Twitter has just launched ‘Carousels’ for organic tweets and its available to all news publishers via Social News Desk’s leading-edge publishing tool: SND Dashboard. The new capability is representative of a philosophical shift at Twitter… as the company looks for ways to build out more engaging content-experiences for its users. And for newsrooms, this signals the ushering in of a more creative, more curated Twitter strategy. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Breaking News
When a news story is fresh, you may only have a couple of photos from the scene. Add each photo to a Twitter Carousel and link each to the story on your website. Consider adding a Twitter Carousel item linking to your main website, and another to your news app to encourage followers to download and stay on top of updates.
Severe Weather Coverage
Add multiple carousel items to highlight links directly to the latest radar images, severe weather watches and warnings, and updates on storm damage. You can also include videos to showcase the storm’s path and a brief update from your meteorologists. Add a Twitter Carousel item to link directly to your app download page, so followers can stay ahead of the storm.
COVID-19 Updates
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, make sure you’re giving followers the complete story. A single Twitter Carousel can contain updates on case counts, the latest information on where to get tested, and reminders about quarantine procedures in case of positive test results.
Ongoing Investigative Coverage
Major news investigations often have several facets – as new details are uncovered, additional stories may be published. Adding multiple Twitter Carousel items gives your followers the background they need to understand all aspects of a complicated story.
Sports Roundups
Use Twitter Carousels to produce a mini-sportscast. Share highlight videos with links to individual stories from the wide world of sports, or add score updates from multiple games to a single Tweet. Sports columnists can share their latest column, and add additional links to related stories.
User-Generated Content
From sunset photos to Halloween costumes to first day of school photos, sharing user-generated content is still a fun way to make social media a two-way conversation. Feature up to 6 photos at once, and link to the full gallery on your website for additional traffic.
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