone mentioned in the Tweet you’re

replying to will already appear in your “Reply to” box.
●● Select the compose Tweet icon in the top menu on the
right. Compose your message — up to 280 characters — ●● If you want to add more @usernames, simply type the
and select Tweet. The Tweet will be posted to your profile. @username of the person you want to mention.
●● Compose your message and select Tweet.
●● The Tweet will be posted to your profile.
●● If you want this reply to appear in the timeline of your
followers who don’t follow the person you’re mentioning,
you need to add a punctuation mark to the beginning of
your Tweet before you include their @username.

To create a Tweet thread:

●● Compose Tweet.
●● Select the “Add another Tweet” button.
●● Repeat as necessary.
●● Select Tweet all.

To mention another person:

●● Select the compose Tweet icon in the top menu on
the right.
●● Compose your 280-character message and type the
@username of the person you want to mention.
●● As you start typing a username, a list of potential matches
will appear.

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●● Once you’ve found the person you’re looking for, select To include a photo or video in your Tweet:
his/her @username and it will be populated in the Tweet. You can take a photo or video in the moment or choose an
●● If you want to add more @usernames, repeat steps 2 to 4. existing one from your device.
●● Select Tweet and the Tweet will be posted to your profile. ●● Open the app and swipe left — you’re looking at the Twitter
●● If you want this reply to appear in the timeline of your Camera! Shoot photos, video, and live broadcasts directly
followers who don’t follow the person you’re mentioning, on Twitter. Once you’re happy with your photo or video,
you need to add a punctuation mark to the beginning of you’ll be brought to a Tweet compose interface where you
your Tweet before you include their @username. can add a caption, your location, and relevant hashtags.
●● Alternatively, select the compose Tweet button and choose
an existing image or video from your gallery or select the
camera icon to shoot new material.
●● Once you have taken or selected your photo, you will have
the option to apply a filter, add a sticker, and crop the
image. Similarly, you can trim the video.
●● When you are finished, select Done; the photo/video will be
attached to the Tweet. You can select up to four photos for
a single Tweet.
●● You can tag people in your photo(s) by tapping Who’s in
this photo? Type in the full name or @username and then
tap Done.

To include a hashtag in your Tweet:

Keep at least one hashtag general (e.g., #InternationalWomensDay)
and one specific to your audience at home.

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To include a GIF in your Tweet:

Add a GIF to your Tweet to better express the sentiment behind
your message, to make a tough message easier to digest, or just
to add some levity to your content.
●● Select the compose Tweet button and then click
the add GIF icon.
●● Choose a GIF from the extensive library available in the
app. These GIFs are categorized by sentiment, making it
easier for you to find the perfect GIF for the moment.

To include a poll in your Tweet:

You can create your own Twitter Poll on the web or in the Twitter
app (iOS or Android).

To create a poll on twitter.com:

●● Click into the compose box at the top of your Home
timeline, or click the Tweet button in the top navigation bar.
To include a live broadcast in your Tweet: ●● Click the Add poll icon.
Want to live-stream what you’re watching? It’s easy to begin a ●● Type your poll question into the main compose box.
live broadcast with a Tweet. You can use up to 280 characters in your poll question.
●● Select the compose Tweet button and click the camera ●● Insert your first poll option into the Choice 1 box, and your
icon. Toggle from CAPTURE to LIVE. second poll option into the Choice 2 box. You can use up
●● Then you’ll be prompted to give a description of what to 25 characters for each option.
you’re about to broadcast. ●● Click “+Add a choice” to add additional options to your
●● Click Go LIVE and begin your broadcast! poll. Your poll can have up to four options.
●● Your poll’s duration defaults to one day. You can change
the duration of your poll by clicking one day and adjusting
the days, hours, and minutes. The minimum amount of

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time for a poll is five minutes, and the maximum You can use up to 280 characters in your poll question.
is seven days. ●● Insert your first poll option into the Choice 1 box, and your
●● Click Tweet to post the poll. second poll option into the Choice 2 box. You can use up
to 25 characters for each option.
●● Click “+Add a choice” to add additional options to your
poll. Your poll can have up to four options.
●● Your poll’s duration defaults to one day. You can change
the duration of your poll by tapping one day and adjusting
the days, hours, and minutes. The minimum amount
of time for a poll is five minutes, and the maximum
is seven days.
●● Click Tweet to post the poll.

To create a poll on the Twitter app (iOS or Android): To bookmark a Tweet:

●● Tap the Tweet button (iOS) or tap on What’s happening? Found something historic? Is there an article or Tweet thread
(Android). that you want to read later? Save the Tweet with Bookmarks,
●● Tap the Add poll icon. and come back to it whenever you want. Only you can see your
Bookmarks.
●● Type your poll question into the main compose box.

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To bookmark a Tweet: To send a Direct Message:

●● Tap the share icon under the Tweet. You can start a private conversation or create a group
conversation with anyone who follows you. Anyone you do not
●● Select “Add Tweet to Bookmarks.”
follow can send you a Direct Message if you have opted in to
●● To find it later, tap “Bookmarks” from your profile receive Direct Messages from anyone, or you have previously
icon menu. sent that person a Direct Message.
●● You can remove Tweets from your Bookmarks
at any time. To send a Direct Message to someone:
●● Navigate to the desired profile.
To share a Tweet ●● Select the overflow icon.
Would you like to share a Tweet via Direct Message on Twitter,
●● Select “Send a Direct Message.”
or share a Tweet off Twitter?
●● Enter your message.
●● Select the share icon under the Tweet button.
●● In addition to text, you can include a photo, video, GIF, or
●● Choose from “Send via Direct Message” or
sticker with your Direct Message.
“Share Tweet via…”
●● Select destination.

Alternatively, you can send a Direct Message by:

●● Select Envelope or “Messages” tab.
●● Select the message icon or the “New Message” button.
●● In the address box, enter the name(s) or @username(s)
of the people you wish to send a message to. A group
message can include up to 50 people.
●● Enter your message.
●● To send your message tap the paper airplane icon
or click the “Send” button.

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Lists
Twitter lists is a tool that lets let you organize Twitter accounts
in groups and manage how you look at Tweets. You can either
create your own list or subscribe to a list created by someone
else. Twitter lists can be used to follow a separate group of people
on Twitter from those you follow in your Home timeline. Creating
or subscribing to a list allows you to see only Tweets from people
on that list. Lists are not a way to send Tweets to a select group,
but to organize and read them. In this regard, they can prove
invaluable if you want to keep track of what groups of key opinion
formers are saying, or your political colleagues and rivals. These
lists can be most powerful when used in conjunction with our
pro tool, TweetDeck. TweetDeck offers a more convenient Twitter
experience by letting you view multiple timelines in one easy
interface, allowing you to see multiple lists alongside each other.

How to enable dark mode: If your organization has many entities within it, Twitter lists are
a great way to see Tweets from the most relevant people in a
●● In the top menu, tap your profile icon.
dedicated timeline — a great resource for organization staff,
●● Tap the dark mode icon on iOS, Android, or on desktop the public, and media.
select “Dark mode.”
●● To turn the feature off, tap the dark mode icon again.

