The NGO Handbook - Campaigning on Twitter

The NGO Handbook

Campaigning

on Twitter

The NGO Handbook

Campaigning

on Twitter

Campaigning on Twitter | Table of Contents

Contents

01 Introduction

02 The Basics: Anatomy of a

Tweet and How to Tweet

09 Beginnings: Your Proﬁle

14 Your Voice: What Your NGO Does Every Day

17 In-Depth: What Fuels a Tweet

22 Proactive Campaigning

27 Reactive Campaigning

32 Twitter for Networking

and Organizing

34 Twitter as a Public Utility:

The Spanish Town of Jun

37 #Twiplomacy

Case Study: Iran Nuclear Deal

Case Study: Greek Financial Crisis

46 Moments: Moment Maker

54 Powering Your Site With Twitter

57 Measure Your Impact

59 TweetDeck

61 Periscope

64 Twitter Ad Products

68 Case Studies

#HeForShe

#NotInMyName

#PositionOfStrength

#ExitHate

#StandWithNepal

74 Twitter & Periscope

Rules & Tools

This handbook was last updated in

January 2017. All product and policy

information herein is accurate at the

time of writing and subject to change.

Campaigning on Twitter | Introduc-

Introduction

Twitter allows an individual or NGO to broadcast, engage with, and listen to people. It’s the world’s online public space,

a one-to-many communication platform where conversations happen that shape opinions.

This handbook will help you make the best use of this unique tool. It’s a tool that’s particularly suited to the needs of

NGOs, organizations that thrive on the participation of volunteers and activists to achieve their aims.

Twitter will help you to inform and engage people who would naturally gravitate to your organization, but it will also

allow you to reach those who might never have thought they’d become involved in civic society. If you’re lucky, you

might even ﬁnd that a timely, well-crafted message achieves international resonance and recognition.

Whatever your level of ambition on Twitter, our Public Policy team is there to help you every step of the way. We wish

you and your cause the very best of luck.

@policy

@nonproﬁts

@twitterforgood

@safety

Campaigning on Twitter

The Basics:

Anatomy of

A Tweet and

How to Tweet

Campaigning on Twitter | The Basics: Anatomy of a Tweet and How to Tweet

The Basics: Anatomy of a Tweet and How to Tweet

Where do Tweets appear? Who reads them?

When you Tweet, your message is publicly posted on your Twitter proﬁle. In addition, people can follow your

account so that your Tweets automatically appear in their own timelines every time they log in to Twitter.

Why 140 characters?

Twitter was born as a mobile service, designed to ﬁt the character limit of a text message. Today, Twitter still works

on any SMS-ready phone. Brevity keeps Twitter fast-paced and relevant by encouraging people to Tweet in the

moment and to focus on the essential ideas they want to communicate.

Tweet: A message posted via Twitter that may contain photos, videos, links, and up to 140 characters of text.

Tweet, Tweeting, Tweeted: The act of sending a Tweet.

Proﬁle photo: The personal image uploaded to your Twitter proﬁle.

Twitter account name: The name on your account. Think about whether you want to use your real name or some

other identiﬁcation.

Anatomy of a Tweet

Twitter helps you create and share ideas and

information instantly, without barriers. It’s the easiest

way to follow the trends, stories, and breaking news

making headlines around the world, but it also helps

you stay in touch with subjects a little closer to home:

friends, family, businesses, and social causes that are

dear to your heart. Before you get started, it will help to

learn some lingo.

Campaigning on Twitter | The Basics: Anatomy of a Tweet and How to Tweet

Twitter @username: Your @username is your unique identity on Twitter and is always preceded by the @ symbol.

The @ sign is also used to mention people in Tweets, like this: “Hello @Twitter!” Your account name and username

do not need to be the same.

Tweet timestamp/date: This tells you when the Tweet was sent. Click the date or time to view the permalink page

for a Tweet.

Tweet text: Every Tweet ﬁts into a space that’s 140 characters or less — just the right size for a big idea, a headline,

or a timely observation.

Links: You can link to other websites, articles, photos, and videos within a Tweet (Twitter automatically shortens

links).

Hashtags: A hashtag is any word or phrase immediately preceded by the # symbol. When you click on a hashtag,

you’ll see other Tweets containing the same keyword or topic.

Tweet actions: There are three Twitter icons that allow you to take action and interact with a Tweet: Retweet, reply,

and like.

Twitter timeline: A timeline is a real-time stream of Tweets. Your Home timeline is where you see all the Tweets

shared by your friends and other people you follow.

Twitter bio: Your bio is a short (up to 160 characters) description that appears in your proﬁle that serves to

characterize your persona on Twitter. Connect with people by sharing your organization’s mission and how they can

get involved. Add a link to your website so that they can take the next step. Use keywords, account @usernames,

and hashtags to make your account more searchable.

Campaigning on Twitter | The Basics: Anatomy of a Tweet and How to Tweet

To mention another user:

1. Select the “compose Tweet” icon.

2. Compose your 140-character message and type the username of the

person you want to mention.

3. As you start typing a username, a list of potential matches will appear.

4. Once you’ve found the user you’re looking for, select his/her @username

and it will be populated in the Tweet.

5. If you want to add more usernames, repeat steps 2 to 4.

6. Select “Tweet” and the Tweet will be posted to your proﬁle.

7. If you want this reply to appear in the timeline of your followers who don’t

follow the user you’re mentioning, you need to add a punctuation mark to

the beginning of your Tweet before you include their @username.

To reply to another user:

1. Select the “reply” icon in a Tweet.

2. The username of anyone mentioned in the Tweet you’re replying to will

already appear in your “Reply to” box.

3. If you want to add more usernames, simply type the username of the

person you want to mention.

4. Compose your 140-character message and select Tweet.

5. The Tweet will be posted to your proﬁle.

6. If you want this reply to appear in the timeline of your followers who don’t

follow the user you’re mentioning, you need to add a punctuation mark to

the beginning of your Tweet before you include their @username.

How to Post a Tweet

To post a Tweet:

Select the compose Tweet icon. Compose your 140-character message

and select Tweet. The Tweet will be posted to your proﬁle.

To include a GIF in your Tweet:

Add a GIF to your Tweet to better express the sentiment behind your

message, to make a tough message easier to digest or just to add some

levity to your content.

1. Select the “compose Tweet” button and then click the add GIF icon.

2. Choose a GIF from the extensive library available in the app. These

GIFs are categorized by sentiment, making it easier for you to ﬁnd the

perfect GIF for the moment.

To include a hashtag in your Tweet:

Select the # symbol and as you start typing, the list will narrow down

to fewer results. You can choose to include one of these suggested

hashtags or add your own hashtag text, e.g. #HeForShe.

To include a photo or video in your Tweet:

You can take a photo or video in the moment or choose an existing one

from your device.

1. Select the “compose Tweet” button and choose an existing image or

video from your gallery or select the camera icon to shoot new material.

2. Once you have taken or selected your photo, you will have the option

to apply a ﬁlter, add as sticker, and crop the image. Similarly, you can

crop the video.

3. When you are ﬁnished, select “Done;” the photo/video will be attached

to the Tweet. You can select up to four photos for a single Tweet.

4. You can tag people in your photo(s) by tapping Who’s in this photo?

Type in the full name or username and then tap “Done.”

Campaigning on Twitter | The Basics: Anatomy of a Tweet and How to Tweet

To include a poll in your Tweet:

You can create your own Twitter Poll on the web or in the Twitter app

(iOS or Android).

To create a poll on twitter.com:

1. Click on the compose box at the top of your Home timeline, or click the

Tweet button in the top navigation bar.

2. Click the “Add poll” icon

3. Type your poll question into the main compose box. You can use up to

140 characters in your poll question.

4. Insert your ﬁrst poll option into the “Choice 1” box, and your second

poll option into the “Choice 2” box. You can use up to 25 characters for

each option.

5. Click “+Add a choice” to add additional options to your poll. Your poll

can have up to four options.

6. Your poll’s duration defaults to one day. You can change the duration

of your poll by clicking one day and adjusting the days, hours, and

minutes. The minimum amount of time for a poll is ﬁve minutes, and the

maximum is seven days.

7. Click “Tweet” to post the poll.

To include a Periscope broadcast in your Tweet:

Want to live stream what you’re watching? It’s easy to begin a

Periscope broadcast with a Tweet.

1. Select the “compose Tweet” button and go live by clicking the

“LIVE” icon.

2. Then you’ll be prompted to give a description of what you’re about

to broadcast.

3. Click “Go LIVE” and begin your broadcast!

Campaigning on Twitter | The Basics: Anatomy of a Tweet and How to Tweet

To create a poll on the Twitter app (iOS or Android):

1. Tap the “Tweet” button (iOS) or tap on “What’s happening?” (Android).

2. Tap the “Add poll” icon

3. Type your poll question into the main compose box. You can use up to

116 characters in your poll question.

4. Insert your ﬁrst poll option into the “Choice 1” box, and your second

poll option into the “Choice 2” box. You can use up to 25 characters for

each option.

5. Click “+Add a choice” to add additional options to your poll. Your poll

can have up to four options.

6. Your poll’s duration defaults to one day. You can change the duration

of your poll by tapping one day and adjusting the days, hours, and

minutes. The minimum amount of time for a poll is ﬁve minutes, and the

maximum is seven days.

7. Click “Tweet” to post the poll.

Note: Photos cannot be included in a Twitter poll.

Campaigning on Twitter | The Basics: Anatomy of a Tweet and How to Tweet

Campaigning on Twitter

Beginnings:

Your Proﬁle

Campaigning on Twitter | Beginnings: Your Proﬁle

Beginnings: Your Proﬁle

Setting up your proﬁle

Your Twitter proﬁle shows the world who you and your organization are, moment by moment. Your proﬁle is where

you demonstrate what they can expect from your Tweets and why they should follow you. It is especially important

for organizations to deﬁne their voice and the issues for which they stand. Here are some tips for setting up your

Twitter proﬁle to best represent your values and your campaign.

Your username on Twitter is part of your identity on the platform

It will be displayed when people reply to your Tweets or add you to a conversation. The username is the one that

begins with the “@” — it can be up to 15 characters in length. Your account name can be up to 20 characters in length.

Tips for growing your Twitter username recognition

Put your Twitter @username on your printed materials and merchandise. Adding your Twitter @username to

your promotional materials and merchandise is a great way to get wider exposure and name recognition for your

candidate, campaign, and policy concerns. It also indicates that people can reach you directly through this channel

— that you read and respond here.

