Twitter reveals the language of persuasion | Cornell Chronicle - http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories...
Feb 11, 2015
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"The researchers found these features most likely to generate retweets: Ask people to share. Words like ”please,” “pls,” “plz” and, of course, “retweet” were common in successful messages. Be informative (often measured by length). Use the language of the community, and be consistent with the language you usually use yourself, with which your followers are familiar. The researchers are also testing on Reddit, where users form distinct communities. Imitate the style of newspaper headlines. (In their tests, the researchers used the New York Times as a model.) Use words that appear often in other retweeted messages. Use words that express positive or negative sentiment. Refer to other people, not just yourself. Use third person pronouns. Use generalizations. Statements that can be applied to a variety of situations are the most often repeated. Make it easy to read. The researchers applied a formula used to measure the grade level of a text."
- Todd Hoff