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To create a list on Twitter desktop: To create a list on Twitter mobile:

●● Select the “Me” tab at the top of the page. ●● Select the “Me” tab on the bottom of the screen.
●● When on your profile page, select the “More” tab and then ●● Then on your profile page, scroll down and select “Lists.”
select “Lists.” ●● Select the “+” on the top right to create a new list.
●● Select the “Create new list” button. ●● Create a name for your list and enter a short description.
●● Create a name for your list and enter a short description. Choose if you want to make your list private (just for you) or
Choose if you want to make your list private (just for you) or public (anyone can subscribe to it).
public (anyone can subscribe to it). ●● Select “Save.”
●● Select “Save list.”

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Twitter Cards
With Twitter Cards, you can attach rich photos, videos, and
media experiences to Tweets, helping to drive traffic to your
website. Twitter Cards allow you to attach a URL to a video or a
photograph, allowing people to click on the media content which
will bring them to the URL destination.

To create a Twitter Card:

●● Go to ads.twitter.com.
●● Select “Creatives.”
●● Choose the “Cards” option.
●● Select “Create Card.”
●● Choose the type of Card (Website Card, Video Website
Card, Image App Card, Video App Card).
●● Fill out the required information for your card type and
select “Create.”
●● Once the Twitter Card is created hover over the image in
the Cards Library.
●● Select “Preview.”
●● Copy the URL link that appears below the Card preview.
●● Paste this URL into a Tweet to use the Twitter Card.

Note: A credit card may need to be associated with the account

to access the creatives section.

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Finding Your Voice

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Finding Your Voice

Twitter allows you — the individual or the organization — to pull
back the curtain and give your followers a peek into your daily life.
Whether you’re snapping a group “selfie” at a campaign event or
announcing breaking news, each Tweet demystifies the process
and personalities of activism by letting your followers learn a little
more about you.

A simple formula to bear in mind is to try to include two of the

following three traits in your Tweets:

1. Insight
2. Personality
3. Information

Your followers want to be engaged by compelling, entertaining,

and informative content. Their attention is being diverted by
thousands of other content creators, so you need to think of
how you can grab and hold their interest while communicating A day in the life
your message. Twitter is the real-time bridge to your supporters. Take your
followers along for the ride by sharing authentic moments:
Check out Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Tweet as ●● Be authentic. Share your experiences as an individual or
an example of Twitter best practices. The Tweet is timely and organization, from morning until night, to give an insight
celebrates a global event, the voice is authentically him, the into your average daily routine. Define the conversation
Tweet contains a rich, eye-catching image, he uses a trending with a hashtag.
conversation hashtag to tap into ongoing conversations, and he
includes a link to a longer statement. ●● Tweet rich media. Use photos and videos to take
followers behind the scenes.
●● Have conversations and connect with people. Conduct
Twitter Q&As and reply to followers throughout the day.
●● Tell followers where to find you. Announce campaign
events and tell followers where to meet up. Encourage
them to live-Tweet the experience.
●● Document the campaign. Create a custom collection of

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Tweets from the day to showcase your work.

●● Amplify your message. Leverage Promoted Tweets to
target key people — and to increase impressions and
engagements for your most compelling content.

Let people see the work you do

These Tweets offer a glimpse into the changing day-to-day
role of a politician. From meeting royalty to engaging in policy
discussions, Twitter is the place to highlight what you are working
on any given day.

How often should you Tweet?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. However,
successful accounts maintain a consistent pattern of regular
Tweeting. This could be one Tweet per day with high-quality
content or several Tweets per day that strike a conversational
tone and interact with the community of followers. Your following
will grow if you invest in your presence on the platform.

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What Fuels a Tweet

You can use images and photos to tell a story or to trail a major
event. Photos can help demystify the issues you advocate for
and build a connection with those who might be interested in
Each Tweet represents an opportunity to show your organization’s your cause.
voice and strengthen the relationship with your followers. But
building a healthy Twitter account is about more than just seeing
how many people will Retweet your posts.

We wondered why certain Tweets see higher-than-average

engagement. Adding a hashtag, photo, or video to Tweets
undoubtedly makes them richer, but does it bring you more
engagement?

Photos and videos are among the most popular types of media
for people to use, and have been shown to increase engagement
when compared to text. The popularity of photos and videos
suggests that authenticity and access are paramount for your
followers. This demonstrates the importance of building an
authentic, transparent relationship with your followers. Visual
media provides a candid insight into your life or work.

To this end we have improved our camera functionality, making

it easier to create media and show the world in real time what’s
happening. The updates to the camera are designed to make
capturing and reaching the right people easier.
●● The camera is now faster and easier to access. Open the
app, swipe to the left, and you’ll be in the camera.
●● The camera can now take photos, videos, and go live in
one unified camera.
●● It’s now easier to get what you capture to the right
audience. If you’re on the ground at an event, and have
geolocation services turned on, the camera will suggest
relevant hashtags for the event so that what you capture
gets to the right conversation.
●● Photos and videos taken with the camera will appear
larger and more immersive. They’ll look different to Remember: For individuals and organizations, Twitter is an
pictures added to Tweets because they’ll be photo first,
text second.

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Remember: For individuals and organizations, Twitter is

invaluable way to reach beyond press conferences and news ●● Tell a story
an invaluable way to reach beyond press conferences and
releases to connect with users in a more intimate way. People - Focus on setting up a problem that gets resolved in
news releases to connect with people in a more intimate
love behind-the-scenes content; it brings them up close the end. Make sure the sequence of events is easy for
way. People love behind-the-scenes content; it brings them
and personal with the campaigns they hear about but don’t viewers to follow.
up close and personal with the campaigns they hear about
necessarily understand.
but don’t necessarily understand. ●● Speak without sound
- With 93% of Twitter videos being viewed on mobile
devices, it’s important to have a sound-off viewing
Tagging people in photos strategy. Think of the moment you’re commuting or
You can tag people in a photo (or collection of photos) that you waiting in line at the coffee shop and don’t have your
post. The tags don’t count toward your 280-character limit, so earbuds in. Use captions and visual cues to pull the
you have more room to express yourself. You can tag up to viewer through the video and make it easier to process.
10 people, and their names (not @username) will be displayed
alongside the photo. As a default, anyone will be able to tag you
if you have a public account. If desired, you can change that (to GIFs
“only allow people I follow to tag me in photos” or “do not allow GIFs are popular and people love them! These animated images,
anyone to tag me in photos”) via your Account Settings. often made up of video snippets, have become shorthand for
the expression of emotion on the internet. Whenever you’re
composing a Tweet or Direct Message, you can search and
Video browse the GIF library. So if you’re looking for the perfect cat
Incorporating video into your content strategy makes your yawn or dance move to express exactly how you feel, just click
message memorable and increases engagement. In fact, Tweets the new GIF button. You can search by keyword, or browse
with video attracted 10X more engagements than Tweets without categories of different reactions like Happy Dance, Mic Drop,
video. People can post 140-second videos to Twitter, giving you or YOLO.
more time to connect with your audience.
Here are some ideas to help you make your video stand out: Polls
●● Hook the audience Because of its public nature, Twitter is a great place to gauge
- Build in an intriguing setup or dynamic set of actions people’s reaction to the big and small questions of the day.
to hook the viewer in the first few seconds. This could be Twitter Polls are a fun and easy way to pose these questions and
an intriguing setup to the video, a close-up shot, an on- receive anonymous answers. You can give people four optional
screen graphic that sparks curiosity, or quick movement answers and the poll can remain live for between five minutes
or action. and seven days. Once the poll has closed, everyone who gave
an answer will receive a push notification inviting them to look
●● Feature people
at the result.
- People are naturally drawn to human faces.
Including people in the first few frames has been
proven to significantly increase view rates and drive
2X higher retention.

