No matter how many followers you have, encouraging engagement on any social platform can be tricky. That’s why Twitter polls are a handy tool to keep in your back pocket. They’re super interactive, easy to create, and fun to take part in.

A Twitter poll can help you learn more about what your audience thinks, wants, and how they behave. And the more you know about your audience, the easier it is to determine what you should be doing for your brand.

In this guide, we’ll teach you what Twitter polls are and how to use them to connect with your audience.

Bonus: Download the free 30-day plan to grow your Twitter following fast, a daily workbook that will help you establish a Twitter marketing routine and track your growth, so you can show your boss real results after one month.

What is a Twitter poll?

A Twitter poll allows you to pose a question to your audience in a Tweet with four response options (but you can choose only two or three if you like).

Polls on Twitter make it easy for people to share their opinion. No directing them to another page, asking them to fill out a form, or taking up valuable time. Voting only takes a second or two—at most.

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And unlike traditional surveys, there’s no waiting for results. Users see results instantly. They can also retweet your poll to others, spreading it organically.

How to create a poll on Twitter

It’s super easy to create Twitter polls. Once you’ve decided on your question and potential answers, it will only take a minute or two. Really. We promise.

Start a Tweet

Click the blue Tweet button on the left navigation menu on the desktop. Or tap the create Tweet logo in the top right corner of the mobile app — just like you would for any Tweet.

Start your poll

Click or tap the Add poll option in the dialog that pops up.

add poll option

Add your poll question

Ask the question you want an answer for. You can use up to the max character count (280) in your poll question. So add some relevant hashtags, @mentions, and links.

When it comes to language, treat polls like your tweets—keep them short, clear, and fun.

cats vs. dogs example poll

Choose your poll options

Now it’s time to give your audience some choices. Add your first response option into the Choice 1 box and your second into the Choice 2 box. You can click + Add a choice to add additional options to your poll if you want.

Your poll must have two options (it’s not much of a vote otherwise) and can include up to four options.

choose two poll option dog and cat

You can use up to 25 characters for each option. That includes emoji, symbols and punctuation, so feel free to play around a little—it’s your Twitter poll.

use up to 25 characters and emojis for each poll option

Set your poll length

By default, Twitter polls last one day. You change the duration of your poll by clicking 1 day and changing the days, hours and minutes. The minimum length of a poll is five minutes, and the maximum is seven days.

set poll length in days

Post your poll

If you’re happy with your selections, click Tweet to publish the poll. Now it’s time to wait for the responses to roll in!

post poll by clicking on tweet button

How to use Twitter polls to boost engagement (ideas + examples)

Twitter’s user count is expected to grow upwards of 329 million in 2022. If you want to connect with those people, start using Twitter polls as part of your marketing strategy to stand out from the crowd.

Here are 11 ideas to engage (and maybe enrage) your followers. After all, engagement is a key ranking signal to the Twitter algorithm. Use polls to create some life for your brand and go from boring to captivating in no time.

Listen and learn

Listening is the best way to build a personal relationship. The same rule applies to social media. When you ask your followers to chime in on a decision, they’ll feel heard.

Karla Cosmetics asks its followers what product they’d like to see them create next.

Build anticipation

Hype up your customers before product launches and updates with a quick poll. Ask them what they’re most excited about, like Android does in this Poll.

Settle age-old debates

Some rivalries are as old as time.

Half of your followers might side with one camp while the other half supports the rival. Settle the debate once and for all with a poll on Twitter.

McDonald’s asks followers to choose between two of their iconic breakfast dishes. With over 71,000 votes, there’s only a 0.6% difference in the poll results, showing what a hot topic it is.

Nintendo boosts its engagement by namedropping classic Mario characters in this Twitter poll. Who would you rather pass the ball to? (In this case, we’re voting Neither — Yoshi all the way)

Only one sauce on game day? Perish the thought! Heinz forces followers to choose in this Twitter poll that does double-duty by reinforcing ketchup’s popularity.

Get silly

Twitter polls aren’t lengthy customer feedback surveys –– they’re short and sweet informal questions. They’re perfect for having some fun and showing your brand’s sense of humor.

Being funny in your Twitter polls shows your brand doesn’t take itself too seriously. So go ahead and let loose.

Domino’s Pizza often shows its playful side with a fun poll designed to put a smile on customers’ faces.

