How to Post on Twitter Mobile

Posting on Twitter from your phone is the fastest way to join a conversation or start one of your own, but the mobile app has more depth than you might expect. This guide will walk you through everything from sending your first simple tweet to crafting multi-post threads and scheduling content right from your device. We'll cover all the tools you need to create engaging posts that build your brand and connect with your audience on the go.

Getting Started: Your Mobile Tweet Composer

First things first, let's get familiar with your workspace. When you open the Twitter app (now called X) and tap the blue plus button (+) in the bottom-right corner, you'll see a feather quill icon. Tapping that opens the tweet composer. It might look simple, but it's packed with features. Here’s a quick tour of what you see:

• Your Profile Picture: In the top-left, this confirms which account you're posting from. A must-check if you manage multiple profiles!
• "What's happening?!" Text Box: This is where you'll type your actual tweet. Twitter might have increased the character limit, but conciseness is still king.
• Circular Progress Bar: As you type, this circle visually fills up, showing you how close you are to the character limit. It turns yellow and then red as you get close to the cap.
• "Everyone Can Reply": Just below the text box, this setting lets you control who can join the conversation. We'll talk more about this later.
• Icon Toolbar (at the bottom): This is your creative toolkit, allowing you to add images, GIFs, polls, and more.

How to Post a Basic Text Tweet on Mobile

The classic text-only tweet is the foundation of the platform. It's perfect for quick thoughts, asking questions, or sharing a link. The process is straightforward and fast, making it ideal for real-time reactions and commentary.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Open the Twitter app and tap the blue compose button (+).
2. In the text box labeled "What's happening?!", type out your message.
3. As you type, keep an eye on the character count indicator. Good tweets are often punchy and direct.
4. If you’re sharing a link, simply paste it into the box. Twitter will automatically shorten it and generate a clickable preview card if the website has one enabled.
5. Once you're happy with your text, tap the blue "Post" button in the top-right corner. That's it - your tweet is now live!

Pro Tip: Even with more characters, shorter tweets tend to perform better. Get to the point quickly to catch people's attention as they scroll.

Level Up Your Tweets: Adding Engaging Media

Tweets with visuals consistently outperform text-only posts. They stand out in a crowded timeline and give you more opportunity to communicate your message. The mobile app makes adding media incredibly easy.

How to Add Photos & GIFs

Photos give your audience a behind-the-scenes look, showcase a product, or add emotional context. GIFs are terrific for adding humor and personality.

• Step 1: In the tweet composer, tap the image icon (it looks like a little mountain landscape).
• Step 2: This will open your phone's photo library. You can select up to four photos to create a gallery. Choose your images by tapping on them.
• Step 3: If you want to add a GIF instead, tap the "GIF" button after opening the media library. You can then search for the perfect animated reaction using keywords.
• Step 4: Once you've selected your media, tap "Add." You can now add alt text for accessibility (highly recommended!), tag people, and add your supporting text before posting.

How to Add a Video

Video is the most engaging content type on social media. You can upload existing videos or record one directly within the app.

• Step 1: Tap the image icon in the composer.
• Step 2: Find and select a video from your phone's gallery. The maximum length for videos uploaded on mobile is 140 seconds (2 minutes and 20 seconds).
• Step 3: After selecting, Twitter's mobile editor will appear. Here, you can trim the video by dragging the sliders at the beginning and end. This is useful for cutting out any dead air at the start or fine-tuning the clip.
• Step 4: Tap "Done," add your text, and post.

How to Run a Poll

Polls are a fantastic way to boost engagement and gather feedback from your audience. They invite participation and give you direct insight into what your followers think.

• Step 1: In the composer, tap the poll icon (it looks like a small bar chart).
• Step 2: Type your question in the main text box.
• Step 3: Fill in at least two options in the "Choice 1" and "Choice 2" fields. You can add up to four choices by tapping the plus icon.
• Step 4: Set the duration for your poll, from 5 minutes up to 7 days.
• Step 5: Tap "Post" to start the voting. People who answer a poll don't just engage once - they often check back to see the results, which keeps them interacting with your content.

