With almost 1.4 million followers (which is a fab figure considering only about 2.2 million Aussies are on Twitter), he’s completely owning Tony Abbott, who has a mere 172.5K followers in comparison.
Here are seven things K-Rudd’s doing right.
1. He’s got a catchy nickname
Not many politicians want to go by first name basis, let alone a nickname. But the PM’s “KRudd” is a social media friendly moniker, and also gives the impression that he’s an approachable and down to earth guy. He signs off each of his tweets with KRudd in case someone forgets his handle.
2. He loves to namedrop
Talk about friends in high places! KRudd seized the opportunity to post a photo of himself (wearing his daggy trackies, nonetheless) while he was on the phone to US president Barack Obama. Namedropping will always get you noticed on social media, and combined with a candid behind the scenes pic, this post got 130 retweets (and counting).
3. He makes fun of himself
Say what you want about KRudd’s politics and leadership skills, but he sure is the people’s PM – never afraid of being self-deprecating. He recently posted a link to a Youtube clip where he sit-dances by his desk, with the cheeky tweet: “Good thing this election isn’t determined on our ability to dance”.
4. He follows people back
How cool is it to have the PM follow you on Twitter? Well, it could easily happen! KRudd is very generous with following people on Twitter, with over 400K on his list. That means, if you follow him, he’s very likely to follow you back – giving people the best kind of love you can on social media since Twitter is all about engagement.
5. He’s happy to share bloopers
The PM likes to show his followers that although he’s the PM, he’s a mere human. Or how about this selfie with a word of advice (to himself): “Note to self: when rushing out the door in the morning, make sure you take care with the razor”. The post had the Twittersphere buzzing (pun intended) and is a far cry from Tony Abbott’s dry and conservative tone on Twitter.
6. He gets personal
He’s not just the PM, he’s a husband, father and grandfather and happily shares glimpses of his personal life with his followers. “Today is our little granddaughter Josephine’s first birthday. Therese, Jess, Albert, all in Beijing for her party,” he wrote accompanying this picture. Although his opponents may call this sort of post a sellout, a toddler will always get the “Awhs” – not to mention the followers.
7. He gets political
At the end of the day, it’s all about politics and trying to get people to vote for him next weekend so of course KRudd is using Twitter to get his political message out. And with only 140 characters available, he has to shorten and sharpen his politics. Case in point: “Legislation for marriage equality within 100 days of the election with full conscience vote. I believe this is the right thing to do. KRudd.”
KRudd’s casual yet political one on Twitter has scored him a massive following. It remains to be seen if it helps him win the election. Nonetheless, Tony Abbott certainly has a few things to learn from his opponent when it comes to tweeting!
