No matter how many followers you have, driving engagement on any social platform can be challenging. That’s why Twitter polls are such a handy tool to keep in your back pocket. They are very interactive, easy to create and fun to participate in.
A Twitter poll can help you learn more about what your audience thinks, wants, and how they behave. And the more you know about your audience, the easier it is to figure out what you should be doing for your brand.
In this guide, we’ll teach you what Twitter polls are and how to use them to connect with your audience.
What is a Twitter Poll?
A Twitter Poll allows you to ask your audience a question in a tweet with four options (but you can only choose two or three if you want).
Twitter polls make it easy for people to share their opinions. No need to redirect them to another page, ask them to fill out a form, or waste precious time. Voting takes a second or two, at the most.
And, unlike traditional surveys, you don’t have to wait for the results. Users see results instantly. They can also retweet your poll to others, spreading it organically.
How to create a poll on Twitter
Creating polls on Twitter is very easy. Once you’ve decided on your question and possible answers, it only takes a minute or two. Really. We promise.
Start a tweet
Click the blue Tweet button in the left navigation menu on your desktop. Or tap the tweet creation logo in the top right corner of the mobile app, just like you would for any tweet.
Start Poll
Click or tap the Add Poll option in the dialog that appears.
Add your survey question
Ask the question you want answered. You can use up to the maximum number of characters (280) in a survey question. So add relevant hashtags, @mentions, and links.
When it comes to language, treat polls like your tweets—keep them short, crisp, and fun.
Select survey options
Now it’s time to give your audience a choice. Add the first answer option in the Option 1 box and the second option in the Option 2 box. You can click + Add Option to add more options to the survey if you like.
Your poll must have two choices (otherwise it’s not that many votes) and can have up to four choices.
You can use up to 25 characters for each option. This includes emojis, symbols, and punctuation, so feel free to play around a bit – this is your Twitter poll.
Set poll duration
By default, Twitter polls last one day. You can change the poll duration by clicking 1 day and changing the days, hours and minutes. The minimum duration of the survey is five minutes, the maximum is seven days.
Post your poll
If you’re happy with your choice, click Tweet to post the poll. Now it’s time to wait for the answers!
How to Use Twitter Polls to Increase Engagement (Ideas + Examples)
Twitter is expected to grow to 329 million in 2022. If you want to connect with these people, start using Twitter polls as part of your marketing strategy to stand out from the crowd.
Here are 11 ideas on how to interest (and possibly piss off) your followers. After all, engagement is the key ranking signal for the Twitter algorithm. Use surveys to bring your brand to life and quickly go from boring to exciting.
Listen and learn
Listening is the best way to build personal relationships. The same rule applies to social media. When you ask your subscribers to join the solution, they will feel heard.
Karla Cosmetics asks its followers what product they would like to see next.
Create Anticipation
Cheer up your customers before product launches and updates with a quick survey. Ask them what they care about the most about how Android is doing in this survey.
Settle age-old disputes
Some rivalries are as old as the world.
Half of your followers can be on the side of one camp, and the other half support the rival. Settle the dispute once and for all with a Twitter poll.
McDonald’s is offering subscribers a choice of two of their iconic breakfast items. With over 71,000 votes, the difference in poll results is only 0.6%, which shows how hot this topic is.
Nintendo is boosting their engagement by naming classic Mario characters in this Twitter poll. Who would you prefer to pass the ball to? (In this case, we vote neither for nor for Yoshi until the end)
Only one sauce per game day? Away thought! Heinz gets followers to make choices in this Twitter poll, which does double duty by bolstering ketchup’s popularity.
Get stupid
Twitter polls are not long customer surveys, but short and pleasant informal questions. They are perfect for having fun and showcasing your brand’s sense of humor.
The fact that you’re funny taking polls on Twitter shows that your brand doesn’t take itself too seriously. So come on, relax.
Domino’s Pizza often shows off its playful side with a fun poll designed to put a smile on customers’ faces.
Here, Subway is asking people to think about how far they’re willing to go to pick up a forgotten sauce. 37 light years, anyone?
