Building a following on Twitter isn’t that hard, but it does require an intentional strategy. Buying Twitter followers may get you to that point quickly, but the followers are going to be useless. Remember, you want followers that are worth something – people that listen and that you can engage with. The only exception to the “don’t buy followers” rule is if you are “buying” followers by promoting your posts, which will typically result in a surge of followers. Not everyone has the money for that though, which requires doing it organically. If you are going to try to naturally grow your Twitter account to 1,000+ followers, here are some important starting points:
10 Tips to Grow to 1,000 Twitter Followers:
- Completely fill out and optimize your profile (this includes a picture). Look at anyone who has more than a couple of hundred followers. I’ll bet you they have a profile picture. Don’t be the guy without one. If people see the Twitter egg, they assume it’s a spam account, or someone who really isn’t interested or engaged. To a lesser degree, the same thing happens with someone without a complete profile. Let people know what you’re tweeting about so they have a good idea whether or not they want to follow you. Better yet, make them want to follow you. And, don’t forget that profiles are one of the big factors that show up in Twitter’s search results. Make sure you can be found when people are searching by using keywords in your profile that describe you well and the content you tweet.
- Use hashtags in your profile and posts. Hashtags are searchable. Use them well for searchable words within a niche. This goes for tweets and it goes for profiles. Using a hashtag like #photography can help you be found within that community. Hashtags like #bestdayever may be fun and are okay to use, but really won’t help you gain any new followers. Hashtags like #yolo make someone think you’re 13. Don’t do that to yourself.
- Search for other people like you and follow them. When you follow someone, they’ll quickly know. This typically triggers someone viewing your profile, and often someone following you back. This is typically one of the most proactive and common ways to organically build followers. Following like-minded people not only fills your Twitter feed with people you’d like to hear from, but also increase the chance of someone following you back. Pro-tip: Going through lists of people from someone else’s profile is a great way to find a group of solid people to follow all in one place.
- Follow other users back. Part of this is Twitter etiquette, as long as the person following you is somewhat relevant. Also, if you follow someone back, they are much more likely to stay following you. Many users will follow you, then unfollow after a week or so if you don’t return the follow.
- Scout out people you want to have follow you and engage with them in a way that is significant.Gary Vaynerchuk is a master of this. Retweet other people. @Reply them. Engage them in something more than “Thanks for the follow” (and on that note, please, please stop sending auto DM’s). Respond to their questions. Ask someone specific questions. Comment on something interesting. Heck, send them something in the mail (that just requires a little homework). Make yourself memorable to them. Not only are they more likely to follow, but also become a valuable follower – one that’s willing to engage.
- Put your Twitter username in your email signature, business cards, and any other identification.
- Host a live chat. Host a live chat and use a hashtag. Promote it and find a group of people that would be interested. This will often bring a lot of extra exposure because you’re seen as an expert/host. More than that, as other users tweet out the hashtag to stay in the conversation, they’re exposing you to their whole network. If you do this well, this can bring a lot of followers pretty quickly.
- Import contacts that are using Twitter. Twitter has an option for you to find friends from your current email address book. This is a great way to get a quick start in building your following. Most likely, if you have someone’s email address saved, you know them well enough that they’ll follow you back.
- Post items of significance. Nobody wants to know what you’re eating for dinner unless it’s amazing, and for almost anyone it’s not what you’re eating. No, you’re not the exception. Post things that are engaging and make following you worth it. If there’s a link, think “Would I click on this if someone else made this tweet?” Make sure that you’re making following you worth it. Utilize a mix of links, replies/retweets, important information, and feel free to throw in some fun/personal stuff (just not too much).
- Be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are 1,000 Twitter followers. it will likely take you a little while, but don’t stop your efforts and don’t go for the quick fix. Be consistent over the long haul. Just like blogging, you’ll see the results after consistency over time.
What other tips do you have that have helped you out in gaining a following on Twitter? Post them in the comments below, and help us all out!
