For anyone with an active Twitter presence, polls can be a fun and engaging way to solicit feedback from followers and gain valuable insights regarding the question at hand. While the use of Twitter polls doesn’t always have to be serious in nature, it’s best to ensure your goal or strategy for using Twitter polls is established in advance.

The benefits of Twitter polls

Twitter polls are easy to use and help you secure audience data. The simplicity of these polls gives them an advantage over other methods like attempting to gain feedback from surveys, reviews or testimonials where more work is required and low response rates are common.

Additionally, because how an individual person votes isn’t shared, participants are free to be as honest as they want which typically results in more reliable feedback.

How to create a Twitter poll

Open the Tweet composer and click on the poll button. With the poll option selected, enter your text and up to four choices max. Don’t forget to use #hashtags to help people easily find and retweet your content.

When someone retweets your poll, it will appear on a follower’s timeline and spread awareness for your brand, and other Twitter users can seamlessly vote in your poll directly from a retweet.

Best practices for Twitter polls

Twitter polls are an excellent way to highlight your personality online, gather information about your audience, and further enhance your brand image. To make sure that you’re getting the best results from your polls, remember to:

  • Set an end date for participation. This creates a sense of urgency and gives you a specific amount of data to gather and evaluate.
  • Gather useful information about your audience. Look for ways to collect valuable insights about your customers. For instance, which products do they like best, or what do they specifically appreciate (or not) about your brand?
  • Use hashtags wisely. Branded hashtags and generic tags make it easier for people to find your polls. It also makes it easier for you to keep track of conversations.
  • Have some fun. A Twitter poll doesn’t always have to be serious. Have some fun and show off your personality with questions that are relevant to your industry.
  • Stay ahead of the curve. Use polls to comment on trending news stories and concepts in your industry to show your audience that you’re up-to-date.