Ever heard of the quote: “a picture is worth a thousand words” Well, imagine a picture that is repeating on loop and what that will be worth. A GIF was first created in 1987, as a means to share images in minimal storage space. Today, they are commonly used to convey emotions and ideas. When you’re out of words, just search for the perfect GIF to convey what you’re feeling.
GIFs may have been unprofessional and unpopular but today they’re widely used by individuals and brands alike. You can find a GIF search bar on almost every social media platform as well as your phone keyboard, making it super easy to share one.
Twitter introduced its GIF search bar in 2016 when the previous year, more than 100 million GIFs were shared on its platform.
GIFs have been so popular that it was the 2012 Oxford Word of the Year. So, if you’re wondering how to add a GIF to Twitter, let’s spare no further time in finding that out.
How to Add a GIF to Twitter
Adding a GIF to your tweet or responding with it on Twitter is fairly easy. You can add a Twitter GIF by:
Using GIF Icon on Twitter: One of the easiest ways to add a GIF to Twitter is by clicking on the GIF icon when you compose a Tweet like shown below:
There you can search by the categories given below or search by a keyword of your choice.
Uploading a GIF image: You can save a GIF to your computer from platforms like Giphy among others where you can find hundreds and thousands of GIFs. Once you have it saved, type out your tweet and then just add the GIF using the media icon, like you add a picture in your tweet.
You can also add the GIPHY URL of your GIF in your tweet and it will show automatically when you tweet.
Using your own GIF: You can add a Twitter GIF to your tweet by making one yourself as well. To do that, you can use pictures or a video on GIPHY to create a GIF you like. You can further polish it with a caption, sticker, or filter.
You can also search for a GIF-making app on your phone to share your self-made GIFs on the go.
Some things to know about sharing GIFs on Twitter:
Here are some things you should be aware of when sharing GIFs on Twitter:
- You can share GIFs in DMs
- An animated GIF up to 5 MB can be shared on mobile
- An animated GIF up to 15 MB can be shared through the web
- If an animated GIF does not loop and only plays one time, it will show as a static image
- You can add a GIF to your tweet from a third-party keyboard on your phone
How Can GIFs Help your Brand?
Knowing how to add a GIF to Twitter can be a real game-changer for your brand or business. According to a Microsoft study, the average human attention span in 2013 was 8-seconds, down from 12 seconds in 2000.
It’s only going to further decline due to the information overload we have in today’s hyper-digital world. Considering this, it’s critical to know how you can utilize the power of GIFs in your social media strategy.
The average GIF length is between 2 and 5 seconds and you can use it to your advantage in the following ways:
Show Off Product Features: GIFs are dynamic, which makes them useful to show off key details and features of your products.
Stay Relevant: GIFs are relatable and brands use them to stay relevant with their audience. You can tie in GIFs with your digital strategy and connect with your audience by becoming part of worldwide trends on Twitter.
Create How-To Visuals: It is much easier to show your consumers how to use your product visually than to give written instructions. Since GIFs run in a loop, your target market can view it as many times as they like to understand instructions better.
Include in Product Launch: GIFs are great to create excitement around a new product launch. You can give your customers a sneak peek and tease them until the product finally launches.
Adding a Twitter GIF to your social media content is a great way to show your brand’s human side and connect with your audience. To find out opportunities and generate leads use social media listening on Twitter to stay ahead of the game.