Twitter has become one of the most important social media platforms in the world. Almost everyone including celebrities and politicians is on Twitter. It is a widely used social network to follow people about their opinions. There are so many accounts on the platform, that is why some users wonder how to make a Twitter bot.
It is possible to find all kinds of people on Twitter. From makeup artists to Hollywood celebrities, from journalists to the world’s most powerful politicians, there are many personalities.
There are more than 330 million monthly active users on Twitter. So it would not be hard to imagine that there are many bot accounts on the platform. Twitter is a microblogging and social media platform. Everyone can have a Twitter account, but it is hard to be a Twitter personality. However, some accounts are not even real.
By stating not real, we did not mean to say that they are not connected to people. Even bot accounts are managed by other real Twitter accounts. People create bot accounts to feel more comfortable when they post their thoughts. This way they would not be affected by the negative consequences of their posts.
Of course, confidence is not the only thing. People use the platform for social media marketing as well. If you are a business owner that you want to grow your business, a Twitter bot might come in very handy. When people see the likes and comments on your page, it will indeed draw some attention and add an organic audience to your account.
Now let’s take a look at the ways to make a Twitter bot.
There are five steps to make a Twitter bot. They require some software knowledge but if you are after making a bot then you must know something about software. However, it is not rocket science. Now we will include the steps for making the bot.
The very first step is applying for a developer account. This way you will be able to make an app inside Twitter. It is free to create apps so you don’t have to worry about that.
To apply for a developer account, visit developer.twitter.com to start. Keep in mind that Twitter asks for your intention for applying for a developer account. So state your intention clearly to get approved.
Then you need to change a user profile for your bot account. It can be your own personal account but try to choose a user profile that would be associated with the bot. You might create a new Twitter account as well.
Select if your bot would be tied to an organization or for your own use. You can request developer access for this. Select organization, or personal use for your bot.
After you have agreed to the terms of service for a developer account and verified your account, you can create your first Twitter app.
You can access the page to create an app from the developer homepage. Click on the ‘Create an App’ button to proceed.
Before acquiring API keys and tokens, you will need to adjust some details about your app. These include some basic information about your app. You can find them below:
- The name of your app.
- Description of your app.
- URL of your source website.
- Purpose of your application. It is crucial to include this because Twitter wants to be sure about your app to be consistent with its terms and conditions.
- Privacy Policy URL.
- Call-back URL.
- Terms of Service URL.
Develop Your App
You can develop your Twitter app from Python. It offers services that you can program Twitter bots. You can test and apply your bot virtually in this development environment. You can use a Google script for Twitter bots as well. It would be more simple that way.
Link your Twitter app with your development environment. Start locating your app’s API keys and access tokens. You can find them next to App details. Be sure to control your app’s permissions. By default, it will be set to ‘read and write’ which are basic Twitter functions. If you want your app to perform better than this click on ‘read and write’ to make your app capable of direct messaging.
Program Your Bot
Now program your bot to be used on Twitter. Here are the options that you should add to your bot.
- Twitter Search: This part is for entering your commands. It is the most crucial part of programming your bot.
- Action: Choose actions for your bot. For example, you can choose things such as retweeting or sending direct messages to followers. Also, you can add text to your actions.
- Start and End Time: Select a start and end time for your bot to be in function. You can use a scheduling tool for this as well.
After you complete setting up your bot, test it to see if it functions well.
Conclusion – It’s All About Creating Your App
There are many accounts on Twitter. Some of them are bot accounts. They even take actions such as retweeting and commenting. If you want to know how to make a Twitter bot, we have explained it with steps. Now you can start making your own bot too.
If you want to learn more about Twitter, check out our tutorial set about it. You may be interested in how to get verified on Twitter.