Your Complete Guide to TweetChats

Part One: Do You Really Want to Host a Tweetchat?

In this series, I’ll go through a step-by-step process for everything you need to know about tweetchats, starting with hosting tweetchats–maybe even more than you want to know. It’ll include structured versus unstructured chats, how to choose a name, how to promote, ways to extend your reach, how to measure your success, and more. If you’re 100% positive that you want to host one, though, skip this post. In Part Two, there will be information about how to get started. I’ve already written a few articles about tweetchats which you might enjoy:

• Tweetchats: how to participate
• How to Excel as a Twitter Chat Guest
• Twitter Chats: 101 Tips to Success

Challenges of Hosting Tweetchats

Tweetchats are a lot of work. If you’re hosting a tweetchat, some of the things you must decide are:

• how to name one
• how to promote yours
• deciding whether or not to have a co-host
• how much time it will take
• whether you have the time
• what it will do for your business
• what happens if you go on vacation
• how will you promote your tweetchat

They are a commitment and to create a good one will require lots more time than the 30 minutes or one hour of the chat itself. People can hijack your hashtag and promote their own agenda, so be prepared for that. Also, you’ll need to come up with a weekly or monthly topic (though some are very loose).

Pluses of Hosting Tweetchats

There are lots of positive reasons to create a tweetchat. Social Media Examiner has a good list of reasons and steps to hosting a successful Twitter chat. Although it’s from 2012, there’s still a lot of good information there.

A tweetchat can:

• give you credibility
• help you connect with your followers at a deeper level
• bring you more followers
• establish you as an expert
• entertain you
• help you easily meet new friends by providing a topic of conversation
• bring you new business.
• surprise you. Sometimes a big brand will chime in and you’ll be surprised by that. You may get offers of sponsorship, money, or free cars (just kidding about the cars…checking to see if you’re still with me).
• be highly entertaining! And if you’re like me, and work alone a lot, you may enjoy the company.

Questions?

If there’s anything you’d like to know about leading a tweetchat, leave a comment, and I’ll try to answer your questions within the blog. And thank you.