18 Ways to become More Retweetable

You can’t make people retweet you.

All you can do is increase the probability of getting retweeted by becoming more retweetable.

Today, I’m going to tell you HOW.

Not because I’m a Twitter Coach.

Not because I’m a Social Media Expert (even though everyone and their mother claims to be one these days…)

Nope. I’m just a guy who gets retweeted a lot.

My name is Scott Ginsberg, aka, The Nametag Guy, aka, @nametagscott.

I’m a writer, speaker, consultant and entrepreneur. And I teach people how to become more approachable.

So, here’s a list of 18 ways to turn approachability into RETWEET-ability…

1. Ask smarter questions. Penetrating questions. Dangerous questions. Though-provoking questions. Remember: Once a question has been asked, it’s impossible for the human brain (not) to see an answer. Do your tweets have enough question marks?

2. Be a living brochure of your own awesomeness. I know. Easier said than done. Fortunately, I wrote an ebook on how to do this. My theory: 90% of your tweets should be pure GOLD. Gold Jerry, gold! All keepers, no fluff. Are your tweets works of art or self-absorbed narrations of your boring life?

3. Be disturbing. Evoke emotion. Move people. Challenge them. Make your followers squirm in their seats when they read your tweets. So much so that they HAVE to retweet you. How provocative are you willing to be?

4. Become the most interesting person you know. Nobody notices normal, nobody buys boring and nobody pays for average. The secret is unpredictability. The enemy is recycled wisdom.

Here’s the reality: If you want to be more retweetable, your tweets need to be more interesting; and if you want your tweets to be more interesting, YOU need to be interesting. Period. Here’s another handy guide on 30 ways to triple your interestingness. How are you keeping yourself (and, therefore your tweets) fascinating?

5. Brand your language. Stop retweeting ALL the time. Say something original for once. Because if you don’t quote yourself, nobody else will. And you can quote me on that. To learn more about branding your language, see the principle in action at www.stuffscottsaid.com. How quotable are YOU?

6. Combine honesty, vulnerability and humanity. These virtues are so rare that they’ve become remarkable. And remember: The stuff nobody does tends to be the stuff everybody loves. AND retweets. Are you a robot or a real person?

7. Consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness. What’s more, consistency – despite convenience and comfort – creates uncracked character. And in a low-trust, low-integrity culture, that’s exactly what people are looking to retweet –people who (actually) have CHARACTER. Check out this module called How to Run a Consistency Audit. Do these things and, again, you will start to get more retweeted. Is what you’re about to tweet giving people the tools they need to build the world you envision?

8. Don’t go link crazy. For most of your tweets, put the value in the actual tweet itself. Don’t just mindlessly post a bunch of links that YOU think are interesting. Links = More Work = Bad. Maintain a balance between linking to items of interest and actually WRITING about items of interest. If all you do is retweet, people will assume you can’t think for yourself. Do people (really) have time to read this article you’ve sent them?

9. Get off. Offline, that is. According to Adam Kreitman, aka, @WordsThatClick, “The secret to online marketing is offline marketing.” So remember: Social media isn’t enough. It’s a great side dish, but don’t make it the main course of your networking meal. Go call somebody. Go have lunch with somebody. How many REAL friends do you have?

10. Help people fall in love with you. That’s easy: Just help them fall in love with themselves first. And you do that by making them feel essential. So, honor people’s awesomeness by retweeting their thoughts – and saying WHY you’ve chosen to retweet them. They’ll usually reciprocate.

But, make sure you’re doing so because you ACTUALLY like this person and what they have to say, not because you just want them to retweet you back. After all, the best way to GET anything is to GIVE that thing first. When someone reads your tweets, how do you want them to feel?

11. Inspirational = Retweetable. Unfortunately, you can’t inspire anybody. All you can do is increase the probability that they will become inspired by making yourself more inspirational. Here’s a rapid-fire list of how to become the most inspirational person you know. Do (and BE) these things, and you WILL be retweeted more often. Guaranteed. When was the last time you retweeted somebody talking about their breakfast?

