Despite Twitter’s many recent changes, it remains the best platform for immediate news and event coverage. People want to experience things as they are happening and Twitter loves this kind of immediacy. Truth be told, we do too!

Whether you’re attending an event or the organiser, tweeting live is a great way to increase popularity, reach more people and show you care about all your fans – not just the ones who could make it in person. We were at the NEC last week, supporting one of our clients with their exhibition. In addition to the hundreds of enquiries they took in person at the show, our digital content  meant they reached thousands more on Twitter alone. Live tweeting at an event is not to be scoffed at.

So, here are ten tips for tweeting during live events:

1. Think about the build up

Prior to the event, find out who the speakers / organisers / other exhibitors are and connect with them on Twitter. Don’t simply follow them – tweet them to introduce yourself and say you’re looking forward to meeting them.

Make sure you follow the official Twitter account of the event, if there is one, and become familiar with what the official hashtag will be. It is also a good idea to follow any news organisations you know will be reporting from there too.

Try to find Twitter users who might be interested in the event. You can do a search using the previous year’s hashtag and start following the users who posted cool tweets about it. I’d also recommend tweeting them to ask if they’ll be going this year – engagement is much more likely to lead to a follow and a meaningful connection.

2. Blow your own trumpet

So you’re going to be tweeting live. Tell people! It goes without saying that you’ll inform your Twitter followers, but let everyone on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn know too. Send out a regular email bulletin? Let those subscribers know as well.

Simply offering a running commentary might not be enough to get everyone tuned in however, so think carefully about the great things you’re planning to share as part of it or the exciting moments that are likely to happen, for example:

“Tune in for a pic of Mr X as he tries to complete our exhibition challenge!”

“I will be sharing the seven secrets to growing your business from Ms X, our expert speaker.”

3. Plan ahead

Even with the best will in the world, events keep you busy, meaning that it isn’t always feasible to tweet every 20 minutes as planned. So, with careful planning, you should be able to schedule some content to help bolster the live stuff. Use Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or a tool such as Buffer to assist with this.

4. Use the hashtag

We all want to reach new people on social – and using the official hashtag for an event is a great way to do so. If it’s a big event, there’s a good chance the tag will be trending too so don’t just use it once, use it in every single one of your tweets from the event. No excuses!

5. Join in the conversation

Met someone new? Ask them what their Twitter handle is and tag them in your picture.

Following the event thread? Reply to people, share other posts and start conversations. Don’t be afraid to make it real world – ask people which stand they are on or when they’re speaking and then interact accordingly.

6. Get involved with Twitter moments

Moments is Twitter’s curated live event reporting app. Twitter aggregates and curates the most relevant tweets about key events and organises them in to one live stream. You can report live from an event by simply selecting a tweet in the stream, clicking on the “more” icon and selecting “report” from the scroll down menu.

7. Make it visual

Most of us have a camera, and a video camera, in our pockets – and while text can be great for sharing snippets from talks, it’s the visual stuff that gets shared the most from events. Images, audio and video all help people feel involved in the event – just don’t forget to use the official hashtag to maximise exposure.

8. Be shareworthy

Keep your tweets fun and RT-worthy by looking out for the funny moments, the random events, the juicy insights from keynotes etc. Other people will retweet if they think your content is funny, useful or in-the-moment news.

9. Follow up

A tweet saying how nice it was to meet someone, a follow up question about something you discussed or a simple follow for the people you didn’t have time to connect with on the day – following up and keeping those conversations going is key. I like to make a Twitter list after each event so I can zoom in on key conversations and accounts and stay up to date with their news. However you approach it, focus on building the relationship.

10. Blog about it, baby!

The final push in your live coverage should be a handy blog post that summarises the day’s events, pulls together all your images, news and video and outlines the main insights or benefits in attending. Try featuring event attendees in your post and letting them know – they’re much more likely to share it for you if they are a part of it! Or go for the list approach: “10 Things I learnt at X Event” – they’re always massively popular straight afterwards, so you’ve got to be quick!

Have you used Twitter for live events? I’d love to hear your tips and experiences!

– Kate Tyler