People on X, formerly Twitter, always come up with innovative ways to communicate with other users on the platform. Twitter chat is one of these creations. You may have already seen it without thinking too much about it.
It’s essential you know how to start one, as it has the power to boost engagement and account visibility. The focus of today’s article is to show you how to use this communication tool on this social media platform.
Table of Contents
What Is a Twitter Chat?
What is a Twitter chat? It is real-time discussions you have with other users on X, aka Twitter. Usually, you schedule them in advance and host them regularly.
How often you should have a chat depends on the organizer. You can have an X chat every week, fortnight, or month. These conversations also have unique hashtags to make it easier for everyone to keep track of the exchanges. #twitterchat is an example of a chat hashtag people may use to start a debate with others.
Chat hosts pick a discussion topic and prepare multiple questions to ask the participants. During this discussion, it’s important to number the questions. Also, the people who answer the questions have to number their responses. You can also invite special guests, especially if the chat topic lies within their expertise.
Think of it as a virtual meeting to meet people you know and don’t know but share similar interests.
Are Twitter Chats Still a Thing? 4 Reasons They’re Still Popular on X
Yes, Twitter chats are still a thing on this social media platform. Brands and individuals still use this communication technique for the following reasons:
- It can help increase your followers: When you participate in an X chat, people who don’t know you will see your answers. Users who find your responses interesting may check out your profile page and follow you. Also, it’s good to have active followers, as they will engage with your tweets.
- It allows you to showcase your expertise: Hosting or joining X chats is an excellent way to show people your expertise. These discussions revolve around a niche. Being a regular in these chats will make it clear to everyone you know what you’re talking about. This helps you move towards becoming a thought leader and increases your follower count.
- It helps build a tight community: X chats are an excellent way to bring together users with the same interests. When you host them regularly, people start looking forward to these discussions. Also, participating in them enables you to get to know industry leaders and connect with them.
- It gives you content to repurpose: You’ll come across multiple invaluable insights about the topic during the chat. Make sure you bookmark or take screenshots of these replies. You can repost or share images of the discussions on days you find it difficult to craft with original content.
How To Start a Twitter Chat? The Ultimate 5-Step Guide
Hosting X chats is one of the best ways to get the attention of your target audience. Once it picks up steam, more people will be eager to join these discussions in the future. Here’s how to start a Twitter chat.
1. Pick a Topic for Discussion and Create a List of Questions To Ask Participants
Having a topic makes conversing with the people participating in the chat easier. Otherwise, the discussion can get out of control, and users may lose interest. The first thing you need to do is decide the chat’s topic. Try to keep the subject relevant to your niche.
Next, you must research and create a list of relevant questions. For example, you can ask people how they will fix a common problem in your industry.
There isn’t a limit to how many questions you can ask the participants. Make sure there are at least five questions. You can have more of them, provided the participants have enough time.
2. Create a Unique Hashtag for the Chat
The second step is to craft a unique hashtag for your chat. This makes it easy for anyone to follow the discussion on X.
Also, the hashtag lets people know what to expect when they see it in a post.
It is essential to keep it relevant to the topic of discussion. This way, people who didn’t even know about chat will understand and follow the conversation.
Make sure the hashtag you use doesn’t already exist. Otherwise, you’ll come across random posts irrelevant to the conversation. Use X’s advanced search utility to see if people already use your new hashtag.
3. Finalize the Date and Time To Host the Chat
You need to decide when and at what time you want to host the chat. The participants must be free during the chat schedules. Posting a Twitter poll is the easiest way to know when most people are free. Ask people to vote or leave a time they think is appropriate.
Before you finalize the date and time, ensure no one else hosts a chat during the same period. Also, avoid keeping it during major events you know people will watch. For example, it doesn’t make sense to have a chat during the Super Bowl.
4. Determine if You Want Experts To Join as Guests
Asking experts to join as guests is an excellent idea for several reasons. For starters, people who follow these individuals will also learn about your chat, increasing participation. They also add credibility to the conversation.
