Twitter Likes vs Retweets: Which One Holds More Weight?

The two simple actions that users can take with tweets on Twitter are liking and retweeting. Most people have a general idea of what they are, however. A like means you are showing appreciation for a tweet, while a retweet is sharing through your followers. But they have a much greater effect. Recognizing this distinction is important when strategizing a Twitter marketing campaign and trying to increase engagement. Then, which value does more – likes or retweets?

Defining Twitter Likes and Retweets

Before comparing their relative weight and impact, let’s ensure we have a clear understanding of each engagement type.

What Does “Liking” a Tweet Mean?

Clicking the heart icon below any tweet means you “like” that post. According to Twitter, this means the tweet sparked your interest or you appreciate and agree with its content. Your like gets counted in the total displayed below the tweet. You can access all tweets you’ve liked via your Likes page, visible only to you—unless you’ve adjusted your settings. If you’re wondering how to hide your likes on Twitter, you can do so by making your account private, which restricts visibility to approved followers.

Liking a tweet doesn’t share it with your followers like a retweet. It simply signals endorsement to the author.

What Does “Retweeting” Mean?

Retweeting posts share it with all of your followers in their timelines. Along with the original tweet content, your name and profile picture show up indicating you retweeted. This exposes tweets to new audiences, allowing increased reach and visibility.

So in short – a like is private praise, while a retweet is public endorsement and amplification. But which translates to more meaningful engagement?

The Case for Likes

While most social media experts point to retweets as more valuable, likes do still impact brands in helpful ways. Here’s why they deserve focus in your Twitter strategy:

1. They Indicate Post Quality. A high number of likes signals your content resonates with audiences. If tweets consistently get likes, you know you’re posting messages followers appreciate.
2. They Boost Visibility. While likes don’t share tweets like retweets, they do impact visibility and impressions. The more likes a tweet gets, the more Twitter’s algorithm recognizes high performance and starts suggesting it to users via notifications and search.
3. They Represent Brand Sentiment. Seeing lots of likes on your tweets suggests people view your brand positively. These public endorsements can influence how others perceive your company.
4. They’re Simple Engagement. Likes require less effort than retweets. Followers can show support at a glance, rather than taking multiple steps to retweet posts. Lower-effort actions tend to occur more frequently.

Likes impact brands in helpful ways and suggest your content resonates with target audiences. But do they drive more tangible results than retweets?

The Power of Retweets

Most experts point to retweets as substantially more beneficial for the visibility and reach they allow. Specifically, retweeting posts:

1. Amplifies Reach. Every retweet exposes tweets to new, targeted audiences. Just one retweet can double or triple views. This expands brand awareness much more than likes.
2. Drives Traffic. Shared tweets gain more eyeballs, increasing the likelihood that users click through to your site or profile. This directly boosts visitors and conversions.
3. Enhances SEO. Higher tweet traffic and more link clicks signal search engines your content offers value. In turn, this can improve search rankings and visibility in results pages.
4. Sparks Conversation. Retweets beget more retweets. As more users share the post, it sparks chain reactions and opens conversational doors with audiences.

Experts widely accept retweets as substantially more beneficial for brands aiming to gain website traffic, amplify messaging, connect with audiences, and build awareness. They simply reach and engage more users.

Comparing Likes and Retweets Head to Head

The points above explain why experts often emphasize retweets over likes, but how do they compare numerically? Twitter’s self-service advertising platform provides helpful benchmarks.

On average, promoted tweets generate a .05% like rate and a .025% retweet rate. In other words, for every 1,000 impressions, tweets get 5 likes and 2.5 retweets. So tweets earn roughly twice as many likes as retweets on Twitter.

However, remember retweets show posts to new audiences each time. One retweet can double impressions. So while the upfront ratio favors likes 2:1, the downstream impact of retweets grows exponentially while likes remain fixed. This multiplying power makes them more influential despite fewer absolute numbers.

Follower counts also require consideration. Say you have 10,000 followers and a tweet gets 25 likes. That reflects engagement from .25% of your audience. However, if one of those followers has 50,000 followers of their own, their single retweet just reached 5X more accounts. The percentage may start lower, but the potential upside far outweighs likes.

Tips to Increase Retweets

Since retweets offer more branding bang for your buck, focus efforts on promoting shares. Use these proven tips:

1. Post Visual Content. Tweets with images earn 18% more clicks on average. Visuals grab attention and give followers something eye-catching to share.
2. Publish During Peak Times. Afternoons and evenings, mid-week, tend to see the highest Twitter traffic and engagement. Send retweet-worthy posts when the largest audiences are active.
3. Target Influencers. Connect with leaders in your industry with large follower networks. Earning influencer retweets introduces tweets to more qualified users.
4. Write Strong Calls to Action. Don’t just expect retweets if you do not ask. Ask followers to Retweet this directly at logical points in tweets.
5. Leverage Hashtags. Relevant trending hashtags help increase reach to engaged users looking at those topics. The more people that are interested in the retweet, the higher the potential retweet rates.
6. Offer Value. Self-promotional messages don’t get shared as much as entertaining, informative, helpful tweets. Rather than sales pitches, make way for giving tangible value.
7. Reply and Engage. Higher retweet rates are achieved by being responsive in Twitter conversations. Use more interactions with the followers.

The Impact on Twitter Ads

Liking and, to a lesser extent, retweeting have an impact on Twitter ad campaign performance and costs for brands investing in Twitter ads.

Twitter charges for each click or engagement with tweets when optimizing based on engagement. Thus, likes and retweets raise costs. To be clear, retweets amplify messaging further, so their traffic as well as conversions are generally higher with slightly higher ad spend justifying it.

When optimizing Twitter ads based on conversion events such as email sign-ups or purchases, higher retweet rates are good for the result. The more brand impressions and traffic, the more likely conversion goals become.

The further reach of retweets usually has a stronger marketing ROI. However, smart Twitter advertisers monitor both metrics to maximize the return on the ad dollars.

Key Takeaways

While likes and retweets both offer Twitter marketing value, their downstream effects differ. When evaluating the two, keep these key points in mind:

1. They are fixed endorsements that appear only to post authors. Retweets make the tweets available to unlimited new audiences.
2. Tweets receive in total roughly twice as many likes than retweets. However, each retweet doubles impressions.
3. When you have an exponentially growing audience, retweets will drive more traffic, conversions, and search visibility than with fewer actual numbers.
4. Retweet rates are increased by visual tweets, influencer partnerships, strong CTAs, hashtags, and peak timing.
5. Retweets do mean better results through expanded reach and, as a result, slightly higher costs when optimizing for engagements.

So while likes offer helpful feedback on content, retweets pack more of an impactful punch. Strategic Twitter marketers track both but focus efforts on promoting message amplification through retweets.