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Media-forward timeline
When you upload a photo via Twitter, it shows up right in the
timelines of all your followers, letting them get an immediate
glimpse into what you’re sharing. With one click or tap, they can
expand the photo within the app, and easily Retweet, like, or
comment on it. The image will also display when the Tweet is
embedded on the web.

Calls to action
Sometimes you can drive engagement from a Tweet just by
asking for it. Government officials and leaders often encourage
their followers to Retweet a post to show support or spread
awareness for someone or something.

Tweeting a photo in your call to action is a great way to depict

your issue or cause and also drive more Retweets. The call
to action can also encourage constituents to Tweet their own
photos. Finally, calls to action can make people feel like they are
part of a movement.

Strive for a personal tone

Sending personal Tweets to friends and family for all of Twitter to
see is a great way to show your personal side, and this resonates
well with followers. Being as personal as you feel comfortable
being is a great way to develop and build a loyal following.
Ultimately, personality wins on Twitter.

For an organization, this might require developing a brand voice

as there may be a number of members on your team who will
update your Twitter feed.

Share your interests

Let your followers know what interests you, be it sports, movies,
music, or all of the above. Share articles with interesting content
and mention the author if you can.

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Be timely
Because Twitter moves in real time, the most relevant Tweets,
conversations, and reactions will come from experiencing the
event and Tweeting about it as it unfolds. Instead of planning
specific Tweets that may go stale after rounds of internal scrutiny,
it’s more effective to plan guard rails. Know what is appropriate
and what is not appropriate, know what words and phrases to
use and which to avoid. Think accordingly. If you are delivering
a keynote speech, everyone is waiting for the best quote, big
moment, or perfect sound bite to Tweet. If you know what the
peak of your time in the spotlight is, let the organizers know as
well. You could give them the “power quote” or picture of your
slide ahead of time so that they have it, verbatim, to Tweet out
at the right moment. You could even queue that Tweet to come
from your account at the right time, funneling the engagement
back to you.

Interact with others

Twitter is a two-way conversation, not a broadcast. That’s why
we have a variety of actions you can take such as replying,
liking, and Retweeting. These serve as public signals as they
elevate conversations in the timelines. Quote Tweets also
allow you to provide context while highlighting another Tweet
to your followers.

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Twitter Tools
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Twitter Tools
more about what content resonates with your audience and when
they’re engaging with video content on Twitter? Use our new
Insights tool, Timing is Everything.
Media Studio
Media Studio is an easy-to-use platform to manage and measure Twitter Live
your Twitter content. Twitter gives you more than just 280 Share your stories as they unfold with live video on Twitter.
characters to tell your story. You can use images, GIFs, videos, Whether you’re broadcasting live from a campaign event, from
and live streams using the Media Studio platform. This one-stop the office with volunteers, the scene of a breaking news event,
shop lets you manage your entire organization’s Twitter content, or just because you want to connect with your followers, Twitter
whether you have one account or 50. Learn how to get the offers easy-to-use tools to share what’s happening.
most out of Media Studio with library, analytics, monetization,
and Producer. With Media Studio Producer and a flexible API for professional
broadcasts, as well as one-touch broadcasting from the Twitter
and Periscope apps, our live video toolkit has your broadcasting
needs covered.

There are three main ways to go live on Twitter:

●● Go live straight from the Twitter app. Swipe left and
you’re brought straight to the camera. Or hit the camera
icon in the Tweet compose interface.
●● Producer in Media Studio. Producer gives publishers a
self-serve way to launch a professionally produced live
stream on Twitter. Compatible with external encoders:
Media Studio’s library offers a single place for you to upload,
Publishers can live-stream content on Twitter
organize, and share your videos, GIFs, and images. With
with external encoding hardware or software
metadata fields, it makes your videos easier to discover and
— a requirement for professional content creators.
follow on Twitter. The library also simplifies media management
Learn more at media.twitter.com.
on Twitter by providing user roles and permissions that let you
compose and schedule both organic and Promoted-only Tweets ●● Mobile broadcasting with Periscope. The Periscope app
across teams and accounts. provides another easy way to live-stream from your phone,
enabling you to share what’s happening around you with
Media Studio’s analytics dashboard makes it easy to measure the world as it happens.
your performance on Twitter, from comprehensive metrics for • Add your location and channel: Adding location to your
Tweets and videos to earnings from monetized videos and more. broadcast will let people discover you from the map tab
If your organization has multiple accounts, unified analytics give on Periscope. Adding your broadcast to a channel will let
you a bird’s-eye view of your organization’s activity on Twitter people interested in that subject find your broadcast.
in a format that can be easily exported. Looking to understand

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Use cases ●● Make your broadcast easy to find: Promote it

Below are some uses cases for which live video is beforehand by Tweeting about the fact that you’ll
particularly suited. be broadcasting soon. Turn on geotagging, etc.
●● Behind-the-scenes glimpses: People love live ●● Engage with people: When broadcasting, be sure to
broadcasts because they’re authentic and spontaneous. reply to comments and questions that viewers leave on
They’re unscripted and offer glimpses into the daily the stream. This will build a sense of community among
workings of your organization which more “produced” your followers.
videos can’t.
●● Special live event broadcasts: If you’re holding an event, TweetDeck
be it an open AGM or a town hall-style meeting, you could TweetDeck offers a more convenient Twitter experience by letting
try broadcasting it on Periscope. People can participate you view multiple timelines in one easy interface. It includes a
while watching, posing questions in the stream which you host of advanced features to help get the most of Twitter: Manage
can incorporate into the event. multiple Twitter accounts, schedule Tweets for posting in the
●● Launching a campaign, initiative, or paper: Give people future, build Tweet collections, and more.
a sense that they’re with you at crucial moments. Be it the
launch of a campaign or an important research paper, your Get the best out of Twitter with TweetDeck’s advanced features
supporters will want to feel like they’re there with you. — ideal for consuming and analyzing a lot of information at once.
Change the order of your columns to best suit your needs. Use
●● Interviews with spokespeople: This is an easy way for
column filters, a powerful way to customize searches by keyword,
you and your colleagues to offer some on-the-spot insight date, and time, and to stay on top of new Tweets as columns
into your work. Spokespeople can take questions from quickly update.
other Periscope users who post questions in the stream.
●● Contests and rewards: If your organization runs contests, With TweetDeck, you can also share an account with your team
perhaps as part of a fundraising effort, it can be helpful to without sharing your password. You can maintain full control
promote them with live video. of permissions at all times. Multiple people can also be logged
into one account, giving an entire team the ability to manage
Best practices one or several accounts, ensuring more content is produced
●● Consider timing: It’s good to give your followers some and distributed while also sharing the time commitment among
advance notice of a broadcast. Let them know when you’ll a group (but remember to keep the voice of the account as
be going live with a few Tweets. consistent as possible!).
●● Come up with a compelling title: Your followers will
receive a notification when you begin broadcasting. Make
sure the title of your broadcast gives them a reason to tune
in. Make it straightforward, or give a sense of exclusivity, or
just make it sound plain weird! Whatever is appropriate for
the broadcast and will catch the attention of your audience.

