Full Guide - How to prepare for a Twitter Space Session?

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Holding a live conversation is an art form. While live performances often require dealing with spontaneity, this doesn’t mean you can’t prepare to mitigate anomalies and ensure a successful, engaging, and valuable session for both hosts and the audience.

By planning your session properly, you can conduct a killer interview without technical issues, awkward silences, and off-topic discussions.

This post covers essential aspects of preparation, including setting an agenda, creating a flow, handling technical details, and preparing for the post-session.

If you are completely new to Twitter Spaces, we recommend you to go through this guide by Social Media Examiner to get yourself familiar with the basics.

1) Have An Agenda

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Even regular chats can benefit from structure. A plan or outline doesn’t mean a strict flow. It should guide the conversation while allowing flexibility for minor digressions.

To create an effective agenda, start by defining the purpose and goals of your Twitter Space session.

• Create a structured outline of the topics to be covered. Break down your main topic into subtopics or themes to ensure a logical flow of discussion. Again, the outline shouldn’t be strict. Spaces should have a natural flow. For instance, if you are going to talk about the current trend in the financial markets, make a list of the recent market news to discuss or note down the main areas you want to cover.

• Agenda also means strong questions. Great interviewers usually come up with questions that get the non-obvious from their guests. Therefore, try putting extra effort in crafting questions for your guests. Check out the interviews from Dwarkesh Patel and Tyler Cowen on Conversations with Tyler to learn more about the art of interviewing.

• Finally, aim for a loose end time for the session to avoid dragging, which can dilute your content/message.

2) Create A Strong Flow, Hold It Loosely

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With the agenda as your conversation’s skeleton, you should also set the joints between the bones. Some conversations are spontaneous and natural, but in most occasions, you can picture the flow and even come up with the exact lineup and transitions between speakers and subjects.

• Plan smooth transitions between segments by preparing brief transition statements or questions to help the conversation flow naturally from one topic to another. There is no one correct way. You can even ditch the transitions altogether and change the subject with brand new questions. This is what Rick Rubin does on his show Tetragrammaton.

• Consider the overall pace and energy of the session. Vary the pace to maintain audience interest by alternating between informative segments and interactive discussions. This requires planning for moments of levity or breaks to prevent listener fatigue, especially for longer sessions.

3) Have a Tech Check

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While you may be familiar with the basics of Twitter Spaces, it’s essential to conduct a thorough tech check before every session to make sure you don’t fail at the last expected moment. Here’s a step-by-step tech check to help you prepare:

1. Audio quality:
   • Test your microphone to ensure it’s working properly and producing clear audio.
   • Adjust your microphone settings to optimize sound quality and minimize background noise.
   • Use headphones to prevent echo and feedback.
   • If you have multiple speakers, ensure each person’s audio is clear and balanced.
2. Internet connection:
   • Run a speed test to verify that your internet connection is stable and fast enough for streaming.
   • If possible, use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi for better stability.
   • Close any unnecessary applications or browser tabs that may consume bandwidth.
3. Power:
   • If using a mobile device, ensure it’s fully charged or connected to a power source.
   • For computers, keep the charger connected to avoid unexpected shutdowns.
4. Backup plan:
   • Have a co-host or moderator who can take over the session if you experience technical issues.
   • Prepare an alternative platform or communication method to inform your audience in case of major technical difficulties.
   • Keep your audience informed about any technical issues and the steps you’re taking to resolve them.

By conducting this tech check before every session, you can minimize the risk of technical problems and ensure a more professional and enjoyable experience for your audience.

4) Make Sure Guests Are Set

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Once you are prepared technically, it’s better to prepare your guests to avoid inconveniences too. To do that, you might want to involve them in the tech check process. Here’s how you can create a tech check for your guests and make sure they’re ready for the session:

1. Send a tech check guide:
   • Create a detailed, step-by-step guide that walks your guests through the necessary tech check steps.
   • Include instructions on testing their microphone, headphones, internet connection, and any other relevant equipment or software.
   • Provide screenshots or videos to make the process easier to follow.
2. Want to make absolutely sure? Schedule a brief tech check session:
   • Arrange a 15-minute tech check session with each guest before the main event.
   • Use this time to go through the tech check guide together and address any questions or concerns they may have.
   • Test their audio quality, internet connection, and familiarity with the Twitter Spaces platform.
3. Provide resources and support:
   • Share any additional resources, such as tutorials or FAQs, that can help your guests troubleshoot common technical issues.
   • Designate a point of contact for technical support who can assist guests before and during the session.
   • Encourage your guests to reach out if they encounter any technical difficulties or have questions.
4. Have a backup plan:
   • Discuss a backup plan with your guests in case they experience technical difficulties during the live session.
   • This may include having a co-host or moderator who can take over their speaking role or providing alternative ways to contribute to the discussion, such as through the chat feature.

