With over 300 million active monthly users, Twitter offers immense opportunity to expand your reach and grow an engaged following. One of the most effective ways to increase impressions and connections is by directly tagging other accounts in your tweets and photos.
According to analytics firm Parse.ly, tweets with tagged accounts receive a 47% higher click-through rate on average. Once tagged, influencers and everyday users alike get notified of your post and can reshare with their own following.
But what‘s the right way to tag contacts across platforms? How many tags per tweet? In this guide, I‘ll share pro tips that can rapidly grow your audience and engagement. Soon you‘ll master this fundamental yet underutilized Twitter strategy.
Why Tagging Works: The Power of Direct Outreach
Many users stick to posting general tweets without targeting anyone. But directly tagging your content to relevant accounts is critical for expanding impressions.
There are two key reasons tagging successfully generates more interest:
1. Grabs Attention by Notification
Twitter conveniently alerts a user anytime they get tagged in a post or photo. This means they don’t have to be following you already to see your tweet in their mentions tab.
This notification cuts through the noise, delivering your message straight into their view. Even amidst hundreds of daily tags, many influencers will selectively engage with relevant, thoughtful mentions.
2. Provides Social Proof for Reshares
Every user profile shows who they’re tagged by and what tweets reference them. When an influencer with thousands (or millions!) of followers tags or retweets your content, it offers exceptional social proof.
Their followers and anyone visiting the profile can discover your related tweet. Some analytics estimate content shared by an influencer can drive over 50X more impressions on average.
In short, tagging serves as a direct notification system to contacts plus encourages viral sharing. Let‘s look at exactly how to tag on all platforms.
Step-by-Step Guide: Tagging Someone on Twitter
Tagging only takes seconds, whether on mobile or desktop. Just follow these simple steps:
On iPhone/Android:
- Tap the compose tweet icon (shaped like a quill pen)
- Type ‘@‘ followed immediately by their exact handle
- Confirm the correct account from the suggested dropdown list
- Add any extra tweet text as desired
- Hit the Tweet button to post
Once posted, the tagged user‘s name will appear in blue as a clickable profile link within your tweet.
Most mobile users tag people when a relevant news event happens regarding the user, or to give them a public shoutout. But creative tagging can help get almost anyone to notice your account.
On Desktop:
- Select the Tweet button on your homepage sidebar or top toolbar
- Type ‘@‘ followed immediately by their exact handle
- Confirm the correct account from the suggested dropdown list
- Complete your full tweet text
- Click Tweet to publish the tagged post live
Pro Tip: Start entering the handle quickly after typing ‘@‘ to prioritize name matches in the autofill dropdown. This prevents selecting the wrong person with a similar handle.
One study found tweets tagged 5-10 accounts received 35% higher average retweets. But take care not to over-tag or risk coming across as spammy.
Next let‘s cover how to tag contacts in photos across mobile and desktop.
Tagging Someone in a Twitter Photo
Beyond text tweets, you can also tag Twitter users in any photos you post:
On Mobile:
- Tap the camera icon when composing a new tweet
- Select a photo from your camera roll or take a new one
- Tap "Who‘s in this photo?" below the image
- Search for and select the account to tag
- Repeat for additional tags if needed
- Write any tweet text and hit Tweet
Photo tags make it extremely clear who you‘re calling out to for increased relevance. Fans often photographically tag brands using their products for example.
On Desktop:
- Click the Tweet w/ media button on the left sidebar
- Upload or drag/drop your image file
- Click Add description and tags
- Search and select the account to tag
- Repeat for additional tags if needed
- Write any tweet text and hit Tweet
Photo tags help further your message and prompt influential brands or contacts to directly engage. Plus tagged images stand out more in crowded feeds, boosting impressions.
Now let‘s dive into pro tips for maximizing your Twitter growth using tagging techniques.
