Retweets are one thing that helps make the Twitter world go around.  However, is it proper Twitter etiquette to ask for a retweet when you tweet something?  While everyone probably has their own opinion of whether or not it is the right thing to do or not, let’s take a quick look at asking for retweets.

What Makes Something Worthy of a Retweet?

In order for something to deserve a retweet, it basically comes down to providing a tweet that contains informative or useful information to your followers.  If your tweets are not serving up something useful for your followers, such as what you are having for lunch, chances are no one will be interested in retweeting your tweets.

Ploked previously covered the power of a retweet, which explains the importance behind getting retweeted.  If you are sort of new to the whole Twitter thing, reading over the previous post really explains why retweets are important to your Twitter account.

Provide the Good Stuff and Get Retweeted

Naturally, the best way to get your tweets retweeted is to post tweets that provide something useful to your followers.  Whether you discover some breaking news others might not be aware about, or if you have come across a great Twitter related post (like this one), providing great tweets to your followers is a sure fire way to get retweeted.

While not everyone will find your tweets useful, chances are that there will be many followers who do and will retweet your tweet.  Even if some do not retweet for you, if you are providing great information to them, you help establish and build credibility with your followers from your useful tweets.

You are Providing Solid Info, but No One is Retweeting

If you have been tweeting great information, but little retweeting is happening, should you start to ask to be retweeted?

Not being retweeted can be due to a few factors.

1. You do not have targeted followers genuinely interested in what you have to say.
2. You are not providing truly useful and informative information to your followers Twitter stream.
3. Your tweets do not have an attention grabbing headline.

While there are many more reasons than listed above, but these are among the bigger reasons you might not have been retweeted.  While providing retweetable tweets will result in retweets, some Twitter users get desparate/pushy in asking for retweets.

Asking For a Retweet

Asking for retweets can come across as somewhat desperate in that you are for the most part asking for someone to retweet something that may very well not be worthy of a retweet.  While it is ultimately up to the follower to decide if they want to retweet something, asking for a retweet can definitely sway someones opinion on whether or not to retweet or not.

Telling someone to retweet your tweet can come across as pushy, especially if the tweet is not worth being retweeted.  If you are providing retweetable, informative, and relevant tweets, then naturally your tweets will be retweeted without having to ask.

Is it Wrong To Ask For a Retweet?

Chances are that if you are having to ask for something to be retweeted, then in reality it is not something worthy of being tweeted to begin with.  Some users may also feel appalled that you are asking for a retweet and will not retweet simply because you asked, while others will blindly retweet without actually clicking through the link you are tweeting about.

How do you feel when you see someone asking for a retweet?

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• How to Decide What to Tweet About
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