Wise reader and Standard Theme user Kevin Bower pointed out that the Twitter Blackird Pie Plug-in does this already. Thanks for the tip Kevin.
After recently switching to the Standard Theme (affiliate link..thx) I wanted to utilize the “quote” formatted post option. As I was typing in the quote I wanted to post I remembered that I had tweeted the quote earlier in the day. The idea come to me that perhaps I could kill two birds with one stone; embed the tweet in the “quote” formatted post driving traffic to my site as usual but also increase engagement through my Twitter platform. Since I’m not posting the quotes for SEO purposes (I’m not sure Google will see my embedded Tweet the same as if I was typing in a quote) I was OK with embedding the Tweet. Twitter makes it very easy to embed your tweets and gives you some cool functionality at the same time. Here’s how you can do the same thing.
Step 1: Choose the “quote” format on the right side of your compose new post window.
Step 2: Go to http://www.Twitter.com/YourUsername, log in to Twitter and find the your tweet to embed. Click on Details
Step 3: Click on “Embed this Tweet” and a new window will pop up on your screen.
Step 4: Copy the HTML code after choosing the text alignment option. I choose “None” because Standard Theme formats all text in the quote formatted posts with a huge font size (apx 72pt) and I’m not going to add any text to the post.
You can also embed a tweet using the “Standard” format option in the Format menu. This allows you to use normal sized text in the post. The advantage of choosing a “Standard” format in the Format menu is that it will give your post a clickable headline and readers are more likely to comment on the post. Readers can comment on a “quote” formatted post but the link is very small, at the bottom left of the post.
Step 5: This is what your embedded Tweet will look like. I like it because it allows for readers to easily follow me, reply to the Tweet or Retweet it. It also allows for commenting but the small “link” icon on the bottom left is unlikely to gather the reader’s attention.
I’m still trying to figure out the best method to use the “Quote” formatted post and create a link for readers to comment, “Like” or Tweet the post. One option that could allow visitors to more easily interact with the post is to install those links on the front page of post like Michael Hyatt does (see image below post example).
What value do you see in this method and have you tried anything else that’s worked well for you in the Standard Theme?
