Over the years, live-tweeting has become more prominent. Last month’s introduction of Project Lightning, a Twitter function that allows users to follow a specific feed, has only made it easier. But as with any social media aspect, there are certain guidelines that you need to follow in order to live-tweet well.

Most events have official hashtags: be sure to use these so that when people search the event, they will see your tweets. It is also best to tell your followers that you will be live-tweeting an event—they may or may not want to follow your live stream—a heads-up is an appreciated act of courtesy.

When actually live-tweeting, offer personal insight into the event at hand. Do not be the one who merely reports that the soccer game ended 0-0—that is almost as pointless as the game itself—and any quick Google search could tell us that. Instead, offer your own thoughts, retweet other people’s thoughts, and include other tweeters’ handles in your own tweets. This gets conversation going, and it fuels an interesting discussion. All the while though, be sure to focus on the event at hand. Your followers want to hear about the event from you—fulfill their expectations.

Finally, use multi-media options to your advantage. Post pictures; they can tell so much more than 140 characters—use them to your advantage. Also, use the video options on Twitter. Functions like Vine and Periscope were created specifically for tweeting live events.

Follow these tips and you will successfully live-tweet any event, anytime, anywhere.

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