When starting out on Twitter, one of the first things that people want to know after they have setup their profile and sent out a few tweets is how to find Twitter followers. Not just any followers, but followers who would be interested in what they have to offer.
As you may know, one of the ways to get Twitter followers fast is to start following people in hopes that they will follow you in return. So how do you up the odds that people you follow who are interested in your topic will follow you back?
There are several ways to find Twitter followers that are likely to follow you back. The key is in looking at the ratio of the person’s followers vs. following. If they have 100,000 people following them, and they are only following 100, chances are you may not make the cut. But if they are following 98,999 people, then more than likely they are utilizing an automation tool that follows everyone who follows them.
3 Free Ways to Find Reciprocal Followers
So outside of clicking on users one by one to see what their following ratio is, how do you find relevant followers who are likely to follow you back?
TwitterCounter
TwitterCounter keeps a historical track of how many people are following Twitter members, including predictions based on those numbers as to what their following will be the next day and 30 days out.
If you visit the TwitterCounter search page and search for your topic such as digital marketing, you will get results based on the information in Twitter member profiles (as opposed to what they tweet, which isn’t always a good indicator of a particular member’s interest). The results show the number of people following each member, the number of people the member follows, and the number of tweets they have sent. If you authorize TwitterCounter to your Twitter account, you can follow people directly from the list by clicking the blue follow link.
TweepML
TweepML allows members to add lists of Twitter members based on specific criteria. There are several lists of Twitter members who follow back. Some example lists include:
- Fast Followers 1001-1500
- Fast Followers 1501-2000
- Fast Followers 2001-2500
- Top 500 Follow All Back
Each list gives the user’s name and their profile description. Simply use your browser’s search feature to highlight particular keywords and check those members to follow. Once you authorize TweepML through your Twitter account, you can follow selected members. Also, remember not to follow too many people every day as you can possibly get banned by Twitter for doing so.
Tweepi
Once you authorize Tweepi through your Twitter account, you can enter a Twitter member’s username and Tweepi will bring back the followers of this user and information such as their number of following, followers, tweets, retweets, etc. So find a Twitter member in the same field, preferably with a huge following, but not someone who auto follows back (ie. someone who doesn’t follow many others). This way, you can be (almost) sure that everyone following them is actually interested in their topic, not just in a return follow.
Best Services and Apps
Other Ways to Gain Followers
There are many, many ways to get followers. In addition to seeking out new followers, you can also gain new followers by:
- 1- Adding your Twitter ID to your website, blog, email signature, business card, and to other social networks.
- 2- Joining forums relevant to your topic and adding your Twitter ID to your signature as well as to any lists of forum members on Twitter.
- 3- Using your Twitter URL as a website URL when commenting on blogs on your subject of interest.
They’re Following – Now What?
What is the point of having a large Twitter following if they are not actually paying attention to you? Sure they are following you, but with the invention of Twitter Lists, they may not actually be following your updates. So your next goal is to get their attention. This can be done in a variety of ways, including but not limited to the following.
Direct Messages
Although most of them are automated or spam, some people are still paying attention to their direct messages. So if someone sends you a Facebook link, go add them as a friend. Be sure to thank them for their message on Twitter @yourusername so they know who you are on Twitter and how you found them.
Blog Commenting
If your Twitter followers have blogs, go and leave a few valuable comments. If you don’t have a website, just include your Twitter profile URL as your website. The blog owner probably won’t miss that (unless they are one of the mega-blogs).
Retweets
Retweets generally get attention. So retweet users you hope to notice you, but also keep in mind that what you are retweeting is relevant to your followers. This way you are providing valuable information for your followers as well as (hopefully) garnering attention from other Twitter members. You can do this during the blog commenting proces as well by tweeting articles including their @theirusername.
Your Thoughts
What methods do you use to gain targeted Twitter followers, and how do you get them to engage and interact with you?