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To get TweetDeck, go to tweetdeck.twitter.com. ●● Is it either timely or timeless in a way that

increases interest?
●● What keywords or hashtags can I use in the title or
description to improve discoverability?
●● Am I selecting content from a wide range of different
accounts, perspectives, and voices?
●● Do the Tweets I’m curating include images or videos that
will interest my followers?
●● Does each of the parts that I’ve selected add up to a
comprehensive experience?
●● Quality control is important. A Moment that has a clear
focus, includes interesting stats, thoughtful comments,
funny quips if appropriate, and great imagery will be
followed, shared, and discovered. For additional insight
check out our Twitter Moments guidelines and principles.

Moments
It can be hard to stand out from the noise and tell a full story
in a single Tweet. With Twitter Moments you create and curate
longer-form content to tell interesting stories.

Moments let you tell a story that goes beyond one Tweet and
highlights different perspectives. Create a Moment by developing
collections of notable Tweet conversations and live commentary,
or weaving together Tweets that tell a powerful or interesting
message. It’s easy to curate content and create Moments around
any topic, conversation, or event that’s relevant to your brand.

Here are some questions to ask when you’re looking at content:

●● Will this story appeal to my audience?

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Analytics Analyze your Tweets and understand your followers. Every word,
The billions of Tweets sent each week are a valuable photo, video, and follower can have an impact. Twitter’s analytics
source of data which can tell you how people are help you understand how the content you share on Twitter grows
engaging with your Tweets. Whatever your goals are, your business. Here’s what you can learn — and where:
visit analytics.twitter.com to find tools to help you
understand and improve your performance on Twitter. ●● Account home is your Twitter report card, with high-level
statistics tracked from month to month. It’s also a gallery
What is it that you want to know? Twitter can help you learn
of your greatest hits: We’ll spotlight your top-performing
more about:
Tweets and introduce you to the influencers in
●● Follower growth: How many new followers you get every your network.
day, week, or month
●● Your Tweet activity dashboard is where you’ll find metrics
●● Follower quality and engagement: How many people for every single one of your Tweets. You’ll know exactly
interact with you how many times people on Twitter have seen, Retweeted,
●● Reach: How many people see, like, or Retweet your Tweets liked, and replied to each Tweet.
●● Traffic: How many people go to your site ●● Your audience insights dashboard contains valuable
information about the people who follow you on Twitter.
The impressions metric tells you how many times your Tweet has You can track your follower growth over time and learn
been viewed on Twitter’s Android and iOS apps or on twitter.com. more about your followers’ interests and demographics.

You can view the total impressions on a Tweet, as well as an

hour-by-hour breakdown for the first day of that Tweet. You also
get insight into total impressions for all your Tweets in aggregate
over a 28-day period.

In addition to the number of impressions, Retweets, and Likes

your Tweet received, the dashboard gives a breakdown of how
people are engaging with it. Just click on the Tweet you’re
interested in and it will expand to show you more details. For
Tweets with links, for example, you’ll see link clicks; for Tweets
with hashtags, you’ll see hashtag clicks; and if you receive follows
or profile views from a particular Tweet, you’ll see that too. Finally,
the CSV export tool will show you data for up to 3,200 Tweets
(up from 500) and includes a breakdown of all impressions and
other engagement numbers.

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Powering Your Site How to add the follow button to your site:
●● Log in to your Twitter account.

With Twitter ●● Go to https://publish.twitter.com/#.

●● Customize the follow button to your liking with
People love to share and discover great content from across the available options.
the web via Twitter. By powering your website with Twitter ●● Copy and paste the code into the HTML of your website
buttons and embedded Tweets, you can increase your reach wherever you would like the button to appear.
and influence in the conversation with just a few clicks. It’s the
instant activation that may get people to follow and engage with Adding a Tweet button to your website
your content. The Tweet button lets people quickly share the web page they’re
viewing with all of their followers. Clicking the Tweet button
Adding a follow button to your website provides you with a pre-populated Tweet containing a link to
The follow button, shown below, lets people follow your that web page, which people can customize before sending.
account directly from your personal homepage or any website
where the button is installed. When people click this button, People love to share and discover great content from across
the following occurs: the web via Twitter. This button encourages them to share your
●● For people who are logged-in, a small pop-up screen website and to follow your Twitter account in the process. You’ll
displays with more information about your account. increase traffic to your site and develop a larger Twitter audience.
●● People who aren’t logged in to Twitter will see a similar
Go to https://publish.twitter.com.
pop-up screen that allows them to view your account’s
following/follower information, sign in, and then follow you.

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Embedding a Tweet on your site

You can embed a Tweet directly onto your site to create a
conversation between people on Twitter and the people who
visit your website. Want to highlight a particular Tweet that struck
a chord with people or add context from people on Twitter on a
developing story? With embedded Tweets, you can incorporate
your best Tweets or any other public Tweet into your online
content. They function just like regular Tweets, so people can
continue to engage by Retweeting, replying, or liking the Tweet
— all without leaving your site.

How to embed a Tweet

●● When you click on the “More” link at the bottom of a Tweet
on the web, a drop-down menu will appear giving you the
option to “Embed Tweet.”
●● When you click “Embed Tweet,” a dialog box will appear.
Copy and paste the HTML code from the dialog box and
add the code directly to your website wherever you’d like
the Tweet to appear.

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Campaigning
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31

Proactive Campaigning
A good Twitter campaign is all about setting out a strategy,
planning your tactics around that strategy, and working cleverly
toward success.

Audience
Key to your strategy will be identifying your audience and the
goals you want to achieve with them. Do you want to build your
following? Drive traffic to a particular website? Your success will
depend on how well you have judged and produced content
aimed at the target audience.

Timely
Try to make your campaign timely. Examine what’s trending,
both online and offline. See if your campaign can dovetail with
the zeitgeist and then Tweet into pre-existing hashtags or create
a new and compelling one of your own that builds momentum
through careful coordination with allies. Your campaign should seek to either communicate into a popular
pre-existing hashtag or identify space where a new, thoughtfully
Personality worded one might come to define a particular issue and then
Last, but absolutely not least, there’s a handy rule of thumb capitalize on this by making it the centerpiece of your Twitter
to help guide your content creation. If the perfect Tweet has campaign.
personality, conveys information, and carries insight, then a very
good Tweet will combine two of these qualities. Sometimes, that Pro Tip: When using a hashtag that contains more than one word,
Pro Tip: When using a hashtag that contains more than
can just be a simple emoji. be sure to capitalize the first letter of each word. This makes it
one word, be sure to capitalize the first letter of each
easier to read for the first-time viewer.
word. This makes it easier to read for the first-time viewer.
Why use hashtags?
An invention of the early Twitter community, hashtags have
become synonymous with people, events, and campaigns that Content calendar
have achieved a particular level of mass recognition. Sometimes When planning any kind of communications campaign, it’s
for good reasons, sometimes for bad. useful to sketch out each day’s activities on a content calendar.
This is no different when considering what your activity will be
like on Twitter or Periscope. Here’s a quick example to guide
your thinking:

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32

Trends
As we’ve said on the previous page, trends allow you to identify
issues that are animating the audience you want to reach. This is
vital knowledge when constructing a message with the potential
to resonate, as it demonstrates awareness of what’s going on in
the community.

Put a bird on it
To boost your campaign, you should take your activity offline and
reference your presence on Twitter as much as possible.

