by Ana Hoffman 72 comments

Friday Tips for Keeps: How to Entice Your Readers to Retweet Your Content



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When secrets come to light...

As you can tell, I am started to like this new Friday series of mine: short, actionable, under-5-minutes tips that you can quickly implement on your blog.

Here’s the link to the first post in the series: How I Made Post Publishing Mistake and Why You Never Will

Today I wanted to let you know how in the world I create a custom-looking retweet box at the end of my posts.

The one that looks like this:

twitter @ Anywhere plugin

Yes, there’s a plugin for that. :)

It’s called Twitter @Anywhere Plus (or look it up in your plugin directory) and it’s got a ton of features you’ll love.

Bonus Twitter Plugin Tip

If you are not running Tweet Old Post plugin on your blog yet, you definitely should.

Tweet Old Posts randomly picks your older post based on the interval specified by you. The primary function of this plugin is to promote older blog posts by tweeting about them and getting more traffic.

Can’t beat that.

Marketing Takeyway

Easy, breezy, helpful. Do it now before you forget or add it to your bottomless to-do list.

Love it or hate it? Comment to show me that you’re alive!

ana hoffman WP Plugins


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{ 72 comments }

fran March 30, 2012 at 1:00 pm

Ana, here is some tutorial info to help out after install, http://moneyfortravel.net/how-to-install-twitter-anywhere-plus-on-your-blog

Ana Hoffman April 2, 2012 at 9:52 am

Thank you, Fran.

Danielle Parsons January 26, 2012 at 2:29 pm

Ana, thanks for the tip about the plug in to allow readers to tweet the content on our blogs. I found your blog through a twitter post you sent. I have 3 twitter accounts now per your suggestion and need to go unfollow inactive folks so I can start connecting with people in my niche on Twitter.

Ana Hoffman January 26, 2012 at 3:16 pm

I didn’t remember you found me on Twitter, Danielle – it works!

Sanjeev@Make Web World September 1, 2011 at 9:29 am

Twitter old Post Plugin is good, I was looking for something like that for one of my blogs.

Was doing the task manually till now, thanks for saving that effort.

Laurie August 10, 2011 at 1:03 pm

How cute is that little mouse??? I’m just hoping the cat didn’t eat him after taking the picture. But seriously, thanks for the plug-in, I definitely think I can use this.

Laurie

Ana August 11, 2011 at 8:12 am

LOL! Me too! Of course you can.

Dave July 12, 2011 at 6:52 am

Looking to include this feature on my new site. 3rd party URL shorteners seem to be dated now that Twitter have introduced their own http://t.co service. However I can’t find anyway of using these with the twitter anywhere feature – any ideas?

Ana July 13, 2011 at 7:13 am

I’ve seen other people asking that question and the answer is no, Dave – you have to go with what they offer.

On the other hand, any other URL shorteners are obsolete? Just because Twitter came up with their own? I beg to differ.

According to many studies, all URL shorteners are not equal, and Bit.ly URLs are the most clicked ones.

Dave July 13, 2011 at 2:23 pm

Thanks for the reply Ana – I don’t remember saying “obsolete” but have a read of this well written article : http://blog.awe.sm/2011/06/17/url-shorteners-are-dead-long-live-url-shorteners/

Ana July 15, 2011 at 6:18 pm

Just my choice of words, Dave.

Jeff Faldalen@The Possibility Coach June 23, 2011 at 5:33 pm

Hi Ana,
I really appreciate all you contribute. I am excited about checking out these tools. I am actually making a video, using your site, of the power of leaving comments

I appreciate all you do,
Jeff Faldalen

Ana | Traffic Generation June 24, 2011 at 3:03 am

Thanks so much, Jeff. That’s exciting! Send me the link when you are done. :-)

Kate Wilber May 16, 2011 at 5:57 pm

Thanks for the tips Ana! Love the “tweet old posts plugin” that will definately save me some time! I also love the Friday series idea! Thanks for sharing the great info!

Kate

Ana May 17, 2011 at 5:38 am

You’re most welcome, Kate. Have a super week!

Sarah Arrow May 14, 2011 at 2:54 am

Do you have any stats comparisons Ana on how many people tweet using the sidebar twitter button compared to the under the post method?