12. Lists work. If you’re going to link to an article or blog post, lists have the best chance of getting retweeted. If you’d like to learn the science behind why lists work, enjoy this handy list called, 43 Reasons to Make Lists for EVERYTHING. Practice this stuff and you will be retweeted more often. How many lists have you tweeted this week?

13. Meaningful concrete immediacy. Before you tweet ANYTHING, remember these three keys: (1) Keep it compact – give people the meat. (2) Keep it relevant – appeal to self-interest. And (3) Keep it actionable – tell people HOW to do stuff. Are your tweets low-carb enough?

14. Remember that nobody cares about you. People care about THEM. They care about money, sex and happiness. That’s it. So, just make sure all of your posts appeal to those areas. Why are you tweeting about your husband’s snoring patterns?

15. Risk. Don’t be afraid to tweet something controversial. Take a stand. If you offend someone, so be it. If you piss someone off, so be it. It’s probably better that way. Comfortable people don’t take any action anyway.

Besides, you can be edgy without being a jerk. So, stick a stake in the ground, let people gather around, then do everything you can to prove that your stake is sound. What risk do you incur by tweeting this idea?

16. Thank your retweeters. Either by replying to them publicly, or, better yet, by sending them a DM. This shows an appreciation for their willingness to share your thoughts with their followers. It also makes them want to do it more in the future. Admittedly, I don’t do this NEARLY as often as I should. Fortunately, I’m getting better at showing gratitude for people who RT me. How thankful are YOU?

17. Twality control. Before posting your tweet, ask yourself qualifying questions such as: Does this tweet leave the impression of value or vanity on my followers? Is this tweet consistent with my Theory of the Universe? And is this something I, personally, would retweet? What’s your filter?

18. Write less. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. 140 characters should NEVER be fully used. Always leave at least 20-30 characters of blank space. This makes it easier for your followers to write “RT,” your username, and perhaps a comment like, “I agree!” or “<---This guy is my hero!” Without that extra character space, people will butcher your words and dilute your message. This reduces the probability of getting retweeted. Are you getting better at brevity?

REMEMBER: You can’t make people retweet you.

All you can do is increase the probability of getting retweeted by becoming more retweetable.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How retweetable are you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “26 Ways to OUT Brand the Competition,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Nobody seeing YOUR name anywhere?

Bummer. Perhaps my monthly coaching program would help.

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How to become the Most Inspirational Person You Know

The word “inspire” derives from the Latin inspiraire, which means, “to breathe into.”

So, I’m curious:

What are YOU breathing into people?

Hope? Happiness?
Passion? Permission?
Creativity? Confidence?

I know. Kind of tough question. And if you can’t think of your answer right away, don’t sweat it.

WHAT you breathe into people isn’t as important as THAT you breathe into people.

Unless you have a high-garlic diet.

HERE’S THE REALITY: Being an inspirational person is combination of three elements…

1. The person you’ve become.
2. How people experience you.
3. How people experience themselves in relation TO you.

Unfortunately – despite your best efforts – you CAN’T inspire everyone you encounter.

Some people just aren’t inspirable.

No matter how hard you work to raise their receptivity.
No matter how many positive quotations you write on their dry erase board.

Not everyone wants (or is ready to be) be inspired.

And that’s fine. Your life’s work shouldn’t to inspire people.

Rather, your challenge is to embody the attributes of inspirational people.

Because THAT is the only way to increase the probability that other people will become inspired too.

Here’s (part 1) of a list of strategies for becoming the most inspirational person you know…

1. Be playful, but not to the point where people stop taking you seriously. People won’t listen TO, or be inspired BY, someone they have a hard time taking seriously. After all, it’s impossible to listen to someone if you’re too busy questioning that person’s character.

Here’s a revealing exercise you might noodle with: (1) Make a list of three people you’ve never taken seriously, (2) Write down what, specifically, caused you to feel that way, and (3) Ask yourself if YOU embody any of those attributes, and if that’s thwarting your ability to inspire others.

Your lack of self-awareness may startle you. What is preventing people from taking you seriously? How might you accidentally be diminishing the perception of your expertise? And what are you doing that’s preventing people from being inspired by you?