Here, Subway asks people to think about the lengths they’d be prepared to go to pick up a forgotten sauce. 37 light-years, anyone?

Get feedback

Launched a new product range? Start a poll to find out what your followers think of it!

A Twitter poll is a quick and easy way to get your audience’s immediate feedback.

Krispy Kreme uses Twitter to find out which seasonal flavor their audience likes best.

Calvin Klein keeps it simple and asks followers about their favorite scents.

You can use the feedback you gain to adapt your strategy and shape your next offering.

Be timely

Timing is everything. (Look, sometimes clichés are true!)

Make sure you’re on top of trends and seasonal events and send out a timely poll that fits the moment. Whether there’s a trending news story or a viral piece of pop culture, use Twitter polls to get your audience involved in the conversation.

A week before Halloween, Eventbrite asks Twitter users about the Halloween activity they’re most excited for.

On Christmas Eve, JetBlue asks followers to share their favorite holiday traditions. Many people travel around the holidays, so the brand connection here feels particularly strong.

Specsavers taps into a classic conversation with a poll asking users about the number of times they’ve heard a certain phrase.

Bonus: Download the free 30-day plan to grow your Twitter following fast, a daily workbook that will help you establish a Twitter marketing routine and track your growth, so you can show your boss real results after one month.

Get the free guide right now!

Polls can be a great way to enter a lively conversation around a trending topic.

Pay attention to events that will speak to your particular audience. You could even create a “holiday” relevant to your brand — if you’re feeling bold.

Or choose from the countless others that already exist.

Play a game

Make it fun for followers to engage with your brand by turning your Twitter poll into a game or a lighthearted quiz.

Instead of endless doom-scrolling, a quiz encourages people to participate. They’re a great way to get users to engage with your brand. People might even retweet the poll to their own followers and drive up your response rate.

The Daily Grind podcast asks people to join in on a game of This or That.

Finish the sentence

Filling in the blank is often irresistible. Ask your audience to complete a phrase with one of your poll options and wait for your engagement to soar.

Etsy helps followers find the perfect Father’s Day gift by asking them to fill in the blank to describe their father.

AddThis asks followers to guess how many emails are opened on mobile devices. As a brand that specializes in marketing tools, they likely know that their audience cares about targeting and personalization.

Ask for opinions

Polls are like a quick Twitter survey of your audience’s opinions. If you’re feeling controversial, you could even hold a political poll on the platform.

The Politics Polls Twitter account often asks users politics and current affairs questions.

Ask for predictions

Big events, like championship games and awards shows, always engage followers. Use a poll to encourage your audience to predict what will happen at those events.

Who’s going to win? What are they going to wear? What will they do next? Think about ways that you can relate your brand to the current conversation.

ESPN posts regular Twitter polls asking their followers to predict which teams or players will have the most success in the NFL.

Do market research

Twitter is a great place to learn more about your target audience’s preferences and behavior. Use your polls to figure out what they like about your product or how they use it. You can then use the feedback to inform your offering.

Starbucks asks customers how they plan to use their Rewards during a special week of daily offers.

Amazon asks customers about the product they’re most likely to forget to add to their cart.

Frequently asked questions about Twitter polls

Got a burning question about Twitter polls? Check out our top four frequently asked questions.

Are Twitter polls anonymous? Can you see who voted on your Twitter poll?

All Twitter polls are anonymous. No one, not even the poll creator, can see who has voted or what they chose. All you can see is the percentage of votes for each option. You can learn more about your audience through Twitter analytics.

Can you create a poll with pictures on Twitter?

While you can’t add pictures to the same Tweet with the poll, you could add a picture to the same Tweet thread.

Can you buy Twitter poll votes?

Sure, you can buy Twitter poll votes. But that doesn’t mean you should!

If your goal is to grow organically and sustainably, then buying votes (or followers, for that matter) is a bad idea. Paid engagement tells you nothing about your audience, and a flood of activity from bot accounts can harm how Twitter perceives your account.

Can you schedule Twitter polls?

Twitter polls are meant to be highly interactive, so you can’t currently schedule them on Hootsuite or other scheduling platforms. You can schedule other Tweets, though.

Save time managing your Twitter presence by using Hootsuite to schedule Tweets (including video Tweets), reply to comments and DMs, and monitor key performance stats. Try it free today.

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Bonus: Get a set of 6 free, customizable Twitter card templates that will make your Twitter chats look professional, unique, and eye-catching.

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