As anticipated in previous communications, we are happy to announce that we have identified a compromise solution that will initially allow paying customers to continue using Twitter through the PostPickr platform.
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Background
Before the necessary changes we will discuss shortly, managing Twitter with PostPickr was entirely similar to that used for other social networks integrated into the platform.
Users were asked to connect their account by authenticating on Twitter and then authorize the PostPickr app to write and read data on Twitter on their behalf.
By “PostPickr app,” we mean the application we created (10 years ago!) as external developers on Twitter, which allows our platform to interface with Twitter APIs on one side and our users’ accounts on the other.
Like all other major social networks, Twitter offered external developers free API access with thresholds suitable for large-scale use and medium-large user bases.
Following the recent reformulation of plans, however, the free plan was drastically reduced, going from 500,000 to just 1,500 publications per month, at the individual app level.
Even the new Basic plan at $100/month would not be enough to cover the current uses of the PostPickr platform, having a limit of only 50,000 total publications per month.
And, as we sadly discovered just a few days ago, the only other plan available starts at a cost of $42,000 per month, a figure simply unsustainable for our company’s financial capabilities 😓:
New Twitter Management
To allow our users to continue using Twitter with PostPickr, we are introducing a new management policy for this social network, resulting from a compromise that will immediately involve the following changes:
Starting today and until April 29, the date set by Twitter for the deprecation of old services, users subscribed to a paid plan will need to migrate their accounts to the new management, according to the procedure illustrated below.
Users enrolled in the Free plan will have the ability to create new content or connect new Twitter accounts suspended until a future date. Previously scheduled posts will be published until Twitter definitively discontinues old services (presumably from April 29, barring any extensions that the social network may implement).
How to migrate to new Twitter management (for paying users only)
The new management requires each user to create their personal app in the Twitter Developer Portal and then connect it to PostPickr.
In this way, the new limits provided by Twitter API plans can be applied at the individual user level and not shared by a single app, as explained earlier.
We assure you right away: the procedure for creating an app on Twitter is relatively simple and accessible even to non-expert users! Just follow this guide carefully, where we explain step by step the procedure to create a free app on Twitter.
According to our internal data, the free plan with 1,500 publications per month should be sufficient to cover the writing consumption of most of the current PostPickr user base.
Step 1 – Create a Developer account on Twitter
Log in to Twitter with an account to which the developer role and the app we will create will be subsequently associated.
📍 Note: Twitter may require the account to have a linked and verified phone number.
Then connect to the developer portal: https://developer.twitter.com/en, scroll down to the table of plans and click on the Get Started button:
Since the free plan does not include reading access to Twitter APIs, users who want to use Twitter in PostPickr’s Monitor and Sources sections will need to subscribe to the Basic plan.
In the next screen, click on the link “Sign up for Free Account” at the bottom:
You will then be asked to describe the use case for the Twitter app you are about to create and accept the terms and conditions of use on Twitter. We have prepared a standard text for you that you can copy and insert into the appropriate field:
I will use Twitter’s API to schedule and publish tweets, to identify and share relevant, up-to-date content that resonates with my target audience and to monitor mentions, quotes, and relevant hashtags for my brand, with the aim of improving its perception and tailor my marketing strategy accordingly.
Check the three checkboxes and then click the Submit button:
Generally, access to the Twitter Developer Portal is immediate:
Step 2 – Set up the app and obtain the API Key
Clicking on the Projects & App menu, you will notice that a default project and app have been created by default, associated with your account.
Click on the name of the app associated with the default project and then on the “Set up” button in the “User authentication settings” section:
The app settings page will open. In the “App permissions” box, activate the “Read and write and Direct message” option:
In the “Type of App” box, activate the “Web App, Automated App, or Bot” option:
Finally, in the “App info” box, enter the link https://next.postpickr.com in the “Callback URI / Redirect URL” field and the link to your website in the “Website URL” field:
Then click the “Save” button at the bottom and, in the next screen, confirm that you want to modify the permissions by clicking on “Yes“.
The Client ID and Client Secret associated with your app will be displayed:
At this stage, it is not necessary to copy the values, as it will also be possible to do so later. Click on the “Done” button and, in the next window, on the “Yes, I Saved it” button:
We’re almost there! Click on the “Keys and Token” tab and then, next to the API Key and Secret entry, click on the “Regenerate” button:
The “API Key” and “API Key Secret” values will be displayed again:
Copy these two keys and save them in a safe place, as they will be requested by PostPickr when connecting a new Twitter account or reconnecting Twitter accounts connected with the old management.
Step 3.1 – Update existing Twitter channels on PostPickr
🚨 Important: we invite you to migrate your Twitter accounts to the new management by April 29, to prevent the definitive block imposed by Twitter and better manage the transition. 🙏
To update an existing Twitter account, first log in to Twitter with that account, then go to the Overview > Social Channels section of the current Project, open the options menu for the Twitter channel to update and select “Reconnect“:
A window will appear where you must enter the API Key and API Key Secret that you previously saved when creating the app on Twitter. Then click the “Reconnect Twitter account” button:
The classic Twitter authentication window will be displayed, asking you to authorize your new app to manage the Twitter account you are about to reconnect. Click the Authorize app button:
And if everything went smoothly, the classic message of the channel reconnected successfully will appear. That’s all! 😊
Step 3.2 – Connect new Twitter channels to PostPickr
Starting today, connecting a new Twitter channel to PostPickr will require a new procedure, largely similar to that of reconnecting existing channels.
Make sure you are already logged in to Twitter with the account you want to connect. In the channel connection window, click on the Twitter icon, enter the API Key and API Key Secret of your Twitter app in the appropriate fields, and then click the “Connect Twitter Account” button:
In this case, too, if everything went smoothly, you will see the Twitter authorization window and the new channel in the connected channels section, and you can save it in your Project 😎.
Temporary Limitations
At the moment, the following features are not yet supported by the new management (although we are already working to make them available shortly):
- Post Editor: Autosuggest for mentions of other Twitter accounts
- Post Options: delete post from Twitter
- Sources: all Twitter import and Smart Feed features
- Monitor: all Twitter monitoring features
Rate limits
In relation to the API plan they are associated with, Twitter imposes rate limits and publication thresholds, which you can find in your developer area here: https://developer.twitter.com/en/portal/products.
With Twitter’s Free API plan, you can publish:
- 1,500 tweets/month at the app or individual Twitter account level
- 50 tweets/day at the app or individual Twitter account level
With Twitter’s paid Basic API plan, you can publish:
- 50,000 tweets/month at the app level
- 3,000 tweets/month at the individual Twitter account level
- 1,667 tweets/day at the app level
- 100 tweets/day at the individual Twitter account level
For more information on Rate Limits, consult Twitter’s official guide.
Final Considerations
To identify and implement this solution, we have literally raced against time, so we cannot rule out that the new procedure is completely flawless.
We are aware of the short notice provided for such a significant change; however, as we have explained, it was not our choice but a consequence imposed by Twitter’s new policy.
We appeal to your spirit of understanding and collaboration, assuring you that we will do our utmost to support you and make this transition as quick and painless as possible.
Finally, we close with a thought for PostPickr’s Free users: we deliberately used the term “suspension” because it is our intention, once the new management is consolidated, to identify a solution that will at least partially restore the service for you. 😉🤞
