Want to learn how to get followers on Twitter? Great. You’ve come to the right place.
This guide will not only teach you how to grow your audience, but how to attract the right followers. That is, people who are most likely to engage with you, share your posts with their network, and become new fans or customers.
Bonus: Download the free strategy guide that reveals how Hootsuite grew our Twitter following to over 7 million users and learn how you can put the tactics to work for your business.
41 smart ways to get Twitter followers
1. Share great content
Great content is what gets people to talk about you and share your posts—increasing your reach and growing your followers. And the key to great content is knowing your target audience and what they are interested in.
Everything you post on Twitter must be valuable to your audience. It should help them solve a problem, keep them informed, entertain them, and/or engage them.
Your tweets should also be concise, well-written, and accompanied by compelling visuals whenever possible. Our guide to using Twitter for business will teach you everything else you need to know about creating, curating, and sharing great content.
2. Tweet at the right time
While Twitter feeds are no longer strictly chronological, timing is still important if you want your content seen by the largest possible audience. When is the best time to tweet? Based on an analysis of over 40,000 tweets from @Hootsuite, the best time to post on Twitter is at 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. Start there and test different dates and times to find out what works best for you. When do you get the most likes, comments, and retweets? That’s your sweet spot.
3. Tweet the right amount
If you bombard the audience with too many posts, you might turn people off from following you. But too little might suggest to some that you’re not worth following.
There’s no magic number for how many times a day you should post. At Hootsuite, we suggest posting once a day at the very least. Pay attention to how your existing followers react to find the frequency that works best for you, and keep a close eye on your Twitter analytics.
4. Schedule your tweets
Using a tool like Hootsuite to schedule tweets in advance will not only save you time, but it will make it easier to post at the optimal times (and frequency) to drive engagement. And more engagement is what you need to get Twitter followers.
5. Curate sharable content
Try to introduce people to new things, brands, and ideas that are relevant to your line of business and your audience’s interests. Be on the lookout for “firsts” or new trends. Everyone loves to be the first to share something new and interesting with their own networks. Become a trusted source of that type of content to attract lots of new followers who want to be in the know.
6. Don’t be too promotional
People use Twitter for many reasons, including researching brands and products, but giving off a pushy salesperson vibe on Twitter is rarely a good look. It can turn off potential new followers and annoy existing ones.
If you find the right moment to ask for a sale, go for it, but make sure it’s something that adds value for your audience, such as an event or special offer, rather than just “Look at our product, isn’t it great?”
7. Be funny (if appropriate)
Amusing tweets are among the most retweeted. But it’s hard to be funny and even harder to be consistently funny. Don’t try to force humor if it’s not your strong suit and/or doesn’t fit with your brand voice.
8. Write (and edit) well
Saying a lot in a few words is no easy task. As Mark Twain famously said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
Although you now have a 280 characters to play with, writing for Twitter is an exercise in brevity. How do you say enough to get people’s attention and compel them to share, reply, or like your Tweet? The answer is you need to be as good an editor as you are a writer.
Read and use these 12 quick editing tips for social media marketers. Your followers will thank you for it. If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out these 11 Twitter accounts that will make you a better writer.
9. Use compelling visuals
People love eye-catching images, GIFs, and graphics. They help your content stand out and will draw in a scanning set of eyes. And according to Twitter, tweets from verified users that include photos receive an average 35 percent boost in retweets.
If you’re looking for tips on how to create and curate compelling visuals for Twitter, check out these 14 great resources for creating quick and beautiful images as well as our GIF guide for social media marketers.
10. Try Twitter video
Twitter has become one of the most popular places for people to watch, share, and talk about videos online. Video can engage, inform, and entertain in a way other mediums struggle to, which makes it a magnet for new followers. Plus, tweets with videos receive a 28% boost in retweets (on average).
You can create or upload videos, and can even live-stream video on Twitter so long as it’s on-brand and relevant to your audience. Take a look at your Twitter video options.
11. Tweet questions that get a response
As the old adage goes, “You don’t get what you don’t ask for.”
Asking a question is one of the best ways to generate engagement. It could be a simple, fun question, such as a local movie theater asking, “What was your favorite moment in the new Star Wars movie?”, or a Twitter poll (see below).
Or you could ask for specific feedback about a product or service, so long as you are prepared for some negative responses. Questions lead to engagement, which leads to increased visibility for your tweets, which leads to more followers.
12. Run engaging Twitter polls
Again, an increase in engagement can lead to an increase in followers. And Twitter polls can also be highly engaging. They can be used to ask serious questions about your industry, elicit feedback, or simply get people talking about and retweeting your brand in a fun way. Read Using Twitter Polls to Boost Audience Engagement for some ideas.
13. Optimize your Twitter profile and bio
Your Twitter bio is indexed by search engines, making it a highly visible first point of contact for potential new followers.
A good bio should:
- Showcase who you are and what you do
- Convey your brand personality
- Target your ideal audience with keywords
- Include a call to action
Get more tips on crafting the perfect bio and attracting new followers.
14. ‘Pin’ your best tweets to the top of your feed
Adding a pinned tweet to your feed acts as kind of an extension of your bio. It’s one of the first things that people will see when they come to your profile to decide if you’re worth a follow.
Use the pinned tweet to showcase your best content. And make sure to switch it up every so often to highlight seasonal events or trends.
15. Link to Twitter from…