You could put the Twitter logo and your @username in your email
signature, on letterheads, on business cards, on your website, or
even on your organization’s car, as the NYPD did. It’s also useful
to incorporate your @username and #hashtags into your event Twitter Q&A
planning. So, if you’re hosting a conference or a meeting and Many of the people you want to connect with may have questions
you want attendees to participate in a conversation on Twitter, about your campaign or organization. Perhaps they need more
you can ensure that the relevant #hashtag appears on all printed information before they feel comfortable committing support to
materials at the event, or place screens around the location with your cause. Holding a Q&A session on Twitter is a great way for
a rolling stream of curated Tweets about the event. you to connect with these people.

You’ll receive more engagement and build your base over time, Here’s how it works:
while also demonstrating an ability to combine all mediums in ●● Decide on a hashtag that people can use if they want to
the communication of a coherent message. ask a question, e.g., #AskJack.

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●● Announce the Q&A a few hours before you intend to begin.

●● Remind people with a second Tweet about half an hour
before you start.
Reactive Campaigning
●● At the appointed time, you can answer the questions that Many of the best moments on Twitter are born from spontaneity.
have been asked on the hashtag. Be it something whimsical, something accidental, or something
very serious, these moments can light up the internet within
Twitter Q&As connect you with the people whose support you minutes and become global phenomena.
want and need. It’s a personal demonstration of your willingness
to engage, inform, and persuade. There are ways in which Twitter can be used effectively in a
reactive manner. For example, it can be used to rebut and correct
Live-Tweeting the record on an issue.
We’ve talked about how one of Twitter’s distinguishing features
is its power to document live events. Campaigns use this when It can also be used to engage in one-on-one campaigning.
holding live events, such as protests or program launches. If When someone responds to content you’ve Tweeted during a
you think the event will be of interest to your followers or the particular campaign, try to respond in a constructive manner.
public more generally, you can live-Tweet it, perhaps using a If the interaction is successful, others will see it and be more
unique hashtag, and allow people who aren’t at the event to persuaded by your message than if it had been a broadcast-only
follow updates and developments wherever they are. Put a clear experience.
person or entire team on point to reply, Retweet, and like.

Pro Tip:
Pro Don’t forget
Tip: Don’t to collect
forget the best
to collect Tweets
the best into into
Tweets a Moment
onceathe event has passed.
Moment once the event has passed.

You can link Tweets together by using the threads feature. This
can also be used to update a previous Tweet to provide more
context as events unfold.

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Rebuttal and taking control of the message Twitter is a conversational platform, so use a mix of information
Because of its live and public nature, Twitter is the perfect distribution and follower engagement:
platform to fact-check statements or rebut arguments. When ●● Use Twitter to learn who interacts in your area.
social media-savvy United States Congresswoman Alexandria ●● Engage with people on the ground to gather information.
Ocasio-Cortez came under criticism for antics while in college,
They may know something you don’t.
she harnessed the platform to take control of the story and
posted a video of herself dancing in office. Such “clapbacks” have ●● Interact with your followers, answer their questions, and
become a much-anticipated and highly engaging component of dispel any misinformation.
political dialogue online. ●● Discover issues as they arise through your followers and
by monitoring conversation around certain hashtags.
●● Train your followers to turn off “Quality Filter” and “See
the best Tweets First” and to toggle the “Sparkle
button” on their Twitter app during an emergency to get
raw, unfiltered, real-time Tweets.
●● Advise your followers to Tweet their precise location to
help you and others get an update of the conditions on the
ground, or to be able to aid them if needed.

Using Twitter in an emergency

Twitter is vital tool for those responding to or affected by
emergencies and disasters. Whether it’s a natural disaster or an
attack, Twitter enables people to issue public updates, contact
individuals, and coordinate responses.

If you or your organization is involved in emergency response,

consider Twitter a network through which you can not only reach
your followers, but the wider public, media which will amplify your
message, and other relevant stakeholders.

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Twitter for Networking

and Organizing
Since its inception, Twitter has been successfully used by many
individuals and organizations to create networks and promote
initiatives, campaigns, and ideas. People see the networking
power that Twitter has, its ability to connect them to their interests,
and they harness this to further their cause and passions.

Tweetups
When like-minded people engage with each other on Twitter,
they sometimes decide to organize meetings. These have been
called Tweetups. They bring the online conversation offline,
where it develops further and the network is strengthened.
The Tweetup itself can become a trend, as attendees discuss
the conversations they’re having. These events lower the wall
between the online and offline.

Individual meetings
Some people also meet each other one-on-one when they
connect through discussions on Twitter. These meetings serve
the same purpose as the larger Tweetups. Conversations are
developed further and the connection is deepened.

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Twitter Ad Products
Promoted Accounts quickly build an active community of
advocates and influencers for your campaign. The bigger your
follower base, the more people there are to engage with and
Get your Tweets and your account in front of more people who spread your message.
are interested in your campaign. There are three opportunities
to advertise on Twitter: Promoted Trends are national advertising opportunities that
appear at the top of a list of popular topics happening right
Promoted Tweets are regular Tweets but with the added now, on Twitter. Because these Promoted Trends are placed
bonus of reaching both current and potential followers. prominently next to a user’s timeline, they get mass exposure.
There are numerous targeting capabilities to help you reach the
right audience. Targeting options
Get your Tweets and your account in front of more people who
are interested in your campaign. There are three opportunities
to advertise on Twitter:
●● Keywords in timeline. People express interests and
opinions on Twitter all the time. Keyword targeting in
timeline lets you reach Twitter accounts based on the
keywords in their recent Tweets and the Tweets with which
they recently engaged. Show people the right message, at
the right moment, in the right context.
●● Interest. Our community is passionate about everything
from shoes to semiconductors. We can help you find your
ideal audience using hundreds of different interest targets,
political and otherwise.
●● Geography. Twitter is used in nearly every country in the
world and is available in more than 35 languages. Reach a
global audience or one that’s specific to your region.
●● Gender. Have a message more suited for men or maybe
for women? Reach either or both with gender targeting.
●● Similarity to existing followers. Your followers already
love you. We’ll help you find more just like them.
●● Device (mobile, desktop). 78% of people log into Twitter
via their mobile device. Twitter Ads give you the option to
target your ads to Android, or iOS, in addition to desktop.

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●● Keyword search results. People are searching for

information on Twitter. Insert your message in front of
those interested in the issues and candidates important to
your campaign.

Twitter is a platform that enables global conversation, and

we believe that transparency is a core part of who we are. As
part of our commitment to be more transparent, we’ve created
a place where you can search for advertisers and see the details
behind ads.

When you search for an advertiser, you’ll be able to see all

Promoted Tweets that are currently running on Twitter, including
Promoted-only Tweets, or if a Promoted Tweet was suspended
and why. Visit ads.twitter.com/transparency to access the Ads
Transparency Center.

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Case Studies
Campaigning on Twitter | The Handbook for NGOs, Politics & Public Service Top Tips
39

The Everyday
Twitter is not just a platform to be used to put forward your policy
positions, or to advocate. It’s a platform to engage with others, to
join conversations, and to be part of a global community. It gives
people a window into the lives of representatives, organizations,
and agencies, and allows them to build a natural affinity for them.
It offers the opportunity to demonstrate your life outside of your
role as well as in your position.

