Brands want to reach and engage large audiences, which is why they often include calls to action in their tweets. But does asking for a retweet bear fruit?

We analyzed 350 283 tweets posted from 3 792 brand profiles on Twitter, to determine whether asking for a retweet actually encourages people to share your content. As you can see in the table below, this call to action can definitely boost your performance but it also depends on how you word it. If you ask your audience to "RT” your tweet, you can expect about 73 retweets on average as opposed to 64 retweets for "Please Retweet” and around 20 retweets for when you tweet out "Please RT” or "Pls RT”.

But no matter how you ask for a retweet, our study shows that it´s worth the characters. Tweets without the call to action generated on average only 2 retweets!

Social calls to action have the power to reach and engage a major audience, so why not include them in your tweeting strategy? You can also ask for a reply, download, or follow depending on what exactly the goal of your tweet is. Our study showed that most "RT´s” encouraged Twitter users to participate in contests and sweepstakes. These guidelines for contests on Twitter will walk you through the main principles. Here are some examples of successful brands featured in our study:

Asking for a retweet can engage people in contests and sweepstakes

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Enjoy a cuppa FREE TEA with Tetley's #FreeTeaFriday! Just Follow & RT before 5pm for your chance to win!

— Tetley Tea Folk (@tetley_teafolk) August 16, 2013

Asking for a retweet can serve a cause

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Please RT: Help rush #CleanWater to children who could die without it! Donate NOW http://t.co/RvSnON7bjm pic.twitter.com/p1LCnBFs5a

— UNICEF USA (@unicefusa) August 16, 2013

Asking for a retweet can support sales

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Have u purchased a gift for rakhi? Fret not,the perfect gift – #LenovoTablets r here!Tweet with #GiftaLenovoTablet&we may gift1to her.Pls RT

— Lenovo India (@Lenovo_in) August 17, 2013

And Much More! Which calls to action do you use and how do they work for you?

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