How to get followers on Twitter: 101 practical and tested tips

Many marketers have been using follower count as a vanity metric in recent years. This is due to the bad practices of buying fake followers, which eventually don’t have any impact on bottom line.

However, if your business cares about building credibility, authority and engagement with the target audience, growing following should be on your list of priorities.

How do you get followers on Twitter?

The road ahead can be difficult due to short attention spans, harsh competition and high levels of competition. It is possible to still make a Twitter account engaging enough to attract loyal and authentic followers.

It’s as simple as incorporating tried-and-true tips into your Twitter strategy.

We discuss 101 ways to gain followers on Twitter. You read it right!

Let’s begin with the easiest.

Tweet Frequency

1 Tweet often because it provides a brief span of relevance to your followers to engage.

The question is: What should the time between two tweets be?

Although there isn’t an exact time period, tweeting every three hours is a good way to build your Twitter following and get them to interact with you. Most tweets only have a 24 minute half-life. Plan accordingly!

2Weekends are not the best days to tweet anything. Your audience is most likely busy living their lives and not out tweeting. So avoid tweeting on weekends (audience-dependent).

Keep it consistent. Having a lot of tweets per day can help you gain more followers on Twitter.

4 If you are having trouble tweeting consistently, scheduling tweets in advance with the best Twitter tools. To schedule your tweets ahead of time, create a content calendar. To ensure that you never run out content to share with followers, you can add a Twitterfeed option.

5 Always tweet between 8-10 and 6-9pm. This is when Twitter traffic is at its highest.

6 It is possible to tweet frequently, but not in short bursts.

7 You can also tweet at different times during the week. For more visitors, tweet between 5 and 6 pm.

8 Many people are active both on weekends and during the week, so you should not miss the opportunity to connect with them. To determine the best times to tweet , make sure to check your Twitter analytics.

Hashtags

9 Use relevant hashtags to attract new followers and get 2X the engagements.

10When using hashtags in tweets, it’s better to limit them to three max – otherwise your Twitter handle could look spammy.

Learn: How to Use Hashtags Effectively on All Social Networks

11 It is a good idea to use trending hashtags. Look for hashtags that are relevant to your business. Engage by responding to chats that use these trending hashtags. You can also retweet the posts of others using the same hashtag to gain followers on Twitter.

These hashtags will help you increase your engagements and grow your followers on Twitter instantly.

12 Use campaign-specific keywords. You can also create your own tweet community using campaign- or business-specific hashtags.

Do you want to learn more?

Here’s an example from our #SocialPilotchat Twitter chat campaign

We are back with #SocialPilotchat #2, inviting you and your colleagues to talk about “Excelling at Customer Experiences using Social Media” on February 1. Check your time zone! pic.twitter.com/n5um4o4iHY
— SocialPilot (@socialpilot_co), January 30, 2018,

#SocialPilotchat was the campaign hashtag. Everybody was invited to share their knowledge and experience. The following was a significant increase in followers.

This strategy will help you gain followers on Twitter.

13 Generic #hashtags will help you reach more people. These hashtags can help you connect with people who share similar interests on Twitter.

14Search for and follow people who use keywords and hashtags that are related to your business. You will need to search for relevant jargon to your niche or industry.

15 Let your followers use your branded hashtags to help you filter your loyal audience. Further, you can retweet user-generated content.

16 Tweet with different hashtags for different occasions. This will give you the real-time data you need to know if you should improve your tweeting strategy.

Chats on Twitter

17Popularize Twitter by taking part in Twitter chats for more engagement with your followers.

18 Follow people who have responded to your questions on Twitter, as they are more likely to follow back.

19 Create a blog that summarizes the highlights of your Twitter chat. Your blog can be updated with the most relevant answers by way of screenshots. For easy redirection to the specific tweet, embed the tweets.

20 Create the questionnaire and post it to your Twitter chat. This will generate excitement among people and provide them with good answers.

21 Remind your followers to tweet reminders and to promote the chat to their Instagram or Facebook accounts.

22 Tweet chat is a great way to grow your followers as it encourages you to interact with your account in a meaningful manner.

Mentions

23 Practice by mentioning 3 people per day in order to make valuable connections and gain followers on Twitter.

24 Use usernames to reply to tweet, as this increases engagement.

25 Responding publicly and sharing your experiences or views draws more attention. @mention the person asking the question

26 You can @mention prominent users when tweeting. You might get retweeted by their followers.

27 Ask your @mention users for their input. This will increase the reliability of your post.

28 Share your influence with others by tweeting about people who mention you or your brand.

29 When you mention the user’s username in your posts add ‘@mention‘so that the person mentioned will be tempted to look it up right away. This information is also public.

30 Be attentive and active, and respond quickly your followers’ replies or tweets. To show your appreciation for their feedback, you can @mention them back.

31 Respond to other’s tweets. If you find an interesting tweet that interests you and would like to comment on it, do so. This is a great way to get noticed by your followers.

Optimize your Twitter profile

32 People will look at your Twitter bio to determine if they will follow you or not. Be specific in your bio and mention your business.

33 Keywords in your Twitter bio will show up in Twitter’s search results. Keep in mind, however, that these keywords should be relevant and not forced.

Let’s look at Econsultancy as an example to help us understand better.

Econsultancy used keywords such as digital, marketing and eCommerce in its Twitter bio to explain what they do. This clever incorporation creates a natural flow rather than being too formal.

34Add photos of you and your team as a header image. Nobody wants to be a brand without a face, so it is vital to show the people behind the brand.

35Add a custom About Us page to your blog and link it with your Twitter account. A Twitter bio is only 280 characters long, so it’s not enough to describe your business in detail.

36 Add your location to your Twitter account. Tell people where you are located.

37 Make sure the header image (i.e. the large photo at the top of your Twitter account) has a higher resolution and is correctly sized.

38 A complete Twitter profile can discourage users from following you.

Optimization of tweets

39 It is important that posts on Twitter are informative. The ratio means that 80% should be about your industry and 20% should be relevant to your business. Make sure that you are not only tweeting about your brand.

40 Share motivational and inspirational quotes with your followers. These are more likely to be retweeted.

Let’s learn more from Stephen R. Covey’s tweet.

“You can’t talk your way out of a problem you behaved yourself into.” – Stephen R. Covey #QOTD #Wisdom #Motivation pic.twitter.com/iWfd1xBGdu
— Stephen R. Covey (@StephenRCovey) March 4, 2018

It is evident that motivational or inspirational quotes are more popular than ever on Twitter, judging by the number of retweets and likes.

41Be original. This simply means to tweet original content that is helpful to the general public. You should credit the creators of any content you may use.

42 According to Ian Anderson Gray, “The best way to retweet is to add something to the conversation instead of just adding noise.” So try to complete your conversation with your followers . This is how Twitter followers feel connected and cared about.

43Add GIFs to your tweets to increase your Twitter followers

Tweets that include a GIF receive 55% more engagement than tweets without it. Including them in your tweets will increase the number of followers and help you to get more shares.

44 To increase engagement, add questions to your retweets.

45 Asking questions through your tweets is a great way to increase engagement, as it shows that you care about people’s thoughts.

46 To increase engagement, share news that is relevant for both your business as well as your audience.

47 You should use words like “Twitter”, “you”, and “retweet” in your posts as they are more likely to get retweeted.

48 Tweet videos Twitter is becoming more visually-friendly.

Let’s start with Nike, one of the most well-known and beloved shoe brands.

It is evident from the amount of likes and comments that you get, that adding a YouTube video is a great way to increase your Twitter followers.

49 To entice your audience, you can either create your video or stream live on Twitter.

50Keep your tweets to under 280 characters so that it is easier for @mentions to share with their followers.

51Spell out “Retweet” in your post. This hack will allow you to have a 23-times higher retweet percentage.

52 Use your creativity to attract as many people to your Twitter account as possible. You only have 280 characters.

53 Use one sentence or quote in your post. To get more retweets, make sure your post is catchy and inspirational.

54 Make sure to use eye-catchy GIFs so visuals work well on Twitter.

GIFs are a great way to say thanks at 55Say Thanks If a user mentions your name in a tweet, respond with a GIF.

56 Engaging more Twitter users is possible by adding strong calls-to-action to your tweets.

57 Keep your tweets brief and understandable. Short tweets are more likely be retweeted or shared by followers.

58You can curate different sharable content. People can be introduced to new ideas, products, and brands that are relevant to their business and targeted audience.

59 Be a trusted source of information to your followers by providing valuable content and reliable discussions as well as solutions for them.

60 Make your tweets more relevant to your followers’ needs. Keep tweeting headlines and quotes often to increase your response rate.

Promotion

74Let’s make your Twitter account more popular. Cross-promoting your Twitter handle across multiple social media sites can increase your social media followers.

75 Promote your tweets on the site and blogs. Your live Twitter feed should be embedded on the website as well as blogs. For easy access, make sure to include a Twitter “Follow” button on your website. This button can help you gain more followers from your website to your Twitter handle and vice versa.

This example will help you to understand it better.

You can see the Twitter button in this image. Clicking this button will automatically take you to the live tweet. It’s fascinating, isn’t?

It can increase your followers on your Twitter account and vice versa.

76 Make sure to embed the best Tweets on your blog or website to increase Twitter traffic.

77Include your Twitter link in your email signature to let more people know about your account.

78 Register for Twitter directories to help people find different businesses. These listings are completely free and you don’t have to pay anything. For these, you can use sites such as Twittercounter or Wefollow.

79Promote your Twitter account on all social media platforms . Marketing platforms can be online or offline. For example, you might place business cards on your website, in brochures and other marketing materials.

80 If you are adding tweets to your blog or website, why not make it easy and convenient for your followers to reach you? To direct your followers to a particular tweet, use the Follow button on your website.

81Add a link to your twitter account (@username) in your author bio. This is where you publish your guest posts.

82 Make sure to include the most interesting tweet at the top of your stream so that users have an extra reason to follow your account on Twitter.

83 You can request your email subscribers to follow your Twitter account . Encourage them to engage in conversations, chats, and topics that will help them grow their niche.

84 Be a leader in your industry and promote others’ content. You will be recognized as an industry leader, and your following will grow organically.

85 Connect your Twitter account to other social media profiles such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and many others.

86 Keep track and share the tweets that are most popular.

Learn: How to Increase Twitter Traffic

87 Be active and try organizing contests. These contests can be video or live chat, as well as essay contests.

88 To build momentum, you can run your Twitter contests regularly. This will help you build trust and encourage your followers to regularly check your account.

89 Reward your followers for participating in your contests and discussions. For your followers to win amazing prizes, you can use a giveaway.

You can win a $300 prize by simply having fun and great interaction at #SocialPilotchat “Excelling at Customer Experience using Social Media” tomorrow! Check your time zone#RulestoWin:

Answer with A1, or A2.

-> Don’t forget to add #SocialPilotchat in each answer pic.twitter.com/upOREuccrz
— SocialPilot (@socialpilot_co), January 31, 2018,

This is #SocialPilotchat. A prize declaration was made to all participants. This buzz led to greater participation, @mentions and interaction with the public.

90 Make sure that your blog’s Social Sharing is always. To attract more visitors to your blog, include social sharing buttons. This allows people to follow you account by clicking a button.

91 Share the same post at multiple times per day. It’s perfectly acceptable to share the same post multiple times per day, considering how quickly tweets can get lost in the feed. Twitter automation tools can be used for this.

92 Create a Twitter widget to display your most recent tweets on blogs or websites.

93Run twitter polls. This is a great way to engage your followers and ask them questions about your industry.

94 Use your Twitter ads to promote your business and maximize your reach.

Important things to keep in mind

95 Do not think about buying fake followers! While it may sound great for growing your followers, eventually they will be of no benefit to you.

96 Engaging in fake Twitter followers and/or growing your account could lead to your account being suspended.

97 Do not use auto-follows/unfollows. It may lead to a higher number of followers.

Learn: How to Use GIF in Social Media Marketing

98 Post humorous content every once in a while amusing tweets are some of the most retweeted categories on Twitter.

99 Avoid using certain words in Twitter posts such as ‘going’, ‘game’, ‘lol’, and others, as these can negatively affect your followers.

100 Don’t promote your blogs, products, or services on Twitter.

101 Don’t direct message (DM) new followers on Twitter with a sales pitch. Although it’s an old-fashioned method, it can make your followers feel spammed.

More to you

Targeted audiences on Twitter are great for reaching your goals. 93% of Twitter followers are planning to purchase from brands. That’s quite a number.

But, it takes a lot of work to build a Twitter following.

It’s no surprise that everyone searches for ways to increase their Twitter followers but ends up spending their money on fake ones. Results? A huge gap in the followers-to-engagement ratio.

These 101 proven ways to get Twitter followers will help you build a loyal audience.

Wait. Let us make Twitter marketing simpler for you.

SocialPilot is an excellent tool for reducing human effort. It allows you to schedule, analyze and organize tweets.

Don’t wait! For amazing results on 5+ social media platforms, not just Twitter, get your 14-day trial and schedule a demo call.

SocialPilot’s first post, How to Get Twitter Followers: 101 Practical and Tested Tips appeared on SocialPilot.