New York Police Department

The NYPD uses Twitter in a multitude of ways, from crisis
response to public service announcements. However, they also
use Twitter to give real-time updates and encourage action
offline, too. In 2018 the @NYPDnews account highlighted how
a man had proposed to his girlfriend in Times Square. She said
yes, but in the excitement that followed he dropped the ring in a
grate. NYPD officers rescued the ring and sought to return it to
the couple. And so, they turned to Twitter. By Tweeting the video
from the @NYPDnews account they got the message out to as
many people as possible, asking for the Twitter community’s
help in finding the happy couple. This initial Tweet saw 31,000
Retweets, and over 60,000 Likes. They followed this by Tweeting
a photograph of the ring in question, which they had cleaned.
Twenty-four hours later, @NYPDnews updated the world. Twitter
had done its thing, the search was over, and the ring found its
way back to the pair.

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Singapore Police Force

In Singapore, the police force uses Twitter as a platform to
caution citizens against potential crimes and/or ensure their
safety in the city-state. For instance, in the lead-up to boy band
BTS’ performance in Singapore in January 2018, SPF jumped in
on the trending hashtags on the platform (#BTS and #BTSinSG)
to spread awareness about BTS’ tour ticket scams circulating
online. Their Tweet garnered positive reactions, particularly for
its witty use of some of BTS’ hit songs. The Tweet attracted
over 17,000 Likes and 8,500 Retweets. Similarly, when Pokemon
Go first launched, SPF issued an advisory on Twitter to remind
everyone to stay safe while they #CatchEmAll. Their ability to
engage people in an authentic and visual manner has won praise
from many Singapore citizens.

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Join a conversation Don’t forget to have some fun

Throughout the year there are events and holidays that will spark Use Twitter to showcase your personality and connect on a human
conversations. This can provide you with an opportunity to join level. Tap into trending pop culture conversations. Brian Schatz
a conversation and to authentically engage with your followers. (@brianschatz), the US senator for Hawaii and Chris Murphy
The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, took this engagement (@ChrisMurphyCT), the US senator for Connecticut, used Twitter
with the Twitter community to a new level for Valentine’s Day to discuss whether they should Retweet a new Cardi B song as
when she Tweeted out her message to the people of Taiwan. some of the language was explicit. At the end of the conversation
But @iingwen didn’t just want the people of Taiwan to hear her
message, she wanted the world to. So, she Tweeted her message
in English. And Japanese. And French. And Spanish. This novel
approach allowed her to spread her message to speakers of
multiple languages around the world.

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Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer), the senator for New York,

was left still confused as to whether they would Retweet it or
not. Or look at Martha McSally (@SenMcSallyAZ) who saw the
conversation surrounding the “Captain Marvel” movie and took
a moment to ask actress Brie Larson (@BrieLarson) how she
prepared for the role. As Senator McSally and Brie Larson’s
character in the movie were both fighter pilots, it allowed her to
move away from policy discussions and engage.

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Voter Engagement
Organized campaign
Twitter is a powerful tool for driving voter engagement and
participation. This can be in the form of an orchestrated
campaign, or it can be a grassroots movement that plays out
on the platform. An example of an orchestrated campaign is the
#BeAVoter campaign that was run in the US ahead of the 2018
midterm elections.

#BeAVoter was a campaign run on Twitter and coordinated by

the Twitter Public Policy team. The aim of the campaign was to
drive the conversation around National Voter Registration Day
and to encourage as many people as possible to register to vote.
National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan day of action
supported by many corporate and nonprofit partners. The idea
behind the #BeAVoter campaign was to try and connect with
a personal identity and an action to compel people to be
more involved.

The campaign connected with people and we saw a marked

increase in engagement compared to 2016, which is remarkable
as 2016 was a presidential election year. The campaign used a
number of tools and followed many Twitter best practises that
have been highlighted in this book to help drive the conversation.
The aim of the campaign was to increase voter registration, and
to make this as easy as possible the campaign used Twitter
Website Cards. This allowed the campaign to share an eye-
catching graphic, and encouraged people to tap on the image.
By doing so it brought them directly to a third-party, nonpartisan
voter registration site where people could sign up to receive
election reminders, get registered to vote, and apply for their
absentee ballot. The campaign also used other media content
such as GIFS, emoji, and videos highlighting influential Twitter
accounts. Moments were used to collect, curate, and share the
conversation on National Voter Registration Day to encourage
people to get out and vote.

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Grassroots campaign
While organized campaigns are effective, often we see grassroots
campaigns take flight and raise the conversation to a new level.
This has been evident in Ireland, where the #HomeToVote
campaign has exploded into life on the platform around two
separate referendums. In May 2015, Ireland went to the polls to
vote in a referendum to legalize same-sex marriage. Irish citizens
abroad who left the country less than 18 months before a vote
were entitled to participate; however, as Ireland doesn’t have the
facility to vote in absentee you have to present yourself at your
polling station. In the days leading up to and including polling day,
#HomeToVote dominated Irish Twitter with images of Irish people
abroad flying home to exercise their voting rights.

In 2018, Ireland again went to the polls for a referendum. This

time the referendum was on whether to allow the government
to legislate for abortion. Following the precedent set three years
previous, thousands more returned to Ireland for the opportunity
to vote on constitutional changes in their country. Again, in the
days leading to polling day and on polling day itself, Tweets
filtered through showing Irish people traveling from all over the
world to exercise their voting rights. The movement spawned
other hashtags, such as #VoterMotor, which saw Tweets offering
to drive people from airports home to vote, or to transport people
who could not get to their polling station there.

So, what sparked this engagement? The hashtag contained a call

to action. It was simple to understand, and simple to relate to.
The hashtag was nonpartisan in nature, but it tapped directly into
a social movement. Stories and images of the lengths that people
were going to exercise their right to vote, combined with stories of
what it meant to them to vote, resonated. It was authentic stories
that were relevant and timely that spoke to people.

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The strategy was to educate, entertain, and engage audience

Advocacy members via relevant contexts, encourage feedback, and provide
a steady flow of interesting content. It turned to Twitter to create
a campaign that would integrate all of these goals, with an
Alwaleed Philanthropies “edutainment” approach. On Twitter, @ ‎ alwaleed_philan targeted
Each year, Alwaleed Philanthropies’ (‎ @ alwaleed_philan)
key groups likely to engage with the content, including Saudi
educational program, Ambassadors of Peaceful Dialogue,
students studying abroad, parents of Saudi students, media
teaches 500 students from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about
outlets, and followers of NGOs and global foundations.
effective and respectful dialogue across different cultures,
languages, and religions. The top 100 student ambassadors are
To engage the public, video content was created in the style of a
sent to Edinburgh University in Scotland for an intensive three-
reality show, which would entertain viewers while incorporating
week summer school of lessons and activities to help them
educational elements in the background. To engage news
implement what they have learned in an international context.
outlets, @
‎ alwaleed_philan shared quotes and infographics that
@alwaleed_philan wanted to share its pride in these students,
highlighted the program’s scale, methodology, and success.
engaging the Saudi community at home and abroad by updating
Throughout the campaign, ‎@alwaleed_philan created Twitter
them daily on their progress. It sought to shine a light on the
Polls to gather its audience’s thoughts and opinions, as well as
program from various angles, including entertainment, education,
to give context to the campaign content that would follow. The
news, and philanthropy.
poll format offered a simple way for people to interact with the
organization and to give their input.