Put Twitter on your website. Adding Twitter buttons to your website is a great way to gain wider distribution for your

content and gain more followers. See our section on “Powering your site with Twitter” for more instructions.

Campaigning on Twitter | Beginnings: Your Proﬁle

You might also be mindful of when your audience will be online. For example, people are frequently on Twitter in the

morning on their commute, at lunchtime, or in the evening when watching TV.

Photos

You can reinforce a campaign message with powerful, high-resolution imagery, especially with the new web proﬁle

that features a larger proﬁle photo and customizable header to enhance the narrative around the account’s purpose.

These photos are visible on all ofﬁcial Twitter platforms (Twitter.com, Twitter mobile apps, and TweetDeck) when you

view a proﬁle. The proﬁle photo will appear along with every individual Tweet message.

How to ﬁnd people to follow

Start by following people you know. Search for their names or their @usernames, or ﬁnd them all instantly by

importing your contacts from your email address book. Then search for your favorite sports teams, actors, local

newspapers, writers, or schools. Lastly, search for accounts of people sending the type of Tweets you’d like to

receive: breaking news, community leaders, and other campaign-related accounts.

@amnesty

“We’ve been ﬁghting the bad guys since

1961 — you can join us!” is not only an

informal, personality-driven mission

statement, but a persuasive call to action.

Two birds, one stone.

Biography

Your account bio must be 160 characters or fewer.

We recommend that you include details about your

organization and its mission. Use keywords, account

usernames, and hashtags, all discoverable through

search, in the bio to connect with other conversations

and accounts related to your organization, primary

campaign you’re running at that moment, etc.

Campaigning on Twitter | Beginnings: Your Proﬁle

Finding a conversation is a great way to ﬁnd people to follow as well. If you see an interesting hashtag, tap the

conversation there, engage the community, and follow anyone with whom you would like to connect. Simply follow

what interests you.

Lists

Twitter lists let you organize Twitter users in groups and manage how you look at Tweets. You can either create your

own list or subscribe to a list created by someone else. Twitter lists can be used to follow a separate group of Twitter

users from those you follow in your Home timeline. Creating or subscribing to a list allows you to see only Tweets

from users on that list. Lists are not a way to send Tweets to a select group, but to organize and read them. In this

regard they can prove invaluable if you want to keep track of what groups of key opinion formers are saying, or your

political colleagues and rivals.

If your organization has many entities within it, Twitter lists are a great way to see Tweets from just that subset of

users in a dedicated timeline — a great resource for organization staff, the public, and media.

To remove yourself from a list, you can block the person who created it.

Campaigning on Twitter | Beginnings: Your Proﬁle

To create a list on desktop:

1. Select the “Me” tab at the top of the page.

2. When on your proﬁle page, select the “More” tab and then select “Lists.”

3. Select the “Create new list” button. Create a name for your list and

enter a short description. Choose if you want to make your list private

(just for you) or public (anyone can subscribe to it).

4. Select “Save list.”

To create a list on mobile:

1. Select the “Me” tab on the bottom of the screen.

2. Then on your proﬁle page, scroll down and select “Lists.”

3. Select the “+” on the top right to create a new list.

4. Create a name for your list and enter a short description. Choose if

you want to make your list private (just for you) or public (anyone can

subscribe to it).

5. Select “Save.”

Campaigning on Twitter

Your Voice :

What Your NGO

Does Every Day

Your Voice : What Your NGO Does Every Day

Twitter allows you — the individual or the organization — to pull back the curtain and give your followers a peek into

your daily life. Whether you’re snapping a group “selﬁe” at a campaign event or announcing breaking news, each

Tweet demystiﬁes the process and personalities of activism by letting your followers learn a little more about you.

A simple formula to bear in mind is to try to include two of the following three traits in your Tweets:

1. Insight

2. Personality

3. Information

Your followers want to be engaged by compelling, entertaining, and informative content. Their attention is being

diverted by thousands of other content creators, so you need to think of how you can grab and hold their interest

while communicating your message.

Check out the CIA’s ﬁrst Tweet as an example of how to entertain your audience and humanize your organization:

A day in the life

Twitter is the real-time bridge to your supporters. Take your followers along for the ride by sharing authentic moments:

• Be authentic. Share your experiences as an individual or organization, from morning until night, to give an

insight into your average daily routine. Deﬁne the conversation with a hashtag.

• Tweet rich media. Use photos and videos to take followers behind the scenes.

• Have conversations and connect with people. Conduct Twitter Q&As and reply to followers throughout

the day.

Campaigning on Twitter | Your Voice: What Your NGO Does Every Day

• Tell followers where to ﬁnd you. Announce campaign events and tell followers where to meet up. Encourage

them to live-Tweet the experience.

• Document the campaign. Create a custom collection of Tweets from the day to showcase your work as an

engaged NGO.

• Amplify your message. Leverage Promoted Tweets to target key people — and to increase impressions and

engagements for your most compelling content.

Letting people see the work you do

These screenshots from the British Heart Foundation and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association demonstrate an

appreciation for how Twitter works. They offer a glimpse of their campaigns and a look at the day-to-day work of

these NGOs, something which users always appreciate.

How often should you Tweet?

There is no one-size-ﬁts-all answer to this question. However, successful accounts maintain a consistent pattern of

regular Tweeting. This could be one Tweet per day with high-quality content or several Tweets per day that strike

a conversational tone and interact with the community of followers. Your following will grow if you invest in your

presence on the platform.

Campaigning on Twitter

In-Depth: What

Fuels a Tweet

In-Depth: What Fuels a Tweet

Each Tweet represents an opportunity to show your organization’s voice and strengthen the relationship with

your followers. But building a healthy Twitter account is about more than just seeing how many people will

Retweet your posts.

We wondered why certain Tweets see higher-than-average engagement. Adding a hashtag, photo, or video to

Tweets undoubtedly makes them richer, but does it bring you more user engagement?

What we examined

To help get insight into what resonates most with followers in speciﬁc vertical categories, we analyzed the

content of millions of Tweets sent by veriﬁed users in the US, looking at the numbers of Retweets that included

speciﬁc features:

• Photos

• Hashtags

• Links

• Videos

• Tweets containing a number or digit

• GIFs

• Polls

Campaigning on Twitter | In-Depth: What Fuels a Tweet

Photos

In our analysis of Tweet engagement, veriﬁed users who

posted photos in their Tweets saw a signiﬁcant bump

in Retweets — on average, 35% higher than they would

receive normally. Let’s say a person or organization’s

account normally receives an average of 100 Retweets

per post. A photo would be predicted to receive an

average of 135 Retweets per Tweet.

The popularity of photos suggests that authenticity and

access are paramount for your followers. As a civic

leader or NGO, it’s important to build an authentic,

transparent relationship with your followers. A photo

provides a candid insight into your life or work.

Campaigning on Twitter | In-Depth: What Fuels a Tweet

You can use images and photos to tell a story or to trail a major event. Photos can help demystify the issues you

advocate for and build a connection with those who might be interested in your cause.

For individuals and organizations, Twitter is an invaluable way to reach beyond press conferences and news releases

to connect with users in a more intimate way. People love behind-the-scenes content; it brings them up close and

personal with the campaigns they hear about but don’t necessarily understand.

Multiple photos in one Tweet

You can share up to four photos in one Tweet, which lets your followers get the big picture in one place. The photos

are displayed as a preview collage in your followers’ timeline. They can then expand to see each photo individually.

The multiple photos will also be displayed if your Tweet gets Retweeted or embedded on another site. See the

Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association Tweet example on page 16.

Video

Video is the most engaging type of content on Twitter. Over the last year, the volume of video content shared on

Twitter has grown exponentially and will continue to grow as users become more adept and more creative in the

production of engaging content. Users can now post 140-second videos to Twitter, giving you more time to connect

with your audience. Note that many creators also ﬁnd it beneﬁcial to overlay their videos with subtitles. As some

users don’t watch videos with audio turned on, subtitles can help you get your message across more efﬁciently.

Filters

You can make your photos look even more expressive by using Twitter photo ﬁlters. When you upload a photo

using the Twitter mobile app for iOS or Android, simply tap on the image to see the editing options. There are eight

creative ﬁlters to add style and mood to your photos, ranging from antique sepia tone to saturated colors, as well as

a one-click auto-enhance tool and cropping tool.

Tagging people in photos

You can tag people in a photo (or collection of photos)

that you post. The tags don’t count towards your

140-character limit, so you have more room to express

yourself. You can tag up to 10 people, and their names

(not @username) will be displayed alongside the photo.

As a default, anyone will be able to tag you if you have

a public account. If desired, you can change that (to

“only allow people I follow to tag me in photos” or “do

not allow anyone to tag me in photos”) via your Account

Settings.

Campaigning on Twitter | In-Depth: What Fuels a Tweet

GIFs

GIFs are extraordinarily popular. These animated images, often made up of video snippets, have become a

shorthand for the expression of emotion on the internet. In 2015 alone, more than 100 million GIFs were shared on

Twitter. Whenever you’re composing a Tweet or Direct Message, you can search and browse the GIF library. So if

you’re looking for the perfect cat yawn or dance move to express exactly how you feel, just click the new GIF button.

You can search by keyword, or browse categories of different reactions like Happy Dance, Mic Drop, or YOLO.

Polls

Because of its public nature, Twitter is a great place to gauge people’s reaction to the big and small questions of the

day. Twitter Polls are a fun and easy way to pose these questions and receive anonymous answers. You can give

users four optional answers and the poll can remain live for between ﬁve minutes and seven days. Once the poll has

closed, each user who gave an answer will receive a push notiﬁcation inviting them to look at the result.

Media-forward timeline

When you upload a photo via Twitter, it shows up right in the timelines of all your followers, letting them get an

immediate glimpse into what you’re sharing. With one click or tap, they can expand the photo within the app, and

easily Retweet, like, or comment on it. The image will also display when the Tweet is embedded on the web.

Calls to action

Sometimes you can drive engagement from a Tweet just by asking for it. Government ofﬁcials and leaders often

encourage their followers to Retweet a post to show support or spread awareness for someone or something.

Tweeting a photo in your call to action is a great way to depict your issue or cause and also drive more Retweets.

The call to action can also encourage constituents to Tweet their own photos. Finally, calls to action can make

people feel like they are a part of an event.

