Love it or hate it (or maybe you love and hate it), Twitter is one of the biggest, and therefore most important, social media platforms in the world. In fact, it’s not just paramount among the social sites, it’s an absolute must for anyone with something they want to share with the masses. From publications to companies to individuals interested in all manner of content, Twitter has become the go-to place to make announcements, promote new projects and develop brands.
Some people use Twitter simply to bolster their own egos, hoping to go viral simply for the sake of the attention. That’s all well and good, but growing your following isn’t just about your pride. As someone looking to make money from an audience, whether via pure sales, streaming activity or ticket and merchandise purchases, you benefit greatly when your marketing efforts reach a larger audience. The more followers you have, the better your chances of earning some real money.
Because of this, it’s worth spending time learning how Twitter works and what you can do to collect more followers, all of whom are interested in you and your work. This may involve posting more than just reminders that you have a new single out or that tickets are still on sale for your next show. But how does one increase their follower count organically?
Here are a few tips you can try to find more fans and grow your reach on Twitter, all in the pursuit of making a living as a musician.
In This Article:
- Post Content That Involves Others
- Quote Tweet
- Don’t Just Tweet—Interact!
- Link Back To Your Twitter
- Advertise
Post Content That Involves Others
A lot of what you share on Twitter, be it text, video or photo, will be about you. It’s your page, so why shouldn’t it be? Whether you’re promoting a new album, single, music video, your upcoming tour, or maybe even just goofing around and talking about personal things, it’s natural to want to talk about yourself and what’s happening in your world on your social media accounts. If you can find a way to bring others into the conversation in a public way, you’ll see your follower count rise.
Talk about the big topics of the day, and make sure you tag those involved. If you love the new single by another band, say so, and make sure to use their @ in your message. Post photos with other artists you’ve played with and tag them, perhaps even using a hashtag that relates to them, if one makes sense. Speaking of hashtags, you can utilize those being pushed by accounts larger and more popular than your own as a way to join in on the conversation.
All of these tactics are tried-and-true ways to make sure your tweets are seen by those outside your follower list. Many times, unless you’re going viral, the only people who will see what you share are the ones who already follow you. If you’re trying to attract attention outside of that group on Twitter, one of the best ways is to involve others!
Need help on working on your digital music promotion for your bands’ next era? Let’s talk.
Quote Tweet
Quote tweeting is something many Twitter users still don’t take advantage of, but it’s an excellent way to start a conversation on the site. Quote tweeting is when you click the retweet image on any post and select “quote tweet” instead of just “retweet.” This lets you share the upload with your followers, but still include the original as well. This way, the person who originally tweeted can see you engaged with their content.
This can be a fantastic way to get that one individual involved, and sometimes, depending on who it is and what you say, you can get them to continue the trend, quote tweeting you in response. This is just one more way to put your account front-and-center on someone else’s page, which introduces you to untold thousands of users.
Don’t Just Tweet—Interact!
Some people use Twitter only to air their own thoughts, while others rarely post anything of their own, instead opting to spend their time replying. The best way to be, if you’re looking to grow your follower count, is to find a healthy mix of the two.
As you look to increase the number of people who follow you on Twitter, make sure you’re not just posting and going, but interacting! Give some form of acknowledgement to those who engage with what you say in some way, liking or responding. The more activity surrounding your posts, the more the social media giant’s algorithms will see that you’re not just speaking into the void, but conversing with the public, which the company prefers.
Also, tweet with those you follow, those who mention you in any way (if it’s positive) and even those who have never heard of you. Think of Twitter like a party—you want to talk to those you already know and love, but you’re also open to chatting with a complete stranger, as long as it seems to fit organically. You can stick to music-only discussions, or have fun joking around and commenting on anything outside of the industry. You’ll see that if you put in just a little thought and share a fun, engaging repsonse, you may soon earn a new follower, or perhaps several…..thousand!
Social media is just one piece of a successful promotional strategy. If you have new music coming, you should also be thinking about radio promotion and hiring a music publicist. Contact us to chat – we can help you with that!
Link Back To Your Twitter
You should be promoting your Twitter everywhere! Make sure you have the platform’s logo on your website, as well as links back to your page on all other sites where people may be looking for you, like Instagram and Facebook. Include your twitter handle in your email newsletter, and on posters, ads, other marketing and PR materials, even promote it on your tiktok! You can even, from time to time, properly pimp your Twitter out with posts on other social sites, encouraging people to follow with a sample of what you post. Share a funny tweet or two on Facebook or in your Instagram stories and remind everyone they’re not getting everything from you if they don’t hit that follow button.
Advertise
Twitter makes it’s money from advertising, and while it’s easy for companies to spend many millions promoting their latest product or a sale, even the smallest bands with very limited budgets can use twitter for advertising. You can certainly utilize Twitter’s advertising arm to push your next song, full-length or to reach fans in specific cities to let them know you’re going on tour, but you can also employ it in order to gain more followers.
Twitter even has specific campaigns you can copy that will help you reach those who might not know who you are with posts that anyone might find fun and enjoyable. When you’re launching a program to earn more followers, you’re not selling a single or a video, but rather yourself. Show who you are! You want these strangers to love you, and then introduce them to your music, which they will also soon adore.
