How to Get Readers to Retweet Your Blog Posts

I’m trying out a WordPress plugin that helps people retweet your blog posts (it also comes as a widget that can be installed on Blogger, Typepad, or any Web page or blog). It’s called Tweetmeme.

Here’s how it works:

Copy and paste the code at Tweetmeme wherever you want the widget to be displayed.

OR

Down the WordPress plugin and activate it.

The “smart” button will automatically grab the URL of the Web page it is placed on. When a visitor clicks the button to retweet your blog post, it will create a Twitter update that looks like this:

RT @tweetmeme  http://tinyurl.com/cdad9y

Note that the update promotes tweetmeme and provides ONLY the tinyurl to the blog post you’re retweeting. I suggest adding a brief headline or descriptor of what the post is about or why you liked it. That way, your Twitter followers have context for your tweet.

The Tweetmeme RT uses only 40 characters, which leaves you with 100 characters to work with. Why not use them to your advantage?

Note that the Tweetme button also displays the number of times each post has been retweeted.

I like this plug-in because the ShareThis plug-in does not give readers the option to retweet a blog post. The button also comes in two sizes: regular (which I’m using) and condensed.

Give it a try! Click the “retweet” button at the bottom of this post and see what happens.