Stickers

Stickers are a fun way to add creativity to your photos

and connect them to the world on Twitter. You can

browse our rotating set of stickers to join in on real-time

conversations, and select from the library of hundreds

of accessories, emojis, and props to make your photos

more fun. Use them to share what you’re doing or how

you’re feeling, to show support for a cause, or to just

add some ﬂair. You can use multiple stickers on a photo,

resize and rotate them, and place them anywhere on

your picture. After you Tweet a photo with stickers on it,

your photo becomes searchable in a new, visual spin on

the hashtag. Tapping on a sticker in a Tweet takes you

to a new timeline, where you can see how people all over

the world use that sticker in different ways.

Campaigning on Twitter | In-Depth: What Fuels a Tweet

Authenticity

For the leaders on your team, Twitter is a great way to show your followers your personality. Deﬁne your voice on

Twitter: Share things about yourself and show who you are. These are a few key ways to best do this, all of which

will help display your voice to the world.

A personal bio

Connect with users by sharing your career background and personal interests in your Twitter account bio. This can

be as simple as adding in your hobbies, favorite sports team, committee work, or family life. Use keywords and

hashtags to activate engagement with people and enhance discoverability.

Strive for a personal tone

Sending personal Tweets to friends and family for all of Twitter to see is a great way to show your personal side, and

this resonates well with followers. Being as personal as you feel comfortable being is a great way to develop and

build a loyal following. Ultimately, personality wins on Twitter.

Share your interests

Let your followers know what interests you, be it sports, ﬁlms, music, or all of the above. Share articles to interesting

content and mention the author if you can.

Campaigning on Twitter

Proactive

Campaigning

Campaigning on Twitter | Proactive Campaigning

Proactive Campaigning

As the subheading suggests, a good Twitter campaign is all about setting out a strategy, planning your tactics

around that strategy, and working cleverly toward success.

Key to your strategy will be identifying your audience and the goals you want to achieve with them. Do you want to

build your following? Drive trafﬁc to a particular website? Your success will depend on how well you have judged

and produced content aimed at the target audience.

Try to make your campaign timely. Examine what’s trending, both online and ofﬂine. See if your campaign

can dovetail with the zeitgeist and then Tweet into pre-existing hashtags or create a new and compelling one of

your own.

Last, but absolutely not least, remember our handy rule of thumb. If the perfect Tweet has personality, conveys

information, and carries insight, then a very good Tweet will combine two of these qualities.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recaps

one of its top ten moments of 2016 with

compelling imagery and emojis.

Campaigning on Twitter | Proactive Campaigning

Why use hashtags?

An invention of the early Twitter community, hashtags have become synonymous with people, events,

and campaigns that have achieved a particular level of mass recognition. Sometimes for good reasons,

sometimes for bad.

Your campaign should seek to either communicate into a popular pre-existing hashtag or identify space where a

new, thoughtfully worded one might come to deﬁne a particular issue and then capitalize on this by making it the

centerpiece of your Twitter campaign.

When using a hashtag that contains more than one word, be sure to capitalize the ﬁrst letter of each word. This

makes it easier to read for the ﬁrst-time viewer.

Trends

As we’ve said on the previous page, trends allow you to identify issues that are animating the audience you want

to reach. This is vital knowledge when constructing a message with the potential to resonate, as it demonstrates

awareness of what’s going on in the community.

While on a desktop, you can ﬁnd the Trends list on the left of your timeline or, if you’re on your proﬁle page, it will

be to the right of your Tweets. If on mobile, tap the search bar and a drop-down list will show you what’s trending at

that moment.

Note that you can purchase a Promoted Trend to boost your reach. For more on Twitter’s ad products, see here:

business.twitter.com.

Content calendar

When planning any kind of communications campaign, it’s useful to sketch out each day’s activities on a content

calendar. This is no different when considering what your activity will be like on Twitter, Periscope, or using Vine

Camera. Here’s a quick example to guide your thinking:

Monday Post a video to Twitter announcing the beginning of the campaign.

Tuesday Host a Twitter Q&A session with the most high-proﬁle member or volunteer in the campaign.

Wednesday If you’re holding a campaign event, you could Periscope the key moments.

Thursday Finish your day with a six-second looping video created with Vine Camera that summarizes

the campaign’s progress.

Friday Upload four photos and tag other users in them, noting the highlights of the week.

Campaigning on Twitter | Proactive Campaigning

Put a bird on it

To boost your campaign, you should take your activity ofﬂine and reference your presence on Twitter as much as possible.

You could put the Twitter logo and your @username in your email signature, on letterheads, on business cards, on

your website, or even on your organization’s car, as the NYPD did. It’s also useful to incorporate your @username

and #hashtags into your event planning. So, if you’re hosting a conference or a meeting and you want attendees to

participate in a conversation on Twitter, you can ensure that the relevant #hashtag appears on all printed materials at

the event, or place screens around the location with a rolling stream of curated Tweets about the event. You can see

some examples of this below from last September’s UN General Assembly in New York.

You’ll receive more engagement and build your base over time, while also demonstrating an ability to combine all

mediums in the communication of a coherent message.

Branding and visualization at UN General Assembly

Campaigning on Twitter | Proactive Campaigning

NYPD Twitter branding on cars

Twitter Q&A

Many of the people you want to connect with may have questions about your campaign or organization. Perhaps

they need more information before they feel comfortable committing support to your cause. Holding a Q&A session

on Twitter is a great way for you to connect with these people.

Here’s how it works. Decide on a hashtag that people can use if they want to ask a question, e.g. #AskThePresident.

Announce the Q&A a few hours before you intend to begin. Remind people with a second Tweet about half an hour

before you start. Then, at the appointed time, you can answer the questions which users have asked on the hashtag.

Twitter Q&As connect you with the people whose support you want and need. It’s a personal demonstration of your

willingness to engage, inform, and persuade.

Live Tweeting

We’ve talked about how one of Twitter’s distinguishing features is its power to document live events. Campaigns use

this when holding live events, such as protests or program launches. If you think the event will be of interest to your

followers or the public more generally, you can live-Tweet it, perhaps using a unique hashtag, and allow people who

aren’t at the event to follow updates and developments wherever they are.

You can link these Tweets by replying to each one in turn. You simply hit the reply button on your most recent Tweet,

delete the @handle at the start of the replying Tweet, then continue the update.

Campaigning on Twitter

Reactive

Campaigning

Reactive Campaigning

Many of the best moments on Twitter are born from spontaneity. Be it something whimsical, something accidental,

or something very serious, these moments can light up the Internet within minutes and become global phenomenons.

Think of #JeSuisCharlie and how it expressed a unity, not just among Parisians, but between the world and the

people of France.

While it’s trite to say that an NGO can’t plan for these occasions, there are ways in which Twitter can be used

effectively in a reactive manner. For example, it can be used to rebut and correct the record on an issue. An amusing

example of this can be seen here, courtesy of the Canadian delegation to NATO:

It can also be used to engage in one-on-one campaigning. When someone responds to content you’ve Tweeted

during a particular campaign, try to respond in a constructive manner. If the interaction is successful, others will see

it and be more persuaded of your message than if it had been a broadcast-only experience.

Rebuttal and fact-checking

Because of its live and public nature, Twitter is the perfect platform to fact-check statements or rebut arguments.

Many campaigns have used Twitter for this purpose, not least the candidates for the US Presidency in 2012, Barack

Obama and Mitt Romney. Obama’s @OFATruthTeam and Romney’s @RomneyResponse acted as rapid-response

accounts for each team, correcting the record where required and contradicting oppositional statements. This use of

Twitter allows authoritative voices to be heard and recognized by other users, such as journalists.

Campaigning on Twitter | Reactive Campaigning

#NotInMyName

The Active Change Foundation, based

in East London, is a community-based

organization set up to protect and

safeguard young people and families

from unrest and violence in all its forms.

#NotInMyName resulted from the rise

of ISIS and the desire of young British

Muslims to show their solidarity against

the group and their actions. This simple

message caught the imaginations of

Muslims across the world who joined with

their peers and Tweeted the message

hundreds of thousands of times. It was a

powerful repudiation of ISIS’s actions and

a reactive use of Twitter.

#ILookLikeAnEngineer

This hashtag began in early August 2015,

with a short essay from engineer Isis

Anchalee. In it, she detailed the negative

experiences she’d had in her career due

to the outdated perception that women

were unsuited to the profession. Her

essay went viral and set off a wave

of female engineers Tweeting on her

hashtag with photos of themselves, often

accompanied with a few lines detailing

their experiences. While Anchalee’s

inclusion of the hashtag was deliberate, it

provoked a reaction she could not have

anticipated. It was topical, timely, and

resonated with people.

Campaigning on Twitter | Reactive Campaigning

The power of positivity

What began as a tragic photograph of three-year-old Alan Kurdi was transformed into a movement of compassion

and hope as people across Europe and the world spoke out to say refugees are welcome. As people took to social

media to share their views, they challenged the prejudice they saw not with anger or the language of conﬂict, but by

speaking to those most in need and offering a message of compassion.

While it is often assumed that anger is what makes us share content, and in the heat of the moment we sometimes

allow our anger to consume our response to conﬂict or distressing events, in reality positive content is more likely to

be shared.

“While common wisdom suggests that people tend to pass along negative news more than positive news, our results

indicate that positive news is actually more viral. Furthermore, by examining the full corpus of New York Times

content (i.e., all articles available), we determine that positive content is more likely to be highly shared, even after we

control for how frequently it occurs.” —Journal of Marketing Research

Campaigning on Twitter | Reactive Campaigning

Using Twitter in an emergency

In its 10-year history, Twitter has become a vital tool for those responding to or affected by emergencies and

disasters. Whether it’s a natural disaster or an attack, Twitter enables users to issue public updates, contact

individuals, and coordinate responses.

If your nonproﬁt organization is involved in emergency response, consider Twitter a network through which

you can not only reach your followers, but the wider public, media which will amplify your message, and other

relevant stakeholders.

Note, too, that in moments of crisis, users have begun organic hashtags to signal that help is available to victims of

attack or disaster. An example from the Paris and Nice terror attacks is #PorteOuverte, meaning #DoorOpen. This

was a simple way for users to offer shelter to the afﬂicted. If your organization deems it appropriate, you can join

the conversations on these hashtags and offer assistance. Alternatively, you could begin a hashtag of your own to

increase awareness of the support you can provide.

Campaigning on Twitter

Twitter for

Networking and

Organizing

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter for Networking and Organizing

Twitter for Networking and Organizing

Over the past 10 years, Twitter has been successfully used by many individuals and organizations to create networks

and promote initiatives, campaigns, and ideas. Users see the networking power that Twitter has, its ability to

connect them to their interests, and they harness this to further their cause and passions.

