Lessons from 100 Twitter Spaces
All Things Audio hits 100 shows - here's what I have learnt along the way...
This week saw the 100th episode of the All Things Audio podcast and Twitter Space. Back in 2018 I was speaking about the rise of voice technology at various events. My presentation would often end with the pie in the sky idea that voice could come to social media platforms like Twitter, and one day we may be speaking or hearing our Tweets rather than reading them. Jump forward a few years and in February 2021 I found myself in Twitter Spaces.
Spaces happened while the pandemic was raging and Twitter was inviting users to sign up as beta testers. My form was sent off without delay and within a few weeks I was live on Spaces. Unsure what the content should be. Unsure who I would speak to. Unsure if anyone would join me. And amazed that in some guise my prediction had become reality.
It wasn’t long before Twitter marketing expert Madalyn Sklar jumped into my DMs suggesting we team up and create a Space together. We were both trying to work out how to get our audio equipment to work with Spaces. We wanted to use XLR microphones and record the content locally, maybe even turn it into a podcast. We weren’t alone and soon discovered other beta testers asking the same questions as us. So we figured we would learn this stuff live, testing things out, sharing our learnings and inviting others along too to share what they were discovering. That weekly Space quickly became known as All Things Audio.
We go live every Wednesday at 8pm BST, 3pm ET with each show captured using the native recording feature on Twitter. We also record ourselves locally (I use a Rodecaster Pro, Madalyn uses a Podtrak P4). Each week I take the quality recordings and edit them back into a conversation, tighten up the content a little and publish it as a podcast each Friday. The Space usually runs to an hour during which time we run through any social audio related news we have come across throughout the week, before opening the mics to hear from our community.
So I hope you will forgive me a side step from the usual content. Instead of the usual links and podcast recommendation, I am focussing on 100 things I have learnt through hosting/co-hosting 100 #AllThingsAudio Twitter Spaces. Here’s to the next 100 learnings…
Choose a topic you are passionate about and be willing to hear from others on it.
Check the app store for updates to the Twitter app before you go live.
Create simple titles that describe what people will hear about when they join the Space.
Get to know how Spaces works before you host your first Space.
Offer to co-host for someone before you go live by yourself. This gives you valuable hands-on learning and the host gets an extra pair of hands!
Ensure you have a reliable internet connection before going live.
Schedule your Space in advance so you have time to promote it.
Think about time zones when scheduling and how likely it is that those who will be interested in your Space will be able to attend live.
Make sure to hit the record toggle when scheduling your Space. Twitter will record the Space and create a replay card once it is over.
Retweet your scheduled Spaces card and encourage people to hit the ‘Set reminder’ button. Anyone who does, will get a notification when your Space starts.
Create a variety of content to promote your Space - graphics, Shorts, clips, behind-the-scenes, video, voice tweets and more.
Promote your Space beyond Twitter by creating platform-specific content - create carousels for Instagram or Shorts for YouTube.
Remind people about your Spaces in your email newsletter. Include a link to your next one or a link to the replay of the last one.
Invite experts on your chosen topic to co-host with you.
Think about how you will use the features Spaces offers such as the Nest (where hosts and co-hosts can pin Tweets), emoji reactions and Spaces chat.
Have a tech check before you go live. Invite any co-hosts to join you. There is no green room so this will be as live as ‘the real thing’ but it will give you an opportunity to make sure you can be heard and you can hear others.
Make sure you have something to say during the opening moments of your Space. It can take a few minutes to get people in and listening. However…
…don’t take too long to get underway with conversation around your advertised topic. You will lose listeners if you hang around too long without starting to speak on the topic you are expected to be covering.
You may only start out with a handful of listeners. Encourage those listeners to share the Spaces card while you wait for more people to join.
Start on time. If you have scheduled your Space to start on the hour then make sure that’s when you start.
Think about using music to open your Space. Twitter does have some automated music you can select at the start, but consider creating a consistent sound that regular listeners will associate with your Space. If you are a podcaster you might want to use the music you open your podcast with to build a moment of recognition.
Encourage speakers to introduce themselves at the beginning of the Space.
