Scheduling Tweets (Xeets?) can be a game-changer for your brand.
It’s hard enough coming up with witty one-liners, hot takes on current events, or smart replies on a regular basis–but actually having to log in and post them at the right intervals? Talk about a headache.
By auto-scheduling your content in advance, you can send out viral Tweets for days (or weeks) without lifting a finger.
Here’s how to do it, and why you should.
Bonus: Download the free 30-day plan to grow your Twitter following fast, a daily workbook that will help you establish a Twitter marketing routine and track your growth, so you can show your boss real results after one month.
How to schedule Tweets: 3 methods
There’s more than one way to bake a cake, and the same is true for scheduling Tweets.
Here are some of the best methods for scheduling your Tweets using Hootsuite and Twitter.
1. On X (formerly Twitter)
The native Twitter scheduler lets you quickly and easily schedule Tweets from the platform itself. You can schedule both organic and promoted Tweets up to a year in advance.
The network’s native scheduler is a little basic, and you’ll be limited to scheduling only on Twitter. But, if that’s right for your business, here’s how to get it done.
Step 1. Log into Twitter Ads
To schedule a Tweet using the Twitter platform, start by logging in to ads.twitter.com.
If you don’t already have a Twitter Ads account set up, you’ll need to add a credit card and billing address to get started.
Step 2. Go to Creatives and then Tweets
Next, choose the Creatives from the drop-down menu at the top of the page, and then choose the Tweets tab.
Here, you can see scheduled Tweets and past Tweets.
Step 3. Schedule a new Tweet
Now, click on New Tweet in the top right corner. You’ll be redirected to the Tweet Composer, where you can create your Tweet. Add your copy, photos, and videos here.
Step 4. Choose promoted or organic
At the bottom of the Tweet Composer, you’ll see a box for Promoted only. If you want your Tweet to be seen only by users targeted in a Promoted Ads campaign, select this box. If you want your Tweet to be seen organically, make sure it’s unchecked.
Step 5. Schedule your Tweet
Once your settings are all set up, click the drop-down next to the Tweet button at the top right of your screen. Choose Schedule, then select the date and time you’d like your Tweet to go live.
From here, you can either schedule this single Tweet, or click the Create another box to the left of the Schedule button to keep drafting more Tweets.
2. With Hootsuite
For brands looking for a more comprehensive Tweet scheduler, a social media management tool like Hootsuite offers bulk scheduling, best time to post features, plus the ability to post to multiple social media accounts at once. (With Hootsuite, you can also schedule posts to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest.)
Here’s how to schedule Tweets with Hootsuite.
Step 1: Click on the Composer icon
When you’ve logged into your Hootsuite account, click the pen icon in the left-hand menu. Then, click Post.
Step 2: Choose your account
You might have multiple Twitter accounts connected to Hootsuite. So, select the one you want to publish to before drafting your post.
Step 3: Draft your post
Start drafting your post in the composer window.
Here, you can add photos, videos, captivating copy, mentions, hashtags, location data, emojis, and more. You can also shorten links and add UTM parameters to help track the performance of your posts.
Plus, use Hootsuite’s new OwlyWriter AI feature to create AI-assisted Tweets directly in your Hootsuite Composer.
Step 4: Schedule your Tweet
Once your Tweet is drafted and ready to schedule, choose the Schedule for later option in the bottom left corner.
Here, you can manually set a date and time for the post to go live. Or, choose from Hootsuite’s best time to post recommendations.
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Then, click Schedule, and you’re done!
3. With Hootsuite Mobile
Wondering how to schedule tweets on mobile? Here’s how to do it with Hootsuite.
Step 1. Log into the Hootsuite App
Download and launch Hootsuite’s mobile app on your iOS or Android device. Then, log in using your existing credentials.
Step 2: Click Compose
Once you’re in, click the Compose icon. This is where you’ll draft your post.
Step 3: Choose account and content
Select the Twitter account you’d like to post to, then start drafting your post. Add copy, links, photos, videos, and more.
Step 4: Schedule your Tweet
When you’re done composing the Tweet, tap on Next in the top right of your screen.
A pop-up will appear. Here, you can either Auto schedule Tweets (meaning Hootsuite will choose the best date and time for your post to go live). Or, you can Custom schedule (meaning you the set date and time manually).
Once you’ve made your selection, click Ok, and that’s it! Your Tweet is now scheduled to go live at the specified time.
Benefits of scheduling Tweets
Scheduling Tweets saves you time so you can focus on creating content and engaging with your followers.
Here are a few more reasons you should be scheduling your Tweets.
- Time-saving: Social media managers know just how much time it can take to post on Twitter day in and day out. Scheduling Twitter posts helps you avoid those long hours spent manually posting so you can focus on more interesting or creative tasks.
- Engagement: Ensure your content reaches the largest audience possible by setting it to post during peak engagement times.
- Consistency: Scheduling Tweets is a great way to establish trust with followers and maintain consistency in your brand.
- Targeting: Got a large, global audience? Tweet scheduling is key for targeting customers in different time zones and countries.
- Productivity: It’s easier to stay inspired, organized, and productive with a batch-scheduling system that lets you work on Tweets in advance and let them post at the optimal times.
6 tips for scheduling Tweets
Now that you know the ins and outs of scheduling Tweets, here are some bonus tips to make sure you get the most out of your Twitter presence.
1. Post at the best time
Different brands have different audiences who are active at different times. Using a Twitter scheduling tool to line up your Tweets in advance lets you test the waters and find out what times of day bring you the most engagement.
Then, you can use those insights to optimize your posting schedule and get the most out of every Tweet.
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2. Give yourself time to edit
Social media moves fast, and sometimes, the Tweets you scheduled days ago can be out of touch by the time they go live.
That’s why giving yourself some leeway is important when scheduling Tweets. With Hootsuite, you can edit Tweets even after they’ve been scheduled, so you can keep your content up-to-date even when it’s on autopilot.
Set aside time each week to review any scheduled Tweets and make any necessary edits—this way, you can be sure that your content is always as accurate and fresh as possible.
3. Send to your team for approval
Collaboration is a cornerstone of effective social media management. This is especially true for large teams, or those working in highly regulated industries.
Tweet schedulers like Hootsuite let you easily send Tweets to teammates, stakeholders or other decision-makers for approval before they go live.
You can even set up custom user roles for different permissions based on your team structure.
Learn more about social media for healthcare, legal, education, and banking teams here.
Social media managers hyping each other up >>> pic.twitter.com/tRZoDoS4QZ
— Hootsuite