Keys to a successful Twitter chat

This story first appeared on PR Daily in September, 2015. There are so many ways to engage with your audience digitally, but our best advice is to meet them where they are. When you’re itching to discuss a topic, and want some crowd participation with people from all over the world, turn to Twitter. Whether you call it a Twitter chat, tweet-up or Twitter party, the key is that you engage your audience in an organized, consistent manner to have the most effective conversation and create a lasting impact. How would you start said digital party?

Pick a topic.

After you’ve determined that you’re going to host a Twitter chat, think about a topic that would appeal to your followers and future followers. If you’re running a networking group, perhaps you want to discuss the best ways to build lasting connections at a conference. If you represent an education nonprofit, maybe you want to dialogue about the grant writing process. Choose a broad, but focused topic and headline that will catch your intended audience’s attention. Here’s a great spreadsheet of twitter chats that may give you some ideas.

Invite influential users.