What is a Twitter Party?

There has been a lot of action on social media lately about Twitter Parties. In fact, we're about to have one at my day-job to promote our brand! Yet, every day when the subject comes up I hear the same question over and over again: What is a Twitter Party? How does it work?

Well, take a seat and I'll explain it to you.

"500 Milllll-ionnnnn"

You see, wayyyyy back in 2006 a few enterprising guys thought that all that you needed to get your point across was 140 characters. They weren't exactly wrong (even though it can be annoying sometimes!) and their social networking site, Twitter, has been a big deal ever since.

A big deal to the tune of 500 MILLION followers worldwide and 200 MILLION active users every month.

So naturally, brands and businesses have found a way to capitalize on this ever-growing population of online users. Although many opt for the obvious choices, like promoted tweets and ads, some brands have taken a more organic approach.

Many bloggers and influencers have found great success with twitter, garnering followings upwards of 100-thousand people in a relatively short period of time. Leveraging these bloggers and any bloggers, really, to participate in brand activities and create relevant content that can be shared across social media, is what many brands have done.

Thus came... the Twitter Party!

If you're expecting balloons and pinatas, it's probably not going to happen. But here's what does happen at a twitter party:

1) A brand and a group of dedicated influencers (ex. Bloggers, Notable People) set a date and time where they will all convene to discuss a certain topic. Generally this is directed towards a product or brand launch.

2) A hashtag is selected, usually around the product, brand or topic. This is what creates the conversation that people can follow along with and participate in via Twitter.

3) The Twitter Party is officially launched & promoted. Most Twitter parties involve giveaways and/or prizes to participants to incentivize people to engage with the brand. Attendees are generally asked to RSVP ahead of time so they can be cross-referenced to win prizes.

4) The day of the twitter party arrives. If the party is successful then generally the twitter hashtag will become a trending topic. (Many tweets with a specific hashtag from a wide range of users in a short amount of time = trending topic)

5) Most Twitter Parties involve a Question & Answer format where the host(s) will ask questions in a Q1 / A1 format. As the questions are put out, attendees are asked to respond (including corresponding A# and hashtag for the party) and then winners are selected. Most are selected randomly and aren't reflective of the quality of the tweet.

6) Most parties generally last about 1 hour and have between 4 and 10 questions and/or prizes. Generally they will start with the smallest prize and work their way up to a Grand Prize. Some questions involve trivia and links to brand-specific landing pages where hints are available. Many questions are more subjective and are opinion-based. Usually there is a combination of both for a wide variety of responses.

Here's what you should know before you consider attending a Twitter Party: 

A) It's going to be brand-heavy. Be positive about the brand.

B) Yes you can win free stuff, but it's also about networking and creating a meaningful conversation.

C) If you don't win free stuff, that's okay. Hundred's of people attend twitter parties and only a handful win prizes. There's always a next time.


Here's what you should know before you consider throwing a Twitter Party: 

A) Although it's brand and product specific, Twitter Parties aren't created as a means to sell product. Most participants are in it for the free stuff and are NOT going to make a purchase based on activities around the product. As a brand or business your focus should be on building relationships and long-term brand visibility.

B) The best Twitter Parties are the ones that really inspire people to engage. (i.e. Asking generic/boring questions isn't entertaining and likely won't be that impactful.)

C) Your influencers = Your reach. Don't be afraid to pay for high-quality influencers, because they will make the difference in the overall success of your party.


Anyways... that's Twitter Parties in a nutshell. Got a question? Leave it in the comments below!