How to get your first 1,000 Twitter followers

Your first 1,000 followers on Twitter are the hardest.

So I asked 20 people how they did it.

Here’s what they said:

Make it about people, not numbers. People will introduce you to their friends if you're cool and helpful. After all, you don't get 1000 followers at once: you get 1 follower, 1000 times.

— @arvidkahl

Write every day — publish the best in one thread per week.

Rinse and repeat.

— @blakeaburge

The main way I got my first 1k followers was by replying on other's tweets with insightful information where it was relevant.

— @franchisewolf

I got my first 1000 followers by building interesting things and sharing about them. Just trying to share the valuable tidbits in things that I learn as I'm building.

— @noahwbragg

Twitter Growth is directly proportional to the number of people you help without asking anything in return.

~Help by writing useful threads
~Help by engaging w their tweets
~Help by supporting when they launch
~Help by answering their question in DM

— @sahilypatel

Don't expect your first 1000 followers to find you, you have to go and find them

— @theJayAlto

Work backward from what people ask you about. Write a blog post answering a question. At the end of your post, invite people to follow you on Twitter to get more updates. Promote your post where people interested in your topic already hang around.

— @dvassallo

Making friends and trying to boost others.

— @dklineii

Be among the first to leave high-value comments on the tweets of “big” accounts.

— @amandanat

One of the biggest drivers of growth for me has actually been stuff I do off Twitter. My newsletter and blog posts attract people who connect with me and then wind up following me on Twitter.

@jspector

Reply or quote RT with a comment on big accounts.

➔ Add your thoughts to the original post
➔ Spark a conversation or join an existing one
➔ Ask a thoughtful question so the original poster or others can reply

— @AlexLlullTW

Quality writing without distribution is a scream into the void.

Be your own advocate.

When you have a good tweet or thread, send DMs to other accounts—bigger and smaller ones.

Write a thoughtful note why you think they will like it.

— @DanesaGlez

Long useful threads and lots of engagement :)

— @JamesonCamp

Find profiles similar to yours that are addressing the same audience and topic.

Turn on mobile notifications on them.

Respond to their tweets thoughtfully and try to make sure the comment is even more thoughtful than the tweet.

— @Aazarshad

Shout into the void and don’t look for followers look for friends

— @landforce

Comment on other people's tweets with insightful commentary or valuable discussions. It's the best way to drive traffic to your profile and get those early followers.

— @heykahn

Find your tribe, engage with your tribe, add value to your tribe.

— @ThePupOfWallSt

Go into Twitter analytics and look at the best content that you have created over the last 12 months.  Take inspiration from those and use those as insights into what other content you should create in the future. Remix it a bit, and share it again

— @TheCoolestCool

Be consistent, and focus on establishing yourself as a valuable member of communities rather than trying to gain followers.

Also important to follow a variety of accounts that are growing and sharing valuable content to learn from their success.

— @ccmarce_writes

I followed people I enjoyed hearing from and checked in with them often.

I was also myself without an agenda. I didn't come here to sell or network with the people I thought could benefit me in some way. It's always been about making friends.

— @AdrienneNakohl

Here’s a scorecard for the most recommended tips:

And a little behind the scenes insight from one of these creators:

“The first 1,000 took me 5 months, the second took less than 25 days.”

For more tips on marketing, follow @jthomas__ on Twitter.