Create a set of clear guidelines for your Space.
Ensure the guidelines are visible to all in your Space by creating a graphic which you can pin in the Nest at the start of your Space.
Know how you will handle anyone who oversteps the mark or disregards the guidelines. Ensure your co-hosts are aware of what is acceptable and what isn’t and that they also know what to do.
Know how to ‘mute all’ and be ready to do so if someone becomes offensive or abusive.
Whether you are recording on Twitter or locally, be sure to remind people the Space is being recorded and where possible explain how you intend to use the audio - “if you accept the mic and speak your contribution may be considered for us in our podcast”.
Want to hear from someone in the Space - send them an invite to speak. If they don’t respond consider pinging them a DM asking them for their contribution.
Start the Space with a brief introduction and provide context for the topic.
Balance the number of speakers to ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate.
You don’t have to accept every mic request.
If you don’t recognise someone who requests the mic take a look at their Twitter bio and recent Tweets to get a sense of whether they are aligned with the topic of your Space.
Create an inviting and inclusive atmosphere for participants by mentioning Twitter handles and acknowledging contributions.
Encourage listeners to ask questions or contribute via the Spaces chat feature.
Create a hashtag for your Space and encourage listeners to use it when they tweet.
Create a search for your chosen hashtags and be sure to mention people who are tweeting relevant content using it.
Prepare a rough outline or talking points to guide the conversation.
Be open to spontaneous discussions and adapt the flow accordingly.
Choose your co-host wisely. You need to be on the same page when it comes to what’s allowed in the Space and what isn’t.
Split jobs between you and co-hosts. Someone can take charge of mic requests, someone else can be in charge of content for the nest. Other jobs include checking and engaging with the Spaces chat and/or Space hashtag and responding to DMs.
Be willing to share interesting anecdotes or personal experiences related to your topic.
Create a poll ahead of your Space to encourage engagement.
Discuss the poll in your Space. Remember to talk about the outcome and read out any relevant comments made during the time the poll was live.
Keep the conversation focussed. Know how you will stop an over-excited mic-hogger and how you will steer the chat to the next person with the mic.
If speakers have been waiting for a while with the mic, recognise their patience by thanking them and acknowledging that you know they have something they want to say.
Share links to relevant articles or resources in the chat. The host or co-hosts may well share them in the Space via the Nest.
Invite guest speakers to provide additional insights on your chosen topic.
Be a good listener. Listen to what is said, pick up on relevant points and ask speakers to elaborate if needed.
Allow participants to express their opinions and ideas.
Foster a supportive, inclusive and non-judgemental environment for participants to share their perspectives.
Be mindful of time and allocate it wisely among speakers and audience interactions.
Maintain a positive and enthusiastic tone throughout the Space.
Recap or summarise key points every so often to sense check or reinforce information with others in the Space.
Encourage people in the Space to follow each other. They already have a common interest - your Space!
At the end of your Space let people know how they can contact you - via DMs, by signing up to your email newsletter, on other channels such as Instagram or YouTube.
Once your Space is over set the start point of your replay. As the host you can do this by playing the Space and holding down the blue dot on the timeline. This brings up a ‘Set start time’ button. When you let go, the start point is saved.
Once your Space has ended the scheduled/promotion card turns into the replay card automatically. Encourage anyone who couldn’t listen live to listen to reply by sharing the Spaces card.
@mention speakers when you share the replay card.
Collaborate with other hosts or Spaces to cross-promote and reach a wider audience.
Experiment with different formats; invite guests for interviews, host panel discussions or suggest an article or book for everyone to read and invite comments. Whatever the format, make sure to make use of the strength of social audio and hear from as many people as possible.
Don’t make it a one-way show. If people wanted they could tune into radio or a podcast to listen passively. Spaces offers interactive listening so don’t just broadcast.
Encourage participants to share their thoughts or experiences via voice notes in the DMs. You can play these into the Space (either manually by playing them into your microphone or via the USB channel on a Rodecaster or similar interface)
Leverage trending topics or current events to make your Space timely and relevant.