Ana May 15, 2011 at 6:12 pm

No, I don’t really have a way of tracking it, Sarah.

However, with the prefix “Just Read”, I can at least see how well the plugin after the post is performing, and MANY of my retweets come from it.

Ana

Sarah Arrow May 17, 2011 at 5:40 am

Thanks Ana, I may try it anyway :)

Ana May 17, 2011 at 6:12 am

You have nothing to lose :-)

BodynSoil May 13, 2011 at 7:04 pm

Thank you Ana, I love going through your archives and finding all these gems. Installing Twitter @ Anywhere plus now.. Thank you.

Ana May 14, 2011 at 1:10 am

It’s my pleasure. Thanks for stopping by!

Tim & Sole | Online & Offline Marketing May 7, 2011 at 6:37 pm

Ana!

Thanks so much again for the so useful info!! We just love this type of post…. actually all your posts!

Thanks so much for all the value you provide for your readers! When our blog “grows up” we want it to be just like yours! (in terms of value, of course)

Ana May 8, 2011 at 12:28 am

Thanks for the nice comment and compliment, Tim & Sole. All the best for your blog “growing up”. :-)

Ana April 28, 2011 at 6:04 am

Hey Donna – that is SO great! I am so happy for you! :-)

Mavis Nong April 28, 2011 at 6:00 am

Congratulations on your new Friday series, Ana!

Mavis

Ana April 28, 2011 at 6:02 am

Thanks, Mavis! :-)

Ana April 27, 2011 at 7:54 am

Only a pleasure, Cat – glad I could help. :-)

Jamie April 26, 2011 at 3:01 pm

Ana,

You always have such great information. I’ve been admiring this retweet box for awhile now and I’m planning to install.

Quick question – I have read advice that says to limit the number of plugins on a blog to maintain speed, etc. Is there a “magic number” of plugins that you try to stay under – or do you notice it affecting your site at all?

Ana April 26, 2011 at 6:07 pm

Thanks, Jamie.

Yes, plugins generally slow down your blog, especially social media plugins because they get their info from a third party, like Twitter in this case.

However, with this plugin I haven’t notice much difference and the benefit outweighs the possible side effects.

Ana

Brad Harmon April 25, 2011 at 4:09 pm

Thanks for another great set of plugins, Ana. I guess the RT one works since I used it to RT this post. ;) It’s nice to see the default info already there without having to click on any buttons first.

I’ve debated whether or not to use the tweet old posts plugin. I think I’ll give it a try to since you’ve recommended it. I do find myself clicking on the tweets it generates for some of the people I follow on Twitter.

Ana April 25, 2011 at 11:19 pm

It is nice indeed, Brad and yes, try out the plugin and see how it works for you. Many people do click on it. Let me know how it goes.

Gera April 23, 2011 at 4:21 pm

Hi Ana,

These are the “last” plug-ins I need to set up on my new WP. I’ve seeing in action in many bloggers but haven’t time to settle yet.

Thanks for sharing those plugins – in my pending list of tasks soon, at least one of them, I’ll start with the Tweet Old Post.

I like this concrete and to the point posts ;-)

Happy Easter,

Gera

Ana April 25, 2011 at 4:01 am

Happy Easter to you as well, Gera!

I don’t think there is such a thing as the “last plugin” – the list keeps growing. :)

Ana

Amanda Stephan April 23, 2011 at 7:07 am

Ana, you are THE BOMB! I’ve been trying to figure out how to add that box to my website for a while now. I just never knew what it was called. Thank you for the posts!

Ana April 27, 2011 at 12:41 pm

Thanks, Amanda – glad I could help.

Benny April 23, 2011 at 5:13 am

Hi Ana! I’ve been trying to find out how to get that box at the end of my posts. However I’m confused. Maybe it’s the early hours now.

So I need to register here? dev.twitter.com/anywhere/apps/new

After that we have to add a code? Where?

I guess I’m the only one that can’t get it to install :)

Ana April 24, 2011 at 3:54 am

Not at all, Benny – I had a bit of a hard time as well.

