How to Send Group Direct Messages on Twitter [Quick Tip]

Twitter's direct messaging feature ("DM" for short) has long been a way for users to communicate privately in one-on-one conversations with their followers. But recently, Twitter launched an update to the DM feature that allows for group messaging with multiple users -- up to 20 in one message.

In this post, we'll talk about the details of the group message function. Then, we'll go over how to create a group message from scratch, how to add members to a pre-existing group message, and how to share tweets in a group message. Let's get to it.

The Details

In a blog post on Twitter's official blog, Product Director Jinen Kamdar reiterated the importance of direct messaging: "Private conversations on Twitter are a great complement to the largely public experience on the platform. You might prefer to read (or watch) tweets but converse about them privately."

Now, you can expand the conversation to an entire group of users at once. Here's what you need to know:

• The group message function allows Twitter users to communicate privately with up to 20 users within one group.
• If a DM has fewer than 20 participants, additional users can be added to the conversation at any time and by any group member -- not just the user who started the group.
• While you can only start group conversations with your own followers, not everyone in the group has to follow one another in order to chat.
• When a user gets invited to a DM, they'll receive a notification that they've been included.
• Both group and individual DMs now support pictures, links, emoji, and tweets in addition to text.

How to Create a New Group Message From Scratch

Sending a DM to multiple users on Twitter is very similar to sending a DM to a single user. Here's what you need to do.

Step 1: Click the envelope icon, labeled "Messages."

On desktop, this is at the top left of your screen. On mobile, this is at the bottom of your screen.

Step 2: Click "New Message."

On mobile, this is the chat bubble icon at the top right of your screen.

Step 3: In the address box, enter the name(s) or @username(s) of your followers to whom you want to send a message. When you're done, click "Next."

Step 4: Type out your message and click "Send message."

Group DMs, like one-on-one DMs, have a 140-character limit. You can add photos to group DMs just as you can with one-on-one DMs.

How to Add Members to a Pre-Existing Group Message

Step 1: Click the envelope icon, labeled "Messages."

Step 2: Click on a group message to open it.

Step 3: Click the ellipsis in the top right-hand corner and choose "Add people" from the menu that appears.

On mobile, you'll have to click into the tweet to see the ellipsis. You can also view all users in the group and leave the group by way of this menu.

Step 4: In the address box, enter the name(s) or @username(s) of your followers to whom you want to send a message. Click "Done" to add them to the group message.

They will not be able to see previous messages exchanged before they were added.

How to Share a Tweet in a Group Message

While public tweets are great places to have conversations, they're also a great place to find conversation starters, writes Kamdar in his blog post. He urges users to "spark conversations and support your points of view by sharing tweets from your timeline, even if they're from people who aren't part of the direct message."

Here's how to share tweets with a group.

Step 1: Find the tweet you want to share, and click the ellipsis below the tweet. (On mobile, you'll have to click into the tweet to see the ellipsis.)

Step 2: Choose "Share via Direct Message" in the menu that appears.

Step 3: In the address box, enter the name(s) or @username(s) of your followers to whom you want to send the tweet. Then click "Next."

Step 4: Add a personal message to send along with the tweet if you'd like. Click "Send message" when you're done.

Your accompanying message has a 116-character limit.

That's it! Want to learn more about direct messages on Twitter? Click here.