Besides “liking” a Tweet, reaction isn’t a commonly used word used when it comes to Twitter capabilities. Neither is video. Both have been available in their small, separate ways, but the social platform of 217 million users has now made them available, together. Twitter is dubbing it “Twitter Takes.”
Over the last few years, we’ve seen Twitter adopt many flashy features that other social platforms have previously launched, such as a place for audio (Spaces) and Live streaming. And this new “take” comes from the playbooks of both Instagram and TikTok. Instagram, for example, allows you to reply to comments on posts via short video Reels, and TikTok lets users reply to comments on their clips with a video response, as well as Stitch and Duet features.
Tweet reaction videos can now start on Twitter!
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) January 6, 2022
Testing on iOS: when you tap the Retweet icon, choose “Quote Tweet with reaction” to create and customize your very own Tweet Take –– a reaction video (or photo) with the Tweet embedded. pic.twitter.com/1E30F8rKYh
This isn’t a move of Twitter’s to help users grow followers or a play for click-to-purchase. It’s Twitter’s way of building and fostering conversation.
A few things to note about this new improvement is that Twitter is currently testing Twitter Takes on a very small group of users — and only on iOS. It’s a full-screen option that Twitter hasn’t really been known for before. And while you were already able to quote a reply on a Tweet, and there were rumors of testing responses using emojis, you can now add more character, setting and voice with video. Twitter threads can frequently be novel length in terms of the amount of engagement and comments, but Tweet Takes brings that comment culture to another level, providing users with “more creative ways to express themselves,” the social network told TechCrunch.
Here’s how to do it
When you tap to retweet a post, choose “Quote Tweet with reaction” to add a personalized Tweet Take — which can be either a video or photo — that will include the tweet embedded.
We want to give you more creative ways to join the conversation and express yourself on Twitter. Starting today, we’re rolling out a test on iOS that gives you the option to Quote Tweet with a reaction video (or photo) with your very own Tweet Take.
— Sam Haveson (@samhaves) January 6, 2022
Here’s my takehttps://t.co/RLolp062GA pic.twitter.com/21qlYk2hh5
What this means for influencers and brands
While we’ve yet to see exactly how influencers and brands will use this feature on Twitter, on Instagram and TikTok, a food influencer might take a comment about a specific ingredient in a recipe and share a photo of the label and where to purchase said ingredient. Or a hiking and outdoors influencer might grab a follower’s question and respond with a video to where a specific hidden cave is from a hike they posted. It’s provides the influencer and brand with a more intimate conversation outside of the DMs and it can bring more views to the original post.
We’ll be interested to see how Twitter Takes unfold specifically for influencers and brands once or if it gets rolled out to the social masses.