Also, if you ask the right questions, they can provide deep insights and add value to the discussions.
Create a list of experts and find out who is ready to participate in the X chat. Also, ask these individuals to share a post about the discussion on X.
5. Start the Conversation and Moderate the Discussions
You can publish a post an hour or 30 minutes before the chat to inform people about the event. Start the chat on time and post your first question. Make sure you moderate the discussion to ensure it stays on topic. Move on to the next question to keep the conversation lively after some time.
Before you wrap up the chat, post a conclusion about the discussion. Also, thank all the guests and participants for joining the chat.
After the discussion, you should create a Twitter list of the participants. You’ll know what people think of the chat. Also, follow participants outside the chat and engage with them. This way, they’ll be in the loop when you announce upcoming chats.
Is There a Twitter Customer Support Live Chat?
No, there is no Twitter customer support live chat on the platform. Although X has a support account (@Support), you can’t message them. However, you can tag them in your post by mentioning their username.
If you want to contact X’s customer support, here’s what you need to do:
- Open X’s mobile app or visit the social media network on a desktop browser.
- Tap the button with your profile photo and open the Settings & Support dropdown menu on the official app. On the desktop browser, left-click More and open Settings and Privacy.
- Left-click Help Center and a new page will open on your device.
- Scroll until you reach the footer, i.e., the menu at the bottom of the website.
- On the desktop browser, left-click Contact Us. If you’re on the app, tap Help and select Contact Us from the dropdown menu.
- Select the problem you’re facing with your Twitter account. This will open a form.
- Explain your issue in detail and share your email ID. X’s support staff will contact you using your email ID.
How To Make a Group Chat on Twitter: The Definitive Guide
A group chat enables you to converse with multiple users on X. This ensures you don’t have to worry about your posts flooding people’s timelines, which can happen with Twitter chats.
As of April 2024, a group chat can have a maximum of 256 participants. Follow this guide to learn how to make a group chat on Twitter:
- If you’re on the mobile app, tap the envelope-shaped button. For desktop users, left-click Messages in the quick navigation panel.
- Left-click the button with an envelope and a plus symbol. It’s at the bottom right corner of the app, and on the desktop, it is next to the settings button.
- Left-click Create a Group and enter the username or the display name of the individual. X will suggest an account based on what you type. Tap the suggestion to add the user to the group chat.
- After you select all the users to include in the chat, tap Create in the mobile app. On the desktop browser, you’ll see Next instead of Create.
Depending on people’s Direct Message (DM) settings, you may be unable to message a few of them. People can choose to receive requests from everyone, only verified users, or no one.
Does X Allow You To Use a Twitter Chat Bot?
Yes, X allows you to use a Twitter chat bot as long as you follow the platform’s automation rules. It can send direct messages to people, provided they reach out to you first. You can use a chatbot to respond to users who interact with your posts.
However, don’t use this bot to send spam or unwanted messages to users. You can’t use it to like posts, repost content, follow or unfollow people, or add users to Twitter lists.
TweetDelete Is the Best Third-Party Tool To Delete Multiple Twitter Chats Quickly
If you want to increase your reach and become a thought leader, X chats are the way to go. Remember to take the time and engage with the participants to keep the conversation alive and interesting.
Although Twitter chats have many benefits for business owners, they can also cause problems. For starters, they can go out of topic if you don’t moderate the discussions properly. Trolls and bad actors may join in and ruin it for everyone.
Also, what if you accidentally published the chat and all the questions on the wrong day? This can happen to anyone. You’ll want to delete such chats as soon as possible. With TweetDelete, you have all the features at your disposal to remove these posts quickly.
The first step is to run the custom filter, which you can use to find specific discussion posts. Removing these posts with the mass-delete tweets feature will only take a few minutes. The auto-delete task is handy, as it runs in the background periodically. You’ll need to include the keywords, hashtags, and date range of the Twitter chat to delete it automatically.
Correct your mistakes quickly and prevent your followers from seeing such posts by subscribing to TweetDelete today!
