Character(s) Do Count: Six Ways to Tweet Like a CEO

Do more characters add more character? The only sure thing about Twitter’s proposed expanded character count is that tweets will be longer—not necessarily better. Along with the twists and turns of Trump tweets and with nearly 70 percent of C-Suiters creating original content*, the news is ripe for reviewing a few tips to use characters to add character, regardless of the count:

1) Stick to one point. Double the space doesn’t mean quadruple the meat of your message, as illustrated here by Mr. John Legere.

2) Lead with the lead. The average sentence contains 75-100 characters. Your readers may not get past the first or second line in feed before they scroll on, so make your point at the starting line regardless of the character capacity.    

3)  Share a point of view, not just information. The 140-character format facilitated sharing links to content written by others with a brief comment. The longer format will allow leaders to share and provide thoughtful, thorough insight.

4) Timing is everything. Turn off scheduled posts during fire drills/corporate meetings/etc. Don’t draw conclusions in emergencies before the facts are available—you may be wrong. No 3 a.m. tweets. Get some sleep.

5) Show your humanity. All work and no play = yawn. C-Suiters should throw in a personal note from time-to-time. Personal hobby? Charity/cause you support? Follow, like and retweet those who share your personal passions. You’re well-rounded, right?

6) Positivity matters. Leave the complaints to the trolls. You’re the team (cheer)leader. Inspiration comes from positive, constructive and wise leadership.