HOW TO: Get More Twitter Followers

By: @Garin

Note: I have written an updated version of this post called 50 Ethical Ways to Get More Twitter Followers.

How do you get more followers on Twitter? This mission of this article is to provide the best possible answer to that question!

There are many tips in this article that can literally skyrocket your Twitter following.

The more high visibility links you can build to your twitter profile the more followers you will acquire.

Here are some powerful tips for building a strong Twitter brand that will attract literally tens of thousands of followers!

Leverage Your Other Social Media Profiles.

Link to your Twitter profile from your other profiles across the web. Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin, etc.

On your Facebook page include a link to your Twitter profile in the Websites section.

On YouTube you can link to your Twitter profile in your bio, and in the description section for videos.  You can also mention your Twitter username in your videos, or watermark it as text on top of the video.

Link to Your Twitter Name in Your Email Signature.

With every email you send you have an opportunity to link the recipient(s) of your Twitter profile.

I use a cool email signature service called WiseStamp that includes a twitter icon in my email signature.

Tweet Awesome Content.

If you can get more retweets you can get more followers.  Every retweet you get should

help you net a few new followers.  How many new followers a retweet gets you depends on who retweets you.

Share awesome content you will get more retweets, and more followers. When people visit your Twitter page and see that you are tweeting awesome content they will see the value in following your stream, and will be more likely to follow you.

Not sure where to start for awesome content? Check out my awesome content Twitter list.

Ask Your Followers to Retweet You.

Ask your followers to “Please Retweet” your best tweets. Saying please has been proven to get better results.  I have tested this out and it really does work.

Every retweet usually leads to a few new followers, depending on how many followers the person who retweets you has. Check out my article about how to get more retweets for more tips that will help your tweets go viral.

PleaseRT.me is a custom URL shortening Twitter Tool that allows you to ask people to RT your link within the link you tweet itself.

Rent a Billboard.

If you are really ambitious, rent a billboard and put your Twitter name on it.  This is what Ashton Kutcher did when he was racing against CNN to be the first to 1,000,000 followers.

This strategy worked for Ashton and I’m sure it could work for you too if you have a few thousand dollars to cover the cost.

Reach Out to Your Followers.

This can be something as simple as an automatic bubble tweet saying hello.  Even just sending a message saying “Hi, thanks for following” will help you retain more of your followers.

Twitter Marketing Software can send an auto-dm to every one of your new followers, but doing this risks you seeming like a robot.  Don’t send a link in an introduction tweet, just say a friendly hello.

You will have better luck with this strategy if you can personalize your greetings.

Don’t Use TrueTwit Validation.

Use Keywords in Your Bio.

The more details you can include in your bio, the better.  Tools like TweetAdder allow people to search and follow highly targeted people based on keywords in your bio, so think carefully about the words you choose.

Do your best to ensure the keywords you choose describe you well.

Use #Hashtags in Some of Your Tweets

Hashtags can help people find your tweets through trending topics, and Twitter search.

#Hashtags are not pretty to look atso use them sparingly.  Some people detest them and will unfollow you if you use them all the time.

#AvoidStupidLongHashtagsToo.

#Hashtags do open your tweets to other tweet streams so using them when you are starting out can open your tweets up to a larger audience than just your followers.

The more people that find your tweets, the more people find (and follow) you.

Tweet Cool Pictures.

People like to see and share cool pictures.

Tweet some interesting pictures and they will get retweeted, and you will get more followers.

Use TweetAdder.

TweetAdder is a powerful Twitter automation program. 

I have used TweetAdder to build tens of thousands of relevant connections and I highly recommend it.

I have also developed an awesome bonus that anyone can have for free if they grab a copy of TweetAdder through my link.

Check out my video review of TweetAdder here.

Follow Highly Relevant People.

The more relevant the people you follow are, the better the chance is that they will follow you back.

TweetAdder can help with this by allowing you to target people to follow based on the keywords they use in their bio, or in their tweets.

The best way to ensure you are building relevant connections is to check out people for yourself.  If you think they are interesting, follow them, and there is a good chance they will do the same for you.

Print your Twitter Name on Your Business Card.

Twitter promotion does not have to be limited to the online world.  Include your Twitter name right on your business card you will be able to get several new followers.

Don’t have your Twitter username on your business cards yet?  You’re in luck Vista Print is currently giving away 250 business cards for free.

Tell Your Contact List to Follow You.

