How to get followers on Twitter

As with any social media platform, Twitter continues to evolve, and the strategies to connect with an audience change. Brands that develop a bold and unique online personality can quickly amass followers and improve their publicity. Here are the best, relevant strategies you can use to get more followers on Twitter.

Read more: How to get verified on Twitter

Stay active on the platform

The more you tweet, the more chances you have of getting noticed — mainly because the algorithms give more air time to regularly posting accounts. Think of it as casting a wider net while fishing.

Unlike other social media platforms, consistency of activity on Twitter is vital to content strategy. For example, the top 25% of highest-performing accounts on Twitter post roughly 12 times per week or twice per day. If people see that you have great regular content, they know you’re worth following.

Timing is also essential, as more people tend to be active on Twitter at particular times of the day. Some research suggests that the best time to post your tweets is at 8:00 AM on Mondays and Thursdays. You can follow our guide on scheduling tweets to reach Twitter followers when you’re away. Some of the most popular third-party scheduling tools are Hootsuite and Buffer, which can schedule posts across multiple platforms.

Interact with people

You don’t just want to be tweeting for the sake of tweeting, however. A good tweet is part art, science, and luck. According to Twitter, the best-performing tweets are conversational and respond to current events and trending conversations. Think of topics that are relatable and get people talking.

The conversation also shouldn’t just be one-sided. Make sure to engage with your existing followers by answering comments and messages. Keep track of any other users that mention your Twitter handle or retweet your tweets and be sure to comment on them. If your opinion is favored, you might even be in a ratio.

Another tactic is to post comments on the tweets of non-competitor accounts in your niche. However, don’t try to strike up debates with competitors, as it can come off as unprofessional. Also, be sure to like posts daily to increase engagement.

Lastly, consider hosting or participating in Twitter chats. These are public conversations focused on a specific topic and can be a great space to flex your knowledge. Being a consistent participant in chat threads, you can become a familiar figure in that subject matters Twitter community to gain new followers.

Users can host live chats at any time, so to help find one in your niche, you can visit Twubs, TweetReports, or ChatSalad.

Create unique and engaging content

Perhaps the most critical element to gaining followers on social media is finding your voice. You can do some research to develop your online presence, such as creating audience personas and articulating your vision and the values you want to promote. That will help you identify the niche of people you want to connect with. Check out fast-food chain Wendy’s for some bold and funny inspiration.

Additionally, prioritize visual content whenever you can, as tweets with images tend to receive more likes, shares, and retweets than those without. Infographics, videos, and GIFs are examples of something unique you can offer your audience. Another benefit to visuals is that they don’t count towards the 280-character limit, meaning you can communicate a lot more in a single tweet.

Creating polls is another excellent way to interact with your Twitter followers and ask them what content or features they want to see more of.  You can add up to four choices per poll and set a custom length of time for how long it is active.

If you have a longer story to tell or a detailed insight to share, you can create a Twitter thread. A thread is a sequence of tweets connected in series that tweeters can scroll through at their leisure. Not only does it allow for a deep dive into a specific subject, but multiple tweets also mean more chances to get seen.

To create a thread, simply tap the plus icon once you’ve drafted your first Tweet. Or, you can add additional tweets to a thread after you’ve published.

Stay on top of trends

You can always see what’s trending on Twitter to participate in the hottest discussions. You can view regional trending topics, news, and more from the Explore tab. You’ll notice some topics trend alongside hashtags, which you can use to make your tweets searchable and appear as part of the most recent related tweets when users select a topic. It’s a quick way to get in front of new viewers and broader audiences.

It would be best if you aimed to include one or two hashtags with each tweet. But make sure they’re relevant and, if possible, linked to recurring trends such as #WednesdayWisdom. However, don’t stuff your tweets with too many hashtags, as it can look like spam.

Consider using Twitter Analytics to track your tweet impressions, profile visits, mentions, and followers. Knowing which tweets make the biggest impressions can help indicate which direction you should lean into. You can also pay to promote tweets to reach more people; however, users will see the “promoted” icon beneath it, which can turn them off.

Other hashtag tracking tools will cost you, but most come with a one or two-week free trial. Popular options such as Brand24 or Digimind can provide more data and insight in predicting what’s going viral to help you stay ahead of trends.

Read more: How to up your Instagram game and get more followers

FAQs

Can you buy Twitter followers?

While buying followers might seem like an easy shortcut to increasing your Twitter followers, we don’t recommend it. Paid-for followers are mostly bot accounts, which Twitter actively seeks out and deletes. Also, since bots don’t engage, they will not increase your engagement metrics and visibility on the platform. If you suspect bots are following you, learn how to remove them.

How can I get 1,000 followers on Twitter?

Reaching your first thousand followers on Twitter is a milestone. Optimize your Twitter handle and profile, set your account to public, and follow the steps in this guide to get more followers on Twitter.

Who has the most followers on Twitter?

Currently, Barack Obama, former President of the United States, has the most followers at 131 million.

How many Twitter followers do you need to be verified?

There is no threshold of followers you need, and having a big following on Twitter is not enough of a reason to get verified. Learn more in our guide.