Yes, you register your site there. When you are done, you’ll get some codes that Twitter @Anywhere will ask for once you install it.

And then it should work!

Let me know how it goes.

Ana

Benny April 27, 2011 at 11:42 am

So is this the code?

[tweetbox counter="true" width="200" height="100" label="TWEET HERE!" default="BLAH BLAH"]

And then I add it in my post? Not in the html of the post right?

I’ve tried to add it but it’s not showing up. Grrrr…

Ana April 27, 2011 at 12:38 pm

You should not have to post any code manually, Benny; the plugin does it all automatically.

So, one step at a time.

First of all, you did this, right?
twitter api

And then this?
twitter settings

If everything is set up correctly, then it comes down to troubleshooting.

1. Check your Twitter API, make sure it alive and kicking – meaning active. :)
2. If it is, the problem is most likely in the good old “something is conflicting with other plugins” answer. I am sure you know what to do in this case.

Hope it helps!

Ana

Benny April 27, 2011 at 9:40 pm

Thanks for trying to help Ana!

I registered for an API.

I just don’t see that Tweet box that you have there. Hmmm.

I’ll try and figure it out. Thanks.

Ingrid Abboud April 22, 2011 at 7:35 pm

Hey Ana,

I was actually curious whether there was a plugin for those retweet boxes – although I do have the individual button at the top of each post as well as another one in the floater. So I’m thinking 2 is enough for now.

As for the Tweet Old Posts plugin – I’ve been using for about 5 or 6 weeks now and I actually really like it so far :) . I’m curious though – every how many hours do you have yours set for? I use to have mine set to tweet every 4 hours but recently changed it to 5. I wasn’t sure what my followers would think and I didn’t want to bombard them. Is it too spaced out you think?

The other thing that’s good to note is to make sure to exclude certain posts you don’t want tweeted – for example – current news or new product launches and things like that. It would look kinda silly if I tweeted the arrival of the first iPad today or the launch of Google Buzz lol. You know what I mean?

Thanks for the good tip about the tweet box. It’s pretty neat!

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Easter. God Bless.
Cheers Tzarina

Ana April 24, 2011 at 3:49 am

Hi, Ingrid:

I think spacing the tweets depends on how active your are on Twitter.

If you RT a lot and interact with other people, which you absolutely do, I wouldn’t be afraid to space your own tweets 3-4 hours apart.

You are so right about excluding some posts; to my shame, I haven’t taken the time to do that! :)

Justin | Mazzastick April 22, 2011 at 4:26 pm

Hi Ana,
I just installed the tweet old post plugin. It took me about 15 seconds to do it and I manually sent a tweet from the dashboard setting.

Very easy and simple thanks for the recommendation. I’ll try the other Twitter plugin next.

Happy Good Friday to you.

Ana April 22, 2011 at 5:40 pm

And you as well, Justin – thank you!

Dan Cristo April 22, 2011 at 1:41 pm

First off, I LOVE TweetOldPost. It’s a brilliant concept, but you’ve got to have enough content to keep it fresh, and your content has to be evergreen. Time sensitive stuff obviously won’t do.

This @Anywhere Plus looks to be really useful as well. It’s really IN YOUR FACE, but sometimes you’ve got to be that way to get people’s attention. What I like about it is that it removes a click in the whole RT process. And if you want to improve conversion, we all know that removing steps is a sure fire way to do it.

Thanks for sharing the tips.
Dan

Ana April 22, 2011 at 5:40 pm

It’s been great on my blog, Dan.

Since I prefaced it with “Just read”, I see a lot of RTs with the prefix – so I know I get quite a few readers using it. I am positive my conversion rate went up since I installed this plugin.

Kristi Hines April 22, 2011 at 12:34 pm

That’s pretty good! I’d still (like you have) include the standard buttons as that is what people are used to. I don’t know why, but I my eyes always scan past those boxes embedded in posts. They almost need a background, like the one you use for Thesis to really “pop” and attract people to the tweet.

Ana April 22, 2011 at 5:38 pm

Very good point, Kristi – now you got me thinking. Wonder if that can be done…

Chris April 22, 2011 at 11:45 am

Ana, thanks for the great plugin tips!