@alwaleed_philan’s Twitter campaign generated awareness and

engagement that surpassed the organization’s expectations,
with 28.5 million impressions, a 41% peak engagement rate,
and a 51% video view rate. Even more important than these
metrics, though, were the audience insights that ‎@alwaleed_
philan gathered. By encouraging engagement throughout the
campaign, the organization was able to collect, analyze, and
consider a wealth of audience feedback. These insights have
helped ‎@alwaleed_philan gain a better understanding of its
audience’s expectations, as well as the needs around programs
like Ambassadors of Peaceful Dialogue within the community.

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#MeToo
Grassroots campaigns can also take on global significance. The
movement around #MeToo is illustrative of this. The movement’s
seminal Tweet was that of Hollywood actress Alyssa Milano. This
call to arms read: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted
write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” This spawned the
hashtag #MeToo, a social revolution which strives to shed light
on the magnitude of the problem, to reconfigure social norms
surrounding consent, and to emancipate victims by lending both
support and a platform. As a phrase, “me too” was borrowed
from activist Tarana Burke and its intended sentiment is also at
play here — that is, empowerment through empathy.

The original hashtag has taken on international color and has

been translated into several languages such as the French
#BalanceTonPorc (#DenounceYourPig) and the Spanish
#YoTambién (#MeToo). This grassroots campaign has inspired
discussions worldwide, and has created impactful communities
such as @MetooEP, a group in the European Parliament who
used the hashtag to springboard a successful awareness-
raising campaign to combat sexual harassment and abuse in
the workplace.

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Diplomacy
Twitter has developed into a useful tool in international and
national diplomacy. This can take the form of interactions between
international leaders, or interactions between ambassadors and
their host country’s citizens.

The former UK ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, is an

excellent example of a diplomat using Twitter to engage with the
citizens of his host country. During his time in Egypt, Ambassador
Casson used social media to speak to Egyptians about things
they were passionate about. Through Tweeting about things
Egyptians love, like football or food, he was able to build an
audience who trusted him. He held himself accountable to the
Egyptian people when he said he was doing things to help Egypt.
This approach helped him build trust, and allowed him to have the
tough conversations when they were needed. His audience was
not just the traditional elite — 84% were under 34 years of age
and 93% of his audience was Arabic speakers. Twitter was used
to bridge the divide and gain access to people that traditional
diplomacy couldn’t reach.

To this end, and to reach and speak with the Egyptian public,
@JohnCassonUK took part in a live Q&A session. In advance
of the event, a teaser Tweet was sent the day before the event
from the ambassador’s account to raise awareness of the event.
During the hourlong Twitter Live session, #AskElSafirJohn was
used to collect questions and to discuss the event. Over the
course of the hour, @JohnCassonUK answered 14 questions
via Tweet using video and text which touched upon issues that
were most important to the people of Egypt. The event trended
throughout the day in Egypt, showing the impact and reach that
this type of engagement can have.

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Leaders around the world also use Twitter to speak to and Twitter can also be a place for national representatives to have
engage diplomatically with each other. One prime example important conversations in public view. In the United States,
is South Korean President Moon Jae-in (@moonriver365)’s politicians Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ted Cruz don’t often
interaction with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi agree. However, there are some areas in which they do and
(@narendramodi). Following Prime Minister Modi’s re-election in this became evident on Twitter when @tedcruz Tweeted his
the 2019 elections, President Moon Jae-in congratulated Prime agreement with @AOC and suggested it could be an area for
Minister Modi on Twitter and both reaffirmed India-ROK relations. bipartisan co-operation. From there it progressed rapidly to an
This was well-received by citizens of both countries, with many agreement that both the Republican senator and the Democratic
responding to thank both leaders for their support. Afghanistan’s congresswoman would co-lead a bipartisan bill. But Twitter
President Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) also joined in with his wasn’t finished there. Chip Roy, a congressman for Texas, also
congratulatory Tweet to Prime Minister Modi and similarly joined in on the public display of bipartisan cooperation and
signaled Afghanistan’s commitment to work with India to pursue suggested he would happily follow their lead and co-sponsor
peace and prosperity in South Asia. the bill in the House. Eventually, what had started as a Tweet
had snowballed into a bipartisan effort in both the House and
the Senate in only a few hours.

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Twitter Live
Harness the power of live video to get your message to the world.
There are many different ways to use live video, and many tools
to help you. In January 2019, @TwitterIndia launched a new
#ElectionsOnTwitter initiative: #ChaupalOnTwitter. This is a live
Q&A session with senior political party leaders in a typical public
square setting that is famous in India for election and political
discussion. The campaign looks at bridging the gap between the
physical public square and the digital public square, as well as
the urban and rural divide in India.

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We can also see examples of live video being used in Mexico,

where the government of Mexico regularly uses Periscope Sometimes, we want to draw attention to the specific moment in
Producer to broadcast live proceedings. This allows the Twitter a live video that made us think, surprised us, or made us laugh.
community to engage and discuss the live event in real time. If Previously, we could only Tweet an entire live video, which made
you can’t be there in person, the next best place to watch it is it difficult to discuss what matters most. Now, with Timestamps it
on Twitter. Once the broadcast concludes, the entire video is allows people to replay a video starting at the exact moment they
available to watch back. want to discuss. If the broadcast is still live, they can easily skip
to what’s happening by tapping “live” at any time. The feature is
available for any live video, whether from a professional content
publisher or someone broadcasting from their phone. People
have always used Twitter to talk about the things they experience.
With Timestamps, now we can show rather than just tell everyone
what’s happening.

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Safety on Twitter
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Safety on Twitter
Fake accounts: You may not register or create fake and
misleading accounts. While you may use Twitter pseudonymously
or as a parody, commentary, or fan account, you may not use
Twitter Rules misleading account information in order to engage in spamming,
Twitter’s purpose is to serve the public conversation. abusive, or disruptive behavior, including attempts to manipulate
Violence, harassment, and other similar types of behavior the conversations on Twitter. Some of the factors that we take into
discourage people from expressing themselves, and ultimately account when determining whether an account is fake include:
diminish the value of global public conversation. Our rules are to ●● Use of stock or stolen avatar photos
ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely ●● Use of stolen or copied profile bios
and safely. You can find out more about our rules at https://help.
●● Use of intentionally misleading profile information,
twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-rules. The next two
including profile location
pages will cover the tools and reporting mechanisms, but you can
find out more information on staying safe on Twitter and online at
Twitter’s safety center (https://about.twitter.com/safety). Private information: You may not publish or post other people’s
private information (such as home phone number and address)
Violence: You may not threaten violence against an individual or without their express authorization and permission. We also
a group of people. We also prohibit the glorification of violence. prohibit threatening to expose private information or incentivizing
others to do so.
Abuse/harassment: You may not engage in the targeted
harassment of someone, or incite other people to do so. You also have the option to protect your Twitter account. Once
This includes wishing or hoping that someone experiences this option has been selected, you must approve any new
physical harm. followers before those followers can see and interact with your
Tweets. If you wish to make your Tweets publicly viewable again,
Hateful conduct: You may not promote violence against or you can do so in the same Settings menu.
directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race,
ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender Impersonation: You may not impersonate individuals, groups,
identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease. We also or organizations in a manner that is intended to or does mislead,
do not allow accounts whose primary purpose is inciting harm confuse, or deceive others.
toward others on the basis of these categories.
Graphic content: You may not use pornographic or excessively
Hateful imagery and display names: You may not use hateful violent media in your profile image or header image. Twitter
images or symbols in your profile image or profile header. You may allow some forms of graphic content in Tweets marked as
also may not use your username, display name, or profile bio sensitive media. When content crosses the line into gratuitous
to engage in abusive behavior, such as targeted harassment or images of death, Twitter may ask that you remove the content
expressing hate toward a person, group, or protected category. out of respect for the deceased.