A prominent example of this is #BlackTwitter and the related #BlackLivesMatter.

Check out this article in The Atlantic for a more detailed conversation about how #BlackTwitter works.

Here’s a quick overview of some of its deﬁning features and how they might prove instructive as you use Twitter to

build a network and organize a movement.

Hashtags

The simplest deﬁnition of hashtags is that they’re a way to index Tweets around a particular topic. However,

they’ve become so much more than that. Some hashtags have become iconic, such as #BlackLivesMatter, and are

recognized as the purest and most readily understandable message of a larger movement.

People use hashtags to join in a particular conversation, to express an interest in that topic, and to connect with

others who share their views. In this sense, using a hashtag can be a way of self-identifying as being either in

support or opposition to a particular position.

Organizers can use hashtags to identify users who might like to join a movement or attend a campaign event. They

can build a network of like-minded people and harness the discussion around a hashtag to promote awareness.

Tweetups

When like-minded people engage with each other on Twitter, they sometimes decide to organize meetings. These

have been called Tweetups. They bring the online conversation ofﬂine, where it develops further and the network is

strengthened. The Tweetup itself can become a trend, as attendees discuss the conversations they’re having. These

events lower the wall between the online and ofﬂine.

Individual meetings

Some users also meet each other one-on-one when they connect through discussions on Twitter. These

meetings serve the same purpose as the larger Tweetups. Conversations are developed further and the connection

is deepened.

Campaigning on Twitter

Twitter as a

Public Utility:

The Spanish

Town of Jun

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter as a Public Utility: The Spanish Town of Jun

Twitter as a Public Utility: The Spanish Town of Jun

Twitter is not only a platform where people can share and discuss news. It’s also a public utility and has been used

as such by government authorities, both national and local.

In the summer of 2016, Transport for London (@TfL) launched a direct notiﬁcation service for its followers who want

to receive immediate updates on certain lines. This partnership was a world ﬁrst and demonstrates how Twitter can

be used to service customers by capitalizing on the live nature of the platform.

A town in Spain saw the public utility potential in 2011 and has since moved most of its public communication and

feedback services to Twitter. Jun, pronounced “hoon,” has incorporated Twitter into every facet of the municipal

organization. Each resident is encouraged to set up an account and training is provided to those who aren’t familiar

with the platform. Residents are encouraged to Tweet at public accounts if they have questions or want to report

problems with roads, streetlights, or whatever inconveniences they come across from day to day.

Many public buildings and vehicles proudly display their respective Twitter @username, making it easy for residents

to follow them and Tweet them if needed. Even the police have it embroidered on their shirt sleeves:

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter as a Public Utility: The Spanish Town of Jun

Power to the people (who Tweet)

Because of this unprecedented Twitter integration into

city governance, we have seen some great stories of

what a “Twitter town square” can look like:

• The mayor gathers city council agenda items via

Twitter (@AyuntamientoJun) and displays a live,

unﬁltered Twitter feed during each public meeting.

• Every town councilor has an individual Twitter

handle; citizens have a direct line of communication

with Jun’s leadership.

• Residents can Tweet about issues of concern to the

mayor, who replies publicly on Twitter about how

these issues will be addressed, along with how and

when the issue was resolved. For example, after

exposed wires were reported, they were ﬁtted with a

proper cover in about 24 hours.

• Jun encourages citizens of all ages to learn to use

Twitter. Even older residents are active in civic life

and engaged with others on Twitter.

Mayor of Jun

Campaigning on Twitter

#Twiplomacy

Content presented courtesy of Burson-Marsteller

Twitter has become the channel of choice for digital diplomacy between world leaders, governments, foreign ministries,

and diplomats, according to the series of Twiplomacy studies conducted by global strategic communications and public

relations ﬁrm Burson-Marsteller, which has tracked the Twitter activity of world leaders since 2012.

Why do world leaders and diplomats use Twitter? There are a number of reasons:

1. As a tool for public diplomacy, Twitter can be used to make a public connection between world leaders and

diplomats and for those connections to be seen by the worldwide community. This builds goodwill.

2. Statements and announcements can be made on Twitter, immediately reaching a global audience.

3. As a platform to react to live events, Twitter is the default choice for public ofﬁcials.

4. As part of their mission to connect with the public and exercise soft power, world leaders and diplomats can

Tweet about events beyond their own work.

5. Twitter offers world leaders and diplomats a platform to offer a more human, candid presence than may

otherwise be seen in ofﬁcial engagements.

Given that 90% of all the leaders of the 193 UN member countries are now active on the platform, Twitter is clearly

the preferred social network of world leaders. They follow the lead of US President Barack Obama, who was the ﬁrst

world leader to set up a Twitter account in early 2007 as senator of Illinois. Barack Obama is the most followed world

leader with 79.5 million followers on his @BarackObama campaign account, ahead of Pope Francis (@Pontifex) with

28 million followers on his nine language accounts and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi with close to 24 million

followers on his personal account @narendramodi and 14.3 million followers on his institutional account @PMOIndia.

(Above numbers are correct at time of publication.)

Campaigning on Twitter | #Twiplomacy

The US President’s institutional Twitter account @POTUS, set up in May 2015, is to be handed to the next US

President in 2017. President Obama averages 12,000 Retweets per Tweet. Interestingly, @POTUS only Tweets

intermittently, but when he does his Tweets become headline news, such as this Tweet which set the tone for his

historic visit to Cuba in March 2016:

Campaigning on Twitter | #Twiplomacy

The EU External Action Service (@EU_eeas), the foreign policy branch of the European Union, is the best-connected

government institution, mutually following 122 foreign ministries and world leaders. The Russian Foreign Ministry

(@mfa_russia) and the Foreign Ministry of Norway (@NorwayMFA) are in second and third position, maintaining

friendly Twitter relations with 112 and 101 peers, respectively.

Many foreign ministries use Twitter to establish mutual Twitter relations, following each other on the platform

and regularly mentioning each other. The US State Department used Twitter to re-establish ties with its Cuban

counterpart on May 26, 2015, the day of the announcement of re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the

two countries and the Cuban Foreign Ministry reciprocated several hours later, two months before the ofﬁcial re-

establishment of diplomatic relations.

The United Nation’s Twitter account @UN is the most popular nongovernmental Twitter account, followed by 296

of the 793 world leaders’ Twitter accounts. The New York Times (@nytimes) is the most-followed news organization

ahead of @UNICEF, which uses the platform as a powerful real-time news disseminator on issues facing

children globally.

Campaigning on Twitter | #Twiplomacy

Above: @UN aid worker

Over the past ﬁve years, foreign ministries have massively expanded their diplomatic networks, putting their missions

and ambassadors on Twitter. According to the @Twiplomacy Twitter list, 5,000 embassies and ambassadors are

active on Twitter. In London, New York, Washington, Brussels, and Geneva, foreign missions can no longer ignore

the diplomatic activity in the Twittersphere and even several Chinese missions are now actively Tweeting.

The UK @foreignofﬁce has probably the largest “Twiplomatic” network and it maintains a public Twitter list with 305

embassies, ambassadors, and deputy heads of mission on Twitter. Canada is second and the US State Department

is third with 227 and 213 missions and heads of missions on Twitter, respectively.

While each mission has on average fewer than 1,000 followers, an active diplomatic network is crucial to reach out

to local inﬂuencers and help amplify a government’s message beyond its borders. In May 2016, the Israeli Foreign

Ministry started to Retweet positive messages through its 152 ofﬁcial accounts to more than a million followers and

invited other Twitter users to join the #IsraelRetweetedMe campaign.

While some diplomats are still doubtful whether they can express all the nuances of their foreign policy in a single

Tweet, the 140-character focus has helped other diplomats to be more concise and to make a stronger impact in

their communications. Diplomats have discovered Twitter as a useful diplomatic newswire and an indispensable

news source. Governments monitor each other’s online communications with eagle eyes. It is not rare to see

governments send a public Tweet or a private Direct Message instead of the traditional diplomatic démarche to

another government.

Campaigning on Twitter | #Twiplomacy

Above: Lobby of the UK @foreignofﬁce

Case Study: The Iran Nuclear Deal

The progress of the Iran Nuclear Deal can be traced from beginning to end on Twitter. From the ﬁrst overtures

between Presidents Obama and Rouhani in 2013, to the announcement of the ﬁnal agreement in July of 2015, both

sides presented their interests and experiences on Twitter for the beneﬁt of their citizens and followers. They also

wanted to present their respective narratives, with each seeking to inﬂuence public perception of the deal’s terms

and conditions.

It was a milestone in the practice of public, modern diplomacy.

President Rouhani’s team reciprocate

with a photo of him receiving the call from

President Obama.

Campaigning on Twitter | #Twiplomacy

President Obama calls Iranian President

Hassan Rouhani in September 2013,

beginning the public dialogue on Twitter.

Campaigning on Twitter | #Twiplomacy

US Secretary of State John Kerry

announces the agreement of the nuclear

deal on Twitter.

Federica Mogherini, the High

Representative of the European Union

for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,

announces that talks have concluded and

that a good deal has been reached.

President Rouhani begins a series of

Tweets about the deal by saying that his

people have been praying for it.

The White House begins to sell the

merits of the deal to the American

and global public, outlining what it does

and doesn’t contain.

Campaigning on Twitter | #Twiplomacy

Case Study: Public Communications in Times of Crisis — The Greek Financial Crisis

During the Greek ﬁnancial crisis of 2015, when the Syriza political party was in contentious talks with institutions of

the EU over its debt obligations, the discussions played out on Twitter as much as they did behind closed doors. As

The Guardian noted of the Greeks, “Never before has a government embroiled in one of the biggest global economic

crises been so good at Tweeting… Never before has such a continuous, massive political issue been live-Tweeted

for so long.”

The Greek duo of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and then-Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis made announcements

on Twitter, virtually live-Tweeted meetings, and shaped the public narrative on the negotiations. Their commentary

on developments was not sterile, it was generally full of personality, opinion, insight, and information. It received a

massive level of engagement and drew signiﬁcant sympathy for the Greek position.

Representatives of the EU institutions also Tweeted about the negotiations, making their positions known and

sounding a positive, constructive note. Similarly, representatives of the Eurogroup, the assembly of member state

ﬁnance ministers, Tweeted developments from meetings and journalists noted that these feeds became the primary

sources of information for the latest news of the saga.

This was an instructive period for those interested in how Twitter can be used to shape a public narrative in times of

extreme pressure and crisis.

