How to Customize Your Twitter Source Label

Twitter's source labels indicate which app or platform a tweet was posted from. The default options are boring and generic, like “Twitter for iPhone” or “Twitter Web App.”

With some technical know-how, you can create a custom Twitter app with a unique name to make your tweet source labels stand out.

Sign Up as a Twitter Developer

Sign Up as a Twitter Developer
Sign Up as a Twitter Developer

The first step is signing up for a Twitter developer account, which allows you to create Twitter apps.

Go to the Twitter Developer website, log in with your regular Twitter credentials, then click “Developer Portal” and fill out the form to apply for a developer account.

Complete email verification. Then access the developer dashboard again.

Build Your Custom Twitter App

In the developer dashboard, click “Projects & Apps” then “Create App.” Give your new app a distinctive name you want displayed on your tweets.

In your shiny new app's settings, enable read/write permissions and connect your Twitter profile's URL.

Under “Keys and Tokens,” regenerate and generate API keys and access tokens. Copy these for later.

Install Python and Tweepy on Your Computer

Install Python and Tweepy on Your Computer
Install Python and Tweepy on Your Computer

To actually build apps that interface with Twitter, you need some tools. Download and install Python on your computer. Open a terminal window, navigate to Python's scripts folder, then type:

pip install tweepy

This downloads the Tweepy module to simplify coding Twitter apps in Python.

Write a Python Script to Post Tweets

In Python's scripts folder, make a new text file. Paste this code in, replacing the placeholder credentials with your app keys:

import tweepy

auth = tweepy.OAuthHandler(“CONSUMER_KEY”, “CONSUMER_SECRET”)

auth.set_access_token(“ACCESS_TOKEN”, “ACCESS_SECRET”)

api = tweepy.API(auth)

tweet = input(“Enter tweet text: “)

api.update_status(status = tweet)

print(“Tweeted!”)

Save this file with a .py extension to make it a runnable Python script. Run the script, type a test tweet when prompted, and see it post live with your custom source label!

Extra: Post Tweets With Images and Reply To Tweets

To attach images when you tweet, specify the image file location:

image = “path/to/image.jpg”

api.update_with_media(image, tweet)

To reply to tweets, pass the tweet's ID:

reply_id = 123445678901234567

api.update_status(tweet, reply_id)

Conclusion

With these building blocks, you can create a unique Twitter app to post tweets programmatically with custom source labels. Brand yourself by giving your app a memorable name! Add images and replies too. The setup takes some tinkering, but then you can tweet more expressively.