2. Break down your message into digestible, democratized bits. Inspirational people rarely overwhelm others with their knowledge. Digestible means this: If you have a lot of ideas to convey, chunk them down into small clusters. By spacing ideas effectively, they’re easier to digest. Otherwise people feel intimidated by a barrage of knowledge, which reduces receptivity.

Democratized means this: Deliver it in a way that appeals to the broadest audience possible. Enable multiple dimensions of your ideas to be pursued by the listener. Leave your stories open for new interpretations, conclusions and lessons.

This approach will compliment others’ contributions to your ideas AND help them work for their own ideas. How listenable are you? How are you pampering people’s short-term memories? And how do you break your message down?

3. Consistency inspires people. Mainly, because it’s hard execute and even harder to come by. So, remember two things: (1) Consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness, and (2) Consistency, despite convenience and comfort, creates uncracked character – and THAT’S what is inspirational.

Check out The Official Guide to Being More Consistent or How to Run a Consistency Audit for a closer look at HOW to put this into practice. How is your consistency inspirational? What are you doing consistently that most people aren’t? And what kind of structure can you place around yourself to make sure you remember to be consistent?

4. Create an avenue for others to benefit from your unique gifts. Maybe it’s via your blog. Maybe it’s out in the community. Maybe it’s on the radio. Maybe it’s in the local newspaper.

The point is: We’ve all been given unique gifts. And our sole assignment during the short time we spend on this Earth is to return the favor by USING ours gifts to make the world more beautiful.

And the best part is, our usefulness isn’t just a form of worship – it’s also a form inspiration. Think about it: Do you know anyone with incredible gifts (who SHARES those gifts regularly) that ISN’T inspiring? Of course not. Because that’s impossible.

So, your challenge is to clarify your contribution. To leave this cosmic campsite called life better than the way you found it. To validate your existence by making passion palpable. And to take whatever unique gift you’ve been given and re-gift it by exploiting it in the service of others.

Interestingly, the word “contribute” comes from the Latin, contributus, which means, “to bring together.” What are you bringing together? What were you made to make? And what avenue will you use to help others benefit FROM and be inspired BY your unique gifts?

5. Don’t start doing something special – STOP doing something normal. Instead of immediately shooting down every suggestion people offer with an objection that proves how smart you are, just stop. Breathe. Then, leverage that opportunity as a teachable moment.

As my friend Chris “Genuine” Johnson says, “Most people have raging impulses to interrupt one another. Instead, show some restraint. Suppress conversational tension by waiting for your turn to share poignant insights.”

Suggestions: Be not seduced by the dark side. Curb the craving spew a steady stream self-glorifying wisdom that’s inherently impressive and interesting, yet obviously irrelevant and inapplicable.

And, learn to share your knowledge without showcasing it. Learn to present your ideas without hurling them. In their irregularity, such actions become inspirational. What normal things could you stop? What would be unlike you to do? And what could you do in this situation that would be the polar opposite of everybody else?

6. Evoke emotional responses. The word “emotion” derives from the Latin emotere, which means, “to disturb.” So, it’s not bad, it’s not good – it’s just a disturbance. A breaking of patterns. A shaking up of things. And if you want to use this practice to become more inspirational, here’s how:

Make your words piercing and disquieting. So much so that people squirm in their seats. Sure, it might be uncomfortable for a minute, but that’s part of the adventure. And the reality is, some people NEED to have a little disturbance “breathed into them.”

Richard Avdoian, my inspiring colleague, friend, mentor and occasional therapist, is a master at this practice. His words never fail to be provocative. Because of his background in psychotherapy, mental health and marriage counseling, Richard uses uncommon, unexpected words like “seductive,” “tranquilizer,” and “personhood” in everyday conversation.

Most people can’t help but lean in closer, listen – become slightly disturbed – and experience inspiration. How provocative are your words? How are you branding your language? And if you were charged with the crime of “Leadership with Intent to Disturb,” would there be evidence to convict you?

