Everyone is after ephemeral stories these days. Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are to name a few. Twitter was nowhere behind either. It has its version of ephemeral stories called Fleets debuted last year in November. And now, it’s gone.

The company thought it would lure people into sharing their ideas. They were after the people who were hesitant about collecting their stray thoughts into the platform’s semi-permanent format with a “lower-pressure” kind of tweet.

Like many major social media platforms, they tested this feature. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out for them.

Once they are gone, the platform will experiment with Spaces, Twitter’s Clubhouse-like audio rooms. This feature will take the same spot in the app.

Twitter Fleets Farewell

Twitter Fleets were a way to share fleeting thoughts. The company thought that it would help more people join a conversation on the platform. However, that didn’t happen even after Fleets were introduced to everyone. That’s why Fleets had vanished this August 3.

Paul [email protected], who worked on the project posted this when Fleets came out in November:

I’m super excited to share what we’ve been working on at Twitter… Fleets! (as in fleeting thoughts) RocketCamera

It’s a new way to join the conversation and express yourself with a visual canvas that only lasts 24 hours.

Now, he says:

today’s the last day of fleets before it gets shut down

i lead fleets design as we moved to a more camera-first design before our global release. it’s not the first time a project of mine is getting sunset; i’m not bummed. you gotta separate yourself from the work

it’s easy to think fleets was just a stories clone. we never aimed to compete on the best creation tools/filters/etc. we wanted to be raw and authentic. non-performative. feel lighter than tweeting. with the unique twitter network as a differentiator.

However, there will still be ways to join the conversation and learn what’s happening in the world. Below is the learning from Fleets and what’s next:

Learnings From Fleets

Twitter built Fleets because they were addressing the issues that hold some people back from Tweeting. However, people who already Tweet started using Fleets to boost their Tweets and talk directly with others.

The platform will continue to talk about the anxieties that hold people back from Tweeting. And the same will happen for existing users. But for now, Fleets won’t work for anyone.

However, not everything related to Fleets will be gone. As you know, most Fleets include media. People like to spice up the conversation using photos and videos. So, in the near future, Twitter will test updates to the Tweet composer and camera. The goal will be to bring features from the Fleets composer.

Now, let’s talk about Fleet ads. The platform tested these ads, which was one of the first tests of full-screen, vertical format ads. They are still assessing the learnings of these tests and how they perform.

What Twitter Is Up To

They are adding to the main functionality of Twitter. So along with Fleets, they will come out with many updates. And a lot of those updates may not work out.

The goal is to serve the public conversation and add more engagement. So you can expect more updates from the platform.

The platform is constantly working on finding what works and finding more stuff. This type of stuff is normal for big brands – especially in the social game.

Think of Facebook from 2010. And now compare it to the one we have right now. You’ll know that its engagement has increased many times. Just look at how much the company is worth now as compared to a decade ago, and you’ll be amazed.

The same goes for Twitter. These types of companies refuse to be complacent. They know that they have to engage people. That they have to give something new. Otherwise, a new social platform is on the verge every now and then. And one of those becomes extremely big like Tik Tok.

So I think it’s more of a business tactic to move forward and stay relevant. Although Twitter is not going anywhere in the near future, they still have to try to be the best. They still have to engage people in conversations. So features like Fleets will keep coming and going.

Twitter Fleets Are Gone – Now What?

If you had formed a special connection with Twitter Fleets, don’t worry. There are still other better ways to market your business on the social network. Here are a few Twitter marketing tips to get you started:

Define Your Business Goals

What do you want to achieve out of this platform? Is it building your brand and awareness of your products? Or is it getting more sales? Whatever it is, have clear goals because you will be spending your precious time and money on this platform.

Use Twitter to Listen, Not Just Talk

Sure, you want to give information to users about your brand. But you should also use this platform for listening purposes. Specifically, use it for competitor analysis, customer feedback, and social mentions.

Continuously Evaluate and Adjust

You don’t want to be complacent. You should evaluate your business goals and performance continuously. Fine-tune your strategy based on your performance metrics. Go back to the basics if you are seeing serious issues.

Do you have any other Twitter feature in mind that can drive results? Let me know in the comments below!