Campaigning on Twitter | #Twiplomacy

Campaigning on Twitter

Moments:

Moment Maker

Campaigning on Twitter | Moments: Moment Maker

Moments: Moment Maker

Twitter Moments are curated stories about what’s happening around the world — powered by Tweets. It’s easy to

create your own story with Twitter Moments and it’s a fantastic way to compile the best Tweets from your campaign

or to recap a successful event.

How to create a Moment

There are three ways to begin creating your own Moment. You can access Moments through the Moments tab, your

proﬁle page, or through a Tweet detail. To get started all you need is a title, description, Tweets, and a selected

cover image.

From the Moments tab:

1. From the “Moments” tab, click the “Create New Moment” button.

2. Click the “Title your Moment” ﬁeld to give your Moment a name.

Note: Titles can be up to 75 characters in length.

3. Click the “Add a description” ﬁeld to type in a description for

your Moment.

Note: Descriptions can be up to 250 characters in length.

4. Choose Tweets to add to your Moment:

a. From the “Add Tweets to your Moment” section at the bottom of the

page, quickly access content to select Tweets from “Tweets I’ve liked,”

“Tweets by account,” “Tweet link,” and “Tweet search” prompts.

b. To add a Tweet to your Moment, click on the “checkmark” icon

5. Click “Set cover” to choose a cover image from one of your selected

Tweets, or to upload an image from your computer. Drag your selected

image to set a “Mobile preview,” click the “Next” button, then click the

“Save” button.

Note: To change your selected image, hover over the cover image and

click on “Change cover media.” After you’ve set your cover media, the

source will be credited below the image.

6. Once you have Tweets in your collection, click on the “up” or “down

arrow” buttons to the right of a Tweet to move it up or down.

7. Click on the “delete” button to remove a Tweet from your Moment.

8. Click on the “crop” button next to any of your selected Tweets to

make an image selection for mobile viewing.

9. Click the “Finish later” button at the top of the page to save a draft.

10. When you are ready to make your Moment live, click on the “Publish”

button at the top of the page.

Campaigning on Twitter | Moments: Moment Maker

From the Moments tab on your proﬁle page:

1. Click on the “Moments” tab, then click the “Create new

Moment” button to get started.

2. Follow the directions above to complete your Moment.

From a Tweet:

1. Click the “more” button

2. Select “New Moment” to add the Tweet to a new Moment.

Note: Any completed Moments or Moments drafts you

have in progress will also be listed in the drop-down to

choose from.

3. Follow the directions above to complete your Moment.

More options while creating a Moment

From the More menu at the top of the page:

1. Click on More while in draft mode.

2. Select “Choose mobile theme color” if you’d like to

apply one.

3. Select “Mark that Moment contains sensitive material” if

appropriate.

4. Select “Share Moment privately” to copy and paste your

Moment’s URL to share privately with others.

Note: The Moment will only be visible to people who

have the URL, it will not be visible on your proﬁle page, or

published on Twitter.

5. Select “Unpublish Moment” to unpublish a Moment you

have previously published.

6. Select “Delete Moment” to permanently remove the

Moment from your proﬁle and Twitter.

Note: You will see a conﬁrmation pop-up message to

conﬁrm the deletion.

After you’ve saved your Moment as a draft:

• You can click on the “Edit” button under the Moment description to

continue editing your Moment.

• Click the “Tweet” button under the Moment description to share your

Moment with your followers.

• Note: The Tweet compose box will pop up giving you an opportunity

to edit or add to the auto-populated Moment title and link in the

compose box.

• Click on the “more” button under the Moment description to send

your Moment via Direct Message, and to view the copy and embed

links to your Moment.

• Note: As you scroll through your saved or published Moment you will

see a menu pop up on the left-hand side to conveniently “Edit,”

“Tweet,” or “Message” your Moment.

Campaigning on Twitter | Moments: Moment Maker

How to create a Moment on Twitter for iOS

From your proﬁle:

1. In the top menu, tap your proﬁle icon .

2. Tap Moments.

3. Tap the plus icon .

4. Tap the “Set title” ﬁeld to give your Moment a name.

5. Tap the “Set description” ﬁeld to type in a description for your Moment.

6. Tap “Done.”

7. Tap the “cover” icon then tap the “camera” icon to add a cover image.

8. You can remove, “crop,” or select a new cover image at any time by

tapping the camera icon.

9. Choose Tweets to add to your Moment: Tap the “Add Tweets” tab to

quickly access content to select Tweets from “My Tweets,” “Liked,” and

“Search.”

10. Once you have Tweets in your collection, tap the “Reorder” tab to

change the order of Tweets. Hold and drag to reorder, then tap “Done.”

11. Tap the “crop” icon to crop an image in a selected Tweet for

mobile view.

12. Tap the “color” icon to select a background color for your Moment.

13. Tap “Finish later” at the top of the screen to save a draft of your Moment.

14. When you are ready to make your Moment live, tap “Publish” at the top

of the editing screen.

Campaigning on Twitter | Moments: Moment Maker

From a Tweet:

1. Tap the icon.

2. Select “Add to Moment,” then tap “Create New” to add the Tweet to a

new Moment.

Note: Any completed Moments or drafts you have in progress will also

be listed in the drop-down to choose from.

3. Follow the directions above to complete your Moment.

From the editing screen of a published or saved Moment:

From the “More” tab

1. Select “Moment has sensitive material,” if appropriate.

2. Select “Share location with Twitter,” if you choose to.

3. Tap “Unpublish Moment” to unpublish a Moment you have

previously published.

4. To remove your Moment, tap “Delete Moment,” then tap “Delete”

to conﬁrm.

More options while creating a Moment on Twitter for iOS

From your Moments list via your proﬁle menu:

Swipe a Moment entry in your list to the left and tap “Delete” to remove a

published or draft Moment.

Campaigning on Twitter | Moments: Moment Maker

How to create a Moment on Twitter for Android

From your proﬁle menu:

1. In the top menu, you will either see a “navigation menu” icon or your

“proﬁle” icon. Tap whichever icon you have.

2. Tap “My Moments.”

3. Tap the “overﬂow” icon or the “Create New” bar to create a

new Moment.

4. Tap the “Pick a title” ﬁeld to give your Moment a name.

5. Tap the “Moment description” ﬁeld to type in a summary of

your Moment.

6. Tap “Done.”

7. Tap the “cover” icon to add a cover image. You can remove, crop,

or select a new cover image at any time by tapping the “cover” icon.

8. Choose Tweets to add to your Moment: Tap the “Add Tweets” tab to

quickly access content to select Tweets from “My Tweets,” “Liked,”

and “Search.”

9. Once you have Tweets in your collection, tap the “Reorder” tab to

change the order of Tweets. Hold and drag to reorder, then tap “Done.”

10. Tap the “crop” icon to crop an image in a selected Tweet for

mobile view.

11. Tap the “color” icon to select a background color for your Moment.

12. Tap “Finish later” at the top of the screen to save a draft of

your Moment.

13. When you are ready to make your Moment live, tap “Publish” at the top

of the editing screen.

Campaigning on Twitter | Moments: Moment Maker

More options while creating a Moment on Twitter for Android

From the editing screen of a published or saved Moment:

1. From the “Additional settings” tab

2. Select “Set NSFW ﬂag,” if appropriate.

3. Select “Publish location,” if you choose to.

4. Select “Unlisted,” if you choose to.

5. Tap “Unpublish Moment” to unpublish a Moment you have

previously published.

6. To remove your Moment, tap “Delete Moment,” then tap “Remove”

to conﬁrm.

From a Tweet:

1. Tap the

icon

2. Select “Add to Moment,” then tap “Create New” to add the Tweet to a

new Moment.

Note: Any completed Moments or drafts you have in progress will also

be listed in the drop-down to choose from.

3. Follow the directions above to complete your Moment.

“Moments allows us to collect and

curate Tweets to tell stories in new

ways. It’s a powerful Twitter feature,

continuing to help build community as

we engage speciﬁc topics and events.”

— DeRay McKesson,

American Civil Rights Activist

Campaigning on Twitter

Powering

Your Site

With Twitter

Campaigning on Twitter | Powering Your Site With Twitter

Powering Your Site With Twitter

Users love to share and discover great content from across the web via Twitter. By powering your website with

Twitter buttons and embedded Tweets, you can increase your reach and inﬂuence in the conversation with just a few

clicks. It’s the instant activation that may get people to follow and engage with your content.

Adding a follow button to your website

The follow button, shown above, lets users follow your account directly from your personal homepage or any website

where the button is installed. When users click this button, the following occurs:

• For logged-in users, a small pop-up screen displays with more information about your account.

• Users who aren’t logged in to Twitter will see a similar pop-up screen that allows them to view your account’s

following/follower information, sign in, and then follow you.

How to add the follow button to your site:

• Log in to your Twitter account.

• Go to https://publish.twitter.com/#

• Customize the follow button to your liking with the available options.

• Copy and paste the code into the HTML of your website wherever you would like the button to appear.

Adding a Tweet button to your website

The Tweet button lets users quickly share the web page they’re viewing with all of their followers. Clicking the

Tweet button provides you with a pre-populated Tweet containing a link to that web page, which users can

customize before sending.

Users love to share and discover great content from across the web via Twitter. This button encourages them to

share your website and to follow your Twitter account in the process. You’ll increase trafﬁc to your site and develop

a larger Twitter audience.

Campaigning on Twitter | Powering Your Site With Twitter

How to embed a Tweet:

When you click on the “More” link at the bottom of a Tweet on the web, a

drop-down menu will appear giving you the option to “Embed Tweet.”

When you click “Embed Tweet,” a dialog box will appear. Copy and paste

the HTML code from the dialog box and add the code directly to your

website wherever you’d like the Tweet to appear.

How to put the Tweet button on your site:

• Go to https://publish.twitter.com/#

• Customize the Tweet button — choose pre-populated text for the message, and conﬁrm which Twitter accounts

you’d like to suggest to users. The main account you specify will become a mention in the Tweet. (By default,

we’ll use the username of whichever account you’re currently logged into.)

• Copy and paste the code into the HTML of your website wherever you would like the button to appear.

• The optional Tweet counter captures a sum of all Tweets and Retweets of your content, so you can watch the

message spread as people share it.

Embedding a Tweet on your site

You can embed a Tweet directly onto your site to create a conversation between Twitter users and the people

who visit your website. Want to highlight a particular Tweet that struck a chord with people or add context from

Twitter users on a developing story? With embedded Tweets, you can incorporate your best Tweets or any other

public Tweet into your online content. They function just like regular Tweets, so users can continue to engage by

Retweeting, replying, or liking the Tweet — all without leaving your site.

