Trending on Twitter is a powerful way to create awareness for your brand, product or campaign.

Over the last few years, SheSpeaks has developed and executed countless Twitter parties.  In this time, our party hashtags have frequently trended in the United States as well as worldwide and have generated hundreds of millions of impressions.

In fact, lately, we’ve noticed that not only are our party hashtags trending, but so are party key words including products and brand names.

We are frequently asked by clients, “How do I trend on Twitter?”

How Twitter determines trending topics

According to Twitter: “Trends are determined by an algorithm and, by default, are tailored for you based on who you follow and your location. This algorithm identifies topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help you discover the hottest emerging topics of discussion on Twitter that matter most to you.”

What does this mean in practical terms?  There is no magic formula to trending on Twitter.  In our experience, trending on Twitter is a combination of three elements:

1. People/Tweeps: having a large number of people tweeting the party discussion and hashtag at the same time
2. Influencers: ensuring that the reach and influence of the people tweeting topics and hashtags is substantial
3. “Twitter Real-Time:” what other conversations and topics are active and trending on Twitter at a given time.  At least the first two of these elements can be planned.

Below are two recent Twitter Party examples that illustrate some of these points.

#1. DripDrop Twitter Activation

We have been working with DripDrop to create awareness for their re-hydration solution that prevents and treats dehydration.

The activation included a Twitter Party component. During the party we held for DripDrop, we educated participants about the importance of staying hydrated, symptoms of dehydration, how to stay hydrated, and the benefits of DripDrop.

Not only did the #DrinkDripDrop hashtag trend #6, but the two flavors of DripDrop (Lemon and Berry) trended #8.   This helped drive incremental interest and discussion.

How did we do it?

Throughout the party, we made sure to mention the flavors of DripDrop in the content we shared. At one point in the party we asked participants “What are the flavors of DripDrop?” A majority of the participants answered Lemon and Berry. The flavors started trending shortly after the party hashtag did.

We also made sure to enlist great content from our Twitter party participants including photos and feedback.

#2. Febreze Holiday Scents Twitter Activation

Our #FebrezeHoliday Twitter party focused on helping Febreze create awareness for its new holiday scents, available at Walmart.

During the Twitter party, participants shared their favorite recipes, traditions, and how they get their home “holiday-ready.” The #FebrezeHoliday hashtag trended #6 during the party and then two of the holiday scents (Frosted Pine and Toasted Almond) trended #9 and #10.

How did we do it?

We educated the participants about the different scents available at Walmart throughout the party. Halfway through the party we asked participants “Which scents are you favorite?” Frosted Pine and Toasted Almond were the clear favorites and started trending shortly after.

Prior to our  Twitter parties most participants were not familiar with DripDrop (and their flavors) or Febreze’s holiday scents. However, by the end of the parties, the flavors/scents had been Tweeted so many times that they appeared on the trending list, and in result became familiar to the participants.

Trending is not a perfect science and there is no way to ensure that it happens every time.  However, there are some best practices and “ingredients” needed to trend that brands should note.

Have you noticed any products trending on Twitter? Tweet us and let us know @SheSpeaksInc.