Twitter belongs to one of the most popular news-disseminating microblogging platforms, used by mainstream-journalism media outlets, broadcast media and newspapers in particular. The following analysis focuses on linguistic properties of newspaper tweets. It is the purpose of the study to identify the structural, discursive and rhetorical goals of newspaper tweets. The analysis comprises Twitter profiles of selected English and German daily newspapers. The study has shown that a variety of discursive strategies are employed in the composition of tweets. Among the most conspicuous properties of newspaper tweets emphasis on newsworthiness, interactivity and conversationalization has been identified. The study has also shown a highly promotional and presentational role of newspaper tweets.