To help you with the process, we created a simple Tech Check Template that you can follow to make sure you and your guests are set technically.

5) Plan for The Audience

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The main thing that sets spaces apart from podcasts is the audience. You are in front of a live audience and you should be prepared to keep them engaged, make them participate, and still maintain the conversation in place. To balance engagement and structure, consider the following strategies:

1. Plan for Q&A:
   • Decide whether to take questions throughout the session or allocate a dedicated time slot for Q&A at the end.
   • If opting for a dedicated Q&A segment, determine the duration and communicate it clearly to your audience and guests.
   • Choose a format for accepting questions, such as using the raised hand featuren or utilizing a third-party tool or Google Form.
2. Plan for active promotions (if applicable):
   • If you intend to run any active promotions during the session, such as encouraging listeners to share the space or running a contest, plan ahead to ensure smooth execution.
   • Determine the specific call-to-action for your promotions and decide on the best timing to mention them during the session.
   • Prepare any necessary materials or information related to the promotions, such as links, discount codes, or contest rules, to share with your audience.
3. Communicate guidelines to the audience:
   • At the beginning of the session, inform your audience about the Q&A format and how they can participate.
   • Provide clear instructions on how to submit questions and any guidelines they should follow (e.g., keeping questions concise and on-topic).
   • Encourage audience members to ask questions throughout the session or let them know when the dedicated Q&A segment will take place.

6) Marketing before the session

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Your preparations will go to waste if you don’t let others know about the session. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to promote your session:

1. Schedule the session: Choose a date and time that is convenient for your target audience. Consider factors such as time zones, work schedules, and competing events. And encourage your followers to set a reminder for the session.
2. Create engaging promotional content: Design eye-catching graphics or create short video teasers to showcase the key topics, speakers, and value proposition of your session.
3. Post reminder tweets: Schedule reminder tweets 1-2 days before the session to keep your audience engaged and build anticipation.
4. Generate mini-campaigns for community participation: Create mini-campaigns or challenges leading up to the session to encourage community participation and generate buzz. For example, ask your followers to share their top questions for the speakers, or create a poll to gauge their interest in specific subtopics.
5. Prepare marketing materials to introduce guests: Create short bios or introduction graphics for each of your featured guests to highlight their expertise and build credibility.

7) Plan for the follow-up after the session

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If you are reading this guide, it’s most likely that this isn’t a spring but a marathon for you, meaning that you will either do another session in the future or will benefit from creating content from your session.

And to prepare for the marathon, you also need to plan for the follow-up activities before the event. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Initial follow up planning:
   • Prepare follow-up tweets to share the key takeaways and thank participants. Consider outlining the main points and actionable insights you want to share with your audience.
   • Create visually appealing graphics or soundbites highlighting the session’s best moments.
   • Include relevant resources, links, or references mentioned during the session.
2. Additional content creation:
   • Plan to repurpose the session content into different formats (e.g., podcast episode, YouTube video, or infographic)
   • Outline the key points to be covered in each format and create a production timeline.
3. Metrics and analytics:
   • Identify the key metrics to track (e.g., attendance, engagement rate, and audience growth).
   • Set up a system to collect and analyze this data after the session.
   • Plan to use these insights to improve future sessions and demonstrate the event’s success to stakeholders.

Some spaces afford being spontaneous. Yet you wouldn’t err if you prepare a little so that you can keep on top of the discussion and guide the flow to make sure both the guests and the listeners have quality time.

Remember, a well-prepared Twitter Space session not only provides value to your audience but also positions you as a thought leader in your industry. By following these steps and leveraging the power of AI tools like Alphy, you can easily repurpose your content and extend its reach across multiple platforms, ensuring your message resonates with a wider audience.

Alphy and Twitter Spaces

With Alphy you can transcribe, summarize, and create content in one platform, in matter of minutes.

No need to export audio, switch between platforms, and upload manually. Just provide the link to your Space, and we’ll have it ready in minutes. This streamlined process enables you to repurpose your content across various formats—be it Twitter threads, SEO-optimized blog posts, newsletters, and more—saving you both time and effort while significantly amplifying your message.