7. Exert your humanity. When you courageously endorse your own weaknesses, you demonstrate an acceptance of the imperfect humanness of others. In Alan Webber’s Rules of Thumb, he explains:

“We’re drawn to people who know who they are, who are comfortable in their own skins. Their sense of themselves makes it easier for us to know and trust them. It cuts down on the wasted energy and head games that too often accompany people in power who are at war with themselves.”

So, here’s a rapid-fire list for becoming inspirational through your humanity: Communicate less perfectly. Lead with vulnerability. Publicly celebrate mistakes. Acknowledge and embrace all aspects of who you are. Be willing to talk about that shadow. Practice radical honesty. Practice self-deprecating humor.

When does the feeling of formality keep you from communicating freely and honestly? Are you someone others can be vulnerable in front of? And how does your imperfect humanity inspire others to exert the same?

REMEMBER: You can’t inspire everybody.

You CAN, however, increase the probability of inspiration by molding yourself into the most inspirational person you know.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What are you breathing into people?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “7 Ways to Radically Raise Receptivity of Those You Serve,” send an email to me, and I’ll send you the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

How to Run a Consistency Audit™

Consistency – despite convenience and comfort – creates uncracked character.

Unfortunately, I can’t teach you (or your company) how to be or stay consistent.

What I can do is give you some questions to ask yourself, your coworkers and your organization that will increase the PROBABILITY of consistency.

Consistency between:
Your choices and your core.
Your decisions and your dominant reality.
Your message and your mentality.

That’s what enables people to TRUST IN you.

Consistency between:
Your actions and your attitude.
Your behavior and your beliefs.
Your bold moves and your brand.

That’s what encourages people to DO BUSINESS WITH you.

Consistency between:
Your practices and your principles.
Your projects and your philosophies.
Your vocation and your values.

That’s what inspires people to FOLLOW AFTER you.

Consistency between:
Your ventures and your visions.
Your situations and your strengths.
Your terminology and your truth.

That’s what impels people to TALK ABOUT you.

Think you would benefit from that? Think your organization would benefit from that?

Cool.

It’s time to run your Consistency Audit™….

The questions below are broken down into seven categories: Purpose, Values, Vision, Identity, Brand, Life and Perception.

Feel free to approach them from an organizational OR an individual level. And if you’d like to have your leaders or staff in your company partake, send them to www.consistencyaudit.com!

1. Consistency of PURPOSE.
Because usefulness is worship. And leaders who are called – not driven – are the ones who make the most change in the world. So, don’t start a business – start a movement. Don’t make money – make history. And don’t do your job – validate your existence.

ASK YOURSELF:
o Am I acting from character and purpose, or is this behavior a coping mechanism to a situation?
o Am I willing to have all decisions judged in accordance with this purpose?
o How does this relate to my life purpose?
o What continually deflects me from my certainty of purpose?
o What is essential to my sense of being on purpose?
o What percentage of my time do I feel that I’m in alignment with my calling?
o What three things am I doing regularly that don’t serve or support my vision, calling or purpose?
o What would REAL fulfillment look like in this area if I were truly living my life purpose?

2. Consistency of VALUES.
Because people buy people first. And customers don’t buy from, trust in, or remain loyal to, companies or organizations; but to people. Also, on an internal level, people don’t quit jobs – they quit people.

ASK YOURSELF:
o Am I on a path that aligns my actions to my values?
o Is this consistent with my values?
o What non-negotiables need to be honored here?
o What could I do differently to better align my responses with my values?
o What values really matter to me enough that I’m willing to sacrifice for them?
o What would I protest publicly?
o Will this action move me closer to honoring my values or further away?
o What obstacles or threats might prevent me from staying consistent to the core vision?

3. Consistency of VISION.
Because imagination is everything. Because the HOW isn’t as important as the WHAT or the WHY. Because, at the risk of sounding cheesy, thoughts really DO become things. Especially when you write those thoughts down.

ASK YOURSELF:
o If everybody did exactly what I said, what would the world look like?
o Is my current action anchored in my vision?
o Is what I’m doing right now consistent with my #1 goal?
o Is what I’m telling people to do right now providing them with the tools they need to build that world I envision?
o On a scale of 1-10, how well does what I’m about to do connect to the overarching vision?
o What can I do to make this agree with my vision?
o What is the most important thing I can do to bring my activities in line with my values and vision?
o What would be most consistent with your vision in this situation?

