Twitter Best Practices
Twitter, now known as X, is a great tool for relaying messages in a timely manner because it is made up of tweets displayed in a reverse chronological order in your feed.
Twitter's character limit is 280, but it is still important to be succinct in your messaging.
You’re encouraged to follow the university’s Editorial Style Guide when possible, but Twitter’s character limit means some of these rules are flexible. Refer to our social media style guide for more specific writing guidelines. Please review UPPS 06.05.05 for all social media policies, including account access and setup.
Features
Cover Images and Avatars
When creating avatars for social media, we recommend using the following guidelines and templates to help your page present a recognizable TXST identity and voice of authority.
Avatar guidelines:
- Use the avatar to clearly identify your unit as the owner of the page.
- Use expressive photos or illustrations for cover images or headers.
- Use the acronym “TXST” and the name of your unit in bold. If your unit name is too long for the avatar for legibility please use the appropriate abbreviation. (Your full name must be present in your account name or bio.)
- Maroon backgrounds are reserved for the main TXST social media channels.
- Please do not use a TXST logo or University Seal in your avatar. The TXST logo is reserved for the main TXST social media channels. The SuperCat logo is reserved for Athletics social media channels and permission to utilize that logo must be requested through Athletics.
If you have a uniquely designed logo approved by the University Marketing (ex. McCoy College of Business) you may opt out of the system avatars. For more details on institutional logos and brand assets please review our Logos and Guidelines.
Hashtags
Hashtags are meant to group posts with similar content into categories so they are easily searchable.
Use approved hashtags. Using the correct hashtags will maximize the reach and effectiveness of your tweet.
When creating a hashtag for an event, be sure that it contains a connection to the university.
Before using a trending hashtag, make sure you understand how the hashtag is being used and if tweets using that hashtag are appropriate for your audience. A quick search in Twitter will help gauge how others are using the hashtag.
Try to use hashtags in an organic way whenever possible, but it is OK to tag them at the end of your tweet if you need to reach a certain audience.
Media
When attaching any kind of media to a tweet, including but not limited to images, GIFs, and videos, they need to follow accessibility guidelines. Images with text should use color combinations that meet color contrast requirements. Alt text should always be added to images and GIFs on Twitter. Remember that any video attached to a tweet must have captions within the video!
Links
Use URL shorteners such as bit.ly or those built into platforms such as Hootsuite to shorten links.
While including a link is almost mandatory to convey a full story, use all the characters available to summarize the main point of what you are linking to. Do not use an ellipsis to end a tweet if you do not have enough characters.
Additionally, ITAC provides a free service to create vanity/short URLs for txstate.edu sites. For example, go.txstate.edu/familia links to https://www.admissions.txstate.edu/future-students/padres-y-familia. You can request to shorten a site URL online.
Mentions
Mention active user accounts whenever possible in place of the organization’s name, such as @KTSW_899 instead of KTSW 89.9.
Replies
You can start a tweet with @username and your followers will see it, but replies are still semi-private.
Be familiar with how @replies work.
It is not necessary to put a period at the beginning of every @reply.
Reposts/Quote Reposts
You’re encouraged to repost content from other official Texas State University accounts to share university news and events.
- Be careful what you rrepost. A rrepost, especially from a university account, is seen as an endorsement.
- Before reposting, take a look at the user’s handle. If the handle is suggestive or otherwise inappropriate, do not repost.
Analytics
Use Twitter’s analytic tools or Hootsuite to track the success of your Page or Ad campaign. You will also gain insight into your audience and which posts do well.
Following
Following other accounts, just like reposting, is a form of endorsement. Who you follow should be a resource for yourself and/or your followers. Be sure to follow all the TXST affiliated accounts found on our directory!