Social Warfare gives you the ability to create a custom tweet for each blog post or page on your WordPress site. This means when a reader clicks on the Tweet button, your custom message will be pre-populated.
But how do you add an image to that custom tweet?
This is one of the questions we get a lot. So here’s our simple process courtesy of +Nick and +Jason.
Step 1: Create a real tweet
You first need to create an actual tweet exactly as you want the custom tweet to appear.
Go to Twitter, compose your tweet and upload the image. Once the tweet is exactly as you want it, tweet it out.
Note: Be sure to include a link to your blog post in the tweet as well.
Step 2: Open the Embed Tweet option
Go to your tweet and click on the three little dots at the bottom (next to the Favorite icon). Select the Embed Tweet option.
Step 3: Copy the text
Make sure that the text shows the pic.twitter.com/ link to your image. If you don’t see that link right away you may need to uncheck the Include Media box.
Copy that entire text in your tweet.
Step 4: Paste in Custom Tweet field
Go back to your WordPress editor under the Social Warfare Custom Options panel and paste what you just copied into the Custom Tweet field.
Now, when any reader hits your Tweet button it will automatically be populated with the tweet just as you have composed it, with you image included!
And just in case you’re a visual kind of person, here’s an animated gif that goes through the process I’ve just outlined:
If you have any trouble with this process, please let us know in the comments. Or, if you have any other ideas about how this can be used, we’re all ears!
Thanks for the article! Can this be performed for custom post types (e.g., theme-based types)?
Hey Dustin! Love the plug-in… am very happy with it so far. One question though, whenever I have the “pic.twitter” photo in the custom tweet field and someone shares it it works great on the desktop (picture displays perfectly), but when someone tweets the article from mobile, the “pic.twitter” link shows in the tweet.
Is there a reason for that? It would be cool if when someone shared from mobile that pic.twitter link didn’t show.
Also, for some reason, if I don’t create a customizable tweet, the entire link shows even though I have the bit.ly shortening feature enabled and activated with the API key. Am I doing something wrong there?
Sorry for the long question and thank you in advance!
Hey Brian! Glad to hear you’re enjoying the plugin!
Twitter controls how tweets display, and that’s just the way they have decided to show images on desktop/mobile. Why they have such an inconsistent look– I’m clueless! I have noticed that Twitter is frequently playing around with the layout, testing different variations and seeing how they perform I suppose.
Can you give me an example of a page where the bitly shortening isn’t working?
Hey Dustin!
No problem on the Twitter pic with mobile v. Desktop – just wondering 🙂
As for the bitly issue, check out http://www.goworklife.com/managing-social-media-as-a-team-of-one/ and try to share it via Twitter. This is a post that I do not have a custom tweet set up on via Social Warfare.
I appreciate the help – Good reviews coming your way!
Hmm, interesting Brian. If you don’t mind, could you submit this as a support request so we can dive into it properly?
Will do! Thanks, Dustin.
Love it. This is a stellar tip. I was trying to figure this out myself, but now I don’t have to. 😉
Great plugin guys.
Any reason why you don’t have support for Twitter Cards?
Cheers,
Joe
Actually, Joe, that’s one of the next items on our roadmap to get added to the plugin. We’re hoping to have that feature ready this week, in fact.
Dustin – This is a great tip how to get your images posted with a Tweet. Very cool. thanks.
My pleasure! 😀
Loving the new plugin… I’ve been testing social plugins for 6-months, and this is the best one I’ve come across yet. Well done, Brandon.
Thanks Brandon! 😀
OK, this sounds AMAZING! I’ll give it a try after work.
Great to hear Sam! Let me know what you think afterwards!
I’ve been MEANING to ask you guys about this. AWESOME!!
Yeah, we had several people asking us how to do this so we decided this needed to be written to help folks out.