It’s finally here: Twitter have relaxed their 140-character limit.

Twitter has been one of, if not, my favourite social network to engage with my audience. I have always found that the 140-character limit, whilst being it’s biggest USP, was also it’s biggest downfall. Twitter have listened to it’s users, and have finally implemented exactly what we have all been waiting for; a new character limit.

Whilst the 140-character limit is still in place, the “rules” around what counts towards the character limit has changed. This was first announced in May earlier this year, and Twitter have now released the news that the 140-character limit is now TRUE to the content you share online as a part of your Twitter marketing. Here is a breakdown of the changes, and why they need to be implemented in your Twitter marketing.

What DOESN’T Count Towards The Limit

You will still only get the 140-character towards text based messages and links, however the following types of content will no longer count towards the character limit;

• Quote Tweets
• GIF’s
• Polls
• Videos
• Images

All of the above piece of content take up around 23 characters in a tweet which is around 16% of the 140-character limit. This will now mean you have more valuable space to share your message on Twitter as a part of your Twitter marketing.

Say more about what’s happening! Rolling out now: photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets no longer count toward your 140 characters. pic.twitter.com/I9pUC0NdZC

— Twitter (@twitter) September 19, 2016

 What Does This Mean For You?

You will now be able to have conversations on Twitter that are more straightforward, and you won’t have to cut out valuable words to ensure your link is a part of the 140-character limit. This means you will have more room for words.

Twitter is also testing out new replies that will remove usernames of the people you are replying to from the character limit. If you reply to multiple people at once, Twitter omits all of them from your tweet, according to a GIF the company shared.

Twitter said the following back in May;

“You can already do a lot in a Tweet, but we want you to be able to do even more. In the coming months we’ll make changes to simplify Tweets including what counts toward your 140 characters, so for instance, @names in replies and media attachments (like photos, GIFs, videos, and polls) will no longer “use up” valuable characters”.

Twitter have held strong to their word, and this updated should give their users the confidence that they are listening to what is being said, and making changes to reflect this.

Are you happy with the “true” 140-character limit, and do you think this will be the last major update from Twitter before it is acquired?