I noticed that Tweet Old Post only posts to one Twitter account. Have you found a way to post it to multiple Twitter accounts at once or wondering if you have a clever work around?

Ana April 22, 2011 at 5:37 pm

Unfortunately, not, Chris, but I’ve been thinking of writing to the plugin author requesting to add the feature.

I’d love to have it as well.

Susan April 22, 2011 at 11:25 am

Thank you so much for this! I just implemented it on my site and love it. You are really helping me so much through your blog. I just signed up for the online course you recommended and will continue to read your blog (and possibly obtain your site review service) in the future.

Thank you again!

Ana April 22, 2011 at 5:35 pm

I am so glad to hear that, Susan, and you are very welcome!

Ana

Jens P. Berget April 22, 2011 at 11:24 am

Hi Ana,

This was awesome. I have been thinking about what type of plugin people were using, since I’ve been seeing this “tweet box” everywhere lately.

Thanks a lot.

Ana April 22, 2011 at 5:34 pm

It’s because everyone has been asking me about it, Jens. :) Figured I’d better write a post than respond to all the questions.

Jayne Kopp April 22, 2011 at 11:21 am

Hey Ana, I have been looking at this plugin for quite a while now… yet never seemed to make time to implement it.

As always, whenever I visit, you give me a kick in the pants to do something.

….I’ll do it now…!!

Hope you are enjoying your time in Boston and NY. Post pics! :-)

Ana April 22, 2011 at 5:32 pm

Thanks, Jayne – will do! :)

Jayne Kopp April 23, 2011 at 7:27 am

Hey Ana… Ok I fiddled with this plugin… is there a trick to it? I can’t seem to get it to show up. Perhaps its just my technophobial spirit….

I’ll keep trying… did you have any glitches with it?

Thanks

Jayne

Ana April 24, 2011 at 4:04 am

The first set of instructions for the plugin will say that you need to create Twitter API and will give you the link for it, Jayne?

Have you done that? It won’t work otherwise.

Giuseppe Saieva April 22, 2011 at 10:50 am

Fantastic tips – thanks Ana. I will install these right away.

BodynSoil April 22, 2011 at 10:45 am

Thank you for this very helpful blog post. Notes have been taken and plugins have been installed..

Nick April 22, 2011 at 10:43 am

Thanks Ana I’ll for sure try out @anywhere plugin it’s awesome and does it has impact on performance of your website or works smoothly ?

Ana April 22, 2011 at 1:04 pm

No problems with the plugin. Did have trouble with Twitter API though. :)

Bruce April 22, 2011 at 10:20 am

You must have been physic! I have been wondering how you did that “Look how easy it is to RT” box, but hated to bother you with another question!

Thanks, it’s implemented now!

~Bruce

Ana April 22, 2011 at 1:03 pm

Many asked, so I had to answer. :)

Ken Mueller April 22, 2011 at 10:20 am

Sweet. Love discovering new plug-ins, and you’ve been a good source for them, Ana.

Ana April 22, 2011 at 12:59 pm

Thanks, Ken – I’ve got a few up my sleeves. :)

Riya April 22, 2011 at 10:05 am

I think this is very new plugin and seen start seeing it many blogs but surely it’s a good one. I really liked it.

Jordan Schultz April 22, 2011 at 10:03 am

Ana,

You’ve always got great tips… I love this one.

Jordan

Jane April 22, 2011 at 9:39 am

Ana,

Used to wonder a lot, wanted to take action; I even asked Mavis once and she redirected me to plugin details, but couldn’t implement till now. But you kinda push me to do it.

Installing the plugin on the next tab.

Cheers,
Jane.

Ana April 22, 2011 at 12:58 pm

That’s why these are called “quick tips”, Jane. :)

Connie McKnight April 22, 2011 at 8:48 am

Ana, I loved it. Makes it so easy to Tweet.

I’m not good at tooting my own horn, so the Tweet Old Post plugin works perfectly for me. Now it’s just figuring how how often I want the posts tweeted.

Thanks for the tip.

Connie

Ana April 22, 2011 at 12:57 pm

I do it every 3-4 hours, Connie – it depends on how often you RT other people’s content.

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