Have you ever wished that you could add more than 140 characters and a picture to a tweet? If the answer is yes, then Twitter cards are the solution.
What Can Twitter Cards Do?
Twitter cards allow you to tweet well beyond the basic text and image format that you are used to on Twitter. Instead, these cards offer you a way to provide media rich content directly to your audience. Using a twitter card, you can have a user download an app, follow your account and even sign up for your email list without ever having to leave Twitter. Learn more about setting up Twitter cards.
How Many Types of Cards Are There?
Twitter currently offers nine different types of cards that you can choose from, and each has a unique look and function. Below, you’ll find each type of card and function it provides.
Summary Card:
This is Twitter’s default card that includes a still image and a small description of your link along with a link and article title. Summary cards are the best for option for text rich blog posts.
Large Photo Summary Card:
This card is the same as its predecessor but sacrifices additional text space in favor of a larger picture. The large photo summary card is best to use if you have a very eye-catching photo in your blog post.
Photo Card:
This card is ideal when you have a visually appealing image to share. The card is similar to tweeting a picture except it gives you the option to add a small caption underneath the photo.
Player Card:
This card is named appropriately because it very well could be the card that gets the most attention on a Twitter feed. The Player Card allows the user to stream a video or listen to an audio file within a tweet.
Website Card:
If you are trying to drive your Twitter followers to your website or an important blog post, a website card can help you achieve that goal. This card displays a horizontal image, small space for text, a link to your website and, most importantly, a call-to-action button.
Product Card:
The product card is perfect if you are selling a product online. With a product card, you can prominently display your product and link to your ecommerce store.
App Cards:
This card can drive Twitter users directly to your application on either the Google Play or Apple App Store. This card displays the name of the app, rating, and price as well as a description of the application. It also displays a large call-to-action button that sends anyone who clicks on it straight to the app store to download. However, this button is only available on mobile devices.
Lead Generation Card:
Are you trying to grow your email list? Or looking for more qualified leads? This card could be the answer. Using a lead generation card, a user can sign up for your newsletter or fill out the contact form all on a single tweet. The best part- Twitter auto-populates a user’s email address so all they have to do click the sign up button!
Gallery Card:
Image heavy blog posts will benefit most from a gallery card. This card allows a tweet to display a collage of four different photos within a single tweet. This could be great to use for storytelling or showing off your latest project.
Photo Credit: @case_dixon