Campaigning on Twitter

Measure

Your Impact

Campaigning on Twitter | Measure Your Impact

Measure Your Impact

The billions of Tweets sent each week are a valuable source of data which can tell you how people are engaging with

your Tweets. Whatever your goals are, visit anaytics.twitter.com to ﬁnd tools to help you understand and improve

your performance on Twitter.

What is it that you want to know? Twitter can help you learn more about:

• Follower growth: How many new followers you get every day, week, or month

• Follower quality and engagement: How many users interact with your account

• Reach: How many users see, like, or Retweet your Tweets

• Trafﬁc: How many users go to your site

The impressions metric tells you how many times your Tweet has been viewed on Twitter’s Android and iOS apps or

on Twitter.com. You can view the total impressions on a Tweet, as well as an hour-by-hour breakdown for the ﬁrst

day of that Tweet. You also get insight into total impressions for all your Tweets in aggregate over a 28-day period.

In addition to the number of impressions, Retweets, and likes your Tweet received, the dashboard gives a

breakdown of how people are engaging with it. Just click on the Tweet you’re interested in and it will expand to

show you more detail. For Tweets with links, for example, you’ll see link clicks; for Tweets with hashtags, you’ll see

hashtag clicks; for Tweets with App Cards, you’ll see how many times people clicked to install your app or open it

(if it’s already downloaded). And if you receive follows or proﬁle views from a particular Tweet, you’ll see that too.

Finally, the CSV export tool will show you data for up to 3,200 Tweets (up from 500) and includes a breakdown of all

impressions and other engagement numbers .

Campaigning on Twitter

TweetDeck

TweetDeck helps you organize and build custom timelines, keep track of lists, searches, activity, and more — all in

one interface. It also helps you to ﬁnd exactly what you’re looking for by enabling you to create searches to track

topics, events, and hashtags. You can then reﬁne the results with ﬁlters.

With TweetDeck you can also share an account with your team without sharing your password. You can maintain

full control of permissions at all times. Multiple users can also be logged into one account, giving an entire team the

ability to manage one or several accounts, ensuring more content is produced and distributed while also sharing the

time commitment among a group (but remember to keep the voice of the account as consistent as possible!).

To get TweetDeck, go to tweetdeck.twitter.com

Campaigning on Twitter | TweetDeck

Campaigning on Twitter

Periscope

Campaigning on Twitter | Periscope

Periscope

Periscope allows you to broadcast LIVE from wherever you are. Press a button, and instantly notify your followers

that you’re live. Whether you’re documenting the progress of your campaign or tracking a newsworthy event,

Periscope offers an audience the power of a shared experience. Broadcasters on Periscope are directly connected

to their audience. You can broadcast directly from Twitter or using the dedicated Periscope app.

For viewers, it offers them the kind of behind-the-scenes experience of your NGO’s activities that consistently

proves more compelling than a more traditional media experience. They can interact with what they’re seeing by

commenting in real time and they can show their appreciation by tapping the screen to send hearts.

Since launching in March 2015, the Periscope app has built up a massive user base. In the ﬁrst 10 days after its

launch, it hit one million users. This has grown at a phenomenal rate since then. Periscope broadcasts also appear in

the Twitter timeline, bringing your streams to an even wider audience.

To learn more about Periscope, go to: https://www.periscope.tv/

Campaigning on Twitter | Periscope

Use cases

Below are some uses cases for which Periscope is particularly suited.

• Behind-the-scenes glimpses: People love live broadcasts because they’re authentic and spontaneous. They’re

unscripted and offer glimpses into the daily workings of your organization which more “produced” videos can’t.

• Special live event broadcasts: If you’re holding an event, be it an open AGM or a town hall-style meeting, you

could try broadcasting it on Periscope. People can participate while watching, posing questions in the stream

which you can incorporate into the event.

• Launching a campaign, initiative, or paper: Give people a sense that they’re with you at crucial moments. Be it

the launch of a campaign or an important research paper, your supporters will want to feel like they’re there

with you.

• Interviews with spokespeople: This is an easy way for you and your colleagues to offer some on-the-spot insight

into your work. Spokespeople can take questions from other Periscope users who post questions in the stream.

• Contests and rewards: If your organization runs contests, perhaps as part of a fundraising effort, it can be helpful

to promote them with live video.

Best practices

• Consider timing: It’s good to give your followers some advance notice of a broadcast. Let them know when you’ll

be going live with a few Tweets.

• Come up with a compelling title: Your followers will receive a notiﬁcation when you begin broadcasting. Make

sure the title of your broadcast gives them a reason to tune in. Make it straightforward, or give a sense of

exclusivity, or just make it sound plain weird! Whatever is appropriate for the broadcast and will catch the

attention of your audience.

• Make your broadcast easy to ﬁnd: Promote it beforehand by Tweeting about the fact that you’ll be broadcasting

soon. Turn on geotagging, etc.

• Engage with users: When broadcasting, be sure to reply to comments and questions that viewers leave on the

stream. This will build a sense of community among your followers.

Campaigning on Twitter

Twitter Ad

Products

Twitter Ad Products

Get your Tweets and your account in front of more people who are interested in your campaign.

There are three opportunities to advertise on Twitter:

Promoted Tweets are regular Tweets but with the added bonus of reaching both current and potential followers.

There are numerous targeting capabilities to help you reach the right audience.

Promoted Accounts quickly build an active community of advocates and inﬂuencers for your campaign. The bigger

your follower base, the more people there are to engage with and spread your message.

Promoted Trends are national advertising opportunities that appear at the top of a list of popular topics

happening right now, on Twitter. Because these Trends are placed prominently next to a user’s timeline, they

get mass exposure.

Targeting options

1. Keywords in timeline. People express interests and opinions on Twitter all the time. Keyword targeting in

timeline lets you reach Twitter users based on the keywords in their recent Tweets and the Tweets with which

users recently engaged. Show users the right message, at the right moment, in the right context.

2. Interest. Our community is passionate about everything from shoes to semiconductors. We can help you ﬁnd

your ideal audience using hundreds of different interest targets, political and otherwise.

3. Geography. Twitter is used in nearly every country in the world and is available in more than 35 languages.

Reach a global audience or one that’s speciﬁc to Ireland.

4. Gender. Have a message more suited for men or maybe for women? Reach either or both with gender targeting.

5. Similarity to existing followers. Your followers already love you. We’ll help you ﬁnd more just like them.

6. Device (mobile, desktop). 78% of Twitter users log in via their mobile device. Twitter Ads give you the option to

target your ads to Android, iOS, or Blackberry, in addition to desktop.

7. Keyword search results. Users are searching for information on Twitter. Insert your message in front of users

interested in the issues and candidates important to your campaign.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter Ad Products

TV Conversation Targeting

Through our conversation mapping

technology, political campaigns can

promote Tweets to users who engage

with speciﬁc televised shows, whether or

not the campaign is running a spot in the

program. This is an ideal complement to

your TV strategy, as well as an opportunity

to reach your targeted TV audiences

beyond your ﬂight dates.

Lead Generation Card

Since databases help drive campaigns,

building them is a main objective for many

NGOs on Twitter. Adding Twitter Lead

Generation Cards to your Tweets makes it

easy for people to express interest in your

NGO or campaign without having to ﬁll out

a form or leave Twitter. With just a couple

of clicks, users can share their contact

information with you so that you can

follow up with your new potential activists

and supporters.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter Ad Products

Website Card

Website Cards allow you to better promote

your website on Twitter by adding an

image, related content, and a strong call-

to-action button to your Tweet. By linking

a preview of your website to your Tweet,

the Website Card offers a seamless way

to drive the right audience to your site

with a single click. We found that Tweets

with Website Cards drive 43% more clicks

(Twitter internal data, 2014).

Self-Service Ads Platform

If you’re working with a modest budget

or you simply want to get a campaign up

and running quickly, you can try our self-

service ads platform. Simply go to

ads.twitter.com when logged in and

you’ll be brought to the ads dashboard.

From there you can enter your credit card

details, select what kind of campaign

you want to run, who you want to target,

create your content, and you’re good to

go. It’s as simple as that.

Campaigning on Twitter

Case Studies

Campaigning on Twitter | Case Studies

Case Studies: #HeForShe

#HeForShe was launched by actress Emma Watson on Sept. 20, 2014, at the United Nations building in New York.

The campaign’s focus, as the hashtag neatly suggests, is to promote gender equality across the world, with a

particular focus on encouraging men to support this goal. It was an immediate success, as Watson’s speech went

viral and high-proﬁle male advocates from the worlds of acting, music, sports, and politics demonstrated their

support on Twitter.

Method:

It’s important to note that, while an agency did help to coordinate the campaign, no money was spent online to

promote the content. The campaign’s success was a result of two things:

1. It had a clear, simple message. The hashtag is short and easily understood.

2. The organizers put a lot of time and effort into recruiting advocates before the launch of the campaign, thus

ensuring momentum once it launched. Everyone who had promised their support, from the White House to Harry

Styles, Tweeted the hashtag and it began to trend worldwide.

The organizers spent as much time planning the campaign as they did executing that planning. They lined up allies

who would guarantee awareness and virality. They had great content in the form of Watson’s speech and the photos

and videos that followed.

Account: @HeforShe

Website: HeforShe.org

Campaigning on Twitter | Case Studies

Case Studies: #NotInMyName

This campaign was started by the Active Change Foundation in September 2014. They thought the religion of Islam

was being tarnished and manipulated by ISIS/Daesh, among other terrorist organizations. They wanted to ﬁght back,

and show people the true face of Islam. That’s when they created and launched the #NotInMyName campaign.

Muslims and non-Muslims alike were encouraged to Tweet their denouncements of the violent acts and declare that

those perpetrating them were not doing so in their name or the name of Islam.

In their own words, “the campaign is a huge success, with over 885,000 views on YouTube, and over 6.6 million

Tweets using the hashtag. The hashtag has reached over 300 million people around the world, all of them

denouncing the violence and corruption of ISIS/Daesh.”

The campaign has also been featured in The New York Times, CNN, and The Hufﬁngton Post, among others.

The campaign’s success can be attributed to the fact that it expressed what so many Muslims have felt over the

last few years. It invited them to participate in the campaign by offering a clear call to action in the hashtag. The

message is simple, powerful, and the manner in which users expressed themselves was often deeply moving.