Get feedback
Have you launched a new range? Start a poll to see what your followers think about it!
A Twitter poll is a quick and easy way to get immediate feedback from your audience.
Krispy Kreme uses Twitter to find out which seasonal flavors their audience loves the most.
Calvin Klein makes it easy and asks followers about their favorite scents.
You can use the feedback you receive to tailor your strategy and formulate your next proposal.
Be timely
Time is everything. (Look, sometimes clichés are true!)
Make sure you’re up to date with trends and seasonal events and send out a timely survey that’s relevant to the moment. Whether it’s a breaking news story or a viral piece of pop culture, use Twitter polls to engage your audience in the discussion.
In the week leading up to Halloween, Eventbrite asks Twitter users what they’re most excited about Halloween.
On Christmas Eve, JetBlue is asking subscribers to share their favorite holiday traditions. Many people travel on holidays, so the connection with the brand is especially strong here.
Specsavers taps into a classic conversation, asking users how many times they’ve heard a particular phrase.
Polls can be a great way to start a lively conversation about a hot topic.
Pay attention to events that will speak to your specific audience. You can even create a “holiday”related to your brand – if you’re feeling daring.
Or choose from the countless others that already exist.
Play a game
Make it fun for your followers to engage with your brand by turning a Twitter poll into a game or a light-hearted quiz.
Instead of endless doom-scrolling, a quiz encourages people to participate. This is a great way to attract users to your brand. People can even retweet the poll to their followers and increase your replies.
The Daily Grind podcast invites people to join the This or That game.
Finish the sentence
Filling the gap is often impossible. Ask your audience to complete the phrase with one of your survey options and wait for your engagement to skyrocket.
Etsy helps followers find the perfect Father’s Day gift by asking them to fill in a blank to describe their father.
AddThis asks subscribers to guess how many emails are open on mobile devices. As a brand that specializes in marketing tools, they probably know that their audience cares about targeting and personalization.
Ask for an opinion
Polls are like a quick poll of your audience on Twitter. If you’re feeling controversial, you can even run a political poll on the platform.
The Politics Polls Twitter account frequently asks users questions about politics and current events.
Ask Forecasts
Big events like championships and awards always attract subscribers. Use a poll to encourage your audience to predict what will happen at these events.
Who will win? What are they going to wear? What will they do next? Think about how you can connect your brand to the current conversation.
ESPN publishes regular polls on Twitter asking its followers to predict which teams or players will be the most successful in the NFL.
Conduct market research
Twitter is a great place to learn more about the preferences and behaviors of your target audience. Use your surveys to find out what they like about your product or how they use it. You can then use the feedback to communicate your offer.
Starbucks is asking customers how they plan to use their rewards during a special week of daily deals.
Amazon asks customers about a product they are most likely to forget to add to their cart.
Frequently Asked Questions about Twitter Polls
Do you have a burning question about Twitter Polls? Check out our four most frequently asked questions.
Are Twitter polls anonymous? Do you see who voted in your Twitter poll?
All polls on Twitter are anonymous. No one, not even the creator of the poll, can see who voted or what they chose. All you can see is the percentage of votes for each option. You can learn more about your audience with Twitter analytics.
Can you create a Twitter photo poll?
While you can’t add images to the same Tweet with a poll, you can add an image to the same Tweet thread.
Can you buy votes in Twitter polls?
Of course, you can buy votes in Twitter polls. But that doesn’t mean you should!
If your goal is organic and sustainable growth, then buying votes (or, for that matter, subscribers) is a bad idea. Paid membership doesn’t tell you anything about your audience, and the flow of activity from bot accounts can hurt how Twitter perceives your account.
Can you schedule Twitter polls?
Twitter polls are supposed to be very interactive, which is why you can’t schedule them on Hootsuite or other scheduling platforms at this time. However, you can schedule other tweets.
Save time managing your Twitter presence by using Hootsuite to schedule tweets (including video tweets), reply to comments and direct messages, and track key performance stats. Try it for free today.