How to Use GIFs on Twitter: A Step by Step Guide

Animated GIFs have most certainly become a massively popular form of communication and for good reasons. Here are just a few of them:

• GIFs tell stories better than standard still images
• GIFs will grab your user’s attention instantly, thus attracting more attention to your content
• GIFs will help you to engage their reactions and emotions more effectively
• Unlike long videos, GIFs get the point across automatically, silently and in a mere matter of seconds before they loops back to the beginning.

Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) first introduced the ability to share animated GIFs in 2014 and since then they have been used millions of times to pass along messages.

Starting today, you can share and view animated GIFs on http://t.co/wJD8Fp317i, Android and iPhone. pic.twitter.com/XBrAbOm4Ya

— Twitter Support (@Support) June 18, 2014

How to Use GIFs on Twitter

Creating GIFs for Twitter

There are two ways that you can create GIFs on Twitter. The first method is to create your own GIF using either Photoshop, GIFBrewery, GIFBoom or even a free service like GIFSoup, which allows users to make GIFs from YouTube videos.

If you are not up to creating your GIF from scratch, you can find GIFs online from websites such as Giphy. Choose your preferred GIF and save it to your computer. Once you are ready to share, compose a new tweet, click add photo and post away.

Use Twitter GIFs

A second and relatively easier way to share GIFs on Twitter is to click the tweet composer and look for the little GIF icon between the photo/video camera icon and the poll icon.

Click the GIF icon to reveal the different GIF categories available.

Use Search Function to Find a Specific GIF

If you can’t find the perfect GIF in the available categories, enter your keywords in the search box.

As an example, here’s a search for cars.

Click on your preferred GIF to automatically add it to you tweet. If you would like to discard it, click the “X” on the top right to delete it.

You can accompany the GIF with a caption and you are ready to tweet.

Once you post it, your  GIF will show up inline on your profile feed and in the home feed of users that follow you.

Tweet Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "How to Use GIFs on Twitter: A Step by Step Guide" was first published on Small Business Trends