Website: http://isisnotinmyname.com/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfYanI-zJes

Active Change Foundation:

https://twitter.com/Active_Change_F

Campaigning on Twitter | Case Studies

Case Studies: #PositionOfStrength

#PositionOfStrength is an internet safety and empowerment initiative. It seeks to engage women online while

educating them on how to use Twitter as a platform to build a proﬁle, have a voice, and create their own unique and

inﬂuential personal brands.

Twitter Australia launched the #PositionOfStrength initiative in March 2015 and since then there have been events all

over the world, from New York to New Delhi. The global program of events has featured opportunities for women to

learn how to use the platform with conﬁdence, and to network with other career-minded women.

The formats of these events can vary, but they often include a presentation of Twitter’s policies and the tools that

enable users to control their experience. Guests can then be invited to tell their stories on the #PositionOfStrength

soapbox, sharing their experience of Twitter and what it’s like to be an outspoken woman on the internet.

Twitter has welcomed some high-proﬁle guests at these events. Chirlane McCray, the First Lady of New York City,

attended the US launch of #PositionOfStrength, while Queen Rania of Jordan stopped by at the event in Dubai.

These guests help to amplify the essential message of the initiative: that women should feel empowered to make a

contribution to the public discourse and to use Twitter as a stage from which to share their stories.

Campaigning on Twitter | Case Studies

Case Studies: #ExitHate

The #ExitHate campaign was managed by the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) and its goal was to

encourage Europeans to “exit hate” from their lives and the discussions they have about divisive issues. Individuals

were also encouraged to submit their own stories in video format via the #ExitHate website.

The #ExitHate campaign had its origins in workshops organized by RAN in the year prior to the campaign’s launch

in September. It was decided that the most effective content the campaign could produce would highlight the

compelling stories of individuals who had either been radicalized themselves or were the victims of terrorist attacks.

By telling these stories through skillfully produced videos, the campaign was giving a very human face to the issue of

radicalization and its ill effects on individuals and communities.

The campaign received an Ads for Good grant and proved hugely successful on Twitter.

Statistics:

• Impressions: 2.59 million

• Views: ~900,000

• Engagements: 32,100

• Cost per engagement: 1¢

Key takeaway:

Personal stories told through the medium of professionally produced video can be exceptionally effective on Twitter.

#ExitHate account: https://twitter.com/ExitHate

Case Studies: #StandWithNepal

On April 25, 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. Almost 9,000 people died. More than 600,000 houses,

and some ancient buildings, crumbled. Millions were affected by its aftermath. The Global Fund for Women raised

over $700,000 and distributed it to its network of grantee partners.

The funds reached about 23,000 households and some 7,000 postnatal and pregnant women, elderly people, and

children were supported directly. The Women Awareness Center Nepal, a longtime Global Fund for Women grantee

partner that works with over 35,000 women in Nepal, distributed zinc corrugated tin sheets to women in the Kavre

district to help them rebuild their homes.

One year later, the Global Fund for Women sought to celebrate the work of Nepalese women leading the

reconstruction and recovery effort. The Fund shared photojournalist Alison Wright’s images documenting women

helping the country recover from the tragedy. Twitter users were encouraged to demonstrate their support for these

women by Tweeting or sending a message directly to them via the Fund’s website.

Method

The objective of this campaign was to raise awareness. While this particular campaign was initiated one year after

the event which prompted the need to seek help from the general public, the practices that underpin the campaign

can be applied to any campaigns focused on disaster relief.

The plight of real people is highlighted with empathy through the provocative work of a skilled photographer. In

simple terms, this means the Global Fund for Women was working with content which would connect with people

and catch their attention. The images are human and are generally joyful. By highlighting the positive approach being

taken by Nepal’s women to reconstruction, the campaign encourages the public to help them along.

Website: https://act.globalfundforwomen.org/nepal-messages

Campaigning on Twitter | Case Studies

Campaigning on Twitter

Twitter &

Periscope

Rules & Tools

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Twitter Rules

Maintaining the diversity and openness of the Twitter community is our responsibility, and so is creating a safe

environment for every user. In order to ensure that people feel safe expressing diverse opinions and beliefs, we do

not tolerate behavior that crosses the line into abuse, including behavior that harasses, intimidates, or uses fear to

silence another user’s voice.

All users must adhere to the policies set forth in the Twitter Rules (support.twitter.com/articles/18311#) and Terms of

Service (twitter.com/tos?lang=en). Failure to do so may result in the temporary locking and/or permanent suspension

of account(s).

Violent threats (direct or indirect)

You may not make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism.

Harassment

You may not incite or engage in the targeted abuse or harassment of others. Some of the factors that we may

consider when evaluating abusive behavior include:

• If a primary purpose of the reported account is to harass or send abusive messages to others;

• If the reported behavior is one-sided or includes threats;

• If the reported account is inciting others to harass another account; and

• If the reported account is sending harassing messages to an account from multiple accounts.

Hateful conduct

You may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity,

national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious afﬁliation, age, disability, or disease. We also do

not allow accounts whose primary purpose is inciting harm towards others on the basis of these categories.

Multiple account abuse

Creating multiple accounts with overlapping uses or in order to evade the temporary or permanent suspension of a

separate account is not allowed.

Private information

You may not publish or post other people’s private and conﬁdential information, such as credit card numbers,

street address, or Social Security/National Identity numbers, without their express authorization and permission. In

addition, you may not post intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject’s consent.

Read more about our private information policy here: https://support.twitter.com/articles/20169991

A user also has the option to protect their Twitter account: https://support.twitter.com/articles/20169886 Once this

option has been selected, the user must approve any new followers before those followers can see and interact with

their Tweets. If the user wishes to make their Tweets publicly viewable again, they can do so in the same Settings menu.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Impersonation

You may not impersonate others through the Twitter service in a manner that is intended to or does mislead, confuse,

or deceive others. Read more about our impersonation policy here: https://support.twitter.com/articles/18366

Graphic content

You may not use pornographic or excessively violent media in your proﬁle image or header image. Twitter may allow

some forms of graphic content in Tweets marked as sensitive media: https://support.twitter.com/articles/20069937

When content crosses the line into gratuitous images of death, Twitter may ask that you remove the content out of

respect for the deceased.

Unlawful use

You may not use our service for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities. International users agree

to comply with all local laws regarding online conduct and acceptable content.

Reporting mechanisms and tools

Reporting mechanisms

Twitter works very hard to protect users’ experiences and we constantly strive to ensure that our users have the

support they need. To that end we provide you with tools, user controls, and robust reporting mechanisms to help

you stay safe, have control of what content you want to see, and to enjoy a wholly positive experience while using

Twitter.

We encourage users to report accounts to us that may break our rules. You can do this through the support pages

on our help center or through the in-Tweet reporting mechanism by clicking on the “Report a Tweet” option. Each

report is manually reviewed by our teams of trained personnel.

We enabled bystander reporting which means that you can make a report on behalf of another user. This can now be

done for reports of private information and impersonation as well.

You can also report several Tweets at once with our multiple Tweet reporting function, which allows users to report

up to ﬁve Tweets at the same time: https://blog.twitter.com/2016/report-multiple-tweets-in-a-single-report

If you feel an image or video should be brought to the attention of the Twitter team for review, you can report the

media to us by clicking on the “Flag media” link beneath the image.

Tools

You can also use the block function to stop another user from following you, tagging you in photos, or accessing

your Tweets. Any replies or mentions from a blocked user will not appear in your mentions tab. You can read more

about this change here: https://blog.twitter.com/2014/building-a-safer-twitter. We also separated the block and

reporting functions, making it simpler for a user to select one of these options. Users also have the option to hide a

user’s Tweets from their timeline without blocking them, by using the mute function.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Share your block list with others

By exporting your block list, you can share the list with others if they want to block the same list of accounts.

To export your block list:

1. Navigate to your “blocked account settings” on twitter.com.

2. At the top of your block list, click “All” to export your full block list. Click

“Imported” to export the block list(s) you have imported.

3. Click the “Advanced options” drop-down menu.

4. Select “Export your list.”

5. Conﬁrm the accounts you want to export.

6. Click “Export” and a .csv ﬁle will be downloaded to your computer and

you can share the ﬁle with other Twitter users. If your block list exceeds

5,000 accounts, your list will be separated into multiple ﬁles.

Note: The export ﬁle includes a user ID for each account on the list. It

does not include any other information about the users on the list.

Import someone else’s block list

By importing another user’s block list, you can block the same list of accounts.

To import a block list:

1. Make sure the ﬁle shared with you is a .csv ﬁle and save it to your

computer.

2. Navigate to your “blocked account settings” on twitter.com.

3. Click the “Advanced options” drop-down menu.

4. Select “Import a list.”

5. In the pop-up, click on “Attach a ﬁle to upload” and ﬁnd the .csv ﬁle.

Click “Open” to import the list.

6. The ﬁle name will be displayed when the ﬁle has been

successfully imported.

7. Click “Preview.” The list of the accounts will be displayed. You can

uncheck any accounts you do not wish to block (accounts that you

currently follow will be automatically unchecked).

8. Click “Block” to conﬁrm.

9. The imported accounts will be added to your block list.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Mute

Users also have the option to mute accounts, keywords, phrases and entire conversations. You can also decide how

long this content is muted – one day, one week, one month, or indeﬁnitely. To mute someone, you can navigate to

their proﬁle or simply click into one of their Tweets, click the … button and select the Mute option. When you mute

them, you won’t hear from them again.

Notiﬁcations Settings

Don’t want to see notiﬁcations from everyone? You can limit notiﬁcations to only people you follow on mobile and

on twitter.com. Simply turn it on if you want to give it a go. If not, no worries — your individual Twitter experience will

continue unchanged. There are also ﬁltering options for your notiﬁcations to give you more control over what you see

from certain types of accounts, like those without a proﬁle photo, unveriﬁed email addresses or phone numbers.

Quality Filter

The ﬁlter can improve the quality of Tweets you see by using a variety of signals, such as account origin and

behavior. Turning it on ﬁlters lower-quality content, like duplicate Tweets or content that appears to be automated,

from your notiﬁcations and other parts of your Twitter experience. It does not ﬁlter content from people you follow

or accounts you’ve recently interacted with — and depending on your preferences, you can turn it on or off in your

notiﬁcations settings.