Connecting With Your Audience: Tagging, Hashtags, and Location

A tweet isn't just a broadcast, it's a doorway to a conversation. Using Twitter's built-in features properly helps you reach more people and directly engage with other users.

Mentions (@) and Photo Tags

A "mention" or "@-reply" brings attention, credits an individual, or directly pulls another user into a public conversation. Tagging them in a photo achieves the same effect but without using up your precious character count.

• How to Mention: Simply type the "@" symbol followed immediately by their username (e.g., @Twitter). A list of users will pop up, allowing you to select the correct account. Tapping their name from the list adds it into your tweet.
• How to Tag in a Photo: After adding an image, you'll see a white "Tag people" button over the picture preview. Tap it, search for a user’s name, and tap their profile to tag them. You can tag up to 10 users in a single photo.

How to Use Hashtags (#) Effectively

Hashtags categorize tweets and make your content discoverable to anyone interested in a particular topic. To use them effectively for discovery:

• Maintain Brevity & Relevance: Stick to just a few highly relevant hashtags per tweet (one to three is ideal). A long string of tags can look like spam and hurt readability.
• Combine Trending and Niche Hashtags: Use a popular, broad hashtag like #SocialMediaMarketing to reach a large audience, and combine it with a specific one like #ContentCreatorTips to connect with a more targeted, engaged group.

Using hashtags strategically will boost your discoverability and help more people find and engage with your content.

Adding Your Location

Adding a physical location, whether you're at an event or a local business, gives your post valuable context and improves local searchability.

• Tap the small pin icon in the tweet composer.
• Give the app permission to access your location (only while using the app).
• Twitter will suggest nearby places, or you can search for a specific venue.
• Click on the location you want to add to your tweet.

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Mobile Tweeting Features

Once you have the core skills down, you can start using some of the app's more powerful features to tell better stories and engage people on a deeper level.

How to Create Threads (or “Tweetstorms”)

A thread is a series of connected tweets that let you get around the character limit. They are perfect for storytelling, sharing in-depth thoughts, or giving live updates from an event.

• Start by typing your first tweet.
• Once it's done, tap the "+" icon in the lower-right corner of the composer to add the next tweet in the thread.
• The composer screen will now show a line connecting the two tweets, visually indicating they are part of a thread.
• Keep repeating this process until you've finished sharing your full thought.
• When you're ready to publish, tap the "Post All" or "Tweet All" button. Twitter will post all the tweets one after the other with the connecting line.

Scheduling a Tweet on Mobile

Scheduling content ahead of time is a lifesaver for busy professionals or anyone looking to maintain a consistent presence. The mobile app has built-in scheduling that makes it simple.

• Draft your tweet, including any media or tags.
• Instead of tapping "Post", tap the calendar icon next to the blue post button.
• A screen will pop up. Tap "Schedule," then select the date and time you want the tweet to be published.
• Click "Confirm" in the top right. Your tweet is now scheduled, and you can view all your scheduled posts in the tweet composer’s schedule section.

Controlling Who Can Reply to Your Tweets

Sometimes, you may want to have more focused or intimate discussions. Twitter allows you to limit who can reply to your posts.

1. In the tweet composer, below the text box, tap the text that says "Everyone can reply."
2. Choose between three options: Everyone, People you follow, or Only people you mention.
3. Everyone is the default setting allowing any Twitter user to reply. People you follow limits replies to only accounts you are following. Only people you mention permits only the users you've tagged in your tweet to reply.

This setting is a great way to prevent spam or encourage more nuanced conversations.

Final Thoughts

From posting a quick text update to creating detailed threads and scheduling content for later, Twitter's mobile app is a feature-rich toolset that empowers you to engage and build your audience on the fly.

When you get more serious about your content planning, scheduling content in advance can become difficult. Instead of juggling multiple accounts and analyzing performance on a small screen, a centralized platform can help. At Postbase, we built our tool specifically to simplify this process. Our visual calendar lets you plan, schedule, and publish content across all your profiles from a single dashboard. Organizing your social media content goes from being a chore to a streamlined part of your business growth.