The Oscars, Super Bowl, Olympics and other major events aren’t just the most-watched shows of the year. They’re also some of the most Tweeted. For example, there were 4.8 billion Tweet impressions during the night of Super Bowl 52, while the 2018 Olympics boasted 33.6 billion views of Tweets on and off Twitter. 

To stay relevant with your audience, it's important to be a part of the conversation during these major events. It’s not just good for your engagement — it can be good for business. According to a recent study by NeuroInsight, Twitter Ads during live events are 11% more effective at stimulating mental engagement and 9% more effective at memory encoding than TV ads. Not only that, but people spend nearly 4% more time on Twitter during a live event than normal.*

So how do you create the perfect Tweet to take advantage of an engaged audience during a live event? Here are a few tips to help your Tweets be a star on the big day:

Celebrate, don’t sell

Keep your Tweets about the activity, team, or person at the center of the moment. During major live events, people want to be entertained while feeling like they're part of something big, so take care to communicate your brand in a subtle way.

During the most recent Super Bowl @Duracell struck the perfect balance by congratulating the Eagles on the win while having a little fun with the history of Philadelphia fans and batteries.

Consider video instead of images

A five-second video or GIF can attract more attention than a static image without distracting the viewer from the event itself. These can take a little time to make, so make sure to pull a few options together before the event so you have something ready to go.

@Stash created a timely short video to tap into the halftime show conversation during the Super Bowl.

Include hashtags and emojis

Hashtags increase your Tweets discoverability while emojis add a touch of fun.

@lulusdotcom used emojis to congratulate Leo on his Oscars win.

It’s not just a Tweet. It’s a conversation

The right Tweet during a major event can be the launching pad for hundreds of deeper conversations with your customers and new fans alike. Be prepared to tap into relevant Tweets.

 Ice cream brand @GoodHumor jumped into the conversation during the Olympics.

Know a brand doing exciting things on Twitter? Share them with us at @TwitterBusiness.

Additional reading:

• Creative roundup: Standout video campaigns from brands on Twitter
• Insider tips for creating a Twitter marketing strategy
• 7 tips for creating engaging content every day

*2017 study by NeuroInsight