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Non-consensual nudity: You may not post or share intimate

photos or videos of someone that were produced or distributed
without their consent.

Illegal or certain regulated goods or services: You may not

use our service for any unlawful purpose or in furtherance of
illegal activities. This includes selling, buying, or facilitating
transactions in illegal goods or services, as well as certain types
of regulated goods or services.

International users agree to comply with all local laws regarding

online conduct and acceptable content.

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Reporting Mechanisms
this change here. We also separated the block and reporting
functions, making it simpler for a user to select one of these
options.
and Tools
Share your block list with others
Reporting mechanisms By exporting your block list, you can share the list with others if
Twitter works very hard to protect people’s experiences and we they want to block the same list of accounts.
constantly strive to ensure that they have the support they need.
To that end we provide you with tools, user controls, and robust To export your block list:
reporting mechanisms to help you stay safe, have control of what ●● Navigate to your blocked account settings on twitter.com.
content you want to see, and to enjoy a positive experience while
●● At the top of your block list, click All to export your full
using Twitter.
block list. Click Imported to export the block list(s) you
have imported.
We encourage people to report accounts to us that may break
our rules. You can do this through the support pages on our ●● Click the Advanced options drop-down menu.
Help Center or through the in-Tweet reporting mechanism ●● Select Export your list.
by clicking on the “Report a Tweet” option. Each report is ●● Confirm the accounts you want to export.
manually reviewed by our teams of trained personnel.
●● Click Export and a .csv file will be downloaded to your
We enabled bystander reporting which means that you can computer and you can share the file with others. If
make a report on behalf of another user. This can now be done your block list exceeds 5,000 accounts, your list will be
for reports of private information and impersonation as well. separated into multiple files.

Note: The export file includes a user ID for each account on the
You can also report several Tweets at once with our multiple
list. It does not include any other information about the accounts
Tweet reporting function, which allows users to report up to five on the list.
Tweets at the same time. If you feel an image or video should
be brought to the attention of the Twitter team for review, you
can report the media to us by clicking on the “Flag media” link
Import someone else’s block list
By importing another user’s block list, you can block the same
beneath the image.
list of accounts.

Tools
You can also use the block function to stop another user from
following you, tagging you in photos, or accessing your Tweets.
Any replies or mentions from an account you have blocked
will not appear in your mentions tab. You can read more about

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To import a block list:

Pro Tip: You can also mute Tweets that contain
●● Make sure the file shared with you is a .csv file and save it
particular words, phrases, usernames, emoji,
to your computer.
or You
Pro tip: hashtags.
can also mute Tweets that contain particular words,
●● Navigate to your blocked account settings on twitter.com. phrases, usernames, emoji, or hashtags.
●● Click the Advanced options drop-down menu. Notifications Settings
●● Select Import a list. Your Notifications timeline displays your interactions with other
●● In the pop-up, click on Attach a file to upload and find the Twitter accounts, such as mentions, Likes, Retweets, and who
.csv file. Click Open to import the list. has recently followed you. If you’re receiving unwanted replies or
mentions from accounts you don’t follow, you can filter the types of
●● The file name will be displayed when the file has been notifications you receive in Settings.
successfully imported.
●● Click Preview. The list of the accounts will be Quality Filter
displayed. You can uncheck any accounts you do not The filter can improve the quality of Tweets you see by using a variety
wish to block (accounts that you currently follow will be of signals, such as account origin and behavior. Turning it on filters
automatically unchecked). lower-quality content, like duplicate Tweets or content that appears
to be automated, from your notifications and other parts of your
●● Click Block to confirm.
Twitter experience. It does not filter content from people you follow or
●● The imported accounts will be added to your block list. accounts you’ve recently interacted with — and depending on your
preferences, you can turn it on or off in your notifications settings.
Mute
You also have the option to hide a user’s Tweets from your
timeline without blocking them, by using the mute function. To
mute someone, you can navigate to their profile or simply click
into one of their Tweets, click the … button and select the “Mute”
option. When you mute them, you won’t hear from them again.
It’s like turning down the volume on a radio!

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Account Security To set up two-factor authentication:

●● Click your profile icon and select “Settings and privacy.”

We’re Here to Help
●● Click on your Account settings and click “Setup
It’s important to keep your account secure. Adjust your account
login verification.”
settings at twitter.com/settings to maximize your account
protection: ●● Read the overview instructions, then click “Start.”
●● Enter your password and click “Verify.”
Choose a strong password ●● Click “Send Code.”
We recommend using a password containing at least 20
●● If you have a phone number already associated with your
characters. It should be either randomly generated or consist
account, you will receive an SMS to confirm your number.
of a random string of words. Don’t use words like Twitter or
your name in the password, and choose a unique password for ●● If you don’t have a phone number associated with your
each password-protected website and device you’re using. If account, it will prompt you to add one before sending you
you need multiple people to access the same account, consider an SMS.
using TweetDeck’s “Teams” feature. ●● Enter the verification code sent to your device,
then click “Submit.”
Use a secure email address ●● Click “Get Backup Code” to view a code generated by
Use a campaign or other privately managed email address Twitter. We recommend you store a screenshot of this
rather than a public service such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail to code in the event you need it for future use. This will help
reduce the risk of emails being intercepted and your security you access your account if you lose your mobile phone or
compromised. If you do use a widely available free email change your phone number.
provider, use precautions such as two-factor authentication.
From our 2FA options, security keys stand out as one of the
Strengthen your security settings strongest due to their low friction and phishing-resistant
We’re always looking for ways to deliver a more secure login capabilities. A security key is a physical device that must be
experience for the people who use Twitter. That’s why we have inserted to log in.
long invested in offering a set of two-factor authentication
methods to increase the safety of the accounts on Twitter. To set up two-factor authentication using a security key:
Instead of relying on just a password, login verification ●● In the top menu, click your profile icon, then click “Settings
introduces a second check to make sure that you and only and privacy.”
you can access your Twitter account. After you enable this
●● Click on the Account tab.
feature, you will need both your password and a designated
mobile device to log in to your account. You can also change
your settings to make it easier for multiple people to log in by
enabling login with a password or, alternatively, a code.

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●● Under Security and next to Login verification, click

the “Review your login verification methods” button
to get started.
●● Enter your password and click “Confirm.”
●● From the selections, click “Set up” next to
“Security key.”
●● Read the instructions and then click “Start.”
●● If you’re asked to verify your password, enter it and
click “Verify.”
●● You will see a pop-up window asking you to register
your key by inserting it into your computer’s USB
port. Once inserted, press the button located on
your key. Then verify the key by pressing the button
one more time.

Important: You must also have either the Text message or

Mobile security app options enabled for login verification.
You cannot enable the “Security key” option alone.

Require personal information

to reset password
Typically you reset a password simply by entering a
username and clicking on a confirmation link sent by email.
For added security, you can check the “require personal
information” box in your settings. With this enabled, reset
requests will have to be accompanied by your email
address or phone number if you forget or need to change
your password.

Forgot your password?

It happens to the best of us! Here is all the information you
need to get back into your account.

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Campaigning on Twitter | The Handbook for NGOs, Politics & Public Service Top Tips