4. Consistency of IDENTITY,
Because the goal is to bring more of yourself to every experience. To goal is to stay aligned with the working model of your identity. And the goal is to ask yourself, “What would I do in this situation? Ultimately, the goal is to think about what it would look like to “pull a YOU.”

ASK YOURSELF:
o Am I behaving in a manner that is consistent with my self-concept?
o Am I being the ME I always wanted to become?
o How would the person I’m trying to become do what I’m about to do?
o How is this helping me become more of my own adjective?
o If I were ME, what would I do in this situation?
o What does this situation need of me that only I can contribute?
o What would be SO typical of me in this situation?
o What would the earlier version of me do in this situation?
o What behaviors are preventing me from making progress towards becoming the best and highest version of myself?

5. Consistency of BRAND.
Brands are shortcuts. Expectations. Predictable moments of YOU-ness. And the secret isn’t to sell or market or advertise, but rather to transfer the emotion and passion and love of that which is non-average and non-boring.

ASK YOURSELF:
o Are the very first words out of my mouth consistent with my brand?
o How might this become an off-brand choice?
o How will I stamp this with my brand?
o If I decided to do this, would it support my empire?
o Is what I’m doing right now consistent with building my brand?
o What is the extension of my being, and am I exerting it here?
o Will this choice successfully express the personality of my brand?
o What could I say, do or BE – in this situation – that would simultaneously keep me in alignment with my truth, yet position me as the complete opposite of everyone else?
o Will this choice add the necessary blocks to build the brand that I want?

6. Consistency of LIVING.
Because people are listening to your life speak. People are watching what you DO. And the goal is to make your life the work of art, using YOU as the medium. Paint is for amateurs anyway.

ASK YOURSELF:
o Am I currently speaking from a place of personal truth?
o Are my actions predictable and congruent with my stated positions?
o How have I already done and become what I’m about to teach?
o How well is this statement reflected in my life right now?
o Is how I’m behaving right now consistent with the attitude I strive to maintain?
o Is the message I’m currently preaching the dominant reality of my life?
o Is the statement I’m making with my life consistent with my heart?
o What (specifically) do I need to have already done or become in order to confidently preach this message without people questioning my credibility?

7. Consistency of PERCEPTION.
Because what people remember about you is what you are. And that depends on how people experience you. It also depends on how people experience themselves when they’re with you. And it depends on what people think when they see your name.

ASK YOURSELF:
o How deep is the gap between my onstage performance and my backstage reality?
o If I did this, would the result in any way enhance my perception as a jack-of-all-trades?
o If I partook in this experience – and people saw me – would they perceive me as being out of alignment with my true self?
o If I proceeded with this endeavor, would people who know me have ANY question in their mind that it came from me?
o If my best clients and closest friends saw me doing this, would it be seen as a compromise of integrity?
o Once we’re finished with the project, would this client be a good commercial for my business?
o Would I want to become known for what I’m about to do?

– – –

FINAL CHALLENGE: If you completed the audit and noticed more areas of inconsistency then you’d like to have, that’s a good thing.

You don’t have to live your life as a walking contradiction if you don’t want to.

Instead, to bring your inner and outer worlds into harmony, consider these final questions:

1. How far can I deviate before crossing the line that puts me into inconsistent territory?

2. What kind of structure can I place around myself to make sure I remember to do this consistently?

3. What support would I need to have in place in order to remember that I have a choice?

REMEMBER: Nobody can “force” consistency upon you or your organization.

THE GOOD NEWS IS: By running this audit; you great increase the PROBABILITY of being and staying consistent.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from wearing a nametag for the past 3,164 days, it’s that consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How much money is being inconsistent costing you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
If you’d like to have your leaders or staff in your company partake in this process, send them to www.consistencyaudit.com!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

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Month: July 2009

18 Ways to become More Retweetable

How to become the Most Inspirational Person You Know

How to Run a Consistency Audit™