Twitter is testing a new feature that would eliminate the constraints of its 280-character tweet limit and allow users to publish long-form tweets.

Twitter confirmed the test via a tweet.

When this will become available to all Twitter users? It’s unclear. Twitter noted: “We’re excited for the moment when everyone can use Notes, but for now, our focus is on building it right. A large part of that is engaging with writers and building community.”

For now, Twitter plans to test it over the next two months with a small group of writers from Canada, Ghana, the UK and the U.S.

Why we care. This could be the solution to those long Twitter threads, introduced in 2017. While those numbered threads had the ability to generate more engagement (e.g., reactions, replies), they were also incredibly hard to follow – especially spin-off conversations.

What it looks like. In Twitter Notes, it looks like you will be able to add:

• Formatting: Bold, italic and strikethrough text; insert ordered/unordered lists; add links.
• Media: You can add one GIF, one video, or up to four images.
• Tweets: You can either embed tweets by pasting URLs or from bookmarked tweets.

Notes also has a “Focus mode,” that makes the article composer full-screen.

You can see some screenshots shared in a thread by @wongmjane.

The continued homogenization of social media platforms. Just about every platform right now is trying to duplicate popular features from other platforms (especially TikTok) in an effort to stay relevant. Twitter is no exception.

But this new-to-Twitter feature – if it becomes widely adopted – would basically put an end to what initially made Twitter unique: its reliance on brevity.

Elon Musk approves. Earlier this year, in response to a long (and interesting) thread by former Reddit CEO Yishan Wong about Musk’s bid to buy Twitter, Musk pointed out that long-form tweets were long overdue on Twitter.

Formerly known as Twitter Articles. This feature was first spotted in February. 

About The Author

Danny Goodwin is Managing Editor of Search Engine Land & SMX. In addition to writing daily about SEO, PPC, and more for Search Engine Land, Goodwin also manages Search Engine Land’s roster of subject-matter experts. He also helps program our conference series, SMX – Search Marketing Expo. Prior to joining Search Engine Land, Goodwin was Executive Editor at Search Engine Journal, where he led editorial initiatives for the brand. He also was an editor at Search Engine Watch. He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.

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