If you’re reading this article, then I’m sure you’re interested in learning about how to grow on Twitter. I’ve got a decent amount of experience on Twitter, and I broke through 1000 followers in my first year on the platform. Since then, I’ve taken a more hands-off approach and mainly use it for networking or for promoting a new article. In fact, you can read some of my overall social media strategies in my review of my first year blogging. Twitter has proven to be a worthwhile platform for me, and sharing the lessons I’ve learned along the way is part of what Bitter to Richer’s mission is.
Make Your Content Useful And Relevant
The first thing you need to know, and take to heart, is that your content needs to be good. How do you determine if your content is good? It’s simple. If your content is useful to your target audience, then that’s the first half. The second half is if it’s relevant to your target audience and brand. When your content is both useful to your audience as well as truly relevant to your brand and audience’s goals, then you’ve found the sweet spot.
I’m sure this sounds simple, easy, and like a lot of common sense. However, in my experience a lot of people miss the mark on this one. It’s simple in theory, but most people lack the execution. I’m not saying it’s impossible, or even particularly hard, but it’s something to be aware of.
Visuals Help
Almost everyone agrees that visuals on Twitter help with engagement. I use visuals somewhat sparingly though, and my engagement is incredibly high for my niche. Your mileage will vary, but I’d recommend testing the waters and seeing what works for you. For example, the tweets that promote my articles contain images. For my other tweets, I usually only add an image if that graphic is extremely relevant to the topic. So, 90% of my images are solely for tweets with links to my articles.
The bottom line is that your serious followers and fans will get accustomed to your style and expect it. If you use a lot of images, your followers will expect a lot of images and want them. If you use them sparingly, then your followers will expect that. A good way to stand out, especially at the beginning, is to use visuals though. They can grab attention and get viewers to look at your tweet, which may’ve gone unnoticed otherwise.
Schedule Tweets
It’s useful to schedule some daily tweets. I know a lot of people don’t like the idea at first, but it makes your work a lot easier. Beyond that, it helps you stay as consistent as possible. Additionally, you likely want to optimize the timing of your tweets, and this makes sure you can do that. I can’t be on Twitter for much of the day, so scheduling tweets is the only way I can provide consistent content.
I do one tweet in the morning, one at noon, and one in the mid-to-late afternoon. This has worked well for me in getting my content out to my target audience. Your timeslots may vary, and you may opt to schedule more or fewer tweets. Play around with it and see what works for you. 2-5 tweets a day is usually enough to satisfy your audience, without overwhelming them.
Network And Interact With Others
One of the best uses of Twitter is for networking with others. At this point, it’s likely my favorite use for Twitter – even above promoting articles for my blog. It’s the perfect platform to connect with others, and you should make use of that from day one. Don’t spam people, but don’t be shy either. Reach out, try to make connections and friendships, and see where it goes. I’d caution against expecting things from people. Yet, when you reach out with genuine interest, great partnerships can be formed.
Twitter Communities
There are a lot of great Twitter communities and groups for you to join for more networking. These groups serve a myriad of uses. Your niche will likely have completely different communities than my niche (which is personal finance). With that said, there is one type of community that most niches have in common – engagement and review Twitter communities. The members of these groups tend to look at your content, engage with it if appropriate or relevant, and give you constructive feedback in the meantime. This means you can have a group of people trying to grow on Twitter, who can give you advice in the process!
Create A Concise Bio
Your bio is one of your most useful tools. Make it short and to the point. Concise execution is the ideal in this situation. Give enough information to let your potential audience know who you are or what your platform is about. Call to actions are good, but not always relevant. When you’re first starting out, come up with a couple of different bios and swap between them. See what seems to work the best or fits right, and use that permanently. On top of that, don’t forget to include a relevant link, especially if you have a blog!
Use Hashtags Strategically, But Sparingly
Most people recommend not using hashtags at all. If you do use them, the general recommendation is to use them sparingly, and not on all of your tweets. I understand the desire to avoid hashtags, but I also see the benefit. For your main content, like what the three tweets I schedule out personally, I would recommend not using hashtags. It tends to hurt engagement, and it hurts the visual appeal of your tweets.
However, I make exceptions for certain things. If there is a hashtag gaining popularity, or trending, I may hop on the bandwagon. To be clear, only do this if the hashtag is relevant to your niche. For example, when I was just a few months in, index fund investing went viral on Twitter (for what reason, I do not know). Consequently, I used the hashtag and created a tweet that included a link to my article explaining index funds. I got about 1000 clicks to my site from that in under 48 hours when I was only a few months into the process. Hashtags have their uses.
Engage, Engage, Engage
Twitter is all about engagement, which is especially true when you’re just beginning. Try to respond to as many different tweets, from different accounts, as possible. Do this consistently. Whatever you’re able to do depends on your own schedule and free time, but shoot for as much as you can handle. I’d say the first threshold to see solid results and growth is 30 meaningful and thoughtful replies per day. I made the mistake of only doing 10-15 for a while. When I went to 30, my growth was astronomical. The next threshold is 50 meaningful replies. I’ve seen people get 1000 followers in a matter of months by replying 50-100 times daily.
Again, these replies should be thoughtful. Don’t just reply to others and say “great tweet.” That’s useless and is a bad look that won’t attract meaningful followers. You also should still maintain your own 2-5 unique and new tweets daily.
These days I don’t actually reply much except to comments on my own tweets. That is probably bad practice, but I’ve hit the benchmarks I need and want to hit, so I’m content with cruising and just slowly building strong, active followers.
Use Pinned Tweets
Pinned tweets are a great way to grab the attention of viewers. Use your best tweets, or tweets you want to promote, for the best results. These days, I tend to pin the tweets that promote my blog. I cycle them routinely (to the latest post). This way the pinned tweet is fresh and my followers are seeing the most up-to-date content I have.
Historically, and still occasionally, I pinned threads to my account. Honestly, the results I got with these was amazing. It gets a lot of engagement, so providing useful information in the form of threads can really help you build a following.
Find Your Voice
Find a voice, your own unique writing style. Once you’ve found it, stick to it. Changing up your voice and tone only serves to confuse your audience. Once they connect with you, they want to see more of you. So, find a strong voice that suits you – and your niche – and stick to it.
Use Your Email Newsletter
Use your email newsletter, or any other social media following, to help give you an initial boost on Twitter. In other words, promote your Twitter account in any way you can. That boost can be a massive aide when you start, and it could even save you weeks or months of tweeting.
Once you’ve built up a following on Twitter, don’t forget to use that to promote your other platforms. Promote your email list, blog, and any other social media profiles you have.
How To Use Your Growth On Twitter
As you grow, you’ll become a more authoritative source. Use this to network with others. Beyond that, Twitter is great for brand awareness as well as promotion. Twitter has helped me grow my blog immensely, so it’s proven itself to be an invaluable tool in my arsenal.
Twitter can also be monetized. There are two good, primary ways that I’ve seen it done. First, through affiliate links. Sign up for an affiliate program that permits the use of social media, and share affiliate links to gain a cut of the sale. Second, create a course and sell it! Many of the larger accounts sell a course based on their niche or on Twitter growth – you can also capitalize on that.
Conclusion
Hopefully this article gave you the basics you need in order to reach 1000 followers on Twitter. The trick is to engage, stay consistent, and post relevant and quality content. If you have questions, or tips of your own, let us know in the comments.
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