Account Security — We’re Here to Help

It’s important to keep your account secure. Adjust your account settings at twitter.com/settings to maximize your

account protection:

Choose a strong password

We recommend using a password containing at least 20 characters. It should be either randomly generated or

consist of a random string of words. Don’t use words like Twitter or your name in the password, and choose a

unique password for each password-protected website and device you’re using. If you need multiple people to

access the same account, consider using TweetDeck’s “Teams” feature.

Use a secure email address

Use a campaign or other privately managed email address rather than a public service such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail

to reduce the risk of emails being intercepted and your security compromised. If you do use a widely available free

email provider, use precautions such as two-factor authentication.

Strengthen your security settings

Instead of relying on just a password, login veriﬁcation introduces a second check to make sure that you and

only you can access your Twitter account. After you enable this feature, you will need both your password and a

designated mobile device to log in to your account. You can also change your settings to make it easier for multiple

users to log in by enabling log in with a password or, alternatively, a code.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Require personal information to reset password

Typically you reset a password simply by entering a username and clicking on a conﬁrmation link sent by email.

For added security, you can check the “require personal information” box in your settings. With this enabled, reset

requests will have to be accompanied by your email address or phone number if you forget or need to change your

password.

Forgot your password?

It happens to the best of us! Go to this link to ﬁnd all the information you need to get back into your account:

https://support.twitter.com/articles/14663

Twitter Tools

The Twitter Tools and user controls are designed to help you stay safe, have control, and enjoy a positive experience

while using Twitter.

Mute

Sometimes, simply ignoring the user can end an altercation. Abusive users often lose interest once they realize that you

will not respond. You can hide a user’s Tweets from your timeline without blocking them by using the mute function. A

red mute icon visible only to you will appear on their proﬁle and remain until you unmute them.

Block

Use the block function to stop a user from following you, tagging you in photos, or accessing your Tweets. Any @replies

or mentions from a blocked user will not appear in your mentions tab (although these Tweets may still appear in search).

Report

To report content to Twitter, click on the “Report a Tweet” option found on each Tweet or ﬁll out one of the online forms

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

on the Twitter Help Center (support.twitter.com/forms) to message our highly trained Trust & Safety team.

Protect Your Tweets

If you want to control who sees your updates, you may choose to protect your Tweets, which will only be visible to

followers whom you approve. Similar to other social meia sites, users with protected accounts can approve requests

from other users to follow their accounts on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, only approved users are able to view or

search for Tweets on a protected account. Opting for a protected account prevents unwanted followers from viewing

their content.

Unfollow

Users can unfollow others if they no longer wish to see that person’s Tweets in their Home timeline. Unless his or her

Tweets are protected, you can still view a user’s Tweets by visiting his or her proﬁle. You can unfollow Twitter users

from your following list and from a user’s proﬁle page or by SMS/text message. Note that anyone who reports another

account as spam unfollows it automatically.

Flag Media

If you believe that an image or video should be brought to

the attention of the Twitter team for review, please report

it by clicking on the “More” button located beneath

the image.

You can also label your own media for the appropriate

viewers and select whose media appears on your timeline.

We ask users to mark their Tweets as “sensitive” if they

contain content such as nudity, violence, or medical

procedures.

The default setting for sensitive media requires Twitter

users to click through a warning message before viewing

the content. Anyone who would prefer to remove this

protective barrier may do so by changing his or her

account settings.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Twitter Reporting Guide

How to submit a report

1. Go to https://support.twitter.com

2. For account- and feature-related problems, select Fix a Problem. This section offers solutions to common

problems about logging in, managing an account, and using other features on Twitter.

3. For information about policy violations, select Policies & Reporting. This section contains all of Twitter’s policies

and explains how to report violations.

4. Navigate to the section that best describes the issue you’ve encountered. Clicking on any section will guide you

through a reporting form. To complete the form, provide all necessary information it asks for, such as contact

information and a brief description of the issue.

5. Twitter automatically sends you a conﬁrmation email containing a case number to the address provided

in the form.

6. A Twitter specialist reviews the issue.

7. Upon reaching a decision or to request more information, Twitter will contact you.

Help Center

How Can We Help?

Hateful Conduct Policy

Our philosophy

Freedom of expression is a human right. Everyone has a voice and a right to use it. Our responsibility is to

ensure people feel safe expressing diverse opinions and beliefs. Inspired by the principles outlined in the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we have 5 principles designed to guide our work in creating a safe

platform for expression.

Value Human

Dignity

We care about

people in all corners

of the world

People should feel

safe on Twitter and

across the Internet

Everyone deserves

the power to control

what they see

Everyone has access

to support and protection

on Twitter

Everyone plays

a role in keeping

Twitter safe

Self

Expression

without Fear

Control Your

Experience

Twitter for All

Safety in

Voices

Updates to our policies and enforcement

We’re strengthening our reporting, enforcement, and support for hateful conduct issues. Twitter will always be a

place for freedom of expression, but we draw the line at behavior that’s intended to silence others.

1. Reporting & Enforcement

We’ve created a new hateful conduct option within

our reporting ﬂow to make it easier to report hateful

conduct to us. We have also expanded the types of

reports that we are able to process to include more

bystander reports, which helps to reduce the burden

on the person experiencing the abuse and to create

a culture of collective support on the platform.

2. Support Teams

We have retrained all of our support teams on these

policy areas, including special sessions on cultural

and historical contextualization of hateful conduct,

and implemented an ongoing refresher program.

We’ve also improved our internal tools and systems

in order to deal more effectively with this type of

content when it is reported to us.

Mute Words in Timeline

Mute words from notifications and home timeline

You can mute words, phrases, usernames, emojis, or hashtags from both your notifications and your home

timeline, and for a specified period of time.

Click on Muted

words.

The Details

• You can decide how long you want to mute content: 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, Forever

• You have the choice to mute content from: Both notifications & timeline, From one or the other

• You can still find this content in search results

•

Content will also be muted in replies in Tweet details

Click the word you want

to update, or press the

“Add” button to enter 

a new word.

Select where you want

to mute the word from

and for how long.

Select the length of

time you want to mute

the word for.

Notification Filters

Filter the types of accounts you get notifications from

Notification filters provide people with control over the types of accounts they receive notifications from in their

notifications timeline.

Go to your

Notiﬁcations.

The Details

• You will have the ability to stop seeing notifications from accounts they don’t follow, accounts with a default

avatar, accounts with an unverified email, and accounts with an unverified phone. 

• All of these filters are opt-in and exclude people you follow. 

• Notifications filters impact both the notifications tab/timeline and push notifications.

Click the in

the upper left.

Click through to

Advanced ﬁlters.

Select the

notiﬁcations you

want to mute.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Making Conversation

Notifications More Relevant

Starting this week, when you block or mute accounts you don’t follow, conversations started by those accounts

will be muted. Because of this, you will no longer receive notifications about replies to these accounts

@mentioning you. However, you will still receive notifications if people you follow @mention 

you in those conversations.

For people who want to see ALL messages directed at them - 

On mobile:

1. Click “Explore” and search your @handle

2. After you type your @handle, press search

3. Click on Latest

On web:

1. Search your @handle 

2. Select Search Settings in 

3. Uncheck “Remove blocked and muted accounts”

What’s Changing?

Before:

1. Sarah blocks Dave for being abusive

2. Dave starts a conversation about Sarah

3. Others see Dave’s Tweets and join in the conversation with harassing Tweets

4. Even though Sarah doesn’t see that Dave Tweeted, she receives hundreds of notifications stemming

from the conversation started by Dave’s Tweet

5. Sarah sees an overwhelming amount of notifications containing targeted harassment 

After:

1. Sarah blocks Dave for being abusive 

2. Dave starts a conversation about Sarah

3. Manuel joins the conversation; Sarah follows Manuel

4. Sarah only receives notifications that @mention her from people she follows in that conversation, like

Manuel

5. Sarah is able to focus on the conversations that matter most to her 

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Periscope Community Guidelines

Periscope’s Community Guidelines outline clear content boundaries on the platform. Periscope is intended

to be open and safe. To maintain a healthy platform, explicit graphic content is not allowed. Explicit graphic

content includes, but is not limited to, depictions of child abuse, animal abuse, or bodily harm. Periscope is not

for content that is intended to incite violence, or that includes a direct and speciﬁc threat of violence to others.

Making Periscope a safe place for our community is a top priority for our team and we are working hard to prevent

inappropriate content from appearing on the platform.

Reporting

The Periscope Help Center contains instructions for reporting inappropriate content and if a user comes across

inappropriate content on Periscope, we encourage them to report the broadcast directly through the app. When

watching a broadcast on iOS or Android, select the three dot symbol next to the comment ﬁeld (Say something...)

and tap the 'Report Broadcast' button. On web, you can report a broadcast by selecting the 'i' icon next to the

comment ﬁeld to reveal the broadcast title and then clicking the exclamation point icon next to the title. This will

instantaneously alert our team of the sensitive content.

Tools

Comment Moderation

Periscope also recently launched a comment moderation feature which has drawn praise from both industry and civil

society bodies alike. The aim of this system is to empower our community to report and vote on comments that they

consider to be spam or abuse.

Here’s how it works:

1. During a broadcast, viewers can report comments as spam or abuse. The viewer that reports the comment will

no longer see messages from that commenter for the remainder of the broadcast. The system may also identify

commonly reported phrases.

2. When a comment is reported, a few viewers are randomly selected to vote on whether they think the comment is

spam, abuse, or looks okay.

3. The result of the vote is shown to voters. If the majority votes that the comment is spam or abuse, the

commenter will be notiﬁed that their ability to chat in the broadcast has been temporarily disabled. Repeat

offenses will result in chat being disabled for that commenter for the remainder of the broadcast.

We’ve designed this system to be very lightweight — the entire process above should last just a matter of seconds.

That said, if people don’t want to participate, broadcasters can elect to not have their broadcasts moderated, and

viewers can opt out of voting from their settings.

This system works in tandem with other tools that we have in place for our community. You can still report ongoing

harassment or abuse, block and remove people from your broadcasts, and restrict comments to people you know.

Friends-Only Chat

Broadcasters also have the option to toggle the 'Only users you follow can chat' button before they go live. This

feature is intended to add an additional layer of chat safety for the broadcaster.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

Block

As a broadcaster, you have the ability to select a

comment made in your broadcast and block the user.

However, as a viewer of a broadcast you only have the

option to report the comment. If you want to block that

user you must select their proﬁle image, select the gear

icon in the upper left hand corner, and then select block.

Campaigning on Twitter | Twitter & Periscope Rules & Tools

#Connect

#Motivate

#Engage

#Connect

#Motivate

#Engage