Read on Twitter
I got a DM today from someone newish to social asking about “getting more followers” and how I got so many. Want the truth?
1. I was here stupid early. Like 2007 early. Before it was a thing. When most of us thought it would be a nerd thing only forever.
1/x
1. I was here stupid early. Like 2007 early. Before it was a thing. When most of us thought it would be a nerd thing only forever.
1/x
2. I participated a lot. Still do. No real plan. I talk, I talk to other people. I ramble about random things.
Just sort of showing up. But here’s the real kickers.
2/x
Just sort of showing up. But here’s the real kickers.
2/x
3. I had the good fortune of good timing. I was here early, showed up a lot, and as the platform grew, more people came and paid attention.
I had some very visible people as Twitter pals and they said nice things about me. More people showed up.
3/x
I had some very visible people as Twitter pals and they said nice things about me. More people showed up.
3/x
4. Arguably at the time I also had a fairly popular digital marketing blog when having one of those was cool.
Mostly I know what I’m talking about so people showed up to read, I hit some lists (again good timing), and people showed up some more.
4/x
Mostly I know what I’m talking about so people showed up to read, I hit some lists (again good timing), and people showed up some more.
4/x
5. No, I never asked to be verified. An email showed up in my inbox one day. I clicked “yes okay” and the blue check has been there ever since.
Matters not one iota.
5/x
Matters not one iota.
5/x
6. After 13 years, a huge proportion of my followers are bots, dead and dormant accounts, or other spam nonsense.
Don’t believe everything you see. Numbers tell a very small story.
6/x
Don’t believe everything you see. Numbers tell a very small story.
6/x
7. I don’t care about it whatsoever. I don’t try. I don’t have a “Twitter strategy”, for heaven’s sake. Unless you count just liking chatting into the void and occasionally at people.
If I lost all the followers tomorrow, I’d just start over.
7/x
If I lost all the followers tomorrow, I’d just start over.
7/x
8. So I’m the wrong person to ask because I don’t depend on this platform for my livelihood. Some likely do.
My entire philosophy on social has always been to show up, be interested, contribute something, have some fun.
8/9
My entire philosophy on social has always been to show up, be interested, contribute something, have some fun.
8/9
9. I had mostly lucky breaks, a little fun at the height of this bird app’s rise to fame, some decent writing chops and some good timing.
That’s what I’ve got for you.
Don’t sweat it too much. It’s social media. Not the sum total of your interestingness in the world.
9/9
That’s what I’ve got for you.
Don’t sweat it too much. It’s social media. Not the sum total of your interestingness in the world.
9/9
Oh, and postscript.
If your sole aim is to grow followers, you’re in this for all the wrong reasons. Eventually people sniff that out, and the shine wears off.
Be more interested in others than you are collecting eyeballs and stuff just starts to click.
If your sole aim is to grow followers, you’re in this for all the wrong reasons. Eventually people sniff that out, and the shine wears off.
Be more interested in others than you are collecting eyeballs and stuff just starts to click.
