Dan Zarrella's document discusses the mechanics of retweets and their impact on viral marketing, emphasizing that ideas are powerful and can shape history. It identifies characteristics of retweetable content, such as word choice, timing, and the importance of social proof. The document also provides guidelines for effective retweet etiquette to maximize engagement.

1. The Science of ReTweetsDan ZarrellaViral Marketing Scientist@DanZarrella

2. “Ideas shape the course of history.”-John Maynard Keynes

3. Everything in our world is made of ideas.

4. Nothing is more powerful than a contagious idea.

5. The most dangerous weapon known to man is the ability to create viral ideas at will.

6. But, for most of history, social communication was ephemeral and untraceable.

7. We can now compare millions of ideas to uncover the building blocks of contagiousness.

8. ReTweets change everything.

9. 9

10. ReTweets-per-Follower10

11. Suggested Users are Less ReTweetable

12. ReTweeting = Link Sharing

13. Bit.ly is more ReTweetable than TinyURL

14. 20 Most ReTweetable Wordsyoutwitterpleaseretweetpostblogsocialfreemediahelpplease retweetgreatsocial media10followhow totopblog postcheck outnew blog post

15. Ask for the ReTweet

16. 20 Least ReTweetable Wordsgamegoinghahalolbutwatchingworkhomenightbedwellsleepgonnaheytomorrowtiredsomebackboredlistening

17. ReTweets Use Longer Words

18. ReTweets are “Smarter”

19. ReTweets are More Novel

20. ReTweets are Noun Heavy

21. ReTweets have More Punctuation

22. Semicolons are not ReTweetable

23. ReTweets are Less Emotional

24. ReTweets are Social and Concrete

25. Self Reference is not ReTweetable

26. News is ReTweetable

27. Men and Women ReTweet Differently

28. Timing is Everything

29. ReTweet Cascades

30. ReTweet CascadesThe likelihood of a tweet being ReTweeted increases dramatically each time it is ReTweeted. Social Proof.Implicit Call-to-Action.

31. ReTweet Etiquette Leave room (100 chars).Do not start the ReTweet with an @ sign.Give credit.Try to keep as much of the original tweet intact as possible.

32. Thank You!@DanZarrellahttp://DanZarrella.com