If you use Twitter, you no doubt have seen the many RTs that roll through the stream of client software like TweetDeck and Hootsuite. These are sent by those who really feel that the original Tweet has value to be shared and serves as a form of social acceptance for the content of any given Tweet.
Have you ever wondered how effective these RTs are?
I can tell you that they definitely drive traffic to the host site of the link contained within them, so these really are powerful and effective.
But why take my word?
Below are 4 tools you can try for yourself and measure the results.
Tweet Reach uses an interesting metric to produce it’s results. It looks at how many readers could possibly see this Retweet based on the person that actually Retweeted it and the number of followers shared among them (reach).
As an example, I retweeted a post by my friend @MikeCJ (he’ll get the bill later) on “Investing In Your Own Business“. Have a look at the results below.
This Retweet was exposed to 3,871 people by just 2 others.
Think of the true impact when your post is retweeted by 10 or 20 others. This could possibly expose your content to tens of thousands of Twitter users. Powerful stuff and lots of exposure which drives traffic to your site. Now before you get overly excited, understand that only a small percentage of the people the Tweet is exposed to will actually click through to your site.
You can use this tool to freely analyze your last 50 Tweets. There is also a paid report available for $20 that covers all of your tweets.
Retweet Rank is a nice site that provides information on how often you have been retweeted by others. It then assigns a numeric value to your profile. This is also a nice place to review the RTs and see who some of the people were who performed the retweet, something that can sometimes get lost in your stream. I like this feature as it allows me to return the favor or visit the person’s site and establish contact. You can meet lots of other bloggers and expand your network in this manner.
This tool also shows your most recent Tweets and suggests others that you may want to check the stats on. Interested in how you measure up against the competition? This will provide the answer.
Check this out, it is extremely easy to use.
Updated: Jan 1 2011 / DailyRT no longer exists / Content removed.
Retweetist is another site that allows you to see your most recent retweets and who retweeted the content link. Enter a profile name or the URL and a fairly robust list of retweets is returned, some of which you’ve likely never seen.
Again, this is a nice way to check on competitors and to expand your network by finding out who retweeted your original Tweet. Go visit some of those kind individuals and say thank you for supporting your efforts.
Wrap up
There are other tools designed to generate reports and provide data on your retweets, but I will not cover them all here. 
The 4 above are all pretty nice, if you have another that you are using and prefer, please list it in the comments below.
Do you track retweets to see what the impact is or is this something you have not given much attention to?
I must admit, I only check on these occasionally and you should use these sites strategically and not simply waste time for the fun of it.
Stay Productive!
Stay updated by subscribing via RSS. This way you will not miss a single post.
17 Responses to Measuring the Power of the ReTweet
Leave a Reply
" @sbc111 That's quite a thrill ride. Great that you have that skill. " — JimiJones
Measuring the Power of the ReTweet…
If you use Twitter, you no doubt have seen the many RTs that roll through the stream. Have you ever wondered how effective these RTs are? Find out here….
Hounds of Hades, some great tools there Jimi. I used a re-tweet from Mike and according to TweetReach it hit more than 10,000 people. This is quite amazing. Retweet Rank has also been bokmarked.
Thanks for this, Jimi, really useful.
.-= Kevin Tea´s last blog ..Don’t Use Social Media Sites To Start Your Professional Web Presence =-.
Glad you found them useful, Kevin. They provide a wealth of data and the potential reach of the RT is an eye-opener.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Measuring the Power of the ReTweet =-.
I definitely track the RTs of my posts, and I followup with a thank you and reciprocate the favor. I do that becuase I think its good business and it helps to build a pleasant community.
I will look into these tools as well…:)
.-= Ms. Freeman@Baby Steps of an Internet Entrepreneur´s last blog ..The Secrets to Selling Online =-.
You’ve always maintained that level of professionalism.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Measuring the Power of the ReTweet =-.
Think I just found my new toy – Tweet Reach. It was fun to learn about the results, based on different keywords/phrases. The free version is good enough for the time being. I do check on Retweet Rank and others occasionally but just for fun. There are too many of them out there, thanks for clearing the clutter & share a few gems with us.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
.-= Ching Ya´s last blog ..How to Improve Facebook Engagement by Decluttering News Feed =-.
Hi Ching Ya!
Oh so right you are, there are so many tools like this (many redundant) that it can become overwhelming. The free tools, I agree, are good enough for most purposes. Plus free is fun.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Measuring the Power of the ReTweet =-.
These look really cool, Jimi! Crazy isn’t it, how a simple RT can multiply the reach and effectiveness of the original tweet!!
.-= Erica Mueller´s last blog ..Numbered, Threaded Comments With Email Reply on WordPress (DISQUS Alternative) =-.
Some of the numbers I saw on these RTs were quite large. I knew that a lot of exposure was possible, but actually seeing the numbers brought it home clearly.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Measuring the Power of the ReTweet =-.
Nice research tools Jimi,
I like the sound of Tweet Reach, so I will be giving it a try.
Thanks
.-= John Lufadeju´s last blog ..Re: Maintain Connectivity With Your Audience =-.
Thanks, John.
These are pretty handy, particularly Tweet Reach. You will have fun with that one.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Measuring the Power of the ReTweet =-.
Hey! I like that ReTweet Rank tool probably, only because it gave me good news
but anyway – thanks for sharing all this great info.
Yes, the Retweet is powerful and mighty!
.-= Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog ..The Infopreneur Team (T.I.P Team) =-.
Hi Kiesha!
Good news is always welcome. LOL
These tools are pretty nice to use. They really reinforce the power of the RT.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Personal Branding – It’s Not About Being Famous =-.
These sound like useful tools to measure the effectiveness of your promotion efforts. Does any of them track how many people have actually clicked on YOUR TWEETED link?
.-= Selurus´s last blog ..Is 2012 for real? =-.
Hi Selurus, how goes bud?
None of these tools show how many actually clicked on the links, as they are geared to show the exposure of the Tweet. That’s a great question and I wonder if there is such a tool. I’ll look into that, you’ve got me curious.
The resulting report in TweetReach tells you the types of Tweets. As an example, the number of RTs, number of @ replies and number of regular tweets. My guess is that Tweets sent with the insertion of “RT” are seen as a regular Tweet. RTs are counted as those sent via a RT button like Topsy.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..The Perception Game – How Your Brand Can Be Created by Others =-.
[...] there is something called a “retweet” which Jimi Jones explains, in his article “Measuring the Power of the ReTweet“, “These are sent by those who really feel that the original Tweet has value to be [...]
[...] of information exists on the power of the retweet, great reasons to retweet, or how you can even measure these things. Though its crucial to first decide how you’d like to position yourself with regards to [...]