A Twitter client is a third-party application that provides users with enhanced ways to access, manage, and analyze their Twitter accounts and activity. Twitter clients provide features beyond what is available on twitter.com or in Twitter’s mobile apps.
One of the key reasons social media marketers use Twitter clients is for scheduling tweets. Scheduling tweets in advance allows you to plan out content, spread it out over time, and automate posting so you don’t have to manually tweet throughout the day. Scheduling can also help you tweet at optimal high-traffic times.
When choosing a Twitter client for scheduling purposes, here are some key factors to evaluate:
The interface should make it simple to draft, schedule, and manage your queued tweets. You want something intuitive that won’t have a steep learning curve.
At a minimum, a robust scheduling tool will allow you to pick dates/times for tweets to be sent out and queue them. More advanced options include repeat scheduling, scheduling threads, social listening triggers, and more.
The best scheduling clients will provide detailed analytics on how your tweets are performing. You want to be able to see impressions, engagement, clicks, retweets, and more.
Pricing can range from free to hundreds of dollars per month. Think about your budget and volume needs when evaluating cost.
Based on ease of use, scheduling capabilities, and other key factors, here are the top Twitter clients for scheduling:
Buffer provides an easy drag-and-drop interface to queue tweets and schedule them for one-time sends or as part of a recurring series. Plans range from free to $99/month.
Hootsuite is hugely popular for social media management. Its Twitter scheduler is web-based, easy to use, and supports bulk uploads. Plans range from free to $599/month.
Sprout Social is a social media management platform with robust Twitter scheduling. It has powerful analytics and reporting, along with options to schedule threads. Plans start at $99/month.
Owned by Twitter, TweetDeck is a longtime favorite of power Twitter users. You can schedule tweets and manage multiple accounts from its intuitive interface. It has some limitations but is free.
Sendible is a social media marketing platform with Twitter scheduling built in. It focuses on analytics to help you find the best times to tweet. Plans start at $29/month.
Here are some other key features to look at when evaluating Twitter scheduling clients:
Some tools are Twitter-only while others support Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more. Choose based on your needs.
If managing multiple accounts, make sure the tool can support them. Some limit the number of accounts on lower-priced plans.
Look for options to reorder tweets in the queue, add tags or categories, and have an overview of upcoming schedules.
Built-in features to easily add images, GIFs, and videos to your tweets can boost engagement.
Some clients will use your audience data and engagement patterns to recommend optimal times to schedule content.
More advanced tools will allow you to target specific tweets to certain followers based on interests, location, behaviors, and more.
Robust analytics tools will provide insight into engagement, clicks, followers gained/lost, etc. for continuous optimization.
Look for responsiveness if you need help- via email, phone, support docs, forums, etc.
Evaluate pricing tiers based on features offered and number of users/accounts needed. Many have free trial periods.
If you’re just starting out on Twitter, here are some tips:
Make the most of Twitter’s free built-in analytics to see tweet impressions, engagements, top tweets, etc. to optimize efforts.
Tools like TweetDeck give you a good taste of scheduling without a costly investment. Get your bearings before upgrading.
Choose tools with interfaces that make it as easy as possible to draft, schedule, and queue content without a learning curve.
For experienced, high-volume Twitter users:
Choose a tool that integrates with your other marketing platforms like email marketing, CRM, e-commerce, etc.
Look for a tool with robust options for automating likes, retweets, follows, and Twitter chat interactions.
Select a tool that helps you benchmark competitors’ engagement and learn from their top-performing content styles and timing.
There is no one-size-fits-all “best” Twitter scheduling tool. Take time to thoroughly evaluate your specific use case, workload, and goals to determine the right solution for you.
Take advantage of free trials from Twitter scheduling apps to get hands-on and evaluate if it’s user-friendly for your needs before committing.
While scheduling alone won’t guarantee Twitter’s success, it is a critical component to save time, plan engaging content, and tweet at optimal times. An investment in the right scheduling tool will pay dividends.
TweetDeck is arguably the best free Twitter scheduling tool. Owned by Twitter, it provides robust scheduling capabilities even though it caps you at 200 scheduled tweets on its free tier.
There is no definitive “better” between TweetDeck and Hootsuite. TweetDeck has the advantage of being free and arguably more intuitive but is light on analytics. Hootsuite has more features but comes at a cost. Assess your needs.
Unfortunately, Twitter does not yet offer native scheduling capabilities. You need to use a third-party client or social media management platform to schedule tweets.
If you delete a third-party app you used to schedule Tweets, any tweets still in the queue will not be sent out. Always use caution when deleting any apps linked to your social accounts.
Most tools limit you to scheduling tweets up to 6-9 months in advance, with some capping at shorter windows. Verify the limits of any tool you choose to ensure it works for your needs.