More and more brands are relying on social media to reach their target audience, especially on Twitter. We know that 85% of content marketers use Twitter as a means to communicate with their audience – but are their messages really getting through?

Enter the Twitter chat. Twitter chats allow for open dialogue between your brand and consumers in a fun, informative and highly engaging way and can be a crucial component of a well-rounded social and content marketing strategy. Not only are you able to connect directly with your existing fan base in real time, you’ll also be able to reach a larger audience through targeted hashtags and a spirited conversation. Last year to promote our Content Marketing Summit, we hosted our first Twitter chat with eight speakers as well as our CEO Shafqat Islam, VP of Marketing Alicianne Rand, and Head of Strategy Michael Brenner. Our #ThinkContent Twitter chat, which focused on 10 content marketing-related questions, reached over two million Tweeters, and generated over 500 Tweets from 100 contributors in a little over an hour. Not bad for our first rodeo.

If you’re not familiar with Twitter chats, never fear – we have all the best practices for you below.

What is a Twitter Chat?

Twitter chats are almost always focused around a singular topic or event and occur at a designated time; most are one-hour long. The key to a successful Twitter chat is a unique hashtag that allows participants, and the Twitter community at large, to follow along and jump into the conversation. As a best practice, the hashtag should be related to the theme of the chat or brand that is hosting – such as the #TL_Chat hosted by Travel + Leisure.

What’s the Format?

There is always a host, or moderator, that serves as the gatekeeper for the Twitter chat. A host (your brand) moderates the event, posing anywhere from eight to 10 questions every few minutes to the Twitter audience. These questions are asked in the form of Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and participants are encouraged to answer the questions with the same formula of A1, A2, A3, and so on. Over the course of one hour, participants respond to the questions posed by the moderator, and are encouraged to ask relevant questions of their own as the conversation dictates. Once the host has run through his or her list of questions and given participants the chance to answer, the tweet-up concludes.

Best Practices for Hosting a Twitter Chat

Make a plan – To host a successful Twitter chat, you need to be prepared. Create a list of questions well in advance and circulate to any co-hosts or panelists you’ve invited to participate. Ask yourself, are my questions engaging? Do they create a cohesive narrative? Make sure to create time constraints around the volume of questions you’re asking. For example, if you’re asking 10 questions in 60 minutes, posing a new question to the group every five minutes allows the conversation to keep moving while giving people adequate time to answer.

Be a good listener – As the host of a chat, it’s easy to want to stick to the script. However, deviating from your list of pre-made questions can be hugely beneficial, both for you and your audience. Retweet and favorite tweets you find helpful or interesting to the audience at large. Don’t be afraid to take questions from participants too – it’s likely that if someone asked, others were wondering the same thing. Answering user generated questions not only helps you connect with the audience on a personal level, it displays your brand’s social personality as well.

Keep it real – The worst thing you can do while hosting (or participating) in a Twitter Chat is hawk your wares. Even if the goal of your chat is to promote an upcoming event or a yet-to-be-released product, you need refrain from blatant self-promotion. Instead, focus on shifting the conversation to something more productive. If you’re promoting an event, ask what topics the audience is most excited to hear about.

Recap and Follow up – Now that your Twitter Chat has concluded, you should be able to walk away with a wealth of new information. Shortly after the chat, create a recap of the event and post it on your blog or website. Especially in chats where there is a large number of participants, it’s helpful to refer back to the chat transcript to catch up on tweets you may have missed. Take a look at this recap by Adweek below.

The Takeaway

No matter if your brand is big or small, B2B or B2C, Twitter chats can be a great tool to engage and grow your social media audience. They offer a chance to connect with your audience not by speaking at them, but by having a conversation with them. Aside from trade shows and in-person events, hosting a Twitter chat is a cost-efficient way to engage your current community – and gain additional followers.