Collaborate with brands or sponsors to host sponsored Spaces and monetise your efforts.
Listen to and engage in other people’s Spaces. Learn from their hosting styles and gain inspiration.
Find other Spaces hosts on Twitter. Exchange ideas and become part of the wider community #SpacesHost #SpacesHosts
Engage with your audience beyond Spaces by replying to tweets and sparking conversations on your timeline.
Create content from your Space which can be used to promote your replay or your next Space.
Take clips from your Space and use Headliner to create audiograms to use across your social media.
Use Headliner to create a full episode audiogram which can be uploaded to YouTube.
Create static quote squares to promote your Space on Instagram.
Take the audio file of your Space (download it from Zealous.app or record it locally while live) and create a transcript. Add this to your website along with a link to the Space replay.
Use Zealous.app to batch create audiograms in different shapes and styles.
Create a blog post from the transcript of your Space.
If you are hosting regularly stay aware and informed of the features and functionality of Twitter Spaces.
Experiment with different time durations for your Spaces. Just because your first Space lasted 20 minutes, 1hour, 4hours… doesn’t mean all Spaces you host thereafter have to follow suit.
Use Spaces as a sidecar to your podcast content. Create a Space where you discuss your most recent episode and maybe even invite the guest you had on for a live Q&A.
As a podcaster invite your listeners to a Space so you can engage with them in real time. Hear what they think of your show and gather information on what they would like to hear in future. Include your audience in your show and watch it grow.
Be inclusive. Make sure to hear from people from diverse backgrounds. Spaces allows you to connect with people from around the world.
Tell relatable stories and invite others to share their experiences.
Use emoji reactions to gauge interest “hit the 100 if you agree or the thumbs down if you don’t”
Name check people who spoke during your Space and thank them for sharing their thoughts.
Create a Thread or Mega Tweet or links or resources related to the topic you are discussing in Spaces. (Moments used to be great for this but Twitter took them away boo hiss)
If you want to build a community around your regular Space, stay consistent with the time and day.
Show up consistently as often as you can. If you do take a break let people know you won’t be live and give a date for when they can next expect to hear from you in Spaces.
Create a mini Spaces festival around your chosen topic and line up different experts top speak over a number of days. Create a buzz and a hashtag to get people engaged in the topic.
Invite regular participants to co-host Spaces.
Create segments in your Space which can be co-hosted regularly by others. They are responsible for the content in that segment.
Highlight and acknowledge participants who consistently contribute valuable insights or questions.
Engage with participants' tweets or replies related to the Space to maintain ongoing conversations.
Consider hosting "ask me anything" (AMA) sessions to cater to specific topics or expert advice.
Encourage participants to share key takeaways or learnings from the Space on social media.
Encourage discussion between speakers.
While you don’t have much control over the way Spaces cards look yet. It is worth creating a consistent visual identity for your Spaces. Create graphics and consider tying it in with the look of your Twitter banner to increase recognition.
Create a dedicated landing page or website to showcase past Spaces and upcoming events.
Create behind the scenes content as you set up to go live. Video or audio Tweets work well for this.
Embrace experimentation with your hosting style and content to keep your Spaces fresh and engaging.
Use spacesdashboard.com to discover live Spaces and scheduled Spaces. Amongst other useful stuff you can check out stats for Spaces you host, see who became a speaker and get access to all the Tweets shared in the Nest during your Space.
Add details about your Space (date, time, hashtag) to your Twitter bio and/or banner.
Be prepared to make strong and lasting connections through meaningful conversations.
*Please note All Things Audio is not sponsored by any of the third party apps mentioned here. I have included them because I use them and genuinely find them useful.
This week on #AllThingsAudio me and Madalyn spoke about what the future holds for social audio. We also heard from our wonderful All Things Audio community, many of whom have supported us throughout our 100 episodes, contributing regularly and even co-hosting with us.
Follow All Things Audio wherever you listen to podcasts to make sure you never miss an episode. Leave a rating and/or review to help more people find us.
I’ll be back with a regular Stop.Rewind.Play next Friday. Thanks for being here - Suze