Twitter Update: It Isn’t All About the 140 Anymore

Twitter is cranking out new updates that will bring the micro-blogging platform into the visual and organizational playing field of Facebook and Pinterest. The redesign features these updates:

1. Profile photos will grow to 400 x 400 pixels. These will be larger, but will have the same aspect ratio.
2. Customizable header images will span the browser. You’ll be able to upload a 1500 x 1500 pixel image that will be visible across devices.
3. Best tweets – Twitter will pull out your tweets that received the most engagement inside the update stream.
4. Pinned tweets – you will be able to “pin” a favorite tweet at the top of the profile page.
5. Filtered tweets – when you visit another Twitter profile, you’ll be able to sort their tweets by “tweets only,” “tweets and replies” or “tweets with photos / videos.”
6. Pinterest-style grid – you’ll get a visual view of your followers, who you’re following and your visual content.

Before the updates to reach your Twitter profile, you can start tweeting like you already have them with these 4 tips:

Be visual.

Make sure you are posting relevant and compelling images. If you wouldn’t retweet the picture you’re about to post, find something else.

Be conversational.

Don’t just share information, jump into the conversation. Twitter is moving away from pure content and really leaning into the concept of context. Respond to your followers, join a conversation with people you’re following and act like a human. People can’t trust marketers, but they can trust people.

Be emotional.

Along the same lines, people respond to things that appeal to their feelings. If a tweet makes them feel happy, sad, mad, encouraged, inspired, etc., they’re more likely to engage. But if it’s just bland information, they’ll keep scrolling.

Be selective.

With the new updates, the tweets you’ve marked “favorite” will appear grouped in your profile. If your “Favoriting Strategy” includes starring everything that mentions you or your company, you should think about slowing your roll. Consider “favoriting” things that are actually awesome and worth a “virtual high five.”

We’re more excited about the ability to sort tweets, but we can’t wait to see how all of the updates affect how people and brands interact with Twitter. If you can’t wait – visit this Twitter page to get the new look.

Updated: Apr 13, 2022