5 Ideas to Transform Your Retweets into Superman

Most superheroes have secret identities. Superman has Clark Kent. Batman has Bruce Wayne. Spider-man has Peter Parker. Superheroes blend into the community, disguising themselves as mild mannered, regular people. They pretend to be like everyone else to be average and fit in. However, there is a time and a place to be super. Just like there is a time and place for your retweets to become something special. 

Think of your retweets as being that mild mannered, average citizen. They are great in their own right, but nothing super. They show that you are willing to share other people’s content which is very important in building relationships and friends. Sometimes the best tweets won’t be original tweets from you.

To do a simple retweet, all you have to do is click the retweet icon (two arrows) on the original Tweet.

It is very difficult to create original content four to five times a day. It is almost impossible in the long run. Sometimes you need to share what is already popular. Guy Kawasaki, in his new book The Art of Social Media, calls this "Feeding the Content Monster." It is ok to share what is already popular by retweeting, but sometimes you need to bust out your superpowers.

I am not talking about X-Ray Vision or going faster than a speeding locomotive. I’m talking about taking someone’s tweet or article, and putting a little more oomph than a simple retweet. It is not really all that difficult.

All it requires is doing these five simple steps:

1. Copy and Paste Their Headline into Your Tweet. I would copy it word for word so it does not look like you are trying to steal their idea as your own.

2. Add a Byline. All you need to do is add something like “presented by” or “via”, and then add the author’s Twitter handle or name. This gives the original author credit for the idea.

3. Copy and paste the link of the article or blog post into your Tweet. I would suggest using a link shortener like bit.ly.

4. Add two hashtags that represent or identify the article. An example would be #contentmarketing or #schoolpr. This helps your tweet find a wider audience.

5. Add a Visual. I would finish up the tweet by adding a picture so your tweet stands out. It can be as simple as a background with text repeating the title of the post. Anything that relates to your tweet.

Here is an example of making the tweet above into a SUPER RETWEET:

By creating a super tweet, you are more likely to get favorites and retweets of your own. You still give the author credit, but the information is coming directly from you.

Go forth Clark Kent… It is time for Superman. Transform your retweets into something spectacular. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility.