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Home » The Famous Blog » To Schedule tweets or NOT to tweet?

To Schedule tweets or NOT to tweet?

March 9, 2010 - Last Modified: January 11, 2011 by keasley

twitter automatic

When I first discovered there were APIs that would allow me to schedule tweets, I thought I was in Twitter Heaven. I could schedule a time to tweet everything I wanted ahead time, and I’d never have to worry about missing an opportunity to promote my site. (I can admit that I was still naive and borderline spammy.) So I scheduled my list of tweets and didn’t think twice about it…until I noticed a few followers started dropping off.

2 Reasons why scheduling can be a good thing

I was baffled for a moment until I ran across a follower whose profile only had a repeating rotation of the same tweets, posted at the same times everyday from an API. In fact, I couldn’t find anything recent that hadn’t come from the API. This person hadn’t posted anything live in months. Almost everything there was either spam or blatant self promotion. No replies or interactions with other users, no original non-link posts of his own – I began to wonder, is this even real human? And worse, if I continued scheduling all of my tweets is this what people will think of me when they venture to my profile?

As if that wasn’t enough of a sign, that very same day someone in my stream posted something to the effect of: “I can’t hear you over all these APIs!” I can’t remember who said this, but I got the message. It was an eye-opening experience and made me rethink my practices and the purposes for scheduling tweets in the first place. But clearly, there are some benefits to scheduling tweet that your followers will actually appreciate.

1. To allow you to spread your tweets throughout the day so you can stop hogging up the Twitter-stream:
Scheduling tweets can be a good thing, it allows you to spread your tweets over the course of a day without flooding the Twittersphere with back-to-back tweets. I find it annoying when one person decides to dump a thousand tweets in row and then leave. So what you’ve only got a few minutes to log on, interact and reply to all your @mentions. You’re hogging up the airwaves! No one else can get through and really after the 8th or 9th tweet in a row, no one’s listening to you anymore anyway.

So schedule your tweets so that you can spread them out evenly so you don’t over-tweet in a short period of time. I do this especially when I’ve got several replies or RTs that I want to post – it allows me to still interact with others, but without dominating all the space. They still see their mentions and no one has to complain because my face keeps popping up and drowning everyone else out.

2. To allow you to tweet during peak hours and tweet while you sleep:
This always you to be more visible at a time when more people are actually there to notice your tweets. If you know you won’t be available during those high traffic times, schedule your tweets so that they appear then. But don’t schedule them at exactly the same time every single day. It’s okay to post a tweet at 5:22pm, it doesn’t have to always be 5:00pm. If you have several tweets to post, spread them out – schedule no less than 15 minutes apart. Your followers will thank you for that.

Be careful when Scheduling your Tweets

I must warn you, though: scheduling tweets is not a substitute for authentically engaging others on Twitter, it simply makes it easier for you to do so in the least evasive way. You should still respond to and retweet other’s updates/content. At least 50% of what you tweet should be someone else’s work, although 60% is probably better.

Which API platform is the best to use for scheduling tweets?

So which API platform is the best to use for scheduling tweets? I’ve been using www.Hootsuite.com – it’s multi-dimensional and allows me also to schedule updates for Facebook and other social network sites. I love it the most because it allows me to have access to all of my favorite social sites in one neat place.

What other valid reasons for scheduling tweets can you think of?

This post is part of our Guest Blogging contest, if you like it then why not sharing it with your friends by retweeting it? this will give credits to the author and a better chance to win one of our awesome prizes.  By the way.. you also can participate in our contest, it’s not late!

hootsuite schedule

Thumb image by: cyberella.posterous.com

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Filed Under: Social Media

About keasley

Follow @krenee76

Kiesha is the author of A Step by Step Guide to a Better Blog and blogs at WeBlogBetter. She’s a technical Writer, writing instructor, and blog consultant. Connect with her on Twitter and subscribe to her newsletter.

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{ 42 Responses }

  1. Mark says:
    Hey Kiesha, Very interesting article about scheduling tweets. I actually set up three php scripts on a server once that automatically followed, tweeted to and unfollowed non-followers all running on server cron jobs. So basically, everything was automated and impersonal. Needless to say, it was such a cold and calculated operation that people just couldn't connect to me...so it failed. Now I know that in order to be successful in social media, you have to actually be there and interact. Great article. Mark
  2. Glenn Twiddle says:
    Gotta say, that the comment 'I can't hear you over all these API's will be the detah of Twitter. Look at myspace, a ghost town because of automation. Glenn Twiddle
  3. Jane says:
    Hi Kiesha, That is a very rational post, giving us the reasons and the right logic. I especially like your point about devoting 50% to other people's tweets. You are very right and that really makes it easier for making valuable connections. Cheers, Jane.
  4. Lee Murray says:
    feedburner doesn't send all my tweets... any idea?
  5. A. Tatum says:
    Very good points. Normally you hear a lot of negativity associated with scheduling tweets.
  6. Penni P says:
    Thanks for all the helpful info. I started a blog in June 2010 & just started tweeting. Thanks Again! XOXO Penni P
  7. Susanna Fera says:
    Hello Kiesha, I enjoyed reading this. I also have scheduled replies so that I'm not sending out a bunch of tweets bunched together. I agree that can be spam-ish. I love Hootesuite as well especially the Hootlet. Susanna .-= Susanna Fera´s last blog ..What Do You want to be when you grow up? =-.
  8. sudharsan says:
    Scheduling tweets is a good way for driving traffic to our blog.. BUt dont spam...that the important factor in it...otherwise you will lose your followers. .-= sudharsan @ tricks tips´s last blog ..Badjuju just happened !? – Commentluv Problem solved =-.
  9. Dennis Edell says:
    Excellent info. I'm colleting a LOT as i am going back to twitter very soon. I can see the annoyance of auto-tweeting is parallel to the annoyance of auto-posting blog post to twitter. .-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Meet CJ – My Awesome New Designer! =-.
  10. Jimi Jones says:
    There is absolutely nothing wrong with scheduled Tweets when done strategically. I mainly promote the work of others and a rapid-fire succession of Tweets serves no purpose other than to make you look like a spammer while being an annoyance. Others may have a different opinion, but to each it's own. In conjunction with my Twitter widget I strategically place Tweets in that "bulletin board" so that visitors to my blog have yet another source of post to read. I wrote a post about this very thing not long ago. Post placed there remain for a period of time so the it gets some exposure. I believe that most bloggers who schedule Tweets avoid the constant succession described earlier, while others... not so much. How often have you seen 4 to 6 Tweets come through the stream at once from the same person? No one can type that fast. :-) .-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Exploring Google Apps Marketplace =-.
  11. Gerald Weber says:
    Some people are under the false impression that if you schedule tweets, you can't possibly be genuinely engaging in the community. This is incorrect in my opinion, it all depends on how you go about it. For example: let's say you are going to have a busy day but you have tons of great random blog posts (from different sources) that you think your followers will appreciate, Yyou can go ahead and schedule them evenly throughout the day and then drop in every couple of hours to answer DMs and @replies thank people, say hi to your friends retweet etc. Regarding the API thing, API only means you aren't tweeting from the web but from an application or some 3rd party that uses the Twitter API. For example if I send a tweet using tweet deck I am using the Twitter API. .-= Gerald Weber´s last blog ..How to Write Better Press Release Headlines =-.
    • Kiesha says:
      You're right - just because I schedule tweets doesn't mean I completely ignore people. It's totally unrealistic - and a bit insane to think that anyone should be sitting on Twitter 24 hours a day. Scheduling is my way of maximizing my time. .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..The Official Iron Blogger Contest =-.
    • Dennis Edell says:
      Thanks Gerald, you answered my first question - HooteSuite was mentioned above, but I was wondering if TweetDeck did the same .-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Meet CJ – My Awesome New Designer! =-.
  12. element321 says:
    Great post. I orginally used scheduled tweets only as way to share my blog posts. I tend to write and publish my posts at the hours my readers are not on. I schedule the tweets during the busy hours when everyone is on. I do this because I almost never on during those hours. I have noticed that the number of tweets I do tend to come in a flood. Mostly because I can generally get on for about 20 minutes at a time 6 or 7 times a day. So now I am starting to schedule my tweets through out the day to spread them out. I still try and be active with my mentions and engage with other users. .-= element321´s last blog ..11+ Tutorial Sites For Adobe Photoshop CS4 =-.
    • Kiesha says:
      Yeah, it allows you to spread things out so you're not dumping a load that will only get ignored anyway and it allows more people to see it since different people are on at different times. .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..What to do during your season of singleness =-.
  13. Ileane says:
    Hey Keisha, It's so nice to see you here because you really are a Famous Blogger! Of course you know that I LUV HootSuite. Before I leave for work in the morning I schedule a few tweets and like you mentioned, mostly retweets. I try to schedule them for the midnight hour for the benefit of my Twitter buddies in on the other side of the planet too. It's great that you mentioned the pitfalls of scheduled tweets too. I still see some bloggers tweeting 8 or 9 posts in a row...how boring. I must retweet this post in hope that they will read this. I'm sure they will recognize. .-= Ileane @Blogging´s last blog ..HootSuite Tutorial Video =-.
    • Kiesha says:
      Hi Ileane! Thanks! (blushing) I'm glad you enjoyed it and I truly appreciate the RT. .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..What to do during your season of singleness =-.
  14. Chris Guthrie says:
    I currently use TwitterFeed so that my blog posts can be published automatically, but I don't really schedule anything beyond that. In fact some may find this odd but the only time I actually check Twitter is when I'm in the bathroom. I don't even have a Twitter application installed on my PC. I think this is a good way for me to be able to improve my productivity while at the same time avoiding wasted time from watching Twitter too much. .-= Chris Guthrie@Make Money on the Internet´s last blog ..phpZon Pro Plugin Review and Contest Giveaway =-.
    • Kiesha says:
      Hi Chris! So you're a bathroom Tweeter - LOL! I can totally understand. And scheduling tweets can free up a lot of time so you can get some writing done instead of getting caught up in the social media time warp. :) .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..The Iron Blogger Challenge Contestant Highlights =-.
  15. Kiesha says:
    I'll have to check out this plugin - thanks! .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..Blog Food: A recipe for a better blog series =-.
  16. Ms. Freeman says:
    I was once upon a time a drive by Tweeterer. I would schedule my affiliate links to go off every two hours. How obnoxiously was that! LOL :) I don't do it anymore one becuase it is rude and damaging to ones Twitter rep and two becuase I just don't have the time or desire to sit there to do the work to schedule Tweets. .-= Ms. Freeman´s last blog ..Listen to your Motha’! =-.
    • Kiesha says:
      LOL! Glad I'm not alone in this... Although, I feel really bad as I think back on this - but I'm glad I can look back at this and laugh because it's a sign that I've grown. .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..The Official Iron Blogger Contest =-.
  17. Steven Brady says:
    "At least 50% of what you tweet should be someone else’s work, although 60% is probably better." OK, I can somewhat understand retweeting others' tweets, but I don't understand why 50-60% should be someone else's content. Can you explain that to me at all? As far as the scheduled Tweeting, most have somewhat irregular scheduled tweeting. I do have one account that sends a tweet out hourly. I've lost a few users, but my hits and site usage are way up. I won't hound the people and get them to try to re-add me, but I honestly feel better off having more traffic, even at the expense of 15 or so users. I do all my scheduling through a bash script I wrote and I schedule it using cron. I have it available at http://tweetcruisecontrol.info if anyone else has a Linux computer/server/VPS and wants to give it a try. .-= Steven Brady´s last blog ..4 Android apps that help my online business =-.
    • Kiesha says:
      Hi Steven! I schedule the retweets of others tweets because, for one we should be sharing knowledge not just affiliate links and links to our own posts - and since I don't hold ALL of the knowledge in the world that means I have to share the work of other people who are knowledgeable. Secondly, or maybe this should be first - you have to give to get. How can you expect others to RT your tweets and visit your site if you aren't willing to RT theirs and visit their sites? People are more willing to share your tweets when they know you're just as likely to share theirs. It's social reciprocity. You should try it - you'll begin to see a more positive response from your followers and your mentions will increase and you'll gain more Twitter influence that way. Also, you might want to do this before someone on Twitter reports you as a spammer and have your account suspended. .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..Please, check out my guest post on FamousBloggers.net =-.
      • Steven Brady says:
        Kiesha, Well, I do understand retweeting to a point. I mean, that's really the way you and I started communicating. And I do goto the sites of other marketers and comment, and if it's a good post I'll gladly retweet. But 50 0r 60% just seems like a bit much. Then again, that might not be difficult with the little that I actually tweet out of some accounts. And, yes, being reported as a Twitter spammer is something I fear. Fortunately, most of the links that go out are to my website and not to just affiliate links. Honestly, I've no idea how people sell affiliate products. I've not had a single ClickBank sale even though I'm targeting the advertising. Maybe it's something I should just drop until I have more time to invest in learning. Anyways, thanks for the thoughts. .-= Steven Brady´s last blog ..4 Android apps that help my online business =-.
        • Kiesha says:
          Hi struggled with the same frustration until I stopped promoting all but a few products - ones I actually own and use and truly find beneficial. Also, I avoid paying for advertising at all costs - I find writing a series of articles that highlights the features of a product works better, and if you optimize it right, it'll do the advertising for you. But I only learned this all through trial and error - don't worry, you'll find what works for you. Good luck, Steve! .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..What a local blogger group can do for your blog =-.
  18. Jack says:
    If you run your rss feeds through feedburner, you can assign your feed to post to Twitter automatically once you've published your new blog post. I personally like to manually send my tweets..... for now. ;) .-= Jack@Online Marketing Blog´s last blog ..How to Tweet Your Stumbled Link and Promote It Easily! =-.
    • Kiesha says:
      That's totally understandable Jack. And I don't schedule tweets everyday for everything, but it's definitely helpful for when I can't be online - it allows me to still have somewhat of a life. :) .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..What a local blogger group can do for your blog =-.
  19. Christopher // CrackerjackBlogging.com says:
    Nice post, Kiesha -- I don't schedule tweets myself, but can definitely see how scheduling helps a blogger or other publisher maintain a presence online at all times -- something crucial for those with international followers. .-= Christopher // CrackerjackBlogging.com ´s last blog ..What Bloggers Can Learn From Storytellers – Part One =-.
    • Kiesha says:
      It also makes it easier for me to interact because it frees up my time to view and respond, hold more @reply discussions with others. .-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..The Iron Blogger Challenge Contestant Highlights =-.
  20. Tom says:
    I use a Wordpress plugin to do my scheduled tweets. I started off at one an hour, but found it to intrusive, so now it is only one every 4 hours. I didn't find people were unsubscribing but I didn't want to be seen as self focused. .-= Tom@Free Squeeze Pages´s last blog ..Affiliate Marketing – NoFollow and Content Is King =-.

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