Live tweeting events such as sports can be a challenge. You need to be on the edge of your seat waiting for your next tweet. If you blink you might miss an important play and it will set you back completely. But you don't need to tweet every single thing about the game to get the likes and retweets.
At the beginning of my semester I had the opportunity to establish a name on twitter for myself in the sports field by live tweeting sporting events. I mainly focus on hockey and it was definitely one of my biggest challenges throughout the semester via social media. Tweeting hockey is really insane because it is such a fast sport so as a live tweeter you need to be aware 24/7 during the game. A big part of success on twitter is being able to get your tweet out first and not late, getting your tweet out as soon as the event happens is very key because everyone is going to see your tweet and potentially like or retweet it so they don't have to tweet themselves.
Hashtags are very important because it informs your followers or fans about what is going on or even what event your covering. For example I had the opportunity last week to cover the New York Lizards vs. Rochester Rattlers professionally for the Lizards.
2 POINTER! @PaulRabil cuts the @RattlersLax lead to 12-10. #ROCvsNYL
— New York Lizards (@LizardsLacrosse) April 23, 2016
I ran their twitter account throughout the game and was told to use the hashtag #ROCvsNYL. This hashtag was labeled onto every single tweet I made during the game to help promote the brand as well as an easy access to fans to click on the hashtag and see what is going on from the fan perspective. Hashtags help bring out your tweet to others your not following allowing you to potentially get more likes and retweets as well as even more followers.
GIFs are one of the best inventions social media has ever made. GIFs give a nice personal touch to each tweet.
Lizards win! Final Score @LizardsLacrosse 19, @RattlersLax 16 #HailtheScales #KisstheRing #RattletheSnakes #ROCvsNYL pic.twitter.com/65nZkNTNYw
— New York Lizards (@LizardsLacrosse) April 23, 2016
They tend to be an instant hit for organizations such as the MLB, NHL, and NFL. Whether it’s showcasing a goal, highlight, or even celebrating a win GIFs help paint the picture for fans just scrolling through their feeds.
You've seen the GIF, now here's the video replay. Take a look at the goal that kicked off tonight's scoring.https://t.co/aPC6TU4nS7
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 3, 2016
For the future live tweeters should aim to have a cheat sheet with them when tweeting games. Having some guidance during events is key because you always want to be able to let tweets flow smoothly and quickly. As a live tweeter you are trying not to get stuck thinking about a specific tweet because you might be delayed and miss a big play and it will set your feed back.
One of the biggest issues I had to overcome was being caught up on a specific moment. When you get caught up with a tweet, as I live tweeter you need to figure out how to overcome the obstacle thrown your way. Key words help knock down those walls standing in your way, if you gather yourself and your thoughts and have some key words you will be able to bounce back from getting caught behind.