Twitter Chats – what are they and how to host one

Did you hear about those Twitter Chats but don’t really know what they actually are or do? I will tell you all about them. And if you already know how they work, you might wanna know how to host one. Fear not, I hosted my first ever Twitter Chat this weekend and I’ll talk you through it.

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What are Twitter Chats?

As the name says it basically is a chat on twitter, but a chat with lots of people participating. Often these chats are hosted by retweet accounts or blogger support accounts such as (@BloggersTribe, @GRLPOWERCHAT, @BloggersphereM, etc.). They take place every week and they always have a theme for each chat such as holiday destinations, insta themes, blogging community, photography and and and. There are so many things to talk about. The chat is always hosted by the account itself or they have guest hosts to moderate the chat. (There are twitter chat timetables floating around but it seems I couldn’t find the one I wanted, will insert it as soon as I can find it.)

Now what happens during these chat is, that you get to interact with lots of bloggers, share your own thoughts and discover some new bloggers you might wanna follow. It’s always a nice hour spent chatting to fellow bloggers and basically having fun. And maybe gain some new followers or get lots of new ideas for future blog posts etc.

How to host Twitter Chats

I was very lucky to be able to host my very first Twitter Chat last Saturday with @BloggersTribe – thanks girls! But you’re for sure wondering how it came about. I basically one day saw a tweet where they asked if anyone was interested to host one of their chats and I applied. Some days later, they wrote to me and basically told me if I’m still interested I could host one of the chats. I was over the moon and happily accepted. Then we discussed the theme and my questions I wanted to ask and that was it. Oh and of course the date when it should take place.

Then the day came and I already told my whole family and bf that I wasn’t available from 8 o’clock because I was hosting a twitter chat. (Having this post then would have been amazing as I wouldn’t had to explain them how everything works and just revere them to this post – lol.) But yes, so we timed dinner to be finished at about half 8 and then I set myself up with my laptop and phone.

And the countdown is ON! Get following @asnippetoflife to join in our chat tonight! LESS THAN AN HOUR TO GO! #BloggersTribe pic.twitter.com/9pKl9fhGHr

— 🎄BloggersTribe🎄 (@BloggersTribe) July 22, 2017

Once 8 o’clock came around I introduced myself as the host and Katie, who was running the BloggersTribe account this evening, made sure to retweet it and the questions. Plus I was always using the hashtag #bloggerstribe so everyone could find me and the chat.

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From then on it was quite a hassle. I tried to say hello to as many people as possible and replied to as many answers I got to my questions. It went all so quick and soon 9 came around which meant the chat was coming to an end.

So I’ve gathered a short list of tips and tricks for you on hosting a twitter chat:

• During the week, promote, promote and promote your chat! Often the account you’re hosting the chat for will be promoting you too. So it’s only fare to promote them as well.
• Write your introductory tweet, the questions and the tweet thanking everyone for a lovely chat, before it all begins. You can save them as drafts, so they are ready to go when you need them.
• Try to stay calm and reply to as many tweets as possible. But don’t stress yourself to respond to each and everyone. It’s impossible to do! I made sure to at least like most of them and had a chat with every other or third person participating in the chat. I tried to talk to different persons on each question and hoped I didn’t leave that many people out. Don’t forget your fellow bloggers interact with each other too when taking part in the chat, so nobody will be left behind. There are always some lovely people responding to each other etc.
• Don’t forget to ask your questions. Always check the time. (I had 5 questions prepared but only was able to do 4).  You can easily loose track of time. So best to set yourself an alarm or something.
• Have fun! Enjoy it! And always use the hashtag!

Why you should host a Twitter Chat

I think I’ve covered everything apart from why I did it. Well the first things is, not gonna lie, to gain followers. It’s a great way to get yourself out there and find like minded people. I forgot to look at my numbers but I gained thanks to my twitter chat ca. 40-60 new twitter followers, about 20 new Insta followers and ca. 6 new blog followers. This aren’t huge numbers but every little helps. The second reason was to find new bloggers. I’m always on the hunt for new blogs to read and Insta feeds to follow and this is a nice way to find them. Plus I love a good chat with bloggers! Then I get to discuss topics that I can’t discuss with my friends or family as they aren’t that involved with the whole blogging world.

I had the best time hosting my first ever twitter chat and can’t recommend it enough. If you are interested keep an eye out for your fave platforms offering a hosting spot or just ask them directly! This has definitely not been the last time I host a chat!

Have a lovely day and don’t forget to give me a follow to keep up to date with my blog Bloglovin’ / Instagram / Twitter / FB (I will be forever thankful!). xx