How the New Twitter Rules (May 2018) Affect Influencers

Earlier this year, Twitter announced changes it would be making to limit users from coordinating actions across multiple accounts. This includes new rules aimed towards keeping the social media platform free of spam and eliminating bots.

As a content creator this is something to keep in mind when creating and scheduling posts. Let’s take a look at the new rules and see how they could affect your work as an influencer.

Posting identical or substantially similar content across multiple accounts

If you manage multiple accounts, Twitter now prohibits you from posting the same or similar content throughout those accounts, whether that’s through an automation tool, scheduling or manual posts.

So what does this mean for influencers? Often when posting brand related content, it may make sense to share it across multiple accounts if it’s relevant to more than one of your audiences. However, with the restrictions of this new rule, it’s important to manage each account individually. Ensure that the account you are using for a specific campaign contains posts with original content and that you are not sharing the same Tweets on other accounts you manage.

As an alternative, if you are looking for a loophole and prefer to post the same content, Twitter recommends that you Retweet the content from the other account(s). However, keep in mind that a high volume of Retweeting is not permitted.

Posting multiple similar or identical Tweets on the same account

This rule states that you cannot post or schedule identical content over several hours or days.

When creating content as an influencer, oftentimes there are upcoming events or product launches where teasers are involved, which may lead to incidences of similar Tweets over a short period of time. Whether you’re creating multiple posts around one product, posting teasers or promoting an event, remember to create a variety of posts verses recycling old Tweets.

Focus on originality when representing a brand or product, not just in your text but your visuals as well. Give your followers a reason to come back to your page – to see new and unique content within each post.

Posting multiple updates to a trending topic

This means that you cannot tweet multiple times (on a single account or multiple accounts) with intent to promote a specific hashtag or topic.

As an influencer, hashtags are an important asset to each post. They’re crucial for analytics and are meant to supplement the Tweet while supporting the brands you are working with. When posting content, hashtags are typically trending on their own which creates no cause for alarm.

The concern in relation to this rule is the use of hashtags with intent to manipulate a topic or sway public opinion. To avoid any issues, maintain original content and show variety in the wording, images, videos and hashtags within your Tweets.

Performing simultaneous actions across multiple accounts

Another rule worth mentioning for those who manage multiple accounts is the new terms prohibiting the option to simultaneously Like, Retweet or follow from more than one account.

If you use a tool that allows you to automate the same action from multiple accounts, this will now be a violation. So keep your interactions as an influencer personal. Manually Like posts and Retweet content that is relevant to your own personal brand.

Overall, these new rules will play a crucial role in helping to keep Twitter spam and bot free, but may also affect the way you manage your accounts. Take a look at the automation tools you use and ensure the actions you take follow the new guidelines.

Ultimately, less spam and recycled content means more opportunities for your original content to be seen and more exposure for you and the brands you work with.