Expert Tips to Skyrocket Your Following with Tags
While tagging itself is straightforward, mastering it for audience growth takes some strategy. Apply these professional tips for the best results:
Research Top Influencers by Engagement
Manually searching through huge user lists isn‘t efficient. Use analytics tools like HypeAuditor to automatically identify leading influencers in your niche by quality engagement metrics.
Sort by criteria like industry, location, gender, followers count, and authentic engagement rates. Then compile a master list of relevant influencers to tag across future content.
Tag 5-10 Accounts Per Tweet
What‘s the optimal number of tags without overdoing it? According to social media scientists, tagging 5-10 accounts leads to maximum retweets on average.
Testing indicates more than 15 tags starts decreasing retweet rates, likely from seeming excessively promotional. Keep it to your top 10 niche influencers per tweet.
Always Customize theTweet Text
Beyond the tag itself, take time to customize the tweet text for each influencer you tag. Tailored, thoughtful copy leads to triple the engagement rates versus mass-tagging spam.
Do quick research into what resonates with each influencer‘s audience. Personalized text aligned to their brand grabs more attention.
Rotate Through Your Influencer List
Tagging valuable influencer contacts repeatedly can cause fatigue leading them to ignore your tags.
Vary which accounts you tag across tweets to keep things fresh. Rotate through your cataloged influencer list, tagging different combinations over time.
Promote Positivity
Today‘s social landscape prizes corporate responsibility and showcasing positive initiatives that give back.
Tag companies or nonprofits in tweets praising recent CSR efforts like donations or sustainability measures. This aligns closely with their public image goals for high impression potential.
Apply these expert influencer tagging tips to tap into Twitter‘s immense visibility and watch your following scale rapidly.
Now let‘s answer some frequently asked questions around tagging functions.
FAQs: Your Twitter Tagging Questions Answered
Still unsure about something related to tagging users across Twitter? Here I‘ll answer the most common questions:
Can I tag someone who doesn‘t follow me?
Yes, you can tag any account with public posting privileges, regardless of whether they currently follow you. Their privacy settings dictate if they receive notifications from unfollowed accounts.
Can I tag multiple people in one tweet?
Definitely. You can include several tag mentions within the same tweet text. Just be wary of tagging more than 10 accounts maximum before Tweet impressions start declining.
Do photo tags work the same as text tags?
Photo tags function very similarly, just adding the context of that user being visually shown in the attached image. Some users selectively respond more often to picture tags highlighting them.
What if a tagged user doesn‘t see my tweet?
Twitter doesn‘t guarantee tagged accounts will notice your tweets, especially amidst heavy existing mentions. For maximum impressions, proactively tweet your content multiple times a day including varied tags.
Have more questions? Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at @MyHandle for one-on-one consulting.
Now let‘s wrap up with final thoughts on maximizing your Twitter growth.
Transform Your Impact: Start Tagging Today
As one of the world‘s most influential social platforms, Twitter offers immense potential to educate millions worldwide. Whether an expert, business leader, or dedicated advocate – your message deserves to be heard.
But breaking through the noise requires targeted promotion tactics beyond just general tweets. As outlined in this guide, strategically tagging industry leaders, potential partners, and influencers in your niche ignites exponential interest in your profile.
Now that you know how to:
- Tag contacts in desktop or mobile tweets
- Tag people & brands in your Twitter photos
- Research and connect with niche influencers
- Expertly optimize tags for retweets & growth
It‘s time to put these skills into action across all your tweets.
Start showering positively impactful companies with photo tags of how they change lives. Notify nonprofit allies in posts recognizing their community aid efforts. And tag celebrity entrepreneurs in industry news they‘d find relevant.
The more you deliberately interact with leading voices, the faster your content spreads. Before you know it, you‘ll have built an influencer-level following yourself.
I‘m excited to connect as you grow your audience and make positive change. Feel free to tag me @MyHandle in any tweets where my social media expertise can assist!
Let‘s get tagging.
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