Send an email to your existing contact list letting them know that you are on twitter, and that they should be following you.

One way to do this is to use an emboldened post-script in emails. 

P.S. Follow me @Garin & @FacebookFlow.

Tweet During Peak Times.

Tweet during peak twitter traffic times.

Thursday and Friday from 3-5pm EST are the busiest times on Twitter.

Check out these tips for going viral on Twitter to get your tweets more exposure, and get you more followers in the process.

Get in on Trending Topics.

Trending topics are visible to thousands of people at once. so participating in a trending topic can give your tweet more exposure than it normally would.

Buy a Twitter Account.

I know this tip is risqué but it will get you a bunch of followers fast.

If you sent out some tweets asking people if they would sell an account to you, you could probably find someone who would.

Engage with Twitter Giants.

If you can engage Twitter Giants, you can potentially get a large amount of exposure if they respond to you.

Your chances of getting the attention of a Twitter Giant grows as your following grows.  Be persistent.  Get them on lists and tweet their original content.  Mention them for #FollowFriday.

I engage with Twitter Giants on a regular basis and I’m sure that if you keep trying you can do the same.

Use a Tweet Button in Your Blog Posts.

Twitter recently launched the official tweet button, and I recommend you use it.  If you install this button into your pages or posts manually you can also choose to have the button recommend people to follow after a  tweet is sent.

To see this feature in action retweet this post using the button below.

Tweet

If you are running a self-hosted WordPress blog the best plugin for integrating this and other social buttons is Digg Digg.  Digg Digg is the plugin that installed the social sharing buttons that follow you as you scroll down this page.

Run a Charity Promotion.

Drew Carey (@Drewfromtv) is paying $1 for every follower he gets, up until 1,000,000 followers.

This strategy has netted him over 500,000 followers already, and plenty of publicity.

Create a Great Looking Twitter Background.

Most people still use the web based version of Twitter, which means they will see your background when surfing to your profile.

If you take the time to create a custom Twitter background people will notice and you will get more follows as a result.

Check out the tool Themelon for millions of color combinations.

Pick a Catchy, Short, Twitter User Name.

Pick a name that people can easily remember.

The shorter your username the better. Many people still use the classic style retweets, so having a shorter username means that more people will retweet your tweets.

Tweet Often.

When I met @unmarketing he told me the month he became really big on Twitter he tweeted about 10,000 times.

By tweeting all the time you will tick a bunch of people off, but the ones who don’t unfollow you will be much more familiar with you, and will be more likely to retweet you.

How effective this strategy is depends entirely on what you tweet about, of course.

The more you tweet, the better chance you have of your tweets being seen by  people who do not follow you yet.

The more recent your tweets are, the more relevant it will seem for someone to follow you.

Word of Mouth.

Tell your friends and relatives to follow you on Twitter.

Bring Twitter up in person when you are chatting with people.  If they are on Twitter convince them to follow you, if they are not on Twitter convince them to join.

Use Twitter in Your Blog Comments.

When replying to posts on other people’s blogs, leave your Twitter name in your reply.

If you are commenting on a disqus comment system (like the one in this post) you can click a twitter icon and share your comment on Twitter.

Talk to Your Followers.

Answer back to people who tweet at you. People will see that you are receptive to questions and dialogue and will be more likely to follow you.

Add Yourself to Twitter Directories.

There are directories like Twellow, wefollow, and several others where you can add your Twitter profile and get more followers.

Wefollow is an especially helpful Twitter directory because it is the largest directory on the

Write Articles and Place your Twitter Name in the Signature Box.

Write articles on your topic of interest and place your Twitter name in the resource box. Submit these articles to places like EzineArticles.com and GoArticles.com

Use Twitter For Your Customer Support.

If you create a Twitter account solely for customer support, your customers will be forced to follow you if they want to communicate via dm.

Be Funny.

Laughter is the best medicine. Funny and witty tweets retweet very well.

Just check out favstar for some of the funniest tweets.

@Badbanana and @shitmydadsays are always good for a laugh.

Sign up for my free 7 day eCourse

Enroll in my free 7 day twitter eCourse and you will receive twitter tips and tricks by email that will help you get more retweets, and more followers.

Participate in #FollowFriday

Throughout the week keep track of the people who retweet and make a positive impression on you and reward them with a #FollowFriday recommendation.

More often than not people you recommend for #FollowFriday will return the favor.

Feedback

Do you have any tips for getting more followers?  Share your tips and/or your username in the comments below!