It is common wisdom that the internet is forever. Country superstar Brad Paisley even wrote a song about it, for God’s sake. However, Twitter itself new Fleets featuredare not participate.

Released to users worldwide in November 2020, Fleets is a way to post content on Twitter that will disappear after 24 hours.

Reactions so far…have been mixed.

To be fair, early testing in Italy, India, Brazil and South Korea showed Fleets encouraging more activity, especially from new users. Since such posts are obviously temporary, many have found a more comfortable way to share their thoughts and opinions.

It will be interesting to see if the fleets are caught or if the feature, like the shipments themselves, eventually disappears. By the way, if you’re interested in Flying some Fleets for your business (yes, that’s a noun and a verb, keep it up!), read on for a footnote.

(This post will take longer than 24 hours, don’t worry.)

What are fleets?

Like Instagram Stories, Facebook stories, or OG of disappearing content Snapchat, Fleets are ephemeral Twitter posts. After 24 hours, your Fleet will be destroyed forever.


Fleets can only be submitted and visible on Twitter mobile apps. There is no word on whether the feature will be available on desktop.


Fleets appear on Twitter mobile

Fleets can be text, gif, photo or video posts. You can also filter your reactions to Tweets. Fleets can be customized with a variety of background colors and text options. Express yourself! (For the day.)

The pressure to get those sweet retweets and likes? Gone! The inconvenience of recording your comments? Gone!

If there’s anything you want to say about the last episode MasterChef Junior (and we to know You do), but if you’re worried about making a permanent record of your opinion of Benni’s omelet skills, Fleets is a great way to share your thoughts at the moment.

These are Twitter posts that are short. Here today, gone tomorrow.

How to use Twitter Fleets

If you have the latest version of the Twitter app on your phone or tablet, you’re ready to get Fleeting. It’s like the Squadrons were within you all along, don’t you understand?!

How to login to Fleets

  1. Sign in to your Twitter mobile app.
  2. This much! You are in it!


Twitter Add mobile account

At the top of the screen, you will see a series of circles similar to Instagram stories. On the far left you have your own Fleet icon. This is us….

How to create a fleet

1. Click the Fleet icon (the circle with your profile picture) in the upper left corner of the home screen.

2. You are now in creation mode! At the bottom of the screen, you can swipe left or right between different types of content – choose Text, Camera Roll, Capture or Video. (Note: Video is your hands-free recording option while Capture requires holding down the record button.)


Create Fleet

3. Then you can resize your graphics, change the background color or add additional text to make your Fleet sweet.

4. Tap the Fleet button in the upper right corner when you’re ready to share. Now around the world for the next 24 hours!

5. If you want to share a tweet (yours or someone else’s) via Fleets, here’s how to do it:

  1. Tap the “share” icon below a Tweet.
  2. Faucet Share in a Fleet.
  3. Now, add any additional text or emoji.
  4. Tap the Fleet button in the upper right corner.


LA Times tweets via Fleets

Note that anyone who can see your full profile can also see your Fleets. more The devil doesn’t care about your comments. Also good to know: Anyone who can DM you can reply to your Fleets.

How to share the fleet

It is not possible to retweet or share a link to a Fleet.

However, there is no indication whether someone has taken a screenshot of a Fleet, so this is one way to circumvent this restriction. Be sneaky, we’re not here to judge.

How to track the fleet

At the top of your main timeline, you’ll see Squadrons. Click any of them to watch. The next one on your list will play automatically when finished.


Follow fleets on Twitter homepage

You can see who has viewed your Fleet (including accounts with protected Tweets) by opening your Fleet and tapping “Viewed” at the bottom.

How to respond to a Fleet

If you are able to send the user a DM, you will see a comment field under their Fleet.


Reply to Fleet

Tap the comment field to create a Direct Message or click the emoji icon in the bottom right to react to the original poster.

You can find the history of this conversation in their DMs. (This chat log, however, habit It disappears after 24 hours, so play calmly!)

5 ways to use Twitter Fleets for business

As always, just because a social media platform introduces a new feature doesn’t mean you should use it. Not all tools are useful for all purposes.

Before adding Fleets to your daily social media to-do list, it’s worth taking some time to see how it fits into your overall social strategy. (Here’s a free template if you haven’t already!)

Fleets also currently lack some of the competitor’s more compelling features, such as Instagram Stories. No stickers, no ability to add links, no live streams. Right now, it’s a bit bare bones.

However, social platforms will often give new features an algorithm boost – we’re looking at you, Reels – so Some It’s worth a try if more exposure is important to your brand. Here are a few suggestions on how you can make the most of the ephemeral nature of Fleets for your business.

1. Ask a question

Replies come directly to your DMs, so it’s a great way to connect with a busy user quickly and directly.


ask a question

2. Share limited time offers

If you have a quick sale or offer to get them while they’re hot, the ephemeral nature of Fleets can be a great way to get the message across without having to delete the post later.


Share limited time offers

3. Share customer content without clogging your feed

When you want to share a free Tweet with the world (for example, if Ben Affleck is bragging about your dog food brand), but don’t want to disrupt the flow of your posts, share it in a Fleet.


Share customer content

4. Stand out from the crowd

Twitter has 145 million daily active users. Five hundred million tweets are sent every day. It’s really easy for your message to get lost in the chaos.

Taking advantage of this new format with fewer users is a simple way to stand out from the crowd. Instead of being swallowed by the news feed, your post is at the top of the homepage. (Want more interesting Twitter stats? We’ve got you covered.)

5. Create an air of originality

Because fleets are temporary, it’s an opportunity to be more relaxed and approachable in a way that a corporate, registered Twitter stream cannot.


Zoom call to shoot before authentic content

This content didn’t last long, so try to be more experimental and fun – maybe even share some behind-the-scenes intelligence! — to test how your audience responds.

Like tweets, Squadrons have to abide by the code of conduct, so behave there. Fleets may be short-lived, but a bad reputation on Twitter lasts forever.

For more information on how to take your Twitter marketing game beyond Fleets, check out our complete Twitter business guide here.

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