Last week, while managing a client’s Twitter account, I noticed it had passed 20,000 followers.
I’ve managed this client’s Twitter account for over about 4 years, and when I took it over, it had under 100 followers. That means their Twitter followers have increased 20,519% during these 4 years.
When I grow my clients’ followers, I focus on organic growth. It’s slow to build compared to purchased growth, but engagement is higher.
Here are the 6 tricks I used to help my client reach 20,000 Twitter followers in 4 years.
1. Follow others
I look for likeminded Twitter accounts to follow. I do it for 2 reasons: it gives me another source for curated content, and they’re statistically likely to follow me back.
2. Reciprocate engagement
Each time someone retweets something I tweet, I visit their profile and look for something on their Twitter timeline to retweet. It’s a way of saying thanks. I like it when my content is reshared, and I’m sure others do, too. If they feel engaged, they’ll likely follow me to stay engaged in the future.
3. Respond
Whenever anyone mentions my account or replies to a tweet, I try to respond. It keeps the conversation going, and they may be more likely to follow me.
4. Say thanks
When people retweet my content, follow me, or give me a shoutout, I say thanks. It lets them know that I saw that they connected with me.
5. Use hashtags
When crafting tweets, try to incorporate popular hashtags into your tweet. Many Twitter users subscribe to popular hashtags and check the feeds regularly. This could be a way to get more engagement (retweets, comments, etc), and it could result in more followers.
6. Use usernames
When I tweet out curated content, I try to include the Twitter username (or handle) of the author of the content. This brings it to their attention, and I often receive extra engagement out of it, including follows.
These are my 6 tricks for growing Twitter followers organically. Many of these tricks can be used on other social networks, too. What tricks do you use?