It all happened several years ago; I woke up on a Saturday morning to find about 200 of my followers gone. I had fewer than 1,000 followers back then, so my entire day was ruined.
Several months later, I learned that losing followers is actually beneficial: you’re getting rid of people who aren’t interested in you anyway. Here’s a quick and comprehensive list of the major reasons why you might be losing followers on Twitter/X:
-
You aren’t following people back: If you are a celebrity you can afford to do that, but if you aren’t famous, you’d better follow people back. When great entrepreneurs like Guy Kawasaki follow back, why wouldn’t you?
-
Twitter/X is deleting spam accounts: 2–20% of your followers are actually automated accounts designed to make you click on links for monetary gain. The Twitter/X team weeds them out periodically (mostly during weekends, but it can happen anytime).
-
Your posts aren’t very interesting: If all you do is post mundane updates like “I just ate steak,” everyone (except your mom) will eventually press the “unfollow” button.
-
You don’t get involved in conversations: If you see an interesting article, retweet it and discuss it! Answer all the @yourname questions, comments, etc. Be friendly; these people want to talk to you!
-
People follow and then quickly unfollow: Some users try to build a large follower list quickly. Don’t worry about losing them; they didn’t like you and won’t go far with this tactic.
-
You are overpromoting your website: This includes sending countless direct messages each day to promote your products or services.
-
You curse/swear: That’s frowned upon on Twitter/X. Also, remember that what you say leaves a permanent trail on the net and might get you in trouble when you’re looking for a new job.
How to Get High Quality Followers Fast
Although there are ways to minimize follower loss, some people will unfollow you every now and then. The best solution is to consistently attract new, high-quality followers. Resist the temptation to purchase automated software; it often follows random, spammy accounts. Instead, use the free, ethical methods listed below.
-
Tweet often: Post links to outstanding content in your industry and fun, interesting, or controversial stuff. If your tweets are engaging, more people will want to follow you. Don’t forget to return the favor by following them back.
-
Use hashtags: This increases your tweets’ visibility in search results, thereby boosting your chance of gaining followers.
-
Offer a fantastic freebie: Lock it behind one of your website pages and give it away to people who follow you on Twitter/X. It doesn’t have to be industry-related; any great freebie will do the job well.
-
Promote your Twitter/X account: Post the link on your website, blog, and wherever possible without being spammy. I’ll post a link to my Twitter/X account right here in case you want to follow me.
-
Add yourself to Twitter/X directories. Find them by “twitter directory” and “x directory” on Google.
-
Use Twitter/X’s search functionality daily: Input desired keywords and follow people who seem to be your target audience; some will follow back.
-
Network with influential users: Develop relationships with people who have many followers, and then ask them to